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A Beginners Guide To Your First Bonsai Tree: Bonsai Techniques and Care
Bonsai always seemed like one of those hobbies that was either too complicated or required years of secret training under a wise old gardener. But A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Bonsai Tree makes it clear that anyone can get started with just a little patience and the right guidance. The book walks you through everything from choosing your first tree to mastering the art of pruning, watering, and shaping. More than just a how-to guide, it dives into the philosophy behind bonsai, making it feel less like decorating a desk and more like cultivating a miniature world of patience and creativity.
One thing I really loved about this book is how it doesn’t overwhelm you. The author knows exactly how intimidating bonsai can be at first and does a great job of breaking down the essentials. For example, in the section on selecting a bonsai species, they suggest starting with forgiving trees like Chinese Elm or Juniper. They also debunk some common myths, like the idea that bonsai are some magical, tiny tree species instead of regular trees trained into their miniature forms. That little bit of reassurance made me feel like I could actually do this without killing my plant within a week.
The writing itself is warm and engaging, and you can tell the author truly loves bonsai. There’s a whole section about pruning and wiring techniques that could have been dry, but instead, it reads like a guide from a friend who’s excited to share their knowledge. The parts about Jin and Shari—techniques that make trees look ancient and weathered—felt almost like learning a secret bonsai artist trick. I also appreciated the chapter about soil and watering, which finally explained in simple terms why my plants always seemed to struggle. I was either drowning them or letting them dry out completely.
If you’re the kind of person who loves the idea of growing something beautiful but worries about the commitment, this book is for you. It doesn’t sugarcoat the effort involved, Bonsai takes time, care, and a little trial and error. But it also makes the process feel accessible and rewarding. Whether you want to create a peaceful, meditative hobby or just have a cool, tiny tree to show off, this book gives you everything you need to get started.
Pages: 176 | ASIN : B0DZTKK126
A Divine Calling
Bella Brown’s Messier than Messy Room follows a creative but messy girl who wants to go to the butterfly garden she finds out she can not till she cleans her room. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for Bella Brown’s Messier than Messy Room came through an unexpected series of events in November 2021. I woke to a divine calling to write a book about butterflies for children. I wiped sleep from my eyes. “Write a book about butterflies for children?”
“Yes, write a book about butterflies for children,” boomed in my head.
I shrugged it off, went to work, and that same day received my second divine calling when my director insisted I take two weeks of vacation, which led to a zany butterfly research road trip across America. I visited butterfly farms in seven states – Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Texas. Each stop added layers to my understanding and vision for the story.
In Texas, I was pulled over for speeding. After explaining my cross-country butterfly research mission and showing the officer my GPS history of butterfly farm visits, he offered to waive the ticket if I promised to include a police officer in my butterfly book. Of course, I said “Yes.”
When I returned home, an author I didn’t know contacted me on Facebook asking if I wanted to participate in their online writing class.
I said, “Sure, I can always learn something new, and might be able to incorporate what I learn into the next book I’m writing. So, what’s your online class about?”
“Erotica” was their response, which I declined.
A story about a girl named Bella who has to clean her room if she wants to visit a butterfly garden is one thing. But a story with a plot twist where Bella and her Grandma Yetta disappear in a hail of bullets as they get caught in the middle of a shoot-out between law enforcement and a drug-dealing cult of strippers may send the wrong message to kids and their parents.
Ironically, it was the third divine calling, a near-death hospital stay that became the catalyst for revisiting and revising the manuscript that previously sat gathering dust over two-and-a-half years, that would become the first two books in the Bella Brown series.
This dedication paid off when Bella Brown’s Messier Than Messy Room became a Golden Book Award Finalist, with its book trailer garnering 5.1K views in just eleven days. The book has also received five-star reviews from both Chanticleer Reviews and Literary Titan Reviews.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
At its heart, the story addresses a universal challenge: feeling overwhelmed. Eight-year-old Bella faces the seemingly impossible task of cleaning her room before she can visit the butterfly garden. Through her journey, I wanted to share an important life lesson: large, overwhelming tasks become manageable when broken down into smaller, controlled steps.
The story demonstrates how Bella, with her grandmother’s guidance, transforms an intimidating challenge into achievable goals. This approach resonates not just with children facing messy rooms, but with anyone encountering seemingly insurmountable tasks in their lives. It’s about building confidence through strategic problem-solving and celebrating small victories along the way.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator Anastasiia?
The collaboration with Anastasiia was facilitated through Get Your Book Illustrations, where all communication went through a project manager. While I never directly communicated with Anastasiia, her methodical approach to bringing the story to life was impressive.
The process began with character development, where Anastasiia created and refined illustrations of all the story’s characters. She then moved on to draft storyboards, which underwent revisions before establishing the final layout.
The last stage involved creating individual illustrations and two-page spreads. Interestingly, it was only after adding color that minor revisions were needed, and the final illustrations turned out uber-awesome-fantastic.
What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?
The next book in the series, Bella Brown—Grandma’s Missing Butterfly Locket, follows Bella and her Grandma Yetta on a journey through memories of their butterfly adventures around the world.
When Grandma calls asking for help finding her missing butterfly locket, they reminisce about their incredible experiences: witnessing ten thousand Red Wing Butterflies take flight in China, encountering a mystical white butterfly at a Japanese temple, meeting a curious Blue Morpho butterfly in Colombia, and dancing among migrating Monarchs in Arkansas.
The story weaves together their precious memories while building to an unexpected and heartwarming surprise.
All eight books in the Bella Brown series will launch between September 2025 and January 2026 on the following dates:
Wednesday, September 03, 2025 – Book One: Bella Brown’s Messier Than Messy Room
September 27, 2025 – Bella Brown—Grandma’s Missing Butterfly Locket
October 27, 2025 – Bella Brown Visits a Bee Farm
November 19, 2025 – Bella Brown Meets Pip the Domovoi
January 14, 2026 – Bella Brown–Dragonfly-Dragonfly-Dragonfly
January 21, 2026 – Bella Brown–Pip’s Perfect Purple Present
January 28, 2026 – Bella Brown’s Ten-Moon Mysteries
January 31, 2026 – Bella Brown’s Baking Bedlam
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
With Grandma’s loving guidance, what starts as a dreaded chore becomes a delightful adventure. One mountain of clothes, four stuffed animals, a tower of games, and a bed to make – can Bella conquer the mess before butterfly garden time? Together, grandmother and granddaughter discover that even the biggest tasks become manageable when broken into smaller steps, sprinkled with love and encouragement.
This heartwarming story celebrates the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren while teaching valuable lessons about responsibility, persistence, and the joy of accomplishment. Through Bella’s journey, young readers learn that sometimes the best help comes from someone who loves you, and the sweetest rewards are those you earn yourself.
Perfect for children ages 4-8, this beautifully illustrated picture book:
*Shows how to tackle overwhelming tasks one step at a time
*Demonstrates problem-solving with a positive attitude
*Highlights the special connection between grandparents and grandchildren
*Encourages independence while showing it’s okay to ask for help
*Features warm, engaging illustrations that bring Bella’s world to life
Join Bella on her clean-up adventure and discover that with a little help, determination, and love, even the messiest room can become a masterpiece!
Free-Growing Nature
A Parrot Tail Lily follows a gardener who discovers a rare plant growing in his garden and focuses all his attention on that one plant, neglecting the others. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration for this book was not originally related to gardens and plants at all, but rather, they have been used as a metaphor for some important issues. Through the roles related to the garden, I wanted to highlight how even a good thing can become a burden and a problem if the attitude is wrong. In this book, the gardener Cosmo gets into a mental breakdown with his rare plant, and eventually, the whole garden suffers. Even the specialty, the parrot tail lily that gets all possible care and attention, will hardy survive.
Of course, I admire flourishing gardens and have tried to take care of some of my own as an adult, but with hardly any success. I admit I’m more of a friend of free-growing nature – forests, beaches, and flower meadows. Such elements are not included in this book. Instead, it focuses on cherishing a rare object or thing and showing how that can go wrong and ultimately no longer bring joy to anyone.
One metaphor that lurks behind this book is parenting. I have always been worried about parents who start excessively grooming their child who has some special skill. With good intentions, they can eventually isolate the child from their natural environment and a free and joyful childhood life. This situation can be related to some talent at school, music, or sports. A child or young person who is the target of the wrong kind of encouragement can begin to feel unwell. There is a risk that the demands and pressures take over and the growing child’s life becomes too narrow and focuses just on a limited view.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
As I already mentioned, the garden, with its plants and the people associated with it, is a metaphor for something bigger. Through it, I can express my appreciation for the diversity of life. While a unique and rare plant deserves attention, it is essential to remember that nature is a whole—more than the sum of its parts.
We must understand the mutual interaction of the different parts of nature and the importance of everyone for the other’s well-being. Plants and flowers need wind, water, sun, warmth, insects, and shelter before they can do well. People also need more than just some rarity to care for. We need the joy of color, abundance, the scent of plants, and the opportunity to admire everything around them. This fairy tale emphasizes how important it is to work together with others and enjoy the results with friends.
However, the core message can be summed up in two words: respect and balance. These concepts can encompass the entire human relationship with nature.
Do you enjoy gardening, if so do you have a favorite plant or flower?
I’m not precisely the gardening type. I sometimes build flower beds, plant seedlings, and tend to them, but too many obstacles often arise.
As a child, I made my first flower bed in our yard, but the neighbor’s overactive children rode their bikes over it just as the seedlings sprouted buds. Sometimes, I had to weed and water my mother’s and neighbor’s flower beds, but other summer activities were much more fun. In recent years, I have mainly focused on plants in the yard of our summer house that wouldn’t be appetizing to the nearby herds of roe deer! They eat almost everything!
Of course, I admire beautiful gardens and their floral splendor, but my particular favorites are wildflowers. I collected dozens of plants from the meadows and forests near my childhood home during summer leaves. This school assignment was quite a chore: collecting plants, taking notes, drying, pressing, attaching the dried plants to cardboard, and labeling them with their Finnish and Latin names. However, the chore was enjoyable and taught me a lot about plants and their growing environment.
However, my favorite natural plants are trees—especially birches and pines. Birches are generally gentle-looking trees that change their appearance with the seasons, while majestic pines are easy to admire when they grow, for example, on a high sandy ridge. I also like the idea of trees sheltering birds.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
As usual, I have many books in different stages. Right now, I spend most of my time collaborating with several illustrators—Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Italy, and Ukraine. Even though the brush is elsewhere, it is nice to follow the progress of the work, comment on it if necessary, and answer any questions the illustrators may have.
I just received the illustrations for two books in my Lyrics of Life Series. The pair will be published later this year. The whole series is based on a new, interesting idea. I have also found more books for the new Wickwick Global Hearts Project. There, I translate the stories from English into Finnish. So far, these books have come from Bangladesh, Turkey, and Ghana. It is nice to connect cultures with this bridge-building project. I believe I will also have the book from Africa ready by the next Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Wish me luck!
It is also enjoyable to follow along and comment on the evolving book layouts. Two unique books illustrated in India are nearing completion: The Old Rose Villa and A Dream House. I created these books based on stories my Indian-born friend shared with me. I can’t wait to see how they will be received, and I hope my friend will also like the result!
It will be nice to meet international publisher friends at the upcoming book fairs in London, Bologna, and Frankfurt and present our work results to them. Of course, I am particularly interested in reader feedback, which is always a pleasure to receive! If I reach the target audience, I haven’t written in vain.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
As Cosmo concentrates on taking care of the rare flower, he forgets everything else. His whole garden suffers, and eventually, the parrot tail lily dies, too. Was it too lonely to survive?
Cosmo’s young niece Nelly reminds the sad gardener about something he has forgotten. The plants need each other and nature around them – just like humans.
BRUSH: A NOVEL
Penn Anderson’s novel Brush elegantly weaves the parallel narratives of two strangers, Chris and Jo, whose lives intersect in intriguing and complex ways. Chris, an innovative tech savant who develops a successful app, finds himself unfulfilled by his sudden prosperity and begins an unexpected journey into painting. His artistic exploration takes a mystical turn when his creations inexplicably mirror real-life events. Jo, a compassionate divorcee and florist, embarks on a trip to Zurich, where she encounters a garden designer. The enchanting evening they share becomes the catalyst for a series of interconnected events that will tie her destiny to Chris’s in mysterious ways. Spanning a year in their lives, the novel tantalizes readers with hints of their eventual convergence.
Brush is a captivating novel. From the opening page, Anderson’s graceful prose intrigues the reader, drawing them into a world rich with detail and emotion. Organized by months, the novel offers a layered insight into the characters and plot, creating a seamless narrative flow. The portrayal of characters is vivid and endearing, and the vivid descriptions of flowers and locales add a comforting texture to the story. The short chapters and nimble shifts in point of view not only arouse curiosity but make the reading experience engaging.
While the book’s pacing and clarity of the storyline could benefit from refinement, these areas are minor in comparison to the novel’s strengths. The intrigue of the twist, though occasionally obscured, contributes to a thought-provoking and lingering post-reading experience. The characters’ evolution is praiseworthy, and readers will feel like they know them.
Penn Anderson’s Brush is more than just a novel; it’s an exploration into the multifaceted realms of life, love, art, and self-discovery. By crafting a compelling narrative that resonates long after the last page is turned, Anderson achieves a rare connection with readers, inviting them to reflect on Jo and Chris’s journeys and perhaps even their own. It leaves the reader not just entertained but also contemplative, filled with an odd sense of wonderment and unanswered questions. It is, without doubt, a notable contribution to contemporary fiction that encourages the reader to dwell on its complexities.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B0CCZYD9KB
Literary Titan Book Awards October 2021
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
Silver Award Winners
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Grow An Edible Jungle
Sassy Food shows readers how to grow a sustainable garden that can provide food anywhere and any time. What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to share the joy I found by growing food – especially in ways I never thought of before, like with sprouts and microgreens. Concentrated yummy nutrition can be grown easily in just a few days! If it’s that easy – we can all be happier!!!
What is a common misconception you feel people have about gardening?
People think that to garden you need land and a lot of space. That’s not true. You can grow an edible jungle on a window sill or a counter. No natural light? Use a grow light. There are almost endless possibilities!
What is one tip that has changed the way you grow food?
Flexibility is key. I use a small hydroponic container to start seeds. Once I get seedlings I transplant them to a container or my small aquaponic tank.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
Get in touch with nature and find JOY with growing food in some way, even a small one. You’ll be better able to handle this chaotic world – I’m sure of it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Many people think growing food takes a lot of time and space. And that is not true. Like the subtitle says, it really is possible to grow your own any size ‘farm’ anywhere, anytime of year with any budget. Sassy Food empowers you to take charge of adding peace into your life by bringing nature to your fingertips. All basics are covered from growing food from various growing methods, to cultivation and everything in between. It includes a flexible cooking technique showing how to create your own delicious recipes using a symphony of ingredients, without measurements. Artistic photos of gorgeous Eve models in Hawai’i will spark your creativity as to how you can grow food in your space, wherever you are in the world. Sassy Food shows women no matter what shape, color or age can shine their beauty from the inside out! This book honors food as we ought to honor all the women who plant, harvest, and cook it. Ja-ne hopes Sassy Food will inspire you to be lighter with yourself and bring sassyfreshhh into your focus.
This book is designed to bring light-hearted silliness into your life. It’s hard to maintain that levity with the constant seriousness of life. When Ja-ne does anything with her plants all of that goes away and she is present in the moment of seeing new changes, harvesting something to add to their meals, planting seeds that will grow into new vegan meals—this simplicity is bliss. It restores Ja-ne so she has more energy to go back to caregiving 24/7. Yes, she has not had any time off, much less one day off, since 2019. This is one way that helps her to keep on going. Inside a world pandemic, with wearing masks and social distancing, this artistic beauty was achieved. It shows we are all responsible for our individual choices and can make positive change despite any circumstance.
As soon as she finished writing Sassy Food, she caught up with her sister and brother-in-law. Grover described his experiences as a travel nurse going to COVID hotspots. He wanted to write a book about it and didn’t know how. Ja-ne teamed up with Sandra and Grover. In a few short months, Chasing the Surge was created.
20% of proceeds helps others grow food by providing growing kits and seeds along with growing workshops.
Sassy Food
Enlighten yourself to the world of growing produce with Ja-ne de Abreu’s Sassy Food! With the 2020 pandemic threatening Abreu’s and her mother’s access to food, she opted to take matters into her own hands by growing her own produce. On her journey to being self-sustaining, she found friends with the same interest – that’s how the Sassy Food Farms collective was born. Abreu wants to share her knowledge with us in an effort to encourage people around the world to connect with The Earth and grow their own food. I must say, she did a fantastic job at convincing me!
I thoroughly enjoyed Abreu’s simplistic but upbeat writing style. It made taking in the mass amounts of information easier. The highly detailed section on microgreens and sprouts fascinated me. I never realized there were so many variations! She gave us the essential knowledge to begin our gardening journey with a hint of hippie-esque wisdom.
She further showed the importance of connecting with the earth during this tough time in the various photos strewn throughout the book. I appreciate the artistic approach to the subject matter. The cute graphic designs were also a fantastic touch. I feel that the visual representation drove home the message she was trying to convey excellently.
The final chapter, Food is Music, featured easy-to-make recipes that I can’t wait to try – especially the smashed potatoes and ice cream! It was the perfect conclusion to an already well-formatted and organized gardening book.
I also appreciated Abreu’s sentiment on learning about how different cultures consume the foods that you intend to grow. I guess you could call this another one of her many hippie-esque pearls of wisdom in the book.
I adored the clever chapter titles. A few of my favorites, besides Food is Music, include Playful Propagation, Cheerful Cultivation, and Thrilling Trees & Fantabouls Fruits. These titles show Abreu’s passion for the book’s subject matter.
Sassy Food is the epitome of a non-fiction instructional read that makes the seemingly mundane interesting. Despite being a beginner to intermediate level guide, Abreu still offers a plethora of information you may have not heard before. It’s a great book to have on the shelf to grab for quick referencing.
Pages: 170 | ASIN: 1736295411
Books are Pure Magic
AJ Wootton Author Interview
Gardening with Guns: A Memoir details the road you traveled from childhood to adulthood. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I have wanted to be a writer since reading my first novel as a child. To me books are pure magic. As my life unfolded it became more and more clear to me that my path was quite different from the norm. I felt that others would find my story interesting and that some who had experienced similar obstacles would draw inspiration from knowing they are not alone.
I appreciated how you didn’t shy away from the dark times in your life and shared them along with the good. What were some important memories you wanted to capture?
My childhood home. I have only fond memories of that house, our yard, and our garden – in spite of the negative things that happened there. I also wanted to capture my beloved grandparents. I often attribute my perseverance to them and their unguarded love for my brothers and me. It was also very important for me to capture the trauma I experienced surrounding my father’s death. In a way it is a tribute to him.
Looking back on you life after you’ve written a memoir, is there anything that you see differently?
If I could sum it up, I would say that all of the fearful and awful memories that loomed large in the back of my mind were greatly diminished and their effect on me neutralized.
I found this book to be ultimately uplifting. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
Just that! I wanted very much to tell the good and bad and to show that you can overcome. The keys are self-reflection, honesty, forgiveness and love. Oh, and one more important one – courage! It takes courage to face your fears, but the rewards are immense!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Gardening with Guns: A Memoir by [Wootton, AJ]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hFoxRV7WL.jpg)
In the prime of her life, AJ seemingly has it all – a successful career, three thriving children and a marriage that spans two decades. Her hard-fought, adult life beams bright and in sharp contrast to the dark, gun-wielding, serial-parent changing, and starkly silent world she grew up in.
On the heels of her father’s sudden and tragic death, AJ finds herself questioning the life she has so carefully architected. Estranged from her mother, she seeks comfort in the revival of her relationship with her two brothers, all that remain of her childhood nucleus. The three siblings find themselves in a sad, yet familiar place as they bond in the midst of their loss, and relive together similar times from the turbulent and siloed childhood they shared.
In the months following her father’s funeral, AJ’s reminiscences compel her to see her current circumstances through a fresh lens. Concerns that her husband is leading a secret life turn from suspicion to fact as the void in their relationship widens, creating a troubling likeness between her marriage and the dysfunctional relationships she witnessed as a child. She struggles with the decision to honor her intuition and end her failing marriage, but the consequences of divorce still loom ominously in her memory. She realizes that she can no longer deny her buried past, nor its implications on her current situation.
This is a fascinating true story of one woman’s journey to overcome childhood trauma, and to listen to the inner voice that she has been ignoring for years. Written as a novel, her memoir traverses past and present, all the while painting vivid pictures of both her childhood and adult worlds, the similarities of which have become too numerous to ignore.
LITERARY TITAN 