In her first novel, award winning writer L B Gschwandtner explores the push and pull of love in a subtle yet fulfilling read that leaves one feeling grateful for her circle of friends and the freedom to make the choices that drive our lives.
Artist Katelyn Cross loves Greg Mazur and he loves her. He wants to be married but a previous relationship that went sour has made Katelyn overly cautious about any permanent commitment.
And what about Greg’s first wife? He lost her to cancer and Katelyn worries that he’s only looking for a replacement.
What’s a girl to do? Canoe down a river with five gal pals, camp out, catch fish, talk about life and men. The problem is, a river can be as unpredictable as any relationship and just as hard to manage.
On their last day, when the river turns wild, the women face the challenge of a lifetime and find that staying alive means saving themselves first while being open to help from a most unlikely source.
As Katelyn navigates the raging water, she learns how to overcome her fear of change in a world where nothing stays the same. When Katelyn returns to her garden, she’ll face one more obstacle and the naked gardener will meet the real Greg Mazur.
From the reviewers:
“In her first novel, award winning writer L B Gschwandtner explores the push and pull of love, a woman’s need to maintain her individuality within marriage, and the bonds that can make women stronger even when the world feels as if it’s breaking apart.”
“The characters are appealing, both as individuals and as a group, and I was quickly pulled into their story. 4 strong stars…”
“I would hands down read anything that L. B. Gschwandtner writes.”
“I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it. Now, whenever I see a garden, I’ll probably think, ‘That chick from The Naked Gardner book would be in the buff here.'”
“…the book surprised me in such a great way. Both the writing style combined with the interests and the voice of the book’s main character, Katelyn, spoke to me in a way that seemed incredibly close to life. The conversations these women have and their reactions to each other were yet again faithful to the way (I believe) many women actually act in real life.”
“… the novel is not really about gardening naked; it is about the freedom to make the choices that drive our lives.”
“I thought The Naked Gardener was a satisfying read with an underlying female empowerment theme. It left me feeling grateful for the circle of female friends I have and desiring a girls’ weekend with them.
L B Gschwandtner is married, the mother of three daughters, and is a writer, magazine editor, artist, and co-owner with her husband of an integrated media business.
She has received prizes from two Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, one from The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, and one of her stories was short listed by the Tom Howard Short Story Contest.
Her work has appeared in various journals includinge Del Sol Review
and a prose poem has been included in the anthology “Oil and Water and Other things That Don’t Mix.”She is the founder of TheNovelette.com, which offers no-fee, themed, short story contests for emerging writers. She lives in Virginia.
From the author:
I’m an avid kayaker (touring) and grew up fishing in the Florida Keys. Here’s a tidbit of interest. My husband proposed on our first and only date and we were married five weeks later. We lived in Paris, France for a time and now live on a tidal creek where we love to kayak and watch Bald eagles soar past our windows.
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