Mildred's Garden

*Winner of the West Virginia Writer's Competition*

A gorgeous and gentle rising musician (Sam) loses his long-time girlfriend when they both admit they've been engaged in a "slow drowning" together.

At the same time, Sam's been peering in on a fan's (Mildred's) Instagram and feeling the pull. He's dreamy when he sees her in a field of poppies or with sunflowers or talking about her new bed and breakfast business. Before he knows it, he's calling her Moonflower and wondering whether she'll let him into her life beyond the screen.

What he doesn't know, at first, is that they share a part-Vietnamese heritage-and that Mildred is about to take on a challenge with refugees who are suffering. At the same time, his own hard beginnings are missing important details that could settle his heart. Sam also doesn't know that Mildred's got a secret of her own that's been keeping her from any new relationships for 15 years.

In a whirlwind get-to-know-you-with stops and starts, plus poetry and a few surprises-the alluring promise of beginning again arises for Sam, Mildred, and others who end up in their orbit.