The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, aster for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.
Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes that she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market inspires her to question what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford, she went on to teach art and writing to under-priveleged children. She soon went from mentoring to fostering children with her husband, PK. She and her family currently live in Cambridge, MA, where her husband is studying urban school reform and Venessa is working on her second novel.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh is also the founder of the Camellia Network, supporting foster children in their transition to adulthood. The CamelliaNetwork
"...my destiny is in your hands..."
The Event:
Join Quiet Corner Reads for an evening with author
Vanessa Diffenbaugh
at Tyrone Farm,
Pomfret, CT
Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 6-8 PM
Your ticket includes appetizers, a garden tour of Tyrone Farm,
a presentation and Q&A with Vanessa, and one entry in a
drawing for a quilt!
Tickets $15.00, available at participating libraries.
Seating is limited.
