A Cape Eye On Books’ Author of the Month: C.L. Fornari

Author CL Fornia

C.L. Fornari

I suspect that the lush photography and obvious passion for gardening that is reflected in the prose in Fornari’s eight books seduces not only fellow gardeners but even those for whom that pastime is foreign territory.

Her latest, “The Cocktail Hour Garden: Creating Evening Landscapes for Relaxation and Entertaining,” is inviting in prose and photos, incorporating her gifts for gardening, gardens, landscape and photography. So inviting, you want to draw up a chair, reach for a cocktail and inhale the scent of both the flowers and herbs that flavor your drink.

In life, sometimes paths open up that we never intended to walk down. Fornari, author of eight books, hadn’t forseen a career as a writer – she was a photographer.

“I’ve always been a gardener,” Fornari says. “When I moved to the Cape, I looked for a book about Cape Cod gardening and there wasn’t one. I would drive around and take photos and talk to gardeners. FinallyI approached a publisher about writing one.

“Gardens and plants are exciting.” she said. “There is always something new to learn. It is interesting that we are surrounded but plants and we often ignore them but our very existence depends on them. We ignore the life of plants yet there is a conversation going on that we don’t pay attention to, a conversation amongst them. There is fascinating research going on that is opening a window into this conversation.

“Working in a garden is even better than a new box of crayons. On a basic level it is very satisfying. The whole creative thing: Color, form, motion and change, fragrance. All senses involved. And taste. Food from our own garden is the most beautiful food on earth. Holds flavors we never knew about.”

About those initials. “Do you tell people what C.L. stands for?” I asked.

“It’s not a secret,” she replied. “But if people know my name, they often use it and I prefer to be called C.L. My radio audiences tell me it stands for Compost Lover.

“One thing that the garden has taught me is to appreciate that there are many points of view and there is always something new to learn,” Fornari said. “In that vein, here are five books, four non-fiction titles and one novel, that I wholeheartedly recommend. What unites them is that they are all about seeing a common subject from a new perspective.”

C.L. Fornari’s Picks For May

 

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Anne LeClaire

Anne LeClaire

Anne LeClaire is the best-selling author of eight novels, the latest of which is “The Lavender Hour.” A Cape Eye On Books is CapeCod.com’s online book club.

 

 

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