Where the Wild Violets Grow (Paperback)

In the spring of 1852, sixteen-year-old Eliza Jones begins her married life in rural Virginia, surrounded by the serene beauty of Cupid's Creek and the Potomac River. Working beside her husband, Maurice, her days seem idyllic-though her longing for a child quietly shadows her joy. Motherhood soon brings both profound happiness and the heartbreak of loss.

As whispers of war ripple through Virginia, Eliza believes the conflict will remain far from her peaceful farm. But when the Civil War erupts and Virginia secedes, Maurice leaves to defend his home, and Eliza must shoulder the weight of the farm and family. Her resilience-and the bonds she's forged within her small community-become her greatest strength.

Blanche was born and raised on what is now known as Magnolia Farm, the location where her debut novel, Where the Wild Violets Grow, takes place. It is located at the end of Hull's Neck, four miles from the little town of Edwardsville, VA. The farm looks across the fields to where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay, on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Her father, Hugh Jones, son of Fuller Jones, went to business school, barber school, and ended up farming like his father and grandfather had done before him. Her mother taught school most of her life. Blanche had two older brothers that she adored and they taught her at age five how to swim, at age six how to shoot, and later how to drive a tractor and nipper oysters. They also taught her how to hypnotize chickens. In other words, the important things in life! She married her high school sweetheart and they were together for sixty years until his death. They had two daughters that also live on Magnolia Farm, which remains in the Jones family. Blanche completed her debut novel at the tender age of eighty-two.

Born and raised in Tallinn, Estonia, Julia Naurzalijeva is a classically trained artist with experience in a wide variety of media. After graduating from university with a Bachelor in Theater Arts, she worked for several years as both a set and costume designer for theatrical and movie productions in Estonia, Russia and France.Later on, she painted murals and illustrated books of various kinds, including children's literature and graphic novels. Books illustrated by Julia have been distributed by publishing houses and self-publishing authors in Canada, Poland, USA, Russia and Estonia. Whereas her work with murals was for private residences in North America, namely Illinois in the United States and Ontario, Canada.