Sandra Shaw Homer

Sandra Shaw Homer has lived in Costa Rica for over 30 years, where she has taught languages and worked as a translator and environmental activist. For several years she wrote a regular column, "Local Color," for the English-language weekly, The Tico Times. Her creative nonfiction and poetry have appeared in a number of print and online travel and literary journals and on a few web sites, notably Allyson Latta: Memories into Story, and her own blog, Writing from the Heart.net. Her travel memoir, Letters from the Pacific, received excellent Kirkus and Publishers Weekly reviews; a brief inspirational memoir, The Magnificent Dr. Wao, is available as a Kindle Book; and a second travel memoir, Journey to the Joie de Vivre, details two Atlantic crossings on cargo ships as well as a swing through Europe.

Just published! Evelio's Garden: Memoir of a Naturalist in Costa Rica.

In the enchanting world of the of Costa Rican highlands, the author begins a memoir, tracing the seasons and closely observing the natural riches around her. But Evelio, who helped build their house, interrupts with an idea to plant an organic garden on their property. Over the course of a challenging year full of the depredations of unpredictable weather, wild animals and toxic chemicals, their friendship grows as Evelio teaches her about the rural sustainability of Costa Rica in decades past. Pulling her into the daily ups and downs of his project, he creates an often funny, always frustrating, and ultimately rewarding counterpoint to her own work, such that the two intertwine on the page . . . and lead her to confront a difficult past and open up to profound personal change.

Evelio’s Garden is a lyrical meditation on cultural values, friendship, aging, loss, and, ultimately, the healing power of the natural world.

www.writingfromtheheart.net is a blog about writing, travel, and living in Costa Rica, and it features some of my own writing as well as that of other writers. It includes interesting links, comments and book suggestions. To get in touch with me directly, simply go to the site and sign up on the side-bar or sign up here for an RSS feed. I look forward to hearing from you. SSH