A Good-Natured Interview by Don Nicholas, Your Intrepid Gardening Reporter

There are many joys in writing—but one of the most delightful, at least for me, is the chance to create characters with whom I can converse. And sometimes, argue. And occasionally, take gardening advice from.

Welcome to my latest storybook, The Secret Lives of Herbs: Tales from a Village Herbalist—where the plants speak, the poultices work, and the characters are so alive that even my wife Gail has started setting extra places at the table “just in case someone from your imagination decides to show up for dinner.”

Gail often reminds me—with the patient tone only a gardener’s spouse can perfect—that it’s very crowded in my head. She’s right. Elara, the wise and gentle herbalist at the heart of this tale, is one of those characters who moved in without asking and stayed because she has so much to share. And I couldn’t be more grateful.

So, I sat down with Elara—fictional in form but factual in her remedies—for a little heart-to-heart. What follows is our interview. Spoiler alert: she’s wiser than me, funnier than you’d expect, and makes a peppermint salve that could win a Nobel Prize.

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Don: Elara, thank you for agreeing to this little interview. You’ve been the heart and soul of The Secret Lives of Herbs, and frankly, I wouldn’t have finished the book without you.

Elara: (smiling) And thank you, Don. You gave me roots and a village. All I did was grow.

Don: That’s very herbal of you. Let’s dive in—how do you see your role in the village of Greenfield?

Elara: I’m a listener first. The herbs are my teachers. I just share what they’ve taught me. Sometimes that means a tea for troubled sleep, a balm for sore joints, or just a quiet moment in the garden for a grieving heart.

Don: Your stories are based in real herbal traditions. Can we say the same for your remedies?

Elara: Absolutely. Every tincture, steam, and salve in this book is rooted in actual herbal knowledge—researched, time-tested, and crafted with care. Of course, I deliver them through a bit of narrative magic. That’s where you come in.

Don: Right. I do provide the overly eager garden reporter’s voice. But it’s your calm and experience that makes the book sing. What advice would you give to someone just beginning their herbal journey?

Elara: Start with curiosity. Grow something simple—like chamomile or mint. Listen to how it thrives, how it wilts. Learn from the rhythm of the seasons. Herbal knowledge is passed down from garden to garden, heart to heart.

Don: You mention in the book that herbs have personalities. Are you saying my basil is judging me?

Elara: Only when you forget to water it.

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Don (to readers):

Whether you’re here for the herbal remedies or the heartwarming tales, The Secret Lives of Herbs offers both. Every story in this beautifully illustrated book—crafted with love by Christy Page and narrated for your listening pleasure—is rooted in wisdom, compassion, and just a bit of mischief.

Elara’s lessons are real. Her village, while fictional, feels like home. And her advice? Let’s just say I’ve started taking lemon balm tea before bed and my dreams have never been more interesting.

So grab your gardening gloves—or your reading glasses—and join us in Greenfield. You’ll find healing, humor, and maybe even a few whispers from the peppermint patch.

Click here to explore the storybook now and let Elara, Christy, and me share the secret lives of herbs with you. We hope you find the journey both entertaining and enlightening.