I LOVE FALL!

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. The days are cooler--but not cold--yet.  Pots of mums in a variety of colors brighten doorways. While it gets dark earlier, it's a great excuse to cuddle up with a good book and some hot chocolate. Simmering pots of stew and soup warm the house. Baking sends the aroma of cinnamon and apples wafting through the air. 

Then comes Halloween with candy, costumes, and scary stories. I enjoyed making costumes for my daughters. They came up with some interesting ideas. In New Jersey, the night before Halloween is designated as Mischief Night. I never allowed our daughters to go out on Mischief Night. I don't believe in allowing children to commit acts of mischief. In addition, there is one personal experience I had on Mischief Night as a child that continues to haunt me. 

When I was nine years old, my brother, my younger sister, and I grabbed a few slivers of soap and went out into the early evening on October 30th. It was already dark. We ventured away from our own block because my brother suggested it. (He was adventurous, I was not.) 

Some big, scary teenagers came along and demanded our soap. They looked tall and mean and we were terrified. We handed our soap to them. I have no idea why they wanted the soap since the pieces were pathetically small, but because they were so threatening I assumed they wanted to soap up some windows. However, our younger sister started bawling and the big guys gave her back her small piece of soap. 

At that point, my brother and I decided it was a good time to head home. We had not soaped up any windows and we never went out again on that night--even when we grew into big, scary teenagers.
 

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Coming This Christmas!

Pelican Book Group will be celebrating the holiday with another Christmas Extravaganza featuring heartwarming stories and the special joys of the season. Last year, The Cowboys' Miracle was part of that wonderful extravaganza of books. This year, I've written a brand new story titled CLEAR AS ICE.

In this novella, Ethan’s prayers for his mother’s life go unanswered and he abandons his faith—tossing it out with his mother’s Christmas ornaments. As a paramedic, the loss of his hope leaves him empty. He takes in Rufus, a rescue from a shelter and soon learns how determined and smart the pet is. Still, he’s annoyed when his dog develops a fondness for a woman skating on the frozen lake behind his house. He doesn’t understand her fear of dogs. 
 
Haylie, once an Olympic figure skater, is afraid of more than just Ethan’s dog. She lives in constant fear due to a stalker. One day Ethan’s dog chases the stalker away. Haylie decides to try and lose her fear of dogs since the dog protected her. But then the stalker’s plans include revenge toward Ethan as well. 

So there's a bit of suspense and danger, too. I'll be posting the release date on my Facebook page, Twitter feed, and Instagram. So keep tuned for updates. Christmas will be here before you know it!