I haven’t been around much lately, and not just because my current WIP is eating my brain (although it is). Owing to “a series of unfortunate events,” summer at Casa Sherwood was–in a word–rough.  In July, my family was in a one-car accident–on our first day of vacation–that resulted in some property damage and (fortunately) minor injuries. The anxiety and stress over that had just begun to subside in August, when another twist of fate sent two family members to the ER of a (really lousy) local hospital. Both are fully recovered now, thank goodness, but it was a night to remember in the worst possible way. Granted, there were some good moments between June and September, but for the most part I have started referring to the whole period as “The Summer of Suck.”

Which is why I find it a relief to turn the page of my calendar and observe the arrival of a new month and a new season. Welcome, October, and welcome, autumn! I actually like autumn once it feels like autumn and not like a hotter, more stressful extension of summer. I enjoy the cooler temperatures, the misty mornings and brisk afternoons, the turning leaves (we do get them here, in not in such glorious profusion as the East Coast), the smells of spiced cider and wood-burning chimneys, and the resumption of Standard Time. Oh, will I be glad of that extra hour, whether for writing, reading, or even sleeping in!

Wishing everyone–in the words of Keats–a lovely “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.” If you had a great summer, then I hope your autumn is just as great! And if, like mine, your summer wasn’t quite what you hoped, may autumn exceed your expectations in the best possible way!