Embracing Autumn

2020 has been a year for the history books, and it’s not over. There’s been so much fear and hardship, stress and worry for the entire world. A global pandemic has taken over all our lives. But like in any time of darkness, there is always light. As we adjusted to the new normal, we leaned on technology to stay in touch with family and friends, to do business and allow children to learn. We learned what was truly important—the health, safety, and well-being of our loved ones. I’m hoping for better days ahead, especially with the arrival of my favorite season.

Autumn has arrived with all her splendor. Don’t get me wrong, I love the other seasons as well. The long, hot days of summer that seem to last forever. Spring with the freshness of new growth and possibility. I while I hate the cold, winter brings quiet time for contemplation. But fall is the time of new beginnings for me. There is nothing quite like inhaling the first lungful of crisp, autumn air to make me feel invigorated and alive.

Maybe it goes back to childhood where each September heralded the start of a new school year—new school clothes, new teachers, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones? The smell of chalk and new textbooks mingled with the unmistakable scent of new sneakers and blue jeans with the tags barely clipped off. There was always such anticipation in the air. The possibilities were limitless. The slate was wiped clean and everyone was beginning anew.

Nature senses the impending transformation too. Trees change color, their green leaves turning to a brilliant array of gold, red and burnt orange that sets the countryside ablaze. They are putting on their final show before bidding us adieu until next spring. Birds start to migrate, heading for warmer climes. They drop in on feeders in suburban backyards, filling up for the flight south. The small, furry animals that inhabit the woodland areas are scurrying to stock up food for the impending snowy season. Everyone is busy as they sense the coming change.

If autumn is a time of new beginnings it is also a time of endings. Summer vacation is over and the long, hot days are replaced with shorter, cooler ones. The sun sets earlier each day, inviting in the darkness. People bundle up in sweaters and coats as they go about their daily business. Soon they will be turning up the heat in their homes and wrapping up in blankets as they curl up on their sofas and watch the evening news—at least in the cool weather climates. Pumpkin spice everything appears in the coffee shops and on the grocery shelves. I’m not a fan myself, but it’s great for the folks who enjoy it. I prefer hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. (I don’t indulge often, but when I do I go for it.)

The nice thing about this time of year is that there are plenty of holidays that invite us to celebrate all the change that surrounds us. Halloween arrives with its ghosts and goblins, encouraging us to embrace the dark of the season instead of fearing it. Thanksgiving offer us a respite from the onset of the cold and dark. It is a time of gathering. A time of giving thanks for family and friends and the fact that there is food on the table and a roof over our heads, something I never take for granted. And although the 2020 celebrations might be different from other years, we should welcome and enjoy them as much as we can.

Embrace the arrival of fall. It has vibrancy and life, an opportunity for new beginnings, and limitless possibilities!

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BURNING ASH

No one is more surprised than Asher, one of the oldest vampires on Earth, that he’s attracted to vamp hunter Jo Radcliffe. She’s smart, a talented slayer, and she’s gorgeous. Something about her pulls at him, like no one ever has before. For a man, whose name strikes fear in everyone––this is something new and intriguing. And quite possibly deadly, if she discovers his secret.

Jo has two things in common with the handsome Asher––they are both slayers and someone is messing with them in a very-much-trying-to-kill-them way. She’s not so happy about joining forces with a dude she doesn’t know. But he’s sexy as hell and really good at his job as one of the Forgotten Brotherhood, whose business it is to execute misbehaving paranormals.

She knows she’s bait in a larger plot to harm Asher and the Brotherhood. And there is nothing he won’t do, no line he won’t cross, to keep her safe––which may be the weakness that destroys them both.

Each book in the Fury Unleashed series is STANDALONE:
* Fury Unleashed
* Arctic Bite
* Burning Ash