Fall Musings

Whoa! I haven't blogged in over a month! I've had urges to get on here and say this or that, but I just never did. I didn't really know how to start speaking again, I guess. I had this idea that when I got back to the swing of things with social media it would be with the greatest news ever: that Enemy Within would have a new, iron-clad release date. But I don't have that yet.

I do want to give a shout out to every one who commented on my last blog post! I read each of your comments. My heart swelled, and my eyes watered. Thank you all so much for your support. I've said it before, but it deserves repeating. I have the best readers in the world!

In my silence, I have been working on Enemy Within. The well is full. I am back to having a great time with this story!

And I'm getting tons of ideas for other stories, too. I get so excited about all of it that I just wanna get on here and tell you all about it. But I read a blog post by Amanda Hocking where she talks about the difference between ideas and things. It's a great post. Anyway, writers get sparks of creativity all the time, and sometimes those sparks spread and blossom into a full blown novel, and sometimes they don't. So I'm trying to hold back on everything I'm excited about until it's a sure thing. But I'm excited. And young adult paranormal won't end up being the only genre I write in. I have interests in a ton of genres, actually. From a psychological thriller, to romantic suspense, to adult contemporary romance, to young adult contemporary romance. Oh! And I actually have an idea and some words written on a young adult dystopian that I am wicked excited about.

Sorry. Back on topic. Or did I ever really get on topic? I think not. The point of this blog post was for me to discuss my thoughts on fall. And when I think of fall, I think of a lot of things, but mainly the colors. I am a visual person, after all. I mean, the majority of my story ideas come from seeing an image. I'll see something and the character or their story will hit me. So the colors of fall is probably my favorite thing about the season. Oh, and my birthday. But that may change once I get on the other side of the hill and dread having to tell people I'm another year older. But I'm safe for a while longer.

Here's the thing. Virginia has ruined me. After only one semester of living in Virginia during the fall, and that being over 10 years ago, my eyes are forever changed. No other place understands reds and oranges and yellows and even purples like Virginia does. And when I say that, I mean the places I've been to.

I went for a ride through the mountains to see the fall colors this season, and it was sadly anticlimactic. I longed for the vibrancy Virginia offered, for summer going out with a proper bang into winter.

I was thrilled with how mild of a winter we had last year. I hate, loathe, despise the snow. I hate driving in it. I hate shoveling it off the side walk, and snow blowing now that we have a snow blower. I hate walking in its slush. I hate the cold of it. I am just not a winter girl. So I was loving how last year, snow was not a frequent visitor.

But it's KILLING me now that fall is here and trees are going from green to mostly brown. And it isn't even a pretty brown. It's a shriveled-up, sad impostor of brown. See Exhibit A:

Image via leaf-peeper.blogspot.com

That is what I have to see on a daily basis. It's like mother nature is rubbing it in my face for all my gloating about her weak attempt at a winter last year. I'd so much rather wake up one day and all the trees be bare than have to suffer through this. My only consolation to this madness is that the falls here don't last very long at all. And with it being so dry, the leaves--along with the torture--should disappear soon. I hope. But then it's back to the snow again, which I can't say I'm much excited about, either.

Now let me leave you with something that should make my despair easy to relate with. See Exhibit B:

Image via examiner.com

See that!? That was taken on a cloudy day, and probably taken from some driver's cell phone. But that hill looks like it's on fire. When you're surrounded by colors like that, colors that vivid, you can feel the vibrancy. It's a palpable energy. I feel it in my blood. And I guess why I'm so let down by the trees here is because that's missing. I expect to see it, to feel it, when I step outside, but it's not there. And it's a tangible loss. Even after 10 years.

But hey, on the bright side, The Vampire Diaries is back on tomorrow!