A Change in the Air

I was standing outside this morning and it was around six a.m. I was waiting for Mikala to finish investigating and I was sipping at my first cup of coffee for the day. I could sense the subtle change in temperature and could feel the pull of autumn just beginning to awaken.

The fall is my favorite time of year. We've lived on the East Coast and now the West Coast and what I love best is the change of seasons. Sometimes we ease quietly one into the other, and sometimes it's a quick burst. But no matter what way it happens, I love to watch the changes around me.

I live in a fairly rural part of the state and I walk out to the backyard where the blackberry bushes, in all their thorny glory, grow and a field beyond that, leading into a forest at the back, and farmland beyond that. So I get a good glimpse as the vivd rust and golden colors of fall begin to erupt and the brisk change in temperature begins to alter. I can smell and taste and see the changes taking place in the land. When I begin to hear the call of the geese as they fly overhead, leaving us for the winter, then I'll know fall has truly arrived in my part of the world.

In some ways the land is preparing for hibernation and I'm just waking up. I always have been a bit contrary.

I find that many of the stories I write take place in late summer and early fall. Several of the stories in my latest anthology, "Esmerelda's Lovers," take place in that time of year.

There's just something about the air in autumn. The clean briskness wakes you up, makes you more aware of what's around you. It's why I've always enjoyed living in areas of the country that court the four seasons clearly. Each one has a uniqueness all it's own. I guess we all have our favorites. Which season stirs the romance in your soul? Makes you feel more alive?

Adrianna