Maggie's Newsletter

September 1st Update!

Fall is definitely in the air, folks, and I have the photos to prove it.  Just look at these.

The change happened a few Sundays ago.  I think I tweeted it that day.  I felt it in the air.  It just tasted like Autumn, even though it was still in the upper 80’s.

Then, the final ten days of August, our endless, scorcher of a summer, with all its record breaking heat, ended abruptly when we had a transition period of two days when we stayed in the moderate 70s, then straight into a stretch of 50’s, gloomy skies, and rain.

This first week of September, we’re having a few days in the 90’s again, followed by a prediction of noticeably colder temps again this weekend.  68, 69, 70. Ups and downs, lots of wind, colors appearing in the trees. It’s all here.

Welcome Fall!  It truly is my favorite season.  I don’t know why.  I was born in February, so it’s not that, and it’s not just that I love Halloween so much.  I love the colors.  My house is even decorated in fall colors, shades of yellow, orange and red.  I love the rusty & coppery colors best of all, I think.  And the smell in the air this time of year.  The whole energy of the harvest theme really resonates with me. 

I don’t know about you, but in the spring and fall, I get the cleaning urge, and I try never to ignore that urge, since it comes around so seldom. =)  I’ve been washing the doggy slobber and muddy tail swoosh marks off my walls, windows and woodwork.  I hoed out my temple room, also known as my meditation room, though it’s really my own little church.  I have altars to honor the energies of the four directions in there, and all of my sacred objects.  I created a little divination corner with a beanbag chair in front of it where I stashed all my runes and tarot cards and the like.  It’s nice in there again.  It had become a bit of a catch all area, but that’s a thing of the past. 

temple door	main altar and divination corner	western altar

Next task, the dreaded office.  (Insert scream of your choice from any Halloween soundtracks CD here.) It’s full to overflowing, really, with . . . well, just stuff.  Even my desk looks like a mess-monster got to it.  So that will be my next task, but you know, it’s hard fitting these things in, with all the important stuff competing for attention.

And the second most important thing in my life right now is my writing.  Readers, I am working on what I think will be the best book of my entire career, and yes, it is a vampire book.  Wings in the Night.  Old school Wings in the Night, with the old gang, but featuring J.W. (one of the twins, and if you don’t know who I mean, I’ll ruin another book by telling you, so just read the reissues this fall and you’ll be with me.)   The other day (Friday, August 27th, a day that shall live in infamy, in my mind at least) I tweeted that I had just written the best scene I had ever created.  And that was in this book, TWILIGHT PROPHECY, which will be released next May.  We don’t have cover art yet.  Oh, but maybe soon.  I’m dying to see it.  They did such a beautiful job on the art for the reissues, that I know this new one will be breathtaking too.

(What reissues, you ask?  These ones, coming in October, November, and December.)

So that’s what’s in progress.  My muse has been in top form and very demanding, eagerly feeding me ideas for one new stand-alone story, a whole new trilogy, and bugging me start work on the vamp book that comes after the one I’m writing now.  And she seems to want me working on all of the above at the same time!  She’s keeping me awake nights with her whispers, feeding stories into my brain.  I’m not complaining, mind you.  I’d far rather have the inspiration flowing faster than I can keep up with it, than the alternative.  So it’s all good.

And of course, KISS ME, KILL ME, the third and final book of my Secrets of Shadow Falls summer suspense trilogy has just gone on sale, August 31st, and so we’ll see how it does.  It’s getting fabulous reviews and wonderful comments on Facebook and elsewhere, so I have no doubt it’s selling well.  And I’m feeling so good that only good things can happen right now.

Also, I’ll be posting a special, exclusive, free story at EHarlequn.com this month. The story is KISS ME GOODBYE, and it’s a mini-sequel to the Secrets of Shadow Falls trilogy, featuring Dawn and Bryan from book one of that series.  (You don’t need to have read the series to enjoy this short sequel.)  It will appear, 1 chapter per day, every day for 20 days, beginning September 13th.  And it’s entirely FREE.  I’ll post a direct link here and everywhere else just as soon as I have one.  But they can’t give me the link until the story goes up.  I hope you enjoy it.  And it should be a good way to kill time between the third book of that series, KISS ME, KILL ME, and the first of the vampire reissues, TWILIGHT HUNGER at the beginning of October. 

So what else can I tell you?  Oh, yes, why on earth did I place my writing, which is something almost holy to me, second on my list of priorities?  Because living is first.  Living, loving, experiencing life outside my head and office and computer screen, spending time having fun, fun and more fun with those I love.  No matter how long I have on this planet, it will never be enough time with my partner.  Nor with my girls. Thank goodness I’m convinced we stay together into the afterlife, and the life after that, and on and on.

We’re in the early stages of planning a wedding for my fourth-born daughter Stacie to her fabulous fiancé Chris.  We’re still scouting out locations, and that’s really the hardest part of the entire thing.  (I’ve planned lots of weddings, trust me on this.)  Once you have the date and locale locked in, you’ve overcome the first and biggest hurdle.  Everything else springs from that.  So we’re on it, big time. 

And of course, I’m eager to spend as much time outdoors as possible before the dark, snowy months of winter arrive.  (I’m not a fan of cold and snow.)  Especially now that it feels like fall.  So kayaking and lake visits, and fishing and walking, are all calling to me.  As is decorating my home for Fall and All Hallows.  So there’s a lot going on, and the traditional fall hoe out of the cluttered rooms in the house gets pushed lower and lower on the list of priorities, with my soulmate, my family, my dogs, my fun, fun life, my embracing of the autumn and my writing all far more important to me.  And yet, getting that office done is going to feel so good, I can hardly wait for a rainy day to spend working on that.  And in truth, it has begun. 

Now, I will leave you to enjoy my latest doggy video.  I have two more in progress.  (Another fun competitor for my time--making dog movies.)  And I will be back with another update around the middle of September.

Watch Niblet Rocks on Shayne's Shanigans!