Happy first Wednesday of October! Liz here, wondering if everyone else (except Barb) is excited about Halloween coming up. Since we’ve already talked about that from our own perspectives many times, I want to know about your characters – who loves fall, Halloween, the changing of the leaves, the new season? Who hates it? Why?
In my new series, The Full Moon Mysteries, my character Violet LOVES Halloween – even before she knows she’s a witch. But more to come on that 🙂
Julie: In the Garden Squad series, Lilly embraces the colors of fall, but the end of her outdoor gardening season is bittersweet. As it is for many gardeners I know. Fortunately she has a wonderful greenhouse, so the adventures can continue all year long.
Sherry: Julie, I can relate to that bittersweet feeling because I feel the same way. Not because I garden but because of snow. Sarah in the Garage Sale mysteries has a similar problem to Lilly without the easy solution of a greenhouse. It’s hard to have garage sales in the dead of winter in Massachusetts. Thankfully, in Sell Low, Sweet Harriet Sarah is hired to sell the contents of a house belonging to two former CIA agents who died unexpectedly. It’s the first time she’s had an inside job.
Barb: LOL, Sherry. “Inside job.” And Liz, to be clear I hate Halloween, but I otherwise love the fall, as all right-thinking New Englanders should. In the Maine Clambake Mysteries, the end of October is a special time for Julia and Chris. The Snowden Family Clambake is closed down, fall clean-ups are completed for Chris’s landscaping service, and their winter restaurant is open. In Haunted House Murder, Julia persuades Chris and Gus to make the restaurant a stop on Harley Prendergast’s Haunted House Tour. Hilarity, and murder, ensue.
Sherry: Barb, I’m so glad you got the “inside job” joke!
Edith/Maddie: I haven’t yet set a single book during Halloween – I guess it’s about time! Me, I can relate to Lilly’s grief at the end of the fresh produce season in New England, but by October, I’m all in with soups, spiked hot cider, and sweaters with boots. I’m not sure how Rose Carroll feels about fall in New England, but as a woman living in the Victorian era obliged to wear many layers of clothing, I imagine she is relieved to have cooler temperatures at hand.
Jessie: Edith, I am sure Rose will be relieved! I love autumn and have some very fond memories of Halloweens past spent passing out candy to the little hobgoblins in my village! I always give extra to the homemade costumes! Both Beryl and Edwina enjoy the sights of autumn and the smell of smoke curling up out of the chimneys, That said, with the economic downturn, a worrisome shadow has been cast over the pleasure of the season. Since the autumn is a harbinger of the cold, damp months to come they both have the cost of heating fuel in mind and are not looking forward to the chill that will , almost certainly, creep throughout their home before long. Perhaps, I will send them some extra coal in the next autumn book to make things up to them!
Readers: Who loves fall, Halloween, the changing of the leaves, the new season? Who hates it? Why?
Always enjoy fall. To me it means slowing down. After a summer of vacations and running to this and that, I enjoy the time to sit on the porch and watch the leaves fall. Being in the country, I can really enjoy that because there is no raking. Give it a little time and the next puff of wind and they all blow to the next county. 🙂 Love to sit by the fireplace and read a good book. Love hot cocoa and spiced apple cider. Love the comforting foods associated with fall like potato soup and chili. It’s also a nice time to take a breather before the holiday season come all too fast.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Both Jim and Sally love fall because of the beautiful colors and the wealth of activities in the Laurel Highlands this time of year. Jim is less enamored of Halloween – too much opportunity for mischief and mayhem.
I love the Fall season which usually brings an end to the extremely hot temperatures here in the South. Unfortunately, it is October 2nd and the temperature is supposed to reach 96 degrees today! I love pumpkins, leaves, hayrides, and Halloween. Everything Fall! I like wearing cozier clothes and watching Football and making soups! And of course reading all the great new cozy mysteries!
I love summer, therefore, I hate fall. Especially because it means that winter is coming. I enjoy the decorations, and of course I love Christmas, but after that, we can go right back to summer.
I love all the Halloween-themed books. They generally a lot of fun to read. I love Halloween even tho’ this neighborhood no longer seems to have trick-or-treaters. 🙁 I decorate the door yard and porch anyway, mostly with things that are good for all fall. Lots of pumpkins and a corn shock. Fall, as a season, is nice, but, like Mark, I do really dread winter. I LOVE summer!