Monday, September 17, 2012

Autumn or Fall?

This Saturday, September 22nd, marks the first day of autumn. At least that's what my calendar says. I tend to call it the first day of fall. I realize the two terms are interchangeable, although they do have different etymologies. According to Wikipedia, 'autumn' has Old French origins and its use dates back to the 12th century, whereas 'fall' has Germanic language origins (English or Norse) and its use to describe the season dates back to the 16th century. I won't get into more detail on that front. Suffice it to say that different people (sometimes depending on where they grew up) are used to using one term over the other.

I say 'fall' 95% of the time, and it's my absolute favorite season. If I had to pick my top three favorite things about the season they would be:

1) fall colors on trees and shrubs
2) scarecrows (I've loved them ever since I saw The Wizard of Oz as a kid)
3) the sight of bales of hay rolled and left out on farmland

Of course, I love pumpkins (my kids already coaxed me into making a pumpkin pie this past weekend...they couldn't wait), the sound and sight of Canadian geese migrating, squirrels harvesting, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, apple cider, brisk mornings, trick-or-treaters and knowing Thanksgiving is around the corner, but the top three faves stand apart.

So, do you say 'autumn' or 'fall', and what are your top three favorite things about the season?

Monday, September 3, 2012

Labor Day, Laughs and Liz

Happy Labor Day!

My Labor Day treat for you is a must-see link that will leave you laughing. Check out Nathan Bransford's visual take on the emotional stages of writing a book. He calls it The Publishing Process in GIF Form, and trust me, both readers and writers will get a kick out of it. Make sure you scroll through to the end! It's accurate, funny and a bit nostalgic. You'll see what I mean :)

Also, my debut as a USA Today Happy Ever After blog contributor is scheduled to post this Wednesday, September 5th at 3 pm! Since I don't post here on Wednesdays, I'm giving you the heads up...and I'll slip in behind the scenes to add the exact link (it should work at 3pm). I'll be interviewing Harlequin Superromance author Liz Talley on her new book, The Road to Bayou Bridge. Pop by if you get the chance!

Now, go start your day with a good laugh at Nathan's publishing process :)

Take care and have a great one.