Fall Traditions

This weekend, we got to celebrate a couple fall traditions. Alex's school held in-person Homecoming (last year it was virtual), and on Sunday, we went apple picking, which also involved shooting apples out of a cannon. See photos below. This year, I also plan to celebrate Faux Thanksgiving with college friends and go to the local farm center to pick out our pumpkin and stock up on squash. I don't know yet if my son will trick-or-treat this year, but I'll encourage him to do so as long as he can. 

What are some of your favorite fall traditions? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Mid-Month Mysteries: Fall Theme

Happy Fall Equinox, everyone! This seems like a perfect time to highlight a few fall-themed cozy mystery series. The information listed below comes from the cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com website.

Cooler weather means it's soup time. As a vegetarian, I find soups make good meals. If you want a book to match your soup, try A Soup Lover's Mystery series by Connie Archer. It features a soup shop in Vermont. There are currently five books in the series, but I haven't read any of them yet. For more information, check here and the author's website.

Apple picking is one of our favorite fall activities. Sheila Connolly writes a mystery series set in an apple orchard. (Her series set in a museum also looks intriguing.) There are already twelve books in the series, and they don't all take place in the fall. Learn more here and here.

Apple cider is a traditional autumn beverage. Travel with Julie Anne Lindsey to a cider shop in West Virginia if you'd like to spice your cider with a dash of murder. Learn more here and here.

Cranberries are another food associated with fall. Peg Cochran writes a series set on a cranberry farm in Michigan. Learn more here and here.

How do you feel about the fall season? Feel free to comment below.

 

 

Ysabel, Avatar of Fall

Since Monday was the first day of fall, I thought it a good time to profile the character of mine who's linked to the season: Ysabel S'Ivena Lathatilltin, the Avatar of Fall. She's the protagonist of Fifth Season, Book Four of my Season Avatars series.

Ysabel is the daughter of a Challen musician (who used to be a Fallswoman, dedicated to the Challen Goddess of Fall) and a Selathen merchant. Like all Season Avatars, she was born on the first day of fall (in Challen, only Season Avatars are ever born on the first day of a season), but her birthdate was falsified in the official records. The country of Selath was devastated by magic eight hundred years ago (during the time of Seasons' Beginnings) forcing Selathens to flee their country. They still hate magic, which was why Ysabel's mother had to hide her daughter's identity. Ysabel hopes that over time, she will be able to reconcile her people to magic.

As the Avatar of Fall, Ysabel has animal magic. She can bond with all native Challen animals, heal them, and command them to some extent (depending on the type of animal). She has an anilink, an intelligent magical animal companion with whom she can communicate telepathically. Her anilink senses when magical weather storms occur anywhere in Challen so Ysabel and her sister Season Avatars can set the land to rights.

Like her mother, Ysabel has musical talent and plays the piano very well. She's also the most maternally inclined of the Season Avatars, having helped look after her younger siblings. If anything, Ysabel's greatest fault is being too kind. She hates having to euthanize badly injured animals or allowing one to die to feed another. She can also be too trusting of people. To see how she handles the challenges of animals who don't heed her or relatives who are jealous of her, read her story. However, since her book is fourth in the series, I recommend reading the prequel Season's Beginnings, which also provides more details about her long relationship with Kron. The next two books in the series are Scattered Seasons and Chaos Season.

Is there anything else you'd like to know about Ysabel? Feel free to ask in the comments.