All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go by Laura Hunsaker

 Last spring my brother-in-law got married. There was some confusion about what to wear, so I bought several dresses and had the intention of returning the ones that didn't work out. Well, one dress wound up being a knockoff of the real one. Thanks Amazon. it's not as well-made and very obviously not the same dress. My daughter told me it looks like a fairy princess costume. And it does actually remind me of costume material rather than wedding guest gown material. However it wasn't returnable. So I have a fairy princess costume I will be wearing on Halloween. I just need a flower crown and some wings.

While I finally have a use for this wedding guest dress, I know I can't be the only one who has outfits with nowhere to wear them. I saw online this fun idea of having a Nowhere To Wear It themed party and I desperately want to do this. Everyone meets up at a restaurant/pub/cafe/place of choice, and they are dressed in their Never Got To Wear It Outfit. The posts I've seen make this look so fun! Friends dressed to the nines, all in a fantastic outfit, and the best part is that everyone has one!

I need to convince my book club to do this at our next meeting!

What is your Never Got To Wear It/Nowhere To Wear It outfit?

And speaking of weddings, don't forget that Dreams of the Future, my wedding short story set in the Fatal Instincts universe is out now!

All dresses are fabulous and the men are in kilts, even the groomsman who is dragged in last-minute and has to borrow clothes!

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Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

OCTOBER GAVE A PARTY

by Judy Ann Davis 

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came…
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band. 

                                                ~George Cooper, "October's Party"  

Autumn has walked across our Pennsylvania mountains and spilled out all the seasonal smells like a rich perfume. This is time when red-cheeked apples and sweet wood smoke give off a familiar fragrance that is a harbinger of things to come. We can smell the earth—the dried cornstalks, the pungent aroma of woods and pine, and the musky scent of pumpkins and gourds. Along the fences, grapes on withering vines fill the air with an earthy bouquet. 

But there’s a certain sadness to autumn. It’s a warning that the year is ending, that we’re growing older. We’re maturing. It is a time to contemplate the reason for our being and for our purpose. It’s a time to be thankful for our lives, to re-evaluate our errors, to realign our goals, and to strive towards that which makes us happy . . . and our world a sweeter place. 

Above are the poem and excerpts from my very first online blog, for October 2011, fourteen years ago. Since graduating decades ago from Point Park University with a degree in journalism and communications, I’ve realized my entire life has been dedicated to pounding the typewriter or computer keys to string words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs. 

I’ve written for television, radio, education, industry and business. I’ve composed copy for commercials and public service announcements for radio, television, and news outlets. I’ve written grants, curricula, and news articles. I’ve taxed my brain while collecting facts for nonfiction, and stretched my imagination for fiction. I’ve written with tight deadlines of only a few hours; and I’ve procrastinated for days, knowing I had a loose lengthy deadline. 

All writers know the feeling of rejection—as well as the joys of being published. Awards are also wonderful to receive, but there is no better feeling for writers than the minute they finish a tough piece of writing, and they know they’ve given one hundred percent of their time, energy, and talent. The elation, which may only be a smile or nod or sigh to the outsider, can’t compare to the joy and relief they feel as the thoughts in their heads do a happy dance. 

Someone once asked me what I thought were the main ingredients needed to become a writer. There are many, but personally for me, the main abilities are curiosity, an imagination, persistence, and a love for reading. 

As October brings us falling leaves, falling temperatures, and maybe even falling snow, I leave you with this quote from Somerset Maugham:

It’s a funny thing about life; 

if you refuse to accept anything but the best, 

you very often get it. 

 

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

Released last month:  

eBook/Digital - $2.99

Print - 6.99 

Forever Friends by Liz Flaherty

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." - Anne Shirley, who would surely have been my kindred spirit if I'd been born at the right time and in the right place. To the right ... well, you know what I mean.  

I think often about books I grew up with, like Anne of Green Gables or Understood Betsy or Little Women or even the Trixie Belden series. When I think of them or when I remember parts of the stories that are especially beloved, I wonder exactly what made them stand out so much that decades later, I can still repeat dialogue almost verbatim or cry over scenes. I realize that if I reread Little Women, I skip over Beth's death and Laurie and Amy's marriage. I never read about when Matthew Cuthbert died

Why am I still wounded by losses and betrayals in books of fiction I read before high school? Especially when I'm not at all wounded by things that happened when I was in high school. That was four years of really good times and really shattering heartbreaks, and yet those memories are mostly dimmed or of no relevance at all. 

I can explain. I think. 

The people in those books from long ago--Anne and Diana, the March girls, Betsy and little Mollie, Trixie and Honey and the Bob-Whites of the Glen--never became fictional characters to me. Even now, they're friends I grew up with. 

My school friends are still friends, too, but they've aged along with me--a blessing by itself. The book friends are still as I knew them between the covers of their stories.

This probably isn't a shock to anyone else, but I was really surprised to figure it out as a reader. I always knew it as a writer. Those people who present themselves to me and wanted me to tell their stores are as real in my mind and heart as ... well, as Trixie and Anne and the March sisters.

I've always said I didn't expect to change lives with my books--I just wanted to give readers a good afternoon. I still feel that way, but I also hope they consider the people whose stories I tell to be friends. 

Speaking of friends, The Girls of Tonsil Lake have been friends since they were five, and they still are. The story of the year they are 51 is one of my favorites. And Jean, Suzanne, Andi, and Vin are still my friends. 

Four women whose differences only deepen the friendship forged in a needy childhood... They were four little girls living in ramshackle trailers beside a lake in rural Indiana. They shared everything from dreams to measles to boyfriends to more dreams. As they grew up, everything in their lives changed--except their friendship. Through weddings and divorces, births and deaths, one terrible secret has kept them close despite all the anger, betrayal, and pain. Now, forty years later, facing illness, divorce, career challenges, and even addiction, the women come together once again for a bittersweet month on an island in Maine. Staring down their fifties, they must consider the choices life is offering them now and face the pain of what happened long ago. Secrets are revealed and truths uncovered, but will their time together cement their lifelong friendship--or drive them apart forever?

 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/7391moA and https://a.co/d/4t6MnzQ

D2D: https://books2read.com/u/bxGQQk

Bewitching October by Joan Reeves

October is the month to truly feel and celebrate autumn.

The drifting leaves of red, gold, and yellow are a visual delight, and the crunch of the dried leaves underfeet are an auditory pleasure.

The crispness in the morning air assures us that summer truly is over. 

All this natural beauty bewitches so I suppose it's logical that Halloween on the last day of the month has the cachet to enchant little kids and adults too.

One of my favorite things is to give treats to the little ghosts, goblins, and witches who ring our doorbelll and chant, "Trick or Treat."

As adults, we're supposed to be too old to trick or treat, but wouldn't it be fun to do that again? Instead of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, maybe people could stock ebook gift cards for us. After all, there is nothing more bewitching than tales of love and passion.

Halloween Candy

If you've ever been in love, then you know you don't need a witch to cast that kind of spell. Just a special man or woman who speaks to your heart is sufficient. 

After all, that's what romance novels are all about—that connection that leads to passion, to love, and, ultimately to commitment.

SWEET TREAT WITH NO CALORIES

I've not written any spooky Halloween type books, but I do have several romance novels currently on sale for 99¢, including 2 new releases.

I know the other authors of Smart Girls Read Romance also have some wonderful books available so why not treat yourself?

HOT AUGUST NIGHT, new, spicy enemies to lovers romcom short story set at Last Chance Beach.

OLD ENOUGH TO BE OLD, new forced proximity romcom set in the frozen north.

SCENTS AND SENSUALITY, spicy fake boyfriend romcom.

THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, Texas small town romance.

CANDY CONFESSION

We have our Halloween candy ready. I find Snickers are perfect for romantic comedy. For romantic suspense, the bag of Hershey's assorted miniatures seals the deal. When it comes to mysteries, I like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups best.

What's your Candy Confession?

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Happy Halloween by Bea Tifton

We don't really do much for Halloween. It's just my mother and I and the neighborhood kids don't go door to door anymore. We don't have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, anyway. But we do put a pumpkin sign out and a few fall things. We order pizza, watch Practical Magic and Ghostbusters, and call it a night. But it wasn't always that way. 

When I was growing up, I loved Halloween. Not the scary haunted houses, but the kitschy stuff.  We were allowed to wear our costumes to school that  day and most elementary schools had Halloween carnivals. My mother would let me run around the carnival with my friends in the crisp fall air. 

And we trick or treated. We went house to house in our costumes, first chaperoned by my mother or father and then as a rite of passage, we were allowed to go alone. People gave generously, some even distributing caramel apples or popcorn balls. We were only allowed to eat those if the people were family friends. In fact, usually my father would buy our candy from us and we were allowed to buy candy straight from the store with the money. So not completely worry free even in the 70s and 80s. But, it was the experience and the excitement that made the night. 

I know that  people don't like to open their doors now. And it's not really safe to go door to door, anyway. Now if I had kids I would probably do what my father did even if it was a bit of a buzzkill. And most schools don't let kids wear their costumes or have school Halloween parties. When I was a teacher and a school librarian, we weren't allowed to decorate for Halloween. We could only use fall and "harvest" things. And no Halloween parties. (I would usually just happen to make "dirt pudding" that day for my students.) Some schools would have a "Storybook Character Parade" and maintained various degrees of strictness as to whether Batman is a storybook character. When I was a librarian, kids would come to me frantically asking me to give them a book for their costumes. Graphic novels came in handy for superheroes. And some schools have Harvest Festivals, but most have "Trunk or Treat" where cars line up in the school parking lot and the teachers and volunteer parents distribute candy or have simple games. It's safer, but I'm glad we got to go door to door. 

I feel like we've lost something. That sense of community. That sense of mystery and anticipation. That sense of fun and freedom. Private homes spend more on Halloween decorations than ever before and many spend much more than on Christmas decorations. But the actual celebration has changed so much. Still, at least kids get to do something. It would be a shame if Halloween completely went away. 

Do you still get Trick or Treaters? 

 

Photo Credits from Pixels.com

Monstera Production "Jack O' Lantern with Black Hat"

Charles Parker "Unrecognizable Kids in Halloween Costumes Knocking on House Door"

Thirdman "Jack O' Lantern on a Wooden Bench"

FiberFest 2025: Lots of Wool and a Wee Bit of Burnout~Sherri Easley

 

Well, friends,  FiberFest was a hit, and I’m still somewhere between elated and exhausted. Over a hundred vendors (mostly with products of the woolly persuasion) and more than 5,000 fiber-loving humans packed the Irving Convention Center for three glorious, chaotic days.

My trusty sidekick this year was my 9-year-old granddaughter, Dylan, who not only helped in the booth but did it all while dressed in full Celtic attire, because if you’re going to sell handmade Celtic goods, you may as well do it like a wee Scottish lass

The good news? I sold most of what I had.    

The bad news? …I sold most of what I had.

Which means I’m back in the sewing room (a.k.a. my house) trying to rebuild inventory before the next show at the end of November.

It’s a great problem to have, but also slightly ironic that success just means more late nights covered in Harris Tweed lint and thread clippings in a house full of organized piles.

Unlike last year, I managed not to faceplant in the parking garage on day one. Progress, right? That’s a story for another day, but let’s just say gravity and concrete were not my friends in 2024, but this year, I didn’t have to fulfill my obligation as a vendor with an undiagnosed broken arm and chipped orbital lobe.

I’m at a funny crossroad these days. I have too much fabric and too many notions to quit, but not quite enough energy to keep up the current pace. Retirement in January is on the horizon, and I’m hoping that stepping back from the 9-to-5 grind will help restore my creative spark (and maybe my sanity). More sewing, more writing… we shall see.

I’m also working on a new website, which should make selling easier for those who can’t make it to shows. As an introvert, I love the making part, but the endless small talk with thousands of strangers? That’s a special kind of marathon.

A special shout-out to my niece, Susan, in the photos, who somehow sells out by day two every single year (clearly, she’s discovered the secret formula in her to-die-for cookies), and to Dylan for being the most charming Celtic sales associate a grandmother could ask for.

Here are a few photos from the booth—notice how I’ve once again managed to evade the camera. It’s a gift. Or a curse. Depends on the lighting. Somewhere between untangling yarn and re-stocking my wares, I had an epiphany: I need to get professional photos taken. Of me. Not the bags. Not the booth. Me.

Because let’s face it—I’ll never be any younger than I am today, and if I’m going to show up on a new website or on a book sleeve, it might as well be with a halfway decent headshot where I don’t look like I just wrestled a bolt of waxed canvas or crawled out of bed.

Until next time, I’ll be in my sewing corner with a mug of tea, a pile of fabric, and enough thread  and notions to make it to November 2050

Stay woolly
Sherri

www.facebook.com/ButtonNBooBoo

My niece, Susan, from Kanga's Cookies. 

 

IF ONLY...

 By Caroline Clemmons

My mom was ac wonderful mother who kept her family foremost in her mind and heart. But, as much as I loved her, I know she wasn’t perfect. Who is?

 Many of her sentences opened with the same phrase—if only. My father used to tease her with, “Mae, if it was raining money, you’d complain about the small change.” She usually responded with an annoyed huff. This phrase is part of our family memories that we recall with humor.

 Lately though, I’ve caught myself saying “If only….” about things I wish I’d done. If only I’d told my Dad how much I admired him. If only I’d told that Virginia what a rat she was. If only I’d done more to help my mom. If only I’d saved more money. Sigh. I have hundreds of “if onlys” clogging my mind.

 Probably the recent passing of my dear husband launched me on this train of thought that has me examining the past. I know it’s not productive. More than likely it’s not healthy.

 Our minister gave a memorable sermon titled “Nostalgia” in which he addressed the healthy and unhealthy ways of examining the past. His sermon  stepped on my toes, but it’s still my favorite of his always meaningful sermons. For one thing, the past can’t be changed. Don’t look back longingly, wishing you could return to another time. Instead, honor the past while making the most of today.

 If only I can do that.