This month's meandering is wayward and refuses to be corralled. Bear with me...

Where should I start? Let's begin with the thing that happened longest ago (a whole week) and work our way forward from there.

Our annual writing retreats, run by Global Wordsmiths, are usually about that number. Writers from all over the place come to spend a week writing. Sometimes there are workshops in the morning, sometimes it's just breakfast and then digging into the words. Either way, it's a group of writers who understand the need for quiet, the desire to talk about plot holes deeper than an old crater, characters who refuse to do as they're told, and imposter syndrome that sticks to the soul like glue. Things partners, friends, and family often find as interesting as a trip to the dentist.

The group of writers laughed a lot. They chatted at breakfast and dinner. They went for autumn seaside walks and toured nearby gardens. They ate fish and chips and we talked late into the night, well after the restaurant had closed and the staff were sitting at another table just waiting for us to leave. If you haven't tried a retreat yet, you really should. They're a special kind of magic.

We went to a wedding reception for a writer we've been working with for some time. Her confidence has grown and her ability as a debut writer is phenomenal. We know her mums, too, and so we sat talking with them for awhile.

The bride then brought over a friend of hers (clearly family, and holding her girlfriend's hand). She explained how much the friend loved my books and was always going on about them. I put on my author smile, thanked her, and was generally terribly awkward. After I sat down, I heard her say she was just going to fade into the background after fangirling.

Wow.

Let me tell you something: an author can't get enough of someone saying they like their work. And to hear it outside of a literary event feels even more special; like, my work is being read by real people out in the world. What a feeling.

I've talked about my lakeside wanders in another newsletter. This morning's was really special. It's hard to encapsulate with words, really.

Herons nest near the lake. It isn't unusual to see them here and there throughout the year. Today, though, the big grey bird with the huge beak wasn't alone.

This little water bird, about the size of a pigeon, was flying around it. Swooping over the water, bright white belly flashing in the sun and then away, the grey rainbow-ish top of it disappearing against the water only to light up again as it caught a ray of sun. The heron watched, big head turning here and there to watch the display.

And then the heron lifted off, and they flew together.

The little bird flew over it, behind it, under it, until they landed together on a log. The bird tucked itself up near the heron's feet, and then the heron lowered its head and they touched beaks. Like high fiving each other for a flight well flown.

How extraordinarily beautiful. What a moment for me to have stopped to watch, to catch something that I'd have never expected.

If I'd have been in my head, or hurrying to get back to the office, instead of taking it slow and really looking at the gorgeous display of autumn around me, I would have missed it. What else do we miss when we go about our day, too focused on other stuff? I think this is why I love autumn so much. It kind of melts into your soul and slows your soul down in the same way the earth itself is getting ready to settle for the winter.

I've decided to make sure I slow down on my walks this autumn so I can take it all in before the dark closes in for the winter.

Audible news

I've already told you about my forthcoming audible books under Ally McGuire. What I didn't mention was that I had yet to listen to them... It's a time thing, and we're trying to listen to both of ours when we're in the truck (Tucker). I miss talking to my wife, but we're enjoying listening. We finished Fragments the other day, and can I say: Savannah Rivers is f'ing amazing. The different voices, her intonation...they're perfect. I'm so damn proud of it.

I've also noticed that Where the Heart Leads has had a date change. It was November, but it's now December. Perfect timing for listening to something other than your mother-in-law harp on about how the turkey was dry.

Also, have you signed up for the Wifey Romance Newsletter?

Yup. We actually write stories together under our romance pen names. If you're into sapphic romance, you should check out what we're doing over there. We write them as we travel, finding inspiration in our surroundings.

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And now, the news...

We all know that books make great gifts. So do book related things. Anything booky-wordy, really. So this holiday season we're going big. Black Friday and Cyber Monday we'll be doing sales and giveaways, and in December...we're doing an advent calendar where you'll get a book related surprise behind every "calendar" door. We've got lots of authors participating, and we're going to have so much fun.

Here's the thing: we're going to be doing this via our Global Wordsmiths accounts, so you want to be signed up for that newsletter in order to get the daily offers.

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Thanks for sticking with me. I'm looking forward to a full year of stories, travels, coaching, and adventures.
Also, I'd love to hear from you. So much of writing is solitary, and hearing from readers reminds me that I'm not alone at my keyboard.

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Brey Willows

BlueSky

Brey Willows – Sci-fi/Fantasy Author, Sarcasm Expert, Introvert, Nerd