Today I’m welcoming Debbie Mason to the blog to share with us her five favorite things about fall! Fall is one of my favorite seasons (second to winter, of course), and I can ditto every single things she’s mentioned here! Read more about her, and her latest book (a feel-good Christmas story in her contemporary romance series, Harmony Harbor) following her list!

Five Fall Favorites by Debbie Mason

“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.”
– Victoria Erickson

Fall is truly a magical time of year. It’s a time when nature puts on a show, and the countdown to the holidays begins. A time to be thankful and grateful. A time for family dinners, hearty soups, and fragrant stews. Here are just a few of my fall favorites I especially look forward to.

1) Pumpkin Spice Latte
For me, nothing says autumn like the appearance of pumpkin spice latte on the Starbucks menu. I don’t know which I love more, the taste or the smell. But what I do know is that some of my favorite fall days have been spent curled up under a cozy blanket with a pumpkin spice latte in one hand and a book in the other.

2) Fall Fairs
There’s nothing my family likes more than a fall fair, but we don’t always agree on what we should do/see first. I like to check out the baked goods and crafts, hubby likes to attend the tractor pull and cattle judging, while our kids prefer the corn maze and local bands playing at the grandstand, and the grandbabies are all about candy apples, corn dogs, and the midway. But the one thing we can agree upon is that it’s a great way to spend a fall weekend together.

3) Fall Foliage
Our favorite way to enjoy the fall foliage is on a walk in the woods not far from where we live. I love the cold, crisp air, the rich, spicy scent, and the crunch of leaves under my feet. There’s nothing more peaceful or magical than standing in the middle of a forest as the brilliant red and yellow leaves dance their way to the ground.

4) Halloween
The weeks leading up to Halloween are my favorite. I love pulling out my old magazines and getting ideas for spooky treats and decorating. This year we were all about the metallic pumpkins for the adult kids in the family, and white pumpkins transformed into unicorns for the little ones. It’s also the time of year when I turn to books by my favorite paranormal authors. We do the same with our TV viewing. This year, we binge watched The Haunting of Hill House. As much as I loved it (and I really did), I still enjoy old Halloween favorites like Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Practical Magic.

5) Countdown to Christmas
In late October, we can usually count on a flurry of snowflakes to get us into the holiday spirit. If that doesn’t happen, there are tons of other opportunities to put us in the mood. Decorating inside and outside with Christmas carols playing is one activity that’s sure to do the trick. As does baking, gingerbread-house making, and attending the local parade of lights. Another favorite in our house, a Hallmark movie marathon. This is a tradition that will have special significance this year, as the adaptation of the first book in my Christmas, Colorado series, The Trouble with Christmas, will be airing on the Hallmark Channel December 9 as Welcome to Christmas.

The Corner of Holly and Ivy by Debbie Mason
Series: Harmony Harbor #7
Published by Forever on October 30, 2018
Genres: Adult Fiction — Christmas, Contemporary, Romance
Add to Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

Sometimes love is just around the corner . . .

With her dreams of being a wedding dress designer suddenly over, Arianna Bell isn’t expecting a holly jolly Christmas. Instead, her heart feels about three sizes too small. That is until her high school sweetheart Connor Gallagher returns to town and she finds his mere presence still makes her pulse race. But just when she starts dreaming of kissing under the mistletoe, he announces that he will be her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race….

Hot-shot attorney Connor Gallagher has something to prove. He’s tired of playing runner-up to his high-achieving brothers. So when the opportunity to enter the campaign comes up, he takes it. Even if it means running against the only woman he’s ever loved. But with a little help from Harmony Harbor’s local matchmakers and a lot of holiday cheer, Connor and Arianna may just get the happy ever after they both deserve.

About Debbie Mason

Debbie Mason is the USA Today bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado and the Harmony Harbor series. Her books have been praised for their “likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots” (RT Book Reviews). When she isn’t writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their three wonderful children and son-in-law, and their two grandbabies in Ottawa, Canada. For more on Debbie and her books, visit authordebbiemason.com.

I’m so happy to have Jenny Hale on the blog today to give us a small glimpse into where she writes all of her amazing books! I’m super excited to read her upcoming releases, Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (out tomorrow!), as well, which you can read more about below!

Inspiring Coffee Shops by Jenny Hale

When I’m working, I like to be out of my house, usually at a coffee shop—different ones all the time. While I’m there, I’m eyes-on-the-screen, fingers moving at a clip, downing a latte. To any onlooker, I might seem like a caffeine-laden vagabond who avoids housework to spend long hours on my computer in isolation. But that would be far from the truth.

New surroundings supercharge my senses; they affect me more than any amount of caffeine could. While I won’t deny my love of lattes, (I’m one of those who rattles off eye-rolling requests like “skinny almond milk sugar-free caramel latte with no whip”) the lattes are but an added bonus, a ticket to get me a seat in this new location.

The swirl of cold air as the old oak door opens and shuts, the smell of roasting coffee beans tickling my nose, the gurgle of the espresso machines, the embrace as two people meet up and settle happily at a table nearby—while my fingers move, my brain is taking all that in.

Traveling is my way of reviving my mind, of filling it with little bits of new information that I store away and draw upon when the stories start to take shape. Each place is like a gift, and I unwrap it slowly, taking in every fold, every angle, every line of it. I might unwrap the gift and find someone’s laugh, or the way they inhale just before they speak. I might see a shadow on a table and note how it moves whenever someone passes by.

And then I write.

Sometimes the locations themselves find their way into my stories. The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia is one of them. I used to live in Richmond, and I have spent a few Christmases sipping drinks among the incredibly festive holiday decorations there. You can catch a glimpse of it in my novel Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses. I hope you get a chance to visit with my characters Abbey and Nick!

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale
Published by Forever on October 30, 2018
Genres: Adult Fiction — Contemporary, Christmas, Romance
Add to Goodreads • Amazon

Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything, and she doesn’t regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, she jumps at the chance when a friend recommends her for a small design job. How hard can it be?

Nick Sinclair needs his house decorated in time for his family’s festive visit-and money is no object. What he doesn’t need is to be distracted from his multimillion-dollar business-even if it is Christmas.

When Abbey pulls up to the huge Sinclair mansion, she has a feeling she might be out of her depth. And when she meets the gorgeous, brooding Nicholas Sinclair, she knows that she’s in real trouble . . .

With the snow falling all around them, can Abbey make her dreams of being a designer come true? And can she help Nick to finally enjoy the magic of Christmas?

About Jenny Hale

When I graduated college, one of my friends said, “Look out for this one; she’s going to be an author one day.” Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn’t until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me.

Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can’t.

While I didn’t start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result was Coming Home for Christmas, a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas.

The rest is history.

When I’m not writing, I’m a mother of two boys and a wife to a very supportive husband.

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