October was a magical month, full of travel and fun times with family and friends. Here’s a quick recap with loads of pictures.

Writer Retreat with my Author Sisters

My friends and I had a wonderful long weekend in a cabin in the western NC mountains. We ate delicious meals, played games, created lots of art, wrote stories, and laughed until our bellies hurt. Our conversations started early in the mornings and went until the late hours of night. We took one short trip into town to visit Little Switzerland Books & Beans (where my books now rest on the shelves). The rest of our time was spent in the cabin, on the back deck, or at the fire pit. What an incredible time together!

Around Town

I was honored this month to put copies of my new books in our local Barnes & Noble, Libreria Bookstore, and A Novel Twist Mobile Bookshop. I also gifted a copy of One Cat Short of Crazy to Monty, the office kitty at my vet. He loved it!

Worktime with my Kitty Helpers

With event season gearing up, I needed to gift wrap some of my books, and who better to help with all the trimmings? Walter, Munchy, Chloe, and Nixie were ready to assist. My mom came to help, and we split our time between wrapping books and wrangling cats.

Celebrating Our Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated four years of wedded bliss by taking off to the mountains on a few adventurous daytrips. We traveled country roads that twisted way up high into the mountains of NC and VA, hiked in the gorgeous fall weather, and ate delectable sweets with our coffee. He’s my favorite hiking partner in the whole world, and I love how he’s always up for an adventure!

Headed to the Polls

On a beautiful Carolina blue-sky day, I took time to do my civic duty. I voted!

Taylorsville Apple Festival

My author sisters and I set up a booth at a HUGE festival in Taylorsville, NC one Saturday. The blustery weather was quite exciting, and we took turns signing books for readers and holding down the tent. We met so many fun people and had a great time!

Mother-Daughter Weekend at Oconee State Park

My mom and I took a trip to her hometown of Walhalla, SC for a long weekend in a cute little cabin in the woods. We met a tiny friend who mostly left us alone, preferring instead to watch us from his perch on the fireplace mantle. Mom took me on a tour of her childhood, including houses that she’d lived in and my grandfather’s old store downtown, where she’d worked by his side as a teenager. We also went to see her elementary school, which is now the Walhalla Performing Arts Center, and her high school, which is sadly empty and in disrepair. We finished our tour with the Oconee State Park “museum” (a little historical display in a cubby in the welcome center). My grandfather, pictured below as a young man, worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps in SC, and his group is featured in a large photo in the display. We spent our final day in the woods with my brother and his family who were camping nearby. I was pleased to see that the bumper of his truck was graced by my Maggie sticker, from The Secrets of Shadywoods. On our way home, Mom and I stopped by the cutest farm to enjoy their country store and feed goats. What a wonderful weekend of memories!

Halloween Birthday Party

My friend threw an awesome Halloween party for her birthday, and we dressed up for a fun evening together under the stars. Not that you can tell from the pictures below, but I had on cat ears with an odd mix of cat clothing , and my husband wore a hat that said “Best Cat Dad Ever.” We’re dorks, but that’s okay, we don’t mind.

A Hard Goodbye

The toughest part of having pets is when you have to say goodbye. We lost our sweet golden boy, Walter, this month. I am too heartbroken right now to write much more than that. He was well-loved and I miss him terribly. I’ll write more in a separate post to honor him later, but I couldn’t let the monthly recap go by without mentioning him.

Rest Time

Not much- if any- writing got done in October. Instead, I took time to enjoy my family and friends. Time goes by too quickly to spend it all working, so I’m cherishing every moment with the people and cats I love. I’ll get back to writing books again soon!