Notes From the Office 10: The Season Is Here

By Cheryl Haimann

I love autumn.

For fair-skinned people like me, summer isn't a time of carefree fun in the sun. It's long months of slathering on sunscreen and hunting for shade. When the days get shorter and cooler, I am happier. I'll even dare to spend a few minutes sitting in the sun. The sun doesn't seem quite so scary when it's hanging low in the sky on a cool afternoon.

I also love autumn for the same reason I love spring. It's a time of change. As nature begins sloughing off summer's excess, I find myself paying a little more attention to the colors of leaves, the length of days, the cool sting of morning air. It reminds me that the cycle of ebbing and flowing, expansion and contraction, is what makes life full and rich.

Then I remember it is almost November, and National Novel Writing Month is just four weeks away. The prospect of writing a novel in just thirty days always puts the kibosh on the notion of settling in for a long winter's nap.

The discussions and planning for NaNoWriMo are underway in the Piker Press Forums. If you want to learn more about the event, or want to talk about your plans for speed-noveling your way through November, come on over.

If you are more reader than writer, and especially if you are a fan of Sand Pilarski's Aser stories, visit the Piker Press Archives, where three bonus Aser stories have been updated.

Congratulations are in order for a couple of long-time Piker contributors. Wendy Robard's book review blog was recently voted "Best Literary Fiction Blog" during Book Bloggers Appreciation Week. We're delighted that she also shares her reviews with the Piker Press. Congratulations, Wendy! And last month, Jon Renaut and his wife became parents to a beautiful baby girl. If pictures of baby feet start turning up in "Peek of the Week", that's why. Best wishes to Jon and his family.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go rake some leaves... and plot a novel.

*** P.S. from the Managing Editor, Sand Pilarski: The three Aser stories are "Descent To The Underworld", which was originally the fourth Aser Story; "Madly In Love", which takes place after Aser Story 36, ("Harsh Words"), and "Customary Behavior", a story that occurred between the collections found in the Aser Books. Hope you enjoy them!