Autumn Renewal
Happy Fall, everyone! This is my favorite time of year. Nature’s colors are gloriously vibrant. There’s a crispness to the air. The light casts a golden glow. It’s all so lovely! I’m a lover of seasonal change, and Mother Nature’s transition into autumn always comforts me. Every year, I mark the beginning of fall in the most fall-tastic way by going apple-picking upstate. It’s such a special time, walking through the orchard, plucking perfectly ripe apples off the trees, and yes, immediately biting into one (there’s no better apple than one you just picked!).
I make a whole day of it, this ushering-in-autumn ritual of mine, picking apples and peeping all the leaves. Then, for a finale, I stroll around a charming town or two north of the city. These lovely hamlets hold a relaxed feel that the city dweller inside me craves, and the entire day makes for a wonderful start to the season.
I find this time of year particularly invigorating and inspiring. Maybe it’s the cool mornings, that pretty, low light that cuts through the bright yellow leaves so perfectly when I’m walking Poirot, our teeny tiny shih tzu. I feel charged this time of year, excited to work, to cook, to do things. Toward the end of summer, the heat makes me feel sluggish, but come autumn, I am energized—and this year, particularly so!
Bookish Fun!
That’s because I’ve been invited to participate in two fantastic book events: the Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster, Ohio, and the Books by the Banks Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m so excited, and deeply honored to bring my debut novel, Recipe for Joy, to these special events in my home state. Home, where I was born and raised (Cleveland), where teenager me fell in love with creative writing, where I graduated college (OSU), where adult me worked on manuscripts, where my mom read my works-in-progress, and, lovingly, where I set Recipe for Joy (Gates Mills). Home.
These events are serving as fantastic bookends to an entire week. What a JOY this will be! If you’re in the area and attending either the Buckeye Book Fair or Books by the Banks, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello. I’d love to meet you.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
9:30am-4:30pm
Greystone Event Center
50 Riffel Road
Wooster, OH 44691
Saturday, November 14, 2026
10am-4pm
Main Library of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
800 Vine Street
Downtown Cincinnati, OH
Together in Community
The book community is profoundly special, and events celebrating books offer so much goodness, the opportunity to connect with fellow readers, to meet authors, and yes, to be in community with folks who love books as much as we do. Book people really are the best people. And the Buckeye Book Fair and Books by the Banks showcase not only authors and their books, but they highlight the very best of who we are. Readers are empathetic, open-minded, and curious. We understand the power of books and the value of librarians and shepherds of our bookish communities. And it’s these events that remind us how good it is to be in community.
The folks organizing these events have worked *tirelessly* to put on connective and joyous experiences for everyone. I’m in awe of all the work that goes into these events, and I’m so grateful for the passion.
So, if you can, come on out and support your bookish community. Stroll the aisles. Maybe meet an author, make a new friend, or discover a new novel. But if you are unable, I hope at the very least you get to spend some time during these lovely autumn days curled up with a good book. There truly is nothing better.
Wishing you a happy start to fall. May our stories unfold wonderfully together!
