Fall Flash Fiction - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

Sorry I’ve been MIA in September. This is my first blog of the month. To be honest, I’ve lost a little bit of my writing mojo, so I’m hoping this week’s challenge will kickstart me. It’s Flash Fiction time! A.S. Fenichel says…

Let's celebrate the equinox. Write a scene set in autumn using the words leaf, water, and coffee. Try to keep it to 500 words.

Here we go…

Fog draped the golds and oranges of the birches in the park across the street. She stood at the window and sipped her coffee. The quiet of the house still rang with the echoes of the kids banging and bickering their way out the door as her husband shepherded them to the van. He would drop them off at school on his way to work. As much as she enjoyed the unstructured, spontaneous days of summer, getting back to regular routines in September was its own delight.

Despite the misty morning, the sun was supposed to shine this afternoon and the temperatures reach an unseasonable high. Many of the baskets and containers she’d planted in the spring had already been composted, but a few were clinging to life, and she should water them if she wanted the enjoy their blooms a little while longer. It seemed pointless, though. Hard frosts weren’t far off, and the first snowflakes would appear soon after.

With a sigh, she headed to her home office. She always felt a little melancholy in the autumn. In the spring, the lengthening days held the promise of summer wonders. In the fall, the dark drew in earlier and earlier, mourning the end of yet another year. Maybe not by the calendar, but by the rhythm of her life.

At her desk, she pushed aside her laptop. She didn’t feel up to staring at a fierce white screen and blinking cursor this morning. Instead, she opened her journal and turned a leaf over to a new page. After a few moments chewing on the end of her pen, she set the nib to paper, and began to write.

“The fog draped the golds and oranges…”

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I’d love to hear what you think! Leave me a comment below. Then hop over to Jill Haymaker to see what she wrote about fall.

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Margin of Risk
My next short story will be available in the
Never Too Busy Anthology. ​Pre Order now!

His heart isn’t ready to heal. Her soul isn’t ready to trust. Neither is ready for a fake wedding date to restore their fractured spirits.
 
Cynthie Neal mixed love and business once—and got scorched. Now she plays it safe with a plus-one-with-benefits arrangement. When he unexpectedly transfers out of town, a dating app seems the quickest way to find someone else to bring to a friend’s wedding.
 
Evan McElvie is certain he’ll never love again. Then his identical twin insists Evan pretend to be him on a date with Cynthie Neal—the very woman who could obstruct the biggest business deal of his career.
 
Neither is prepared for the sparks that sizzle the instant they meet. But when the truth behind their date is revealed, all bets are off.

Christmas Stocking of Love
Now available for pre-order here!
This holiday romance features characters in their 60's.

When widow Charlotte Heber moves to a small town high in the Rocky Mountains, she has high hopes of meeting a handsome cowboy and starting a new life. But months pass, and the only cowboy she’s met doesn’t seem interested.
 
Boone Skinner has avoided marriage for almost seventy years. A confirmed bachelor, he’s content to run his horse ranch by himself.

They both underestimate the matchmaking determination of café owner Violet Crandall. 

Can a special Christmas stocking bring them together?

​ Rediscover Romance in Aspen Ridge, a small town with an open heart.