Happy New Year!
Well…uh. It’s really not, is it?
But instead of dwelling on that, I thought this would be a good time to explain why October’s Fire is the first book in the Fairy Glen suspense series. Each book takes place in successive months, but why does October come first?
Well, I didn’t plan it that way, at least not at first. The book was inspired by a real wildfire, the October 2007 wildfires of San Diego County. By the time I got close to the end of my first draft, I didn’t want to leave Fairy Glen, and knew I had to continue the series.
So, I had October as the beginning of a year-long cycle. A wheel of seasons. Maybe I was tapping into my Celtic heritage. Druids celebrated Samhain at the end of October, basically a harvest festival and the forerunner of Halloween. According to people who study the old religions, Samhain was the time of death and rebirth, and what they would consider the start of the new year. I’ve interwoven druidic magic and celebrations into the books. Mrs. Fey, an old magical woman that lives in the woods (I know, I know, tropes galore. I love ‘em!), is descended from tinkers, or Irish Travelers.
So in a way, Halloween is New Year’s Eve? Either way, October’s Fire will be coming out this year, in 2021.
So, Happy New Year, after all!
