by Jean C. Gordon
Do you what September is? September is National Chicken Month. Thank you Little Gray, Yellow, Brown, and Yellow Spot for posing. 
It's also the beginning of Fall, my favorite season. My birthday is in September. Our wedding anniversary is in September. It’s still warm in the Northeast, but not sweltering hot as August often is. We have the beautiful fall foliage. And school starts. I was enough of a geek that I always looked forward to going back to school.
Which brings me to a question: Does the season a book is set in influence your book choices? Aside from holiday-month books — I love holiday books — I never gave much thought to the season in which a book was set, either in my reading or my writing, until ninth book, Small-Town Mom. And the season only came to my attention when we were at the cover stage. The story takes place in the dead of a frigid Adirondack Mountains winter. But the book came out in June, and initially, the cover had no snow and looked like spring, not winter. The dusting of snow was added to bring it into season.With the books I've written since then, I've thought about when it will be published and tried to mesh the story's season with the publication season (or close). And, just for fun, I checked the seasons my books are set in. Four are set in the fall, one in the winter, and the rest in the summer.
I've only done one book in which the season was a character. That was 'Tis the Season my Christmas book. Otherwise not so much. Mostly I use whatever the story calls for.
ReplyDeleteI like to include the weather when I writing because I think including weather and season help to make a reader feel more a part of the story. When I'm choosing a book to read, I don't think about what season the book is set in.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and Happy Birthday.
Finally able to check in. Blogspot (among other blog platforms) is blocked at my day job.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sandy.
Kathye -- I'm in the process of writing my first holiday book right now, a Christmas story.
Hi Jean--
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the fall, too! I enjoy reading holiday books as well but I haven't given much thought as to the season when my book will be released. By the way, I love your cover and I think it looks perfect with that dusting of snow. And it's interesting that many of your books are set in your favorite season :-)
Victoria--