Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall – Does the Season Matter?

 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, ushered in at 10:29 last night. My birthday is in September. Our wedding anniversary is in September. We're blessed with 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 my ninth book, Small-Town Mom. The season only came to my attention then 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 take place in the summer.

Small-Town Mom Interview

How exciting to have Jamie Glasser, the heroine from Small-Town Mom by Jean C. Gordon, a July release from Love Inspired Romance.

1.  Jamie, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

My job, I guess. I’m a labor and delivery nurse for a midwifery practice in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY that does a lot of home births.

2.  What do you do for fun?

Things with my kids. Sledding in the winter. Bike riding and swimming in the summer. For several summers, I was the camp nurse at a Christian camp on Paradox Lake that my kids go to. I really enjoyed and miss that now that I work full-time, year round. And, for myself, I bowl in a local mixed league. Although I’m not sure how much fun bowling will continue to be since Eli Payton, U.S. Air Force retired and my son’s guidance counselor joined our team.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Going through the rest of my husband’s things at the house. He was killed serving in Afghanistan. I did get rid of the Miata that he’d had since we were dating, which started another conflict between my teenage son and me, since he and his dad were going to restore it.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

Losing anyone else who I love.

5.  What is the most important thing to you?

My family. At one time, I would have said my family and my faith. That was before I lost my husband.

6.  Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

With work and the kids, and running back and forth to the school to meet with Eli about my son’s latest escapade, I don’t have much time to read. I used to like light, uplifting romance novels for their happily-ever-after endings. Now, they seem like a big lie to me.

7.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

We have a Golden Retriever named Scooby. I got him for protection since my late husband was deployed out of country so much of the time, and we live in a fairly secluded area. While he’d probably lick an intruder to death, a big dog of any type is often enough to make many people keep their distance.

9. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I want to say, back to when I was 18, before my late husband joined the Army. But then, I wouldn’t have my kids. They’re the world to me. Nor all of my friends in Paradox Lake, including the often-irritating Eli Payton. So, I’ll say I don’t really know.

FEATURED BOOK:Small-Town Mom by Jean C. Gordon

The Widow's Rules of Engagement

Jamie Glasser has two ironclad rules: raise her kids the best way she knows how and…no more military men! The widowed mother of three lost to the army her late husband—and her faith in God—but she can't avoid former air force lieutenant colonel Eli Payton. The handsome high school guidance counselor is committed to helping Jamie's rebellious teenage son. But it's Jamie who's tested when she's irresistibly drawn to Eli. Here, in the family-centered community of Paradox Lake, can a woman at a crossroads find the courage to reclaim her faith and give love another chance?