Book Cover release during My Favourite Season by J. S. Marlo

 

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

A few days ago, I received my new book cover for my upcoming November book release: Mishandled Conviction.  I'd like to thank our fabulous book cover artist Michelle. If I can say so myself, my new book cover is gorgeous!  Michelle, you're awesome!

I will tell you more about Mishandled Conviction next month, so stay tune. Now back to My Favourite Season.

Last week, my little granddaughter asked me what was my favourite season. Without hesitation, I said Autumn. So she asked if it was because it was my birthday. That was a fair question coming from the mouth of a six-year-old girl who'd just opened two birthday cards that I'd received  in the mail that day. As I replied it wasn't because of my birthday, I knew her next question would be Why then? And I was right, except I wasn't sure how to explain why.

For as long as I remember, Autumn has always been my favourite season. I grew up in Eastern Canada where autumn means vivid fall colours. My grandparents had a cottage by a lake and we were there all the time. My most memorable memories are walking in the surrounding forest by myself. I could be gone all day, only coming back when my stomach growled in hunger. The cottages were far and few between, so in retrospect, I don't know how my mother didn't worry about me. I never encountered any strange characters or big animals like bears, moose, or wolves, but I saw wild cats, raccoons, otters, and other smaller animals.

 

 

Nature is full of sounds, and in their midst,  there was a peace and tranquility that I couldn't find anywhere else. It was particularly true in the fall. The temperatures were cooler, the air was crisper, and the sounds and the colours were sharper. Walking in a tapestry of red, orange, and yellow with leaves twirling all around me was magical. In these precious moments, I felt free and carefree, almost invincible. Time stood still and nothing could touch me or hurt me. Maybe it was the innocence of youth...or maybe it was something more...something greater than me.

 

 Decades ago, I moved from the eastern part of Canada to the western and northern part of the country. There are no maple trees here, and to this day, I miss the autumn colours, but to my amazement, the magic didn't die. I still experience that peaceful feeling when I gaze in awe at the northern lights dancing in the night sky. 

Northern lights are more frequent toward the end of September, and though they are mostly green, I've also seen them in their glorious purple, pink, and red colours.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians! Many hugs!

JS

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Under the Northern Lights by J. S. Marlo

J. S. Marlo BWL Author Page

Hello, everyone!

I’m JS Marlo, but my hubby calls me Marlo, which is why I chose that pen name. “Voted Out”, my first novel with BWL,  was released two weeks ago, and it’s my first time on this blog, so I’m not too sure what I’m doing. I can’t believe my publisher gave me access to all those buttons in the blog. Trust me, it doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be fool proof, I could manage to derail a train, any trains, even one that is docked at a railway station. My publisher is brave…

I was born in Quebec, but I've lived all across Canada. Two words: military wife. Nowadays, when someone asks me “Where do you live?”, I answer “Northern Alberta”. Quite often that person will say “Oh, Edmonton”, and I will reply “No, no. Keep driving from Edmonton, keep driving north for another five hours, and don’t forget to fill up on gas. That are no gas stations in the last 200 kms. Then you’ll find  me—under the Northern Lights.”

Someone asks me once to describe the northern lights, but I couldn’t. The first time I saw them, I just stood there in the cold, staring in awe at the night sky. It’s almost like looking at the ocean and seeing waves roll in at twilight, but not quite. One moment the sky is dark, then seconds later, an invisible hand streaks the heaven with colorful waves, and then the waves waltz for a few seconds, a few minutes, a few hours. Most of the northern lights I’ve seen were light blue, green or turquoise, but I recall two magical instances when I was transfixed by the sky’s ethereal beauty.

Many years ago, hubby and I were driving back from visiting our daughter in university at the end of September. We were on that long stretch of road in the middle of the forest (the 200 kms without gas station, or any other structures) around 2am, when suddenly the sky lit up. Waves upon waves of bright turquoise, rich purple, and striking red dance above our heads. We were driving straight north, but the northern lights played havoc with the compass on our SUV. The compass twirled around. N, NW, SW, S, SE, N, SW… We stopped alongside the road. And watched. I can’t remember how long we stayed there, but I remember the beauty of it.

The second instance was a few weeks back. When I checked to make sure my back door was locked, I looked outside. When you can see the northern lights through the window, you know they are bright, so I stepped onto the deck. Despite the streetlamps, I saw pink and purple peeking at the edge of the turquoise. We’ve been spoiled this fall as Mother Nature has given us many amazing nightly shows. Maybe it’ll continue throughout the winter.

Many of my friends want to come visit me so they can see them, but I can’t promise that the sky will light up any more than I can promise a cloudless night will await them weeks ahead of time.

Some say in the silence of the night, you can hear the northern lights sing. Maybe one day I will hear them.

JS

J. S. Marlo's Website