Dear Friends and Readers,
It will come as no shock to you that October is my favorite month of the whole year. And for a lot of reasons. My latest Sarah Booth mystery released Oct. 15, and I’ve been really busy promoting the book and having fun at signings.
My dear friend Hope and I visited the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Museum
I had a fun Zoom call with Paula Munier—we both have books out this month—and we got to chat a little about books, writing, and things we love. I also made a flying trip to Columbus, MS, where Friendly City Books hosted my book signing at the library. Fun fun, fun! I always enjoy going to the Columbus area. I’m a fan of West Point and Starkville, too, which are right in that vicinity.
Yum! We all enjoyed banana pudding in honor of Elvis.
Back closer to home, I just had a fun signing at The Haunted Book Shop in downtown Mobile. A lot of Elvis lovers turned out to party.
I had a fabulous time singing Jailhouse Rock at The Haunted Book Shop.
 Isn’t this a scream? Columbus mayor Keith Gaskin and his Elvis pet possum. |
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This month also contains my favorite holiday—Halloween! I miss those childhood days of walking around Lucedale, MS trick or treating. We always had a fun and spooky holiday décor—especially since my younger brother was born Oct. 30. He was almost a little goblin. But so many of my neighbors worked hard to create fun encounters. Our elementary school teachers—a lot of them—lived within walking distance of my house. And they went all out to show us a fun time. And it was my mother’s favorite holiday too. She was so much fun, and she was an evil genius at scaring us.
My mother, grandmother, and younger brother were all born near Halloween, along with my niece and great-niece. So lots of birthdays and spooky fun.
 Don’t let a winged monkey snatch you up on Halloween! |
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The light of October is also the most beautiful of the year—at least to me. The only thing I hate is the time changing back the first week of November. Ugh. And to my everlasting relief this election will be over soon. I am exhausted from the whole thing.
If I have any terrific Halloween adventures, I will report next month WITH PHOTOS! Boy am I glad they didn’t have cell phones and cameras when I was in college. Oh, my! I would have stayed in hot water all the time.
I’ve finished the first draft of the 2025 Bones book—DOGGONE BONES. The cover is terrific. And I just finished a synopsis for the 2026 book. I had to drop the whole Dallas idea. I just couldn’t make it work. But I came up with a better idea! If my editor likes the premise, I’ll tell you more about it next month. Fingers crossed.
My two oldest kitties, Scooter and Castor, have had a bad month. Scooter got a UTI that set her back, and Castor got an eye ulcer. They both have other serious health issues, and this has really set them back hard. Keep a good thought for them, please. And keep a good thought for me. I’ve been taking a vaccination once a week—Shingles, Covid, flu, pneumonia. Maintenance on the old body gets harder and harder. Yet we plug along.
 These readers were only a dollar at the pharmacy! |
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That’s all the news fit to print, but here is a tune for you—for a region of the country I have always loved: Oh Shenandoah. My dad used to sing this song when we took a walk around town every evening after supper. Helene did a lot of damage in the Smokeys. We can’t forget about these people.
Until next month—behave! From Carolyn and the critters!
There is not a flat surface without a critter on it
