beautiful autumn view of the nearby cove

Autumn on the Coast

By Linn Chapel | November 16, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

The sights and smells of Autumn

An extremely rainy summer in New England has given way to a pleasant autumn along the coast of Maine. What a wonderful time for writing and reading books! Crisp leaves stir underfoot, acorns drop from oak trees on sunny afternoons, and the apple harvest at my local pick-your-own orchard has been bountiful.

Leaves, beautiful leaves

*A small maple tree spreads its delicate branches in a local forest preserve*

Most of the tall oaks still haven’t lost their golden leaves, but the first light snowflakes began to fall about a week ago. Usually the first flakes strike a bit of fear into my heart, because winters are very long in Maine.

But this time I enjoyed the brief wintery spell because it set the mood for the final touches on my upcoming book, a mystery novella that’s set in December: The Ruins of Reverie.

New Book!

Did you know that central France is home to forests, rugged terrain, and geothermal hot springs? Wildcats also live there, interestingly enough.

These are just some of the fascinating features I learned while researching the area for the fourth volume of the Stonehaven Mysteries.

For any of my readers who have been mystified by the origins of the winged Cat, check out this final installment in the series!

The Ruins of Reverie (Stonehaven Mysteries, Book 4)

April Snow Scene in My Coastal New England Meadow - blog post of Linn Chapel Romance Author

Is It Spring Yet? Living and Writing in New England

By Linn Chapel | April 10, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

The Calendar Says It’s Spring

I can hear the sounds of spring. Birds are chirping and warbling somewhere outside. But what I see is SNOW.

Yes – it’s snowing again! And there are still no leaves on the trees.

This is New England, where it snows even in April. At least the snow melts quickly in this season. On the other hand, when the snow melts there’s LOTS of mud.

Is It Spring Yet? Living and Writing in New England by Linn Chapel - melting snow just makes mud - photo of muddy lane passing through forest — *The snow melts quickly in April! Downside: then there’s LOTS of mud!*

Do I Have Any Choice in Footwear?

The other day I chanced to be in a store where I saw some good-looking footwear on sale. To buy or not to buy? The styles were attractive and the sale prices were tempting. For a moment I wavered – and then I remembered all the mud.

Muddy Days - Living and Writing in New England by Linn Chapel - photo of waterproof mud boots — **There’s only one real choice in footwear in this season**

My practical pair of boots can handle all the mud around these parts. Not very fashionable, but they do the job.

Evergreens and Pink Skies

Without any spring flowers or new leaves there’s not much color. But there’s still some – the needles of evergreens provide a muted green and the sky is often pink with color at sunrise and sunset. Do you like the smell of evergreens? Their scent is supposed to be especially energizing. If you’d like to try an aromatherapy essential oil, check out this link to the folks at PlantTherapy. They carry a wide range of oils including spruce and balsam fir. I’ve used their spruce and fir holiday blend and can vouch for an authentic scent.

Is It Spring Yet? Living and Writing in New England by Linn Chapel - photo of pink sky at sunrise — *Color, fabulous color! The trees don’t have any leaves, but the eastern sky can be a luminous pink at sunrise*

More plusses to counter the mud: Around here, the air is always fresh. Your drinking water comes from a well that pumps from a subterranean reserve under your own property.

The coast of New England is also a quiet place to write and think. It’s far away from traffic and the bustle of cities. OK, so the internet’s a little sketchy here – I don’t have any internet service at home, in fact. But that makes it easy to spend time imagining story dialogues and scenes.

Or to imagine the coming of spring leaves and flowers at last!