Note: This post appeared at Magical Musings a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share it here too.

Fall officially began last week. Woot!

I love fall. It’s my favorite time of year for so many reasons — pleasant days, cool nights, changing leaves, football, all sorts of apple, cranberry, and pumpkin dishes to make, eat, and enjoy. 🙂

I also find myself writing about fall a lot in my books too. To me, it seems like fall and winter can become actual characters in my books more easily than spring and summer. Maybe that’s because many of my books are so dark and gritty, like my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. To me, the darker and colder seasons of fall and winter just seem to suit those books better.

And I love it when the cover reflects the season that’s in the book, like in the cover for Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14. That book is set in November, and I talk about it snowing, so I think the cover really captures that well.

But in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, the books take place during the summer months, mostly because the heroine Lila Merriweather lives in a tourist town full of magic, monsters, and mobsters. Since I’m talking about tourists being in the town, it made sense to set the books during the summer when more folks go on vacation.

But no matter which season I’m writing about, I always try to make sure that it has a presence in my books, whether I’m talking about how beautiful the colors of the fall leaves are, how cold the winter wind is, or even how muggy and oppressive a summer afternoon can feel. I like adding in those descriptions, and I think the seasons add another layer of interest for readers.

What about you guys? Readers — do you like it when books are set in a particular season? Authors — which seasons do you like writing about in your books?

Tags: About Books, Black Blade series, Elemental Assassin series, On Writing