I have to admit that the “burr” months are my favorite months of the year (Sept-Dec). I adore autumn, which is, of course, why I started off the setting of my book series in October. Halloween/Samhain has always been my favorite holiday. I love the colors, the leaf change, the food, and the men born at this time of year! LOL (I ended up with a man born in November 😉). These months have always been when I feel the most motivated, get in top shape for spring and summer, and plan for the coming year.

While most people plan the year starting on January 1st, and to an extent, I do as well. However, I mainly focus on my solar return as the start of my new year (26th of February) and the astrological new year, which begins on the first day of Aries season.

I have been planning content for my A.S Aurelia YouTube channel, which I look forward to! We will set off on adventures there, learn new things, and delve deep into book-related subjects. I will not go into detail and give spoilers, as I want it to be a surprise! Ensure you follow my channel so you don’t miss a thing when my videos go live.

I have been recovering from illness over the past two weeks, and it has been vicious. Getting my book published and dealing with all my other responsibilities took a toll on me. My body said, “That’s enough,” and I ended up with bronchitis and didn’t move much for over a week. Considering I’m very active, having to sit still for that long would have usually had me bouncing off the walls. Still, Instead of freaking out about it this time around, I used the time to reconnect with my inner child, spend time with my son, who was home from college for fall break, and did lots of soul searching, as well as research for what’s to come! My sick days made me realize what was important to me, reignite my passions for life, and get some clarity about the direction I want to go in next.

Life might have handed me lemons, but I answered by making lemonade. 🍋

Another reason I adore this time of year is that the Pleiades are visible in the night sky! I have been obsessed with this vibrant blue star cluster since I was a little girl! It feels like “home,” and a melancholy, nostalgic feeling washes over me whenever I look at it. Knowing this, it is no secret why I refer so much to this gorgeous heavenly body in my book. We had very strong winds all day yesterday, so I knew that the night sky would be crystal clear, so I made sure to head out with my husband when he took the dog out before bed to get a look at the stars. This is the shot I captured…

The super bright object with the starburst shine is Jupiter, and just above it to the center is the Pleiades. I love that the iPhone can capture images like this now and without a tripod! If I used a tripod and set a timer, I could have captured a much more detailed shot. I will have to try that next time.

I will publish audiobooks for the Hunting The Empress series soon. We are in the process of setting up a recording studio to do this. Unfortunately, when I got sick, it put this project on the back burner, and once I was feeling better, my other half came down with the cooties! UGH! Gotta love that Mercury Rx! Our family usually has some health-related crises when it happens. 🤷‍♀️ At first, I was looking into hiring voice actors for the recording, but then I learned that a ton of people prefer when the author reads the book themselves! Stephen King does this. If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me! I adore his books and have read them since I was young. He is a big part of my childhood! Who didn’t watch The Shining when they were a kid at a slumber party? LOL! My friends and I always did! HERES JOHNNY!

Of course, I will post updates on the audiobook status as time passes, so check back often and follow me on social media. The links to my social media accounts are at the top of my website home page. I have yet to add the link to my Bluesky account on my home page, but I am there along with Threads.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful holiday season! Take good care of yourselves! Wishing much love to you and yours!

-A.S. Aurelia