Falling Leaves
October 13, 2024
Welcome to Day 12 of promoting my next release - Time for Love. I’ve been working on this collection for about four years. The romantic collection has twenty short stories - ten about how a couple got engaged and ten about how a couple met. The story I’m going to talk about today is Falling Leaves, a short story taking place on the First Day of Fall 1999.
Autumn carries a big secret with her every day, always afraid someone will learn the truth about her past. A senior in college, her advisor arranges an internship for her. Harrison attends a happy hour to save his friend from a setup. But he spots Autumn with her fiery red hair and sad hazel eyes. He wants to know why she has sad eyes. Will she reveal her secret? You’ll have to read the 5th story in the collection to find out.
How does this story relate to other stories in the gagengirl universe?
There are a lot of characters in this story that were created for another story. They are the various employees at the public relations firm where Autumn starts her new internship. I could name them all, but instead I’ll just say that I had a number of characters in my “Philadelphia” stories that worked in public relations. For some reason, I put them all in Providence, Rhode Island. There are two other characters who are in the story who were not from the “Philadelphia” stories. One of them is John Turner, the public relations firm partner who creates the internship for Autumn. The other is John’s wife, whose nephew is Seasons Greetings’ Jon.
What can you share about Autumn?
Autumn has had a rough life. She keeps her past a secret and it is a slow reveal in the story. I’m not going to ruin that. She has two rescued cats.
And what can you share about Harrison?
Harrison’s family has been in Providence since the city was founded. He’s a mechanical engineer who bought his dog. He has lived a privileged life and he knows it.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about this story?
It’s a romance, the story of how Autumn and Harrison met. Her advisor called in an old favor to get her an internship at the public relations firm. The internship changes her life for the better.
Do you know which story you’ll tell us about tomorrow?
Yes. Tomorrow’s story is Melting Ice.
Are you curious about the music that helped inspire me while writing Falling Leaves? Click here to read about it.
