Gayle M Irwin

A new month has started and a new season lies on the horizon. I am usually not very busy with travel in September, but this year is different, and I'm excited for what's coming up.

 
First, I'm working on a story for the annual non-profit charity project for which I've been writing the past three years. I'm writing a sweet, second-chance holiday romance that I've titled The Reunion. It takes place in northwestern Montana, a place I'm familiar with but not as familiar as I am with the areas around Bozeman and Lewistown. My characters are a female bookstore owner and a male Forest Service recreation planner who knew each other (and dated) in college. The story is due October 1, and the anthology, titled A Cheerful Heart, will release in November. Stay tuned!

Last month I published Rescued Hearts, originally titled Rescuing Sarah. This story is the first romance novel idea that germinated more than a decade ago, a story of forgiveness and redemption, involving a graphic designer, a firefighter, and a puppy mill and dognapping ring (no animals are harmed in the story!). I'm grateful for the opportunity to share this story with readers. E-books are available this month (known as Responsibile Dog Ownership Month) for only .99 cents! Paperbacks are also available. You can find where and how to order the story via this ink:
https://books2read.com/u/b6D6v6

 

I'll be traveling to a writing retreat later this month with five writer friends. We are staying at Wyoming's Kindness Ranch, one of the animal rescue organizations I support. One of these writers visited the sanctuary ranch a few months ago and fell in love with it. So, we've organized this retreat weekend at which we'll spend two nights in a cabin on-site, take a tour, and spend time writing. My husband and I have visited three times and stayed over twice. But, that was years ago, and I'm excited to return! During this time I'll be working on a Christmas story I plan to publish in November. It's titled Yuletide in Yellowstone. It's a twist on the second-chance romance trope, as the couple were pen-pals for more than 12 years, saw each other only three times, and now reconnect during the Christmas season in Yellowstone National Park. Blending a fun story in a beautiful setting I love! More on that later as well.

Another trip I'm taking comes the weekend after the Kindness Ranch retreat. I'm traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for the Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers Conference. I've never attended this autumn in-person event, and I'm excited to do so! A weekend of workshops and networking, with an added afternoon for a retreat at the hotel. FUN, FUN! and lots of learning!

While there, I'm taking several extra days to visit friends,  including author friend and charity anthology co-organizer Eliza Boyd. This will be our first in-person meeting, and I'm very excited! It's one thing to be virtual, Facebook, and Zoom meeting friends, but to finally meet someone whose literary works I've enjoyed literary works for nearly a decade ... well, again, all I can say is I'm quite excited!
 

My husband will meet me in northern Arizona a few days after the conference, and we will celebrate our 25th anniversary a few weeks early, visiting Monument Valley (neither of us have ever been) and Mesa Verde National Park (he's never been; I have visited twice). We'll enjoy Monument Valley with friends I'll see and stay with who live in the northern part of Phoenix -- they have been married more than 32 years and have never seen Monument Valley either. Again, FUN, FUN!

I'll be in Laramie, Wyoming at the Albany County Library on Sunday, September 14, 1 to 3 pm, for the annual Meet the Authors Festival.  Another Casper author is traveling with me, and other Wyoming authors will be there as well.

Lots happening in my writer's world and personal life this month, and I am looking forward to each adventure! What are some of your plans for this new month? Whatever they are, I hope you enjoy each moment!