How did this happen? The shift was so subtle that we hardly noticed it. One moment we were basking in a glorious Georgian Bay sunset, and the next we were enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with friends and family, our cottage resting under a canopy of red and yellow mixed with the stubborn greens that were not quite ready to let go.

Alex celebrated his birthday on the Thanksgiving weekend, amidst warm wishes and great food. The colours and the smells, the sounds of fall are all around us.

As always with the changing seasons I find myself reflecting on the passing of time. What have I accomplished? Did I reach my personal goals? If not, did I enjoy the ride?

One thing that I wanted to do was to attend The Word on the Street at Queen's Park on September 30, and I did that. It was a blast! I shared the CrimeWriters of Canada booth with two very talented and funny gentlemen: Glen Bonham, author of The Elvis Interviews, and David (J.D.) Carpenter, author of the acclaimed Campbell Young series. It was a pleasure to pass the afternoon in such esteemed and humourous company.

I finished the first draft of my current novel, and am underway on the third edit. However, I did take a writing break during September in the hopes of letting some ideas gell for the final copy. I'm aiming to have a polished manuscript in place by the end of October.

Other than that, I've been playing my clarinet and continuing to study Mandarin with the kids. All in all, I would rate Summer 2007 as one of the really great ones. Alex and I enjoyed many walks on the beach and oodles of sunshine with the family.

We can only hope that fall will be as gentle with us as summer was...

Donna Carrick, October 14, 2007