October has always been my favorite month of the year, but for different reasons based on where I’ve lived.

Growing up in New Jersey, in was about the cool, crisp air and the amazing fall colors and the piles of leaves everywhere and pumpkins and apples and everything, you know, traditionally autumn. (I have learned since moving from New Jersey to other parts of the country that what tends to be portrayed as typical weather is really Mid-Atlantic East Coast weather.)

Now that I live on the Oregon Coast, I love October because it’s our best opportunity for beautiful, peaceful weather.

We had a stretch of such weather recently. Sunny, warm, relatively windless. Not cool and crisp but very pleasant. And the colors don’t compare to those in the Mid-Atlantic states, but you can still find some color (and the pumpkins and apples, etc.) by taking a drive.

One such sunny day, my husband and I drove in a loop of an hour east then about 45 minutes south, then an hour west and 45 minutes north. I was struck by the amazing juxtaposition of scenery in Oregon. The drives east, south, and west were all about fall color amid the dominant evergreens of the region. But the drive north was all about sparkling, blue ocean. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Growing up I would never have associated the ocean with fall. But I do now.

So, let me send a little bit of that beauty and peacefulness across the internet to you with a lighthearted story suggestion that puts a fun twist on the classic fairy tale fare: “The Charming Way” by Kristine Grayson.

Here’s the synopsis:

Mellie keeps a secret: she blames fairy tales for ruining her life. She believes she can stop fairy tales from ruining other people’s lives by forcing booksellers to stop selling fairy tales. 

But on the way to her protest at a book fair, she runs into a handsome man. A very handsome man who also happens to be Prince Charming. And he loves books. Even fairy tales.

The short story that provided the inspiration for Grayson’s paranormal romance novel, Wickedly Charming.

Click here for more information.

Happy Fall!

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.