There’s something about October that makes me start dreaming in fairy lights and snow. Which is funny, considering I live in sunny Florida, where the only flakes we see come from a beachside latte. But growing up in Kentucky, I remember those cold nights, the kind where the air bites your nose and the world feels quiet under a blanket of snow.

Maybe that’s why I’m always drawn to writing small-town Christmas stories. There’s a kind of magic in them that feels like coming home, even if I’m writing barefoot with the AC running.

This year’s Preptober project is my way of bringing that nostalgia back. I’m plotting next year’s Waldon Springs Christmas story, and I can already tell it’s going to steal my heart. It’s planned as a short,  around 40k words, but we both know how my “shorts” tend to go. (If these two have their way, it’ll end up full length and full of feelings.)

This story brings two strangers together in the kind of serendipitous way only a small town like Waldon Springs can deliver

When a winter storm halts travel just before Christmas, Holly and Layton both find themselves stranded in Waldon Springs. She’s just trying to get home to her family. He’s heading… well, somewhere he doesn’t talk about much. The town’s power flickers, the inn is booked solid, and fate decides they’ll be sharing a roof until the roads clear.

It’s forced proximity at its finest — cozy, awkward, a little spark-filled, and wrapped in the glow of Christmas lights.

I’ve always loved the kind of Christmas tale that blends warmth with second chances, hope with humor. Waldon Springs has become my safe place to write those stories, where grief meets grace, and love always finds its way home.

This one’s a little different, though. It’s not about returning to someone you’ve loved before… it’s about finding someone when you least expect it.

So far, I’m knee-deep in character notes and scene sketches. My plotting journal is already a snow-covered mess of ideas, from cozy coffee-shop moments to one particularly inconvenient power outage. I’ve started working through the story beats and setting up my Notion page (because Preptober = organized chaos).

And yes, Layton might just have a little cowboy energy about him. I’m not saying boots are involved, but… I’m also not not saying that.

I’ll share more about their backstories in next week’s update once I’ve got their arcs mapped out.

For now, I’m leaning into the heart of what I want this story to feel like:
Snow falling.
Coffee brewing.
Two strangers realizing maybe — just maybe — they were meant to get stuck together.

Stay tuned for the next Preptober Diary, where I’ll introduce you properly to Holly and Layton (and probably gush about my playlist).

Next Entry: Preptober Diaries 2025, Entry #3 — Meet Holly & Layton
Coming soon: a peek into who they are, what they want, and how they clash (and spark).