This month, October 23-25, is MileHi Con, Denver’s regional SF con. It’s always a good time, a great place to meet and chat with lots of different writers, and to pick up some treasures in the dealers room and art show. I’ll be there!

My word of the month: cozy. This is a reminder to be mindful of the changing season and head into the remainder of the year with a good attitude. At least, I can try!

Earlier this year, when I looked at my calendar and saw two months of no travel and no deadlines in September and October, I got all excited because I thought it meant I’d get to relax? Instead, I filled up those months with all the appointments I’ve been putting off and all the projects I’ve been meaning to start. Slight miscalculation there! But I got my seasonal vaccines and the car’s tuned up and all that good stuff.

I’m not a pumpkin spice person, but I am all about hot cocoa and wool sweaters. I haven’t been doing much hiking and birding, and I think I need to change that. Take in some cool air and fall leaves, so I’ll be mentally ready for it when the snow comes.

This month’s lesson: You want to talk about active v. passive characters? I want to talk about active v. passive characters. How to recognize if your character is passive and what to do about it.

And with that, I’m going to get back to it and see if I can clear some stuff off the to-do list.