Where in the World is the FNC?

So, you might have noticed that the FNC has been a little quiet the past few weeks.  No worries!  We haven't gone anywhere.  We're just all really, really, really busy.

Fall is a funny time of year.  In nature, it's when things start to slow down and shut down for the impending winter.  It's the end of the growing season.  Trees lose their leaves, animals gather food and prepare for hibernation.

But in human world, it's the time when every gets going again!  School starts, work picks up, people are back from vacation.  And suddenly there aren't enough hours in the day for everything!

So, what ARE we up to, anyway?

Janine, as she posted a little while ago, is in Australia!  Her husband is a professional musician and he's on a 6-week tour.  Plus, her husband IS Australian, so this is a chance for extended family to get together.  She's blogging about her time there at jasmineandhoney.blogspot.com.  It's really interesting and a fun way to keep in touch with her!

Frankie is returning to being an adjunct professor of English.  Plus, this year she's also teaching Nutrition!  That means her nights and days have been filled with the ever-entertaining task of lesson planning and grading!  And we all know Frankie, and know that she ascribes to the "There are twenty-four usable hours in every day" philosophy, so she's also busy doing lots of other things, like planning Philly Kid Lit Night, and, oh yeah, being Arcadia University's Returning Writer!

Donna manages a college newspaper.  So, as you can probably guess, her office has gone from being quiet all summer to having to hire a full staff and get the first issue of the semester out!  Have you ever tried working with a whole bunch of college students?  Sometimes they're awesome, but sometimes... it's like herding cats.  And, y'know, there was that time in the summer when Donna bought a house and moved in and re-did 90% of it and then she planned a wedding.

And I, Sara, have just started a new school year as well.  I'm an elementary school teacher (first grade) and the kids returned on the 8th.  But the week before that was spent getting the classroom ready, which means labeling and laminating and color-coding EVERYTHING that you can think of.  It also means I've gone from my summer off, with my leisurely wake-up time of 8:30, to getting up at 6am every day, standing on my feet for 8 hours, talking and being on-point constantly, and then trying to function as an adult for the remainder of the day.  Needless to say, most days I come home and promptly fall asleep on the couch.  I'm also a swim coach, and the season has started again, so I'm working double-duty on the job front three times a week!

But don't worry!  We have lots of exciting things planned for this fall.  Like, how about interviews with two of the hottest debut authors out there, Andrea Cremer (author of NIGHTSHADE) and Brenna Yovanoff (author of THE REPLACEMENT.)  How about co-reviews to along with them?  How about Janice Hardy?  How about that sweet Vlad Tod giveaway that's happening right now?

So that's what's up, and what's coming up, with us.  But what about all of you?

What's new and exciting in your life?

Is fall a busy time for you?

And what's your favorite thing about fall?  (I love that it's getting cool at night!  I love snuggling under the blankets.  Plus, we may or may not have started to let our puppy sleep on our (small) bed...and he's so warm to snuggle with!)