Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Seasons Come, Seasons Go

by

In the order of most favorite to least, what are your preferred seasons in real life? What about in the novels you read?

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall (Autumn)
  • Winter

Growing up only ten minutes away from the beach, I’ve always preferred the summer myself, but I do like the changing seasons. Here are my favorites in order:

  1. Summer for the sunlight
  2. Fall (Autumn) for the leaves
  3. Spring for the flowers
  4. Winter for Christmas!

Brrr! Winter is cold. Even in my novels, I’ve avoided cold weather stories as much as I could to the point that among 27 books (including the one I’m writing now), I have very few “winter books.” And on top of that, I have only one Christmas romance that begins in…July! I know, I know. However, I am warming up to the idea of writing another Christmas romance. Someday!

On the other hand, summer is my favorite setting for almost all of my Christian coastal city and beach town romances. Tybee Island, St. Simon’s Island, Jekyll Island, Key Largo, and the Bahamas are all bright and sunny in the summer time. I can see these beach towns vividly in my mind from my time spent there, and I can hear the ocean waves when I write stories set in these places. They remind me of growing up so close to the ocean. Coming up soon is Pray for Me, the next novel in my Vacation Sweethearts series, and we go back to the Bahamas to visit with a cousin of my hero from Smile for Me, book 1 in the same series.

Do you like the leaves in the fall? In between summer and winter, I have two books set in the colorful season of autumn. I could hear October leaves crunching under hiking boots when I wrote Reach for Me (Vacation Sweethearts Book 2), which I set on top of the Great Smoky Mountains, another place I hope to return to soon. I do enjoy an autumn walk in the woods and park. What about you?

Yes, seasons come and seasons go. When I see the weather and temperature change, I remember what God said about life and the brevity of it. All around us, the leaves may fall (or forests sadly burn in fires), but at the end of the day, God remains. Praise the Lord that He never changes.

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

God’s Word is always encouraging to me as we head into a new season of pandemic-influenced school year, work life, and major holidays coming up. I wish you and your family well and pray that everyone stays safe.

In Christ,
Jan Thompson

Jan Thompson (72 Posts)

USA Today bestselling novelist Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with elements of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with an air of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance. Join Jan's mailing list for her latest book news: JanThompson.com/newsletter


Comments

  1. We actually have leaves falling right now. We are in the beginning days of spring. All the trees are green and tossing down the remnant foliage.

  2. Hi Jan!
    In SW Michigan Fall is in the air. My favorite season with cooler temperatures, tourists have returned home so locals can enjoy the beaches and parks, apples and grapes are being harvested and pumpkins dot the fields. Beautiful colorful time of year. Next I enjoy unpredictable spring with new life and beautiful flowers crocus, daffodils and tulips. While I enjoy the long days of summer, I do not do well in the heat and humidity. Before to enjoy nature outdoors, not from the comfort of my air conditioned house or car. Finally winter. I always look forward for the first snow and this German American enjoys a White Christmas. Winter like summer in Michigan is a mixed bag. I enjoy the crisp air of winter and I blizzard per season. I do not enjoy wind chill that sweeps off Lake Michigan. The coldest I have experienced is – 80 windchill in the Winter of 1982. The most snow we have had was the winter of 2014 – 15 feet. Michigan is beautiful in all seasons. Stay healthy and safe. Our grandkids are doing school virtually at our house. Enjoy the long weekend.

  4. 1. Autumn for that special feeling of the crispness in the air on my cheeks
    2. Winter for being able to curl up under the blankets and read and an excuse to get up later in the mornings
    3 Spring for the new growth and abundance of foliage
    4 Summer for how grateful I am when the heat is finally over!

    You know Christmas is in summer for the southern hemisphere, ever considered writing a Summer Christmas romance? Thanks

  5. Good morning. Growing up in the Mohave dessert the season changes were slight. It wasn’t until we all moved back to the Chicago suburbs that we experienced REAL season changes. We moved in the summer and when Fall hit, it was so pretty and fun. I fell in love with the changing of the trees. But when winter hit, we were all freezing. It was one of the coldest winters there in a long time, plus SNOW, oh my goodness. It was so cold. But the sun shining on the snow was beautiful and glittery. Mom took all five of us kids out of school and we went shopping for clothes for winter. And as spring hit, I loved all the new leaves and flowers and the wonderful smells of NEW everywhere. Seeing and feeling all of this along with the warmth of the sun was glorious. And then summer hit and, oh my this was another wonderful season full of warmth and sun and fun and helping dad grow things. I think I ate more berries than made it into the house. LOL Now I do love each season for a totally different reason.

  6. My favorite seasons:
    1. Spring for colorful flowers & warmth after winter
    2. Fall for colorful leaves & cool after summer
    3. Summer for long days
    4. Winter — I really don’t like much about it except Christmas

    I have a summer book, one starts in September and goes to Valentine’s Day, and one in spring.

  7. I love living where there are real seasons! I’m not a lover of heat, so summer might be my least favorite! Although I love camping and kayaking, which make summer fun. Now the nights are cooling off for fall but the days are still warm, so right now fall is my favorite. But I also enjoy cozying up in winter… and snowshoeing! And spring has moderate weather and new beginnings. I’m glad God made seasons and love stories set in all of them.

  9. I live in FL, on the Space Coast, about 15 minutes from the beach (depending on traffic and which beach I want to go to). I prefer Winter! I LOVE the cooler weather!! We’ve been in the 90’s more days than we’ve been out, and it started way too early this year. Now, most of our days are in the “feels like” triple digits, and today is no exception.

  11. I love fall. The scent in the air, the cooler temps, the colors, and all things pumpkin. I don’t like having less daylight, but the rest wouldn’t be there without it so… :)

  12. Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures and about what your favorite season is. I love the 4 seasons all for different reasons. I live in west Texas and we get to experience all 4 seasons and I am grateful for that. We might not get snow sometimes , but that is o.k.. I love Winter because of Christmas, Christmas is my favorite Holiday. I love Fall because of the change of colors in the leaves and when they fall , I love the sound of the leaves crunching, I also love fall because I get to plant pansies, I love pansies. I love Spring because of Easter and all the wonderful flowers coming up and blooming , and all the birds chirping and singing away. I love summer because I get to see my grandchildren more and they get vacation from school after working so hard in school. I enjoyed reading this post, Thank you so very much. Have a Great weekend and stay safe . God bless you .

  13. Love that verse!
    In real life my favorite seasons are a tie between fall and spring, especially the sunny days with cooler breezes, followed by summer and winter. However, since most books I read are set in the Northern Hemisphere, my favorite seasons would be first fall, then winter, then summer and then spring :)

  15. Spring is my favorite season in real life because it reminds me of my new life in Christ. I love seeing all the flowers starting to bud, and the cherry trees starting to flower, the bees buzzing in those early spring flowers, new babies (deer, rabbits, lambs, etc) and all the “newness” around me.

    As for books, the seasons don’t really matter to me. I love when an author can make me picture whatever season they are writing in~ie:the crispness of snow, the humidity of summer, the slight chill in the air in autumn, the fresh cleanness of spring. Funny thing about me as a reader, I only like Christmas books in winter starting in late October to (maybe) early January…lol! Otherwise, I don’t read Christmas themed books.

  17. That sounds super cold! IDK if I’ve ever been in -80 windchill. The coldest here is -10F one year during the blizzards. That was something else.

    I agree that Fall is lovely. You probably have more prominent fall over there in MI. Over her we get mild fall and maybe 1-2 weeks of full foliage galore. Then winter sets in.

    Those are my favorite flowers too. I mentioned daffodils at least twice in one of my novels (Find You Again). I like tulips! So many colors.

    Thank you for your comments. Have fun with your grandkids. They are very fortunate and blessed to have their grandma! Have a great weekend!

  19. All wonderful reasons for the seasons! LOL #4 on summer heat. For sure!

    Isn’t that fun! Growing up in the tropics, it’s always summer at Christmas too. In the southern USA where I now live, the winter is mild and we rarely get snow. It’s a but chilly Christmas week, usually, but it would be a miracle to get one snowflake.

    Have you read my Wish You Joy (Savannah Sweethearts Book 9)? At Christmastown USA (the holiday decorating company), Christmas is year round, so my book began in July! It’s hot this time of year in the southern USA. Is that close enough to a summer Christmas?

    Thank you for your comments! Have a great weekend!

  20. Wow! Those are wonderful memories of seasons. Thank you for sharing!

    We’re finally at the end of summer here in the south and had our fill of berries. This year there were more blueberries than other berries, it seems. I’ve been wanting to go pick my own strawberries at a local farm here but didn’t have the time (been trying to find time in the last 15 years LOL). Maybe next year!

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  21. Thank you for your comments! Summer indeed does feel like it has long days. This year, it feels even longer! I like Christmas too. It “warms” up the cold winter! Spring and Fall are indeed so colorful!

    Thanks again for your comments! Have a wonderful weekend!

  22. God is amazing! I can see how much fun it is to have a variety in seasons, unlike South Florida or Hawaii where the seasons are aways hot and hotter LOL.

    Some day I’ll travel north a little bit to where it does actually snow some in January. Then run back down again to where it’s warmer! :-)

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  23. Christmas is coming! Only a little more than three months away. :-)

    Anyway, Lila has a good list. I do love the changing seasons.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  26. Thank you. I like that verse too!

    That’s interesting that your book seasons and real life seasons differ a little bit. Come to think of it, I like to read wintery books (with lots of snow) too but we don’t have much of a winter where I live.

    Thanks again for commenting. Have a wonderful weekend!

  27. Fall is so lovely! Yesterday I saw some pumpkin-scented soap in the store and I knew that the pumpkins are coming soon. It still feels like summer here and we’re at 90F or something hot and humid yet, but fall is around the corner!

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  28. Those are wonderful reasons for liking each season. I had no idea that you get all four seasons in West Texas. That’s a state on my bucket list, and the only time I’ve been there on land was when I changed flights at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. On my bucket list to visit is the rest of the state!

    I love Christmas time too. I really hope I can get the tree up early this year. We shall see. I say that every single year and we still end up scrambling :-)

    Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for your comments!

  29. I love FL! My family and I go there on vacation whenever we can. Some day I’ll set a whole series of books in FL. For now I have one novel set in FL, Look for Me (Vacation Sweethearts Book 4). But oh the humidity! It’s hotter than GA where I am!:-)

    I have fond memories of FL. My hubby lived there for a while (military family) so we visited some places his family went when they were growing up. I remember when we visited Cape Canaveral but I forget what time of year it was. Must not be in the summer because we drove to Cocoa Beach and it wasn’t crowded at all.

    I also like the cooler weather but not too cold! I’m not overly keen on snow unless I’m looking out the window heheh!

    Thank you for your comments! Have a wonderful weekend!

  30. I’m not too far from Cocoa Beach, or Cape Canaveral! I’m south of both, and on the mainland. With our humidity and heat index, it’s been feeling like triple digits. GA gets triple digits, and the heat is different! Most of my extended family lives in the NW corner of GA, between Rome and Chattanooga, TN, so I consider GA my 2nd home. I LOVE going there in October, but haven’t made it up there in years. Since I’m Mom’s caregiver, it’s hard to get away, and she can’t/won’t make that trip anymore. Though she’s decided if she lives to be 100 (4 more years!) she wants to go to Americus Garden Inn in Americus again. I can give you a few good ideas of small towns in FL to set your books, and a few aren’t far from the beaches!

  31. Thank you, Trixi! That’s the best reason for liking spring time: Christ’s death at the cross, burial, and resurrection. Indeed, the blooming nature does remind us of God making all things new.

    I also used to read winter books in winter, but since I became a published author, it came to my attention that there is such a thing as Christmas in July, so after a while I got excited about Christmas while it’s still summer. :-)

    Most of my novels are set in the summer because they are beach town romances, but I write them all year round, so it’s a contrast to my real life when I write warm summer novels in the cold winters!

    Thank you again for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend in the Lord!

  32. That’s cool that you’re near Cape Canaveral. Did you hear the rocket launches recently?

    That’s cool about the small towns! I write about places I have been to personally so that I can describe them as I saw them. Feel free to name your favorite towns that I can visit some day. I love exploring small towns and sometimes get carried away with that instead of writing a book LOL. There is a bunch of small towns in GA that I want to write about too, but every time I go to those places, I end up eating too much. They always have fudge shops with delicious chocolate! I’ve been to Chattanooga multiple times, but never to Rome or Americus. So is the Inn a nice place? I need to visit soon. My bucket list is growing! I have two novels partially set in Athens bc I attended UGA. Go Dawgs!

    I have been to a number of beaches in Florida over the years. I have been to several places on the Gulf Coast (where we spent our honeymoon 31 years ago) and also on the Atlantic side (I love that side because of the sunrise). The last FL book I wrote, I set it in Key Largo. Right now I’m writing a book that takes my readers back to the Bahamas, but the next novel is actually set in Florida again… I won’t say where exactly yet bc that’s a surprise! It’s not Cocoa Beach. Stay tuned! :-)

  33. I definitely like summer the best. I live in the midwest where we have four distinct seasons but the older I get the more I see the appeal of living in an area that doesn’t experience winter weather.

  36. The landscape is beautiful when the seasons change, but yes, winter is cold. Fortunately over here, winter is not as long as summer, and it’s milder than most parts of the USA.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a great weekend!

  37. Priscila Perales and I are on the same page. Give me Spring and Fall for temperate weather, beautiful colors and gentle breezes. Winter is next for me because I grew up in upstate New York and learned to do winter properly. Shoveling, sledding, snow men and getting together with family for the holidays. Oh, and fireplace fires. You can’t beat the warmth and crackle of a good fire and the satisfaction of knowing how to tend it. It puts the cold in its place, outdoors! Summer is the least favorite for me because of the heat and humidity. I’m fair skinned so I burn easily. I don’t really like swimming very much, either. I still enjoy the bright sunshine, though.

    I had to chuckle, Jan, at your comment above about spending time visiting and not writing a book as being a problem when you travel. For a long time, my main creative outlet was photography. Any kind of trip I took, I always had my camera, big, long lens at the ready. Others would be enjoying conversations, going shopping, soaking in the local ambience. Not me. I would have my camera clicking away. It was almost so bad that I would only know where I had been once I had all my pictures developed (back in the dinosaur days of actual film, lol). These days, I manage to smell a few more of the roses!

  38. Yes, we did hear those sonic booms! I can watch the launches from my backyard or front yard. You don’t see ignition, but you can still watch the majority of it. You really need to go to Tarpon Springs on the Gulf, Micanopy up near Gainesville (home to Paynes Prairie, Marjorie Rawlings home where she wrote The Yearling), and Deland, up in Volusia County, where Stetson University is. Since you’ve been to the Keys, did you get some Key Lime pie while there? There’s also a wonderful Key West Key Lime store. There used to be one in Mount Dora (also a wonderful little place to visit!). The Americus Garden Inn is a wonderful B & B!! The owners are great, too!! We’ve been a few times for my Mom’s birthday. Since you’re in GA, you should go to the Etowah indian mounds. It’s really nice there, too! And, back in FL, you could go to Christmas and visit Ft Christmas. Also, Lakes Wales is great, too!! Too many cute little out of the way places to go!!

  39. That’s very close if you can hear and see the launches!

    Thank you for the list of towns. Fascinating that FL has a Christmas town. I had no idea it exists (never googled for it). In my WISH YOU JOY book, the holiday company is called Christmastown USA but it’s located in GA and not FL. In GA, we have a Bethlehem hehe. It’s such a small town that I have driven past it before I realized I missed it.

    I’ve heard of the Etowah Indian Mounds, but never been there. There is a smaller Indian mound at the foothills of the North GA Mountains and I’ve seen it on the way to shop for pottery. I’ll have to keep Cartersville in mind.

    Thank you again for the little towns to add to my list! :-) Time to visit Florida again… Soon. I’m waiting for the pandemic to be over so we can travel again.

  40. LOL re: “do winter properly” – Definitely impressed when I see states and places with proper snow and real winter wonderland. Yes to fireplaces. We used to have real log fireplace but now we have gas log and nobody is using it bc the winters have been mild.

    There are indeed some lovely seasons if they are more well-defined. Unlike here in GA when suddenly it’s over. Sometimes fall starts very late and we get one week of foliage colors, and then all the leaves fall off, and it’s winter!

    Most of my books are set in the spring and summer and fall. I would write more winter books if it wasn’t such a cold season here and yet without snow to write about. I may need to take a winter vacation to the mountains to watch the snow fall. Over here, we get sleet and rain most of the time. Transparent ice on bridges is very dangerous for vehicles.

    LOL yes re: visiting places. Some years ago I was doing research for my yet unpublished colonial fiction, and visiting colonial and Revolutionary War sites was so fascinating that I spent three years just enjoying history. I had accumulated enough stuff to write non-fiction biographies and history books — but those have all been written by others, so I had nothing new to add. Some day I might go back and finish up my historical novels — but I already know what’s going to happen. More history research trips LOL. And years in libraries just reading. Fascinating!

    Speaking of cameras — we took a photography trip out west to the Oregon coast a while back. We drove along the Columbia River, Mount Hood, the beautiful coast, etc. And I wrote a book with a scene set on the oceanfront. We took many photos and yes, that was back when it wasn’t digital.

    Thank you for your comments! Have a wonderful weekend!

  41. Beautiful pictures – I think every season has its beauty!
    Winter for skiing :)
    Spring for new life
    Summer for boating/swimming
    Fall for Apple Hill – Festival

  43. I was blessed to be in an area that clearly had 4 seasons. I had friends who lived in Portland, Maine. They said they had 2 seasons: winter and the Fourth of July, LOL.

  44. I love Summer & it’ll never change. Then, Spring due to flowers & Summer coming. Then, it’s Fall because it’s nice weather still. My least is Winter due to snow & the bad weather & so cold. I only like it cause of the holidays & my birthday.

  45. Mine would have to be Summer, Spring, Fall, & Winter. Bu there’s always something fun each season

  46. I live in Northern CA! My order from favorite to least favorite would be Fall, Spring, Winter, Summer.

  47. I love the tulip photos. My favourite seasons from best to least are Summer, Spring, Autumn and winter. I like being able to get out in the sunlight and its easier to garden in Spring and Summer. I do love spring flowers as I love tulips.

  48. I am a sweater girl and I love fall! I like the beautiful trees, back to school, football games, cooler weather, trips to the pumpkin patch and so much more!

  50. I agree — every season is beautiful!

    Apple festivals sound fun! Reminds me of when we went to pick apples (my son was little then). It was fun! My MIL made apple pies out of our apple picking trip!

    Thank you for commenting. Have a wonderful weekend!

  52. Happy winter birthday coming soon! I know someone whose birthday is right after Christmas so he always gets shortchanged. Hopefully your birthday is not near Christmas time!

    I love the warmer seasons too!

    Thank you for your comment. Have a wonderful weekend!

  53. That’s a good list order! I agree there’s so much interesting things in each season as well. At least there are distinct differences in each season. In some places they get dry season and rainy seasons (monsoons).

    Thank you for your comments. Have a great weekend!

  54. Thank you for your comments! Northern CA is lovely. I remember driving in the redwood forest and visiting Eureka. The weather is so amazing — not too humid like the south and not too cold like Alaska. Good list!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

  55. That’s a good seasonal order. And I do love tulips too! In our old house, we had daffodils and tulips in the front yard and they just appeared every year for over ten years. IDK how. People told me they had to have bulbs in the ground or something. Bc they replanted theirs. I didn’t have to. They just showed up. Yellow daffodils and many colors of tulips.

    Now I don’t have such lovely flowers in my yard. We did have tomatoes and carnivorous plants in containers in the past. But now nothing but regular grass and shrubs that need to be trimmed badly.

    There is a garden out of town that has many spring flowers but due to COVID the hours were irregular and I tried to avoid crowds so I didn’t go. Maybe next year. They charge a fee for entering. There are also two botanical gardens in the state that have lovely spring flowers.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  56. I love the colors of fall. I try to match the season with my clothes HAHA and fall is the best season to blend in IMHO. I do have to break out my goose down jacket bc the season is cold for me (I know, I’m in the south haha).

    Pumpkin patches and fall decor are coming up soon! Probably will be seeing them this month here in the south.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

  57. Fall for the cooler weather, the leaves, the hot cocoa, the sweaters.
    Summer for the fun memories I get to make with my kids.
    Spring for the all the green!
    Winter -I love it for Christmas but am not a fan of the cold!

  58. Lovely reasons! Not a cold fan here either! :-)

    Yes, it’ll be almost time for hot cocoa soon! :-)

    Thank you for your comments! Have a wonderful weekend!

  59. My favourite season is winter. I love the cold but there’s also something peaceful about that season I don’t know it just calms me. Fall comes in closely then spring it’s like the birth of something new. I’m not particularly a fan of summer (sorry 🙈) I don’t like heat.

  60. I love summer! I love being nice and warm. I really don’t even mind the heat, but don’t love the crazy humidity we tend to have. Winter is probably my least favorite because I don’t like being cold, but I do love christmas and the whole Christmas season.

  62. Summer is my favourite – I love being able to go barefoot and hate being cold. Next would be spring – the anticipation that summer is coming, the smell of fresh dirt, seeing life emerge after the long, cold winter. Fall would be next but I do kinda dread it because that means winter is coming. Winter is my least favourite.

  63. The winter scene is serene, for sure. I like photos of winter wonderland sceneries. Fall is lovely too.

    Thank you for your comments! Have a wonderful week!

  64. Summer is fun! Yeah, I agree about the humidity of it. I wonder if there is such a thing as a mild summer. I guess it’d be called spring! Christmas is fun too!

    Thank you for commenting. Have a wonderful week!

  65. Happy birthday coming up! You have a good list there. I do love the Thanksgiving season. I’m looking for decors now that would be earth tones.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a great week!

  66. Those are lovely reasons for summer and spring. Sometimes the fall season here is very long and sometimes too short. Since the weather is milder, our winter cold can be held off until December. It’s rare for us to have snow at Christmas, or even in January.

    Thank you for your comments. Have a wonderful week!

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