I am an Army brat. That means, that every few years, my father would get new orders and he would change duty stations. My situation was a bit unusual, because his orders went to Fort Lewis, Washington, to Korea, then back to Fort Lewis. Consequently, we were there for 5 full years – which is a long time to live in one house in the Army. From Washington, we moved to Oregon. When I was 13, we moved to Florida, then to Georgia, where I graduated high school and met my future husband. When he got out of the army, we moved to his hometown in Florida, and I stayed there until I was 34. We experienced two seasons: Summer and February.
So, I consider myself “from” the deep south even though I’m “from” the army and my parents are from Oregon.
When my husband, Gregg, and I moved from Florida to Kentucky, it was July. So, the weather was perfectly normal for me. Hot, humid, normal. But, around September, something strange happened. The apples on my apple tree got bigger. The leaves on the trees around me started to change color. The nights began to get cooler. One morning, we woke up to frost in October. Frost! In October! Winter brought ice and snow. Snow would melt, we’d have a week or two of moderate weather, then another system would come in and dump more of the white stuff. Even into late February and early March, it snowed!
But, this beautiful thing happened. The daffodils planted in my flower bed burst through the snow and opened up in beautiful yellow trumpets, as if heralding the promise that spring is actually coming. My apple tree burst into pink and white blossoms. Everywhere I went, trees bloomed an array of colors. The days got warmer, nights got warmer, and one day, that weather hit that high temperature mark just as summer approached. I planted a garden and spent the warm summer days tending it until harvest time in the fall.
My first year in Kentucky was an amazing experience of seasons. It was like they were exactly what they should be at exactly the time they should be. I’ve lived in Kentucky now for 12 years, and even though I should be conditioned to it by now, the stereotypical seasons still wow me and amaze me. I love decorating around them. I love adding stickers and colors to my calendar that signify the seasons and holidays. It makes my heart happy to know that I can actually watch one season change to another.
St. Patrick’s Day, my kids and I were in Indianapolis and that morning it snowed! It was crazy! It felt weird and wrong and out of place, until I reminded myself that technically, we still had 4 days until the official start of spring.
I tend to really focus on the season when I write. The weather, as an environment, how it affects my characters, is important to me. I am even currently writing a series of four books and each one is prominently set in each season. Planning it filled me with anticipation and writing them and letting the season almost be like a character has been a challenging exercise that I hope my readers enjoy!
What do the seasons look like where you are? What is your favorite season?
One commenter will receive a paperback of Courting Calla – book 1 in the Dixon Brothers Series, and the book that takes place in the autumn! Winner will be chosen at random on Friday, March 29th, and will be notified by email.
With over half a million sales, Hallee Bridgeman is a best-selling Christian author who writes action-packed romantic suspense focusing on realistic characters who face real-world problems. Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy. Hallee loves coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. Subscribers to Hallee's newsletter get her bestselling contemporary romance COURTING CALLA for free! Sign up by clicking the newsletter icon below or going here: http://www.halleebridgeman.com/newsletter
We have VERY hot summers and fairly mild winters. Spring seems to be very short until, yes, the heat of summer takes over. Autumn is delightful. I’d travel the globe to experience autumn all year round if I could.
Hi Hallee, I enjoyed reading Courting Calla:)
I grew up in tropical northern Australia- we had hot and wet weather, then dry and slightly cooler weather. I now live in Southern Australia, and experience all four, very distinct seasons- even after 16 years, I still LOVE seeing the Autumn leaves appear on our trees. Sadly, we have had a couple of very dry summers, so a lot of trees are heat/drought stressed so we are hoping for some good rain this winter.
Blessings:)
I too am in Australia In the state of South Australia but down south of the state. We have distinct seasons. They have changed a bit with hotter summers and milder winters the past couple of year. We officially have the 4 seasons but this year summer seems to have been longer from the end of Nov and its still hot. We did have a wetter Dec but its been really dry since. Autumn (is a dirty word cos I hate seeing summer end) But When I was in Canada I LOVED seeing the changing leaves. Autumn we get frosts (we have already had one this year). and the leaves start falling around April. I try not to have fires till May but by June its much colder and often winter feels like it goes to October or longer. We tend to have shorter Autumn and Spring. I like Spring and Summer best. Not the 100 degrees but 90 is fine as we have a dry heat normally. I tend to get depressed in winter when its wet and I feel trapped. I admit we really do need rain here even though we are not in drought its been an extremely dry start to the year.
Seasons are strange in the Northeast. It’s been an especially strange fall/winter/spring where temps have been up and down and it’s been very wet – whether it be rain or snow.
Hi Hallee! I live in the Mitten State, SW Michigan. Our weather is influenced by Lake Michigan. We have 4 very distinctive seasons, but as MJSH stated this year has been strange with fluctuating temperatures and lots of precipitation. Difficult to say which season I appreciate more – spring or fall. After a long Midwestern winter, spring washes the world in green and color from daffodils, tulips, lilac and in our area fruit tree blossoms – apple, peach, and cherries. Fall brings color temperatures and some years brillant red, oranges, and yellow. Plus I enjoy the crisp apples and pumpkins. Your upcoming series sounds delightful.
Well, I live in Alabama so our spring is short and it gets hot pretty quick. I love spring with the green and flowers popping out. Summers can get humid at times and fall is beautiful with the colors of the trees through out the mountains..
I am from Ohio and we have had strange weather this month from 70’s to snow. They are calling for snow next week. My favorite season is fall. I love the colors and cooler temperatures, football and pumpkin patches.
I used to live in Southern California and currently live in Florida and both are similar in weather conditions, which is generally mild all year long except for an occasional dip in temperature.
Autumn is my favorite season, even though I have rarely enjoyed seeing the colors change personally. But, it does include my birthday in October and does provide the most mild temperatures of the year….and less humidity!!
I feel exactly like you do! I grew up in Texas so we didn’t have the change of seasons like other places. Now I live in Virginia and I’m amazed every time I get to see the seasons change. Granted, I don’t like snow and I wish winter was shorter, but it’s still something to experience.
When I lived in Florida, I would watch things with autumn leaves with longing. Lol
My brother lives in Sydney and I know he has very mild winters.
I’m so happy you enjoyed Courting Calla!
I will be praying for rain!
We’ve had a lot of wet weather as well, with some bad flooding.
I love fall harvest and spring colors as well!
My husband lived in Anniston, Alabama when we were first married. I loved seeing signs of fall inthe mountains and still experiencing southern summers!
Kentucky always does a weird transition to spring. 70 degrees to tornados to snow all in the same week. Lol
I imagine less humidity is a relief comjng from California to Florida!
I love it so much! I’d love to be able to shift the interior decorations in my house from season to season.
I love the seasons, just do not have a lot of them in Florida, lol! No need to enter me, I have all your books and adore them!
We do have defined seasons here. Summers can be hot and muggy. Spring is delightful with moderate temperatures, new flowers, happy bird songs, and more people out to enjoy the weather. Fall is nice, but there’s still too many bugs to enjoy time outdoors. Winter is pretty if you never had to go outside to shove walks, take out trash, or warm up a vehicle!
In southeastern British Columbia, Canada, we have distinct seasons. Winter held on this March until the last minute. After adding snow to the mountain we still had a week ago, it has suddenly mostly melted and I am beginning to believe in sandals, capris, and tank tops again. I don’t know where they are, but I believe in them! I love seasons — all of them, but summer the least. (Don’t throw things at me!!!)
Writing seasonal books is fun. I did that very specifically in a series of five novellas, but I’m always very conscious of the time of year my stories take place.
Thank you, Paula. :)
I hate going out in the cold! Especially days like today when it’s sunny and you’re fooled into thinking it will be warm. Lol
I grew up in CA and when we lived in the Mojave dessert, i loved summer. I disliked winter, it got down to 60 and it was cold. LOL I now live in Illinois and summers as an adult are brutal for me. They are so humid. And winter, well… lets just say I could do without the bitter cold. So for me right now, I really enjoy Spring when things are starting to warm up and new life is starting to surface.
My son Jeb wore shorts today and said, “I’m not afraid!” LOL it was 40 degrees when he left for school.
I was in Florida for a conference one July and stepped out of the hotel into 100 degree heat with 100% himidity. The air kind of wrapped around me and started to draw out the artificial cold from the air conditioning. It was so nice. I’d missed that kind of heat.
We have all four seasons where I live in Oregon. Our winters are generally mild but we usually get snow at least once a year. Summers can get hot, spring is usually rainy and fall is perfect with cooler temps–the air smells good, we have a rain maybe once a week or not at all in early fall and the leaves are gorgeous. My favorite season is fall. :)
This book is on my TBR list. The series looks good but I didn’t realize it was set in various seasons. We have all four traditional seasons and my favorite season is fall.
We have all four seasons in Nebraska. I love the beautiful colors of fall, but winter is my favorite season. I love snow!
Well it is technically spring here but it is snowing right now. We have 2+ feet of snow on the ground. We just finished tapping the trees and we will start boiling to make maple syrup soon.
Here in the Ottawa Valley ( Ontario, Canada) winter started in early November and the snow is not gone until April. ….Spring is April and May but just when the weather gets nice the blackflies come out….summer can be perfect…Late June to early September. We swim and fish and camp. Fall is the best! September and October- spectacular colours, no bugs, but then winter comes….some of us manage to visit Florida or Arizona for a few weeks or months. This is my home!
I loved Orwgon. Where we lived was in the Columbia Valley, so a lot more rain.
I hope you enjoy the book!
Fall is a fun season to me because school starts and everything feels very exciting.
My mom loves snow so much. Her favorite duty station was upstate New York near the Canadian border in what they call the snow belt.
Ontario is such a beautiful part of the world!
Hi Hallee–I live in Georgia–one of your stops. :) It feels like we often go from 30 to 90 with no spring to speak of. It’s still 30’s in the mornings here right now. Hoping that will change soon. I do love spring–that’s my favorite season.
As a certified Kentucky girl, I love all four seasons, but I’d hate to give up Fall, especially! Summer is long, Spring is capricious, Winter is hit-and-miss, but Fall? Fall is wonderful. :) One of these days I’ll write a four-book series, one for every season!
Fall is my favorite season. The temperatures are pleasant here in MS then. It’s a great time for my husband and I to go for walks in local parks and to ride our tandem bike.
The winter in Norco, California is usually fairly mild and the summer extremely hot. I would love to again live where there are four seasons.
Living in Indiana where they say if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes and it will change lol
In my part of the midwest we have four seasons, although sometimes it seems like we almost skip spring and fall. My favorite season is definitely summer because of the warm weather and lots of daylight.
I LOVE this post, Hallee! I was just thinking about all the things that can make writing beautiful, and I really really love how you took the thoughts right out of my head and penned them here! Thanks for sharing your personality and more about your writing!
I live in Northern California, and have traveled all around Southern and Central CA, (not really up in the high northern part of CA) but I love the seasons here, too. I love visiting the snowy mountains in the winter, and beaches in the summer. Recently, I have really gotten into taking photos of the changes in the seasons and I love watching how trees change, especially in the fall!
Spring in Georgia is such a beautiful season!
Fall in Kentucky is wonderful!
I imagine after a Mississippi summer that fall would be a relief.
Sounds a lot like Florida!
Kentucky springs are like that, too! Lol
Summer is such a wonderful season. My soul longs for it around February. Lol
Mountains in the winter and beaches in the summer sound lkke perfection.
Hi and Happy Spring Hallee!
I only know one season–warm/hot! I have lived my entire life in Northern CA!!!
I have family in southern Oregon. They love their warm/temperate weather!
We don’t have seasons in Florida.
It’s only cold for a few months and then it’s hot again.
As a native Floridian, my favorite season is summer.
I LOVE Florida summers.
I have lived in Kentucky pretty much my whole life and still can’t get used to the weather sometimes! It’s pretty well known that in Kentucky you can experience every season (in some form or fashion) in one week! lol
I think my favorite season is Spring. I love it when the sun starts shining more and the temperatures start rising. It’s not too hot or too cold (most of the time). It’s just about perfect.
I love Fall; unfortunately, here, in California, there are no four seasons lol
It’s summer and summer and summer – sometimes it’s spring ;)
At least where we live…two hours into the mountains and there is snow – so here is the beauty of it – you have snow if you want it!