The Countdown to Autumn Ends: Welcome September & My New Story, Hollowing

3 days short of September, the Wheel of the Year keeps on turning, bringing us closer to the Autumn equinox and the dark part of the year. The countryside is transforming, the shadows get longer, the first chestnut falls from the trees, and your cosy candles glow brighter as the nights draw in. It’s the tail end of Summer, when gardens seem tired, and the imminent Autumn promises relief after what has been an exceptionally hot and dry couple of months.

Our Autumn countdown series is ending, but don’t be sad. One reason is that the blog keeps on going as normal, with a new post every Saturday.

Second, and most important, is what the Wheel of the Year teaches us: that there is no end and no beginning. Or maybe that every end is a new beginning? I’ll leave it to you to decide.

Catch Up with the 9-Week Countdown to Autumn 2026
Click here to read every post in the series

Discover my book "Slow Livin for Modern Women" on our website or  SHOP ON AMAZON

Either way, the arrival of September marks the start of our favourite time of the year - BER months! Golden sunshine and rainy days, walks in the woods and cosy evenings on the sofa, baking at home, and a takeaway pumpkin spice latte. I feel ready for trips to pumpkin patches and farm cafes, wrapped in an oversized cardigan, with a stop at a book shop and maybe a little detour to see the village church. I feel ready for the return of routine: kids at school, Andrei busy in our candle studio, and me at the table, tapping tap tap tap on the keyboard, writing my new story. Yes, I am ready.

I want to say thank you for participating. For the weekly comments, blog visits and, very important for our small business - your candle and home decor orders. Please know that neither Andrei nor I take any of this for granted, and we count ourselves lucky every day for such wonderful customers.

Please do come back to the blog and my videos every week - I’ll keep sharing how Autumn unfolds in my corner of the English countryside, moving into spooky October, quiet November (my favourite month!), then bursting into Christmas festivities and eventually falling silent at the turn of the calendar year. Gosh, just writing it gives me goosebumps!

Discover our Autumn and Pumpkin Candle Collection

Now, let’s talk about “Hollowing”, finally! I’ve been not-so-subtly hinting at my new story for the past couple of weeks. What might have seemed like normal author excitement to my online community is probably unhinged to Andrei in real life, ha ha. I am literally bouncing like a ball, impatient to share this writing with you!

"Hollowing" starts on the blog on the 12^th September 2026 for 4 weeks

What is it about? We’re meeting Clare, a 42-year-old dispassionate office manager and wife, as she receives an email that turns her settled life upside down - a confirmation of her appointment as a Private Library Assistant in a grand manor house deep in the English countryside. Feeling her life is leading nowhere, weighed down by disappointment and loneliness, she accepts the position and leaves London behind, hoping for a new start.

At first Clare relishes her new life in the countryside, getting close to Matt, a handsome gardener… but Blackwood Hall is not the peaceful country home she imagines. As the Autumn weather turns colder and Halloween approaches, Clare feels increasingly unsettled. A shadow lingers at the edge of her vision, and her nights are plagued by disturbing nightmares. The answer seems to lie behind the old basement door, which she is forbidden to visit… yet something is calling her in. 

Oh, I hope you’ll enjoy it! I certainly loved every minute of writing it. Ok, but I also need your help. I had a photo for the cover before I even started writing. I knew I'd use the picture I took last year on my birthday in the Cotswolds. But the question is: do I keep it simple, or do I add orange leaves to make it more memorable and Autumnal? Please be honest; there is no right or wrong. I like both! (Just to remove any doubt, I have used Canva to add the leaves, not AI)

I think the left cover is more “grown up” in line with standard thriller book covers (even though this is only a story, not a printed book!) A fun, slightly embarrassing fact: having dark / mostly black cover is one of my dreams as an author; I don’t know, it just looks awesome, even though I fully realise that it’s the inside of the book that matters the most, lol. Girl can dream, right? But then the right version seems more eye-catching (which is rather important in the online world) and Autumnal, hinting even more that the story is set in late September and October, and I really love this version.

Ok, but there is one more version of the cover that includes jack’o lantern! I know, I know… it’s a bit much, but I somehow I got attached to the little pumpkin :D

Let me know which version you like best and why. 

This is it, my dear readers; the second year of our Autumn countdown has come to an end. September is only days away; the nights are drawing in, the rusty shades have begun decorating the English countryside, and from now on, it’s only going to get cosier and more beautiful as we travel through the BER months. From the spectacle of colours in Autumn to the festive lights shining bright in the darkness of Winter - take your sweet time to appreciate it all… With all my heart, I wish you a wonderful Autumn. Thank you for being here with me,

Speak to you soon,
Adriana xx