Welcome back to This Awful Awesome Life. We hope you enjoyed our September issue. Many thanks to the talented writers who contributed articles.

It’s October and time to celebrate all those scary things that go bump in the night. We have some ideas for a fun Halloween as well as a little bit about Edgar Allan Poe from Orlando Bartro and some recommendations on books to read as well as books to share with your little ghosts and goblins this month. Jim O’Brien shares a favorite Halloween memory.

This month is also Apple month. Terry Kish takes us apple picking and I have a few thoughts to share about those delicious fruits. Ann K. Howley is back with a story about our recent heavy rains and why it’s important to remember our blessings.

We’re excited to welcome Tanya Bashor of Gypsy Artistry to our writing team. Moving forward Tanya will share decorating and crafting tips to help you get in touch with your creative side and have some fun with friends creating exciting projects for your home and gifts for your loved ones.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. See how far we’ve come in the fight against breast cancer and find out what you can do. I’m a 9 year survivor who was diagnosed 10 years ago this month, so 2018 is a pretty big deal for me.

We have five book reviews this month and a Q&A with Patricia Petrusik the author of The Sober Cat, a book to help teach children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and get a dialogue going  in your family. I reviewed There’s No Place Like Hope by Vickie Girard, a stage 4 Breast Cancer survivor and two books by British author Lacey London – the first book in her Clara Andrews series and the first book in her new Anxiety Girl series. To round out our selections for the month Caitlin Cahill shared her thoughts on The New Chicago Diner Cookbook, a how to for vegan cooking and as always Linda Cahill answers the important question, “What’s for dinner?”

This month our quiz is on candies from around the world. I dare you to take this sweet quiz and not want to raid your Halloween stash.

Winter is coming to the mountain and Samantha Sayers is still missing. On August 1, she failed to return from a solo hike at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam is an experienced hiker who was familiar with Vesper Peak. The Sayers family is from Girard, Pennsylvania (the Erie area) where Sam grew up before attending the University of New York - Fredonia to study theater arts. Sam relocated to the Seattle area for work. Please keep thinking positive thoughts for Sam, her family and the many volunteers who are still searching with dogs and drones. If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family.

Because we are an online publication, we will update this article and our Facebook page with any news. You can also visit their website, findsamsayers.com for information and ways to donate to help keep search efforts going. Please be sure any comments you leave are positive and kind. This is an incredibly stressful time for her family.

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Enjoy,

Fran