Happy December! I cannot believe 2019 is almost over. Wow. I hope you had a great year, and I want to thank you once again for your support. I truly appreciate it. Wishing you & yours a very Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays ~ and a wonderful New Year!

As you may have noticed, I'm making some changes on my website for 2020. Namely, my "Blog" has been renamed "News," and this is where you will find the latest updates in future, rather than cluttering up my homepage.

In a follow-up from last month's note, *CONGRATULATIONS* to the winner of my big November giveaway, exclusively for my newsletter subscribers! This lovely person has been notified, but, my dear lady, you need to check your email, lol. I want to send you your prize! :)
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Moving on...

Have you heard I now have my own little GF online bookshop? I'm terribly excited about it. *g* If you are interested in autographed copies of my latest books, or are looking to save some money on the Moonlight Square paperbacks, go and have a look around! All transactions are securely processed through Paypal; I think you'll find it pretty straightforward. Click to visit the GF Online Store. 

Love a good Victorian Christmas tale that's fun for the whole family? Then download the eBook of this magical holiday adventure for your kids ~ and yourself! ~ as a wee gift from Eric and me.
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JAKE & THE GINGERBREAD WARS by E.G. Foley
will be FREE on Kindle from
THURSDAY, DEC. 12th - MONDAY, DEC. 16th.

​Instead, she finds herself embroiled in a treasure hunt (!!). When the action-starved military man next door discovers her quest, he demands to be a part of it. Coming out sometime in Spring, 2020.

As a music-lover, it's my annual Christmas tradition here on my website to share one of my favorite carols with you. This year, I chose a 17th-century French carol, "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella," sung by Callie and Collette Crofts. I love singing with my sisters and our dad, but we're nowhere in these girls' league, lol.

Hope you enjoy their charming rendition of a so-French Christmas song that we don't hear as often here in the States. I personally can't even sing along without getting choked up, lol. Enjoy!

~ Until next year!
​Gaelen

November can be dreary, but the warmth of Thanksgiving season turns my thoughts with gratitude to all the people who have been so important in my life ~ especially my readers! You mean more to me than you will ever know. :)

Since November is also my birthday month, it's the perfect time for me to give one lucky person a very special gift. I've decided to do a giveaway via random drawing out of all my newsletter subscribers, and the prize is a real collector's item.

To celebrate my birthday and say thank you to my readers, I'm giving away a complete, autographed set of my bestselling, award-winning Knight Miscellany series ~ ALL FIRST EDITIONS ~ ten books total.

Make sure you're signed up for The Gaelen Foley Newsletter if you want to win. U.S. only, must be over 18. Winner must respond within 10 days or forfeit the prize to an alternate winner. Click here for complete Giveaway Rules.

I know a lot of you are moms, grandmas, aunts, teachers, and school librarians who have introduced your kids to The Gryphon Chronicles fantasy adventure series I co-write with my husband, a former middle school teacher (and former chiropractor, but that's another story, LOL. He's a man of many talents!)

At any rate, the kids have been waiting a loooong time for Book 6 in the series, but I'm thrilled to say that the epic Black Fortress is finally here. Plucky young Jake Everton's saga continues, along with his Gryphon and his trusty band of friends. The whole series is now in Kindle Unlimited, so if you enjoy Victorian-era fantasy, check it out! For Ages 10 to 110. :)

Behind the iron gates of The Black Fortress, evil gathers its forces, preparing to strike…

Three months ago, the horrible news that the Dark Druids captured his beloved pet Gryphon sent thirteen-year-old Jake Everton reeling—especially since he knows he’s the one the warlock brotherhood really wants. It’s a trap, and poor Red is just the bait. Well aware of the threat, the Elders have forbidden the daring boy hero from taking any action to rescue his faithful companion. Instead, Jake and his friends must cool their heels at the Order’s palace headquarters, where they’ll be “safe.”

But treachery stalks the hallowed corridors of Merlin Hall. Palace intrigues abound as a traitor makes a secret pact with the enemy. And when a terrifying prophecy emerges with Jake at the center of it all, the full-scale magical war between good and evil that the Order has long dreaded only needs one spark to explode…

This is a bit personal, but I know I'm not alone in sometimes finding it tough to maintain my usual happy-go-lucky attitude once the gray days and early darkness of November settle in. As a writer, I can't afford to let wintertime zap my energy and creativity.

​Fortunately, I've learned to take a few simple, proactive steps that really seem to help, and I start them as soon as the calendar changes from October. This month, I thought I would pass them along, since this has been really important in life to keep me productive and happy (and the two sort of go hand in hand!).

Obviously, I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice, nor would I presume to refer to those suffering from clinical depression in any of my simple tips below, but when it comes to the more garden-variety S.A.D. symptoms (Seasonal Affective Disorder), here's what I do to stay a step ahead of the winter blues. (And, fun fact: my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA officially gets more gray days than Seattle. Ack!)

1. Sit in front of a sunlamp for 30 minutes shortly after waking. I have my sunlamp on my desk and sit here drinking my coffee, doing some journaling, and planning out my day. (Here's a list of the best-reviewed sunlamps, if you're on the market for one!) 

2. Vitamin D3 (in the morning) balanced with Vitamin K2 (in the evening). Apparently, you have to take K2 when you're taking D3 so you don't harm your cardiovascular system with excessive calcium absorption from the D3. Or something like that, lol. (I take 10,000 IU of D3 in the A.M. balanced by 15 liquid droplets in a spoon of the K2 at dinnertime.) 

3. Lots of B vitamins. I understand they're very important for helping the nervous system handle stress and anxiety, which can build up when that seasonal melancholia comes along.

4. Bundle up and get outside for at least a 15-minute walk during daylight hours (such as they are this time of year!).

5. Exercise (Booo! Just kiddin. Gotta be done. Seratonin might be low this time of year, but at least we can boost our endorphins with some vigorous physical activity.) At the very least, I stick to a daily stretching routine so that I don't, you know, forget I have a body, and start to think I'm just a life support system for a head. :P

6. Schedule fun! Put some activities on the calendar throughout the winter months so you always have a few things to look forward to, especially getting together with people you enjoy.

7. Comedy and music! Keep it light! There've been studies proving that laughter really IS good for the soul (here's one from the Mayo Clinic!), so go out of your way to add a dash of funny to your life & keep it light! Turn off the stinkin' news. Did you know there are comedy channels on Pandora? (Spotify, too, I would imagine.) Put on upbeat music or some smart-aleck comedian's jokes to listen to while you're doing chores around the house. I like the PG-Comedy channel on Pandora. One of my favorite music channels to listen to in the winter is the Cuban music channel. Makes me  dance around like I'm in sunny Havana under the palm trees! :P

9. And speaking of palm trees: greenery! Bring home some easy-care houseplants like palms, bromeliads and cacti to keep you company indoors for all those months when there's no sign of green outside. Baskets of mums here and there in the house in the autumn, poinsettias as the holidays approach...

10. Go cozy! Embrace the dark season with candles, a fireplace if you have one, a selection of cold-weather beverages like specialty coffees and teas or mulled cider, and a go-to favorite: MAKE SOUP!

11. Winter is also a great time of year for crafts and home projects. On my agenda is creating a family photo gallery on my hallway wall. Another idea might be homemade Christmas gifts as a fun craft project to work on. A lot of people go crazy with the baking, which is one option, but consuming too many carbs can lead to weight gain, and that can be really depressing if you're already fighting the winter blues.

12. READ! "Well, duh, Gaelen, of course I'm going to read," you say. *grin* Good! But you could make it even more fun by creating a reading challenge, "game-ify' it, as they say. Or join a bookclub -- even an online one or a Facebook group so you can still chat with other bookworms, even when you have NO intention of driving out there on a pitch-black, icy night.

A final thought: One of the best ways to lift your heart is to remember those who are less fortunate. As bad as we might feel now and then when the seasonal symptoms hit, it helps, I think, to remember that, in reality, most of us are SO lucky.

There are literally millions of people around the globe who would kill to have our "first-world problems." So instead of giving in to the temptation to wallow or ruminate, it's better to chase those scary phantoms away by thinking of others' needs instead. Of course, most of my readers are bighearted people, so most of you already know this ~ probably better than I do! But it's easy to forget about others when the bad feelings creep in and start preoccupying our thoughts with ourselves and our own situations.

From checking on an elderly neighbor to serving at a soup kitchen, to pitching in on the annual Toys for Tots drive or your church's angel tree ~ or my family's tradition, of singing carols at the VA Hospital to spread some Christmas cheer to our heroes who've served ~ it's ALWAYS a good time to remember others and count our blessings.

Side note: November is National Adoption Month. It's a great time to consider doing something nice for kids in the system who don't even have a home or a family of their own. For more info, check out this list of ideas of how to help:
https://www.kvc.org/blog/5-ways-to-help-a-child-in-foster-care/

So there you have it. My go-to strategies for keeping my head on straight during the dark & dreary months. One last tip? Just, you know, be nice to yourself! If you won't, who will? *g*

What have YOU found that works well for you to stay cheerful during fall and winter? Did I miss any good suggestions? Please share! You might have a tip that makes all the difference for other blog visitors here. 

(PS: Good luck on my Knight Family November Giveaway!)

Here's me with the wonderful Three Rivers Romance Writers chapter of RWA. Such a great group! Thanks for making me feel so welcome. I so enjoyed talking to these fabulous writers about "Characters In Motion." Photo credit courtesy of historical romance author Sheridan Jeane (in yellow behind me!) Thanks, Sheri!

1.) Huzzah, UK Readers! ~ DUKE OF SHADOWS has been selected as an Amazon Featured Monthly Deal for Amazon UK throughout October. Until Halloween, you can download my latest release for only £0.99. Trick or treat! :)

2.) Also, for the first time ever, the entire Moonlight Square series is now enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, so if you are a member, you can read the whole 5-book series for FREE.

3.) Those following my family-friendly Gryphon Chronicles series of Victorian-era fantasy adventures (same genre as Harry Potter, for Ages 10 and Up ~ *MANY* of our readers are adults!), you'll be happy to hear that, at long last, Book #6 is finally ready to hit the shelves. The Black Fortress is on Pre-Order and will be released on Nov. 1!

FYI -- The Gryphon Chronicles is also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited for the first time ever. So if you're a member and you want to check it out, I'd be delighted. I really enjoy alternating between romances and these kidlit adventures. It helps keep my creativity fresh! :) For more info, see EGFoley.com.

With THE BLACK FORTRESS done & done, my primary project right now is historical romance ~ Moonlight Square Book #5 to be exact! And, yes, as some of you might have suspected, it's Major Peter Carvel's story. Woo hoo! You know I love writing warrior heroes, and this one's even MORE fun than usual because it has... A TREASURE HUNT in it!!! 

I can't believe that, with all the adventurey romances I've written, I've never sent a couple on a treasure hunt before. Well, Peter and his spitfire of a girl will be doing just that. Super fun.

This book is *tentatively* titled A MARQUESS BY MOONLIGHT, and I'm aiming for a Spring 2020 release.

As I'm working on this story, this lovely fellow has been helping to inspire me for Peter's general "look." Yes... I know. What I go through for my readers! *gg* Very well, I'll suffer for my art if I must...