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Imagine you are a journalist with major personal problems suddenly thrown into a situation where you have to make a choice between good morals and ethics and saving your son. Chris Fabry takes his readers on quite an emotional journey in his novel, Not In The Heart.

Truman Wiley, once a noted news anchor, has let his gambling problems and his aversion to dealing with his son's illness control his life. He has used his job as an excuse to escape facing his responsibilities as a husband and father. When his job ends, he seeks solace in the casinos which only leads to more problems. He is handed an opportunity to make another start by writing a book about a man facing execution. The dilemma: the man might be innocent and if Wiley proves he is, his son will lose an opportunity for the heart transplant he needs to save his life.

The plot leaves you scurrying from page to page wondering what will be uncovered and how Truman Wiley will deal with it. I will tell you upfront that you will probably not like the character of Truman Wiley. I found myself wanting to shout, "Get a backbone!" But Fabry's development of his journalist slowly but surely leads us through the story wondering if he will ever "see the light."

At times I thought the writing was a little too preachy but as I fell into the story and watched the characters develop, I saw the necessity of pitting Christian viewpoints against the attitude and viewpoint of Wiley. Wiley certainly represents so many who protest the hand of God in their life.

All in all, a good read for the road.

It has been several years since we did a tour of the New England states during autumn to see the changing colors in the beautiful trees of Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Without a doubt, Vermont and New Hampshire were the most spectacular even though our time in New Hampshire was spent driving in the rain.

This part of the country seems to be a little earlier than the Midwest in the fall coloring. We visited around the last week of September to try to hit the peak time which can be anywhere from the last week of September to the second week of October. The further north you are, the earlier the peak of color.

For our trip, we flew into Massachusetts and rented a car, drove up the coast to Maine and then over through New Hampshire and Vermont. It was the first trip where we had booked everything online. I don't even think TripAdvisor was around yet to help us out. Fortunately, everywhere we stayed was satisfactory and we had no problems.

I wish at the time we would have had a good digital camera. I would post here some gorgeous shots of oranges, reds, yellows, and muted shades of green that were brilliantly displayed throughout our drive. Now that we are more travel-savvy, we need to plan another foray into New England. Ah, but that will have to wait for at least another year. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy what we can of the fall foliage in Ohio which can be just as spectacular.

If you do plan a fall foliage trip, be sure to start planning early. Hotels, B&Bs, etc., are booked up early. Or if you are lucky enough to live where the seasons change, fix yourself a cup of mulled cider, grab a glazed donut, and sit in your backyard and enjoy your own fall colors.

As well as posting to Writer's Wanderings, my personal blog, I have recently become a member of several new co-authored blogs. if you haven't noticed them yet, let me introduce you.