The #BlinkBlog is BACK!! Read below to see some of our authors’ fall favorites and back to school tips.

Do you have any Back To School traditions?

Alison Gervais: Since I recently just graduated with my bachelor’s, I won’t be heading back to school anytime soon! Perhaps I’ll start new back to school traditions for my masters degree.

Christina June: As both my husband and I work in schools, and we have an elementary school-aged kiddo, we’re basically just trying to survive during this time of year.  I do like to take first day of school photos with my daughter.

Heather Maclean: We hit the Renaissance Faire every year right before school starts up again. Full costumes, turkey leg snacks, and jousting–perfect prep for a new school year!

Mary Rand Hess: We shop for school supplies last minute, and pretend summer is still in season…until it’s time for bed the night before school officially begins. It’s not that we don’t like school, it’s just hard to let go of summer and all its freedom.

McCall Hoyle: As a teacher, I love buying school supplies, especially large quantities of purple Pentel pens. They literally glide across the paper and the colorful ink makes my teacher heart very happy.

Stephanie Morrill: Writing! I enjoy the extra time with my kids during the summer, but I’m always happy when they return to school and I again get daily writing time.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Alison Gervais: My favorite subject in school has always been anything English related, i.e. creative writing, reading, (sometimes) poetry. I’m actually still in touch with some of my previous English teachers; I’ve been very fortunate to have teachers who have always encouraged me to pursue my passion for writing.

Christina June: When I was little, I loved language arts, especially the days we had “sustained silent reading.”  Later on, I was partial to French and choir.

Mary Rand Hess: My favorite subject in school was English. I got as excited about poetry as some people get about football and basketball games.

McCall Hoyle: No surprises here. English. I love reading. I love writing. And I love talking. The English classroom is the perfect place to talk about themes, and symbolism, and connect books to my own life and the world around me. I’ve always been a dreamer and love exploring the “what ifs” in fiction.

Stephanie Morrill: I loved English, of course. History felt fun if we were studying something that interested me. Anything that involved lots of dates and battles bored me, but I was always very interested in lifestyles of people from different times and cultures.

Any back to school tips for students?Alison Gervais: One piece of advice I would pass along to students is to just remain calm! A class or two might seem overwhelming at first, but that won’t mean it will be that way for the rest of the semester.

Christina June: Seek balance.  Work hard in school, but always make time for fun too.

Heather Maclean: The motto in my house is: “You only have to go to school tomorrow.” Of course, that phrase resets every day… but it teaches them to just take one day at a time, and not get overwhelmed.

Mary Rand Hess: Take it one day at a time, one assignment at a time, and remember to make your own time to enjoy a little free time to dream and create. That’s a lot of “time,” but the future belongs to creators who make time to dream.

McCall Hoyle: Read. A lot. For Pleasure. I apologize, but I’m getting ready to sound like a teacher. Reading for pleasure is the number one indicator of academic success. The more time students spend reading for pleasure the better they do in school. And reading fiction makes human beings more empathetic. I’m pretty sure this world could use all the kind, tolerant, empathetic human beings she can find. So what are you waiting for? Go grab a book!

Stephanie Morrill: This is going to make me sound like the mom that I am, but try to get a healthy amount of sleep every night. There are so, so many studies out about how depriving ourselves of sleep is damaging to our health.

What’s your favorite thing about fall?

Christina June: The crisp chill in the air, leaves changing color, and breaking out my sweaters.

Heather Maclean: Most people think I’m crazy for saying this, but the smell of snow on the breeze! I love cold weather!

McCall Hoyle: Everything. Fall is my favorite season. I love warm sweaters and fuzzy socks. I love pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin cheesecake, and lighting a roaring fire in the fireplace and listening to it crackle while I lose myself in a good book. Honestly, what is there to not like about fall?

Stephanie Morrill: How can I possibly pick? Watching the leaves change. Hearing them crunch under my boots when I walk my kids to school. Crisp mornings and evenings. Sweaters. Honeycrisp apples returning to the grocery stores. I adore this season!