FAQ

Back before I had my son, cats were a mild obsession of mine. Let's just say all my maternal instincts were directed at my furry babies before my life was consumed by my biological child. I still adore my cats. They are by far my favorite animal. I don't communicate with dogs well. I'm not comfortable with their all-in-my-face/crotch behavior or their like-to-lick-your-face-a lot. Cats and I, we have an understanding. 

If I had to choose an animal I am most like I'd always say a cat. I'm territorial and aloof, particular and mischievous, but also can act like a total spaz when under the influence of cat nip  wine. 

Too many? I fight battles against fur and hair balls. We go through loads of cat litter and food. In order of age: Babette, Mao, Brody, and Whisper (Do Baby). 

No, Autumn is my actual name. I was supposed to be Cassidy up until the day I was born, which (from what I hear) was a lovely, colorful Autumn day. There you have it. I was named Autumn because of the weather. My mom is a sorta hippie--if you were wondering.

My son was named after a Langston Hughes poem titled "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". The first time I heard this poem spoken aloud in my college lit course, I fell in love with it. I wrote in the pages of my book "My first son will be named River". Not only is is a shout-out to his mixed racial background, but also to literature (one of my favorite things in the world).

His middle name, Reed, is after Reed Richard (AKA. Mr Fantastic of the Fantastic 4). Jason had suggested other comic book inspired names such as River Von Doom and River Captain America. When those were vehemently shot down and Reed was brought up, I promptly agreed it was a wonderful, wonderful name. 

My daughter's name was a long drawn out whittling down of a list of potentials. The final three were Violet, Hazel and Sage. We crossed out Violet first. Somehow it always came out sounding like I had a southern accent straight out of "Gone with the Wind" every time I said it. On the day Sage was born we were 99% sure we would go with Sage. It's just a name we always liked. Personally, I like the multiple meanings of wisdom, an herb used for purification, and a shade of green. 

Her middle name, Nirvana, is in honor of my brother Bryan who passed away in a car accident in January 2010. His walls were covered in posters of Kurt Cobain and he had all the Nirvana albums including their bootlegs. One of the few books I know of that he read was Kurt Cobain's biography and I could never go wrong buying him a Nirvana t-shirt for Christmas. Like Sage's first name, I like that Nirvana had layers of meaning for us. Nirvana is also the Hindu and Buddhist state of complete peace. 

O, and let's just ignore the fact that my brother named our orange kitten Nirvana back when we were teenagers. Alright? 

Jason, is just Jason. We've considered changing his name to Scarecrow so he can fit in. 

I did not see any point in changing my last name. Call me a crazy, bra-burning feminist, but the tradition of name changing has been a form of property ownership. Since I do not and never did intend to belong to my husband, I kept my last name. I'd been Autumn Canter for over twenty years and thought it would be silly to change who I was. 

That being said, life is much easier if you share your spouse's last name. Also, you get to say cute things like-- The ______ Family.

Changing my name just wasn't for me. 

I was fine with River simply taking his father's last name, but Jason did not think that was fair. While I was exhausted from giving birth and being stitched (you try to pay attention then), Jason told the nurse River's last name, purposely leaving out the hyphen. Jason hates hyphens after working in a dental office.

This has made us the Canter, Burton and Canter Burton family. 

Whew, I'm tired now. 

River is English, Irish, and Italian from his mother's side and African American, Native American, Greek, and French Canadian from his father's side. Did I miss something? Probably.

You review a lot of books, but who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors are those writers that I can and do pick up everyone of their books and immensely enjoy every single one.

Stephen King, Robin Hobb, Jacqueline Carey, Brandon Sanderson, Karen Miller, Elizabeth Haydon, Robert Jordon, George R.R. Martin

What is your favorite book?

I don't have one. Too hard to choose. Anything from the writer's listed above and the books below that I can think of off the top of my head.

The Road
The Girls
The Color Purple
Tuesdays with Morrie
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
and so many more...

Why do you blog?

I blog for my family and friends, especially those friends that are no longer an active part of my life. I am always thinking of them when I write. I wish everyone I care and have cared for blogged. Many people feel like stories I never got to finished. I am insanely curious about getting a bigger peak into their lives and blogging provides that. So whether they like it or not, I put my nonsense out there because I wish they all would do the same.

I am the best at communicating via writing. I'm  not a phone person and individual letters or emails are too time consuming for my life right now. By blogging I share some of the day-to-day of my life with a larger audience of people. I only hope they read it!

If random people read it, so be it. I like to "meet" new people but I'm not going to dress up my blog because I'm looking for a fan club. Far from it!

Email me at, whimsical.autumn@gmail.com