October started with a bang and brought all the cozy vibes I’d been craving. Tokyo finally cooled down, and suddenly I was ready to tour the city again — sweaters, warm drinks, and all things autumn. Actually, it’s not sweater weather until late November, but I’ll take not being a sweaty summer mess.
I kicked off the month by sharing my Welcome to Small Town Autumn social media challenge with my newsletter list and later posting it to Instagram. It was so much fun seeing which prompts resonated with readers. And I was eager to do all the prompts myself.
But honestly? October went by in a blink and not as expected. Here’s my quick wrap-up.
🎯 October Goals (and How I Did)
One of the prompts was to share your goals for October and here are mine and how they went.
Decorate cookies: ⭐️⭐️
I didn’t make cookies — but I did find the most perfectly decorated ones, so that counts, right?
Read books: ⭐️⭐️
The stars aren’t reflections on the books — just my progress! I’m still reading Jaycee’s Bakery and loving it. October just didn’t give me many cozy reading evenings. But Leanne Stanfields’s book gives lots of cozy romance vibes. I can’t wait to read Friends Don’t Kiss and Death at the School of Translators.
Complete the Autumn Challenge: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Here is where the derailment happened. Because instead of plenty of posts, I had plenty of adventures. Do I have regrets? NO! lol (okay… maybe I regret not getting all the fun prompts done, but I did some bucket list stuff instead)
Have autumn adventures: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SO MANY ADVENTURES.
Amelia Adventures
One of my favorite rituals is exploring parks with my dog and husband. Amelia loves pretending she’s a wild creature at one with the woods.
Creative Adventures
I met up with my design mentor, Claudia Orengo, while she was traveling in Japan. We spent the day exploring art shops, sharing design talk, and eating all the delicious things. I need to write a Little Squid Press post about our day.
🍵 Cleo Croft’s Mega Matcha Tokyo Adventure
My second big adventure was the Matcha Tour — the one that turned into a much bigger project than I expected. In my head, this was going to be a one-day trip and a quick blog post.
Reality?
15 km of walking and a week and a half of writing, editing, photographing, and designing.
And I loved every minute. I drank so much matcha in one day. No regrets still, but not much sleep that night. The map alone took forever. I’m glad I didn’t give up but it was close.
Here’s the full post if you missed it →
Cleo Croft’s Mega Matcha Tokyo Adventure
Friend Time
I also had dinner with friends I hadn’t seen in four years. I was nervous at first, but within minutes we were chatting like no time had passed — except with four years of stories to share.
📚 Looking Ahead
I got some thoughtful feedback from my newsletter readers, and I’m excited to dive into the next book in the Unity Falls series in 2026.
Thanks for spending October with me — whether in Unity Falls, Tokyo, or somewhere cozy in between.
Want more adventures and cozy vibes? Come hang out in the newsletter — we have cookies, stationery, Tokyo adventures and book talk. 🍪💌
October Daily Social Media Prompts Text List
If you’d like to bookmark or copy-paste the prompts for later, here’s the full list in text form:
WEEK 1
1 — It’s October! What are you going to read this month?
2 — Your October to-do list (no rules, just whatever you need to do).
3 — When is it OK to decorate for Halloween?
4 — Which book cover gives you all the autumn vibes?
5 — Outdoor autumn: share a picture of any autumn adventure.
6 — The best thing about October is…
7 — Full Moon / Hunter’s Moon: take a picture of the night sky.
WEEK 2
8 — Favorite small-town romance that takes place in autumn.
9 — Ultimate autumn romance crush: why do they make your heart race?
10 — Team cardigan, team pullover, or team hoodie?
11 — Warm drink & cozy blanket OR long walk in fallen leaves?
12 — Soup season! Share a picture or recipe of your favorite cozy soup.
13 — Paranormal pets: share a book with a paranormal creature as a beloved pet or companion.
14 — What is your favorite local October event (or online)?
WEEK 3
15 — Autumn essentials: what are the items that make October complete?
16 — A sexy billionaire invites you to a costume party… do you go?
17 — The worst thing about October is…
18 — Collect 5 objects from a walk. Share a photo & explain why you picked them up.
19 — Your go-to autumn beverage.
20 — Halloween playlist: movie score? Pop spooky? Or campy?
21 — The best Halloween movie is…
WEEK 4
22 — So bad it’s good: movie version — what autumn movie is so bad it’s good?
23 — Ghosties! A touch of paranormal in your small town romance… yes or no?
24 — Halloween decorations that capture your Halloween flair (or one you admire).
25 — Halloween reading charcuterie board.
26 — Candy corn: delicious or diabolical?
27 — Black Cat Day! Have a favorite literary black cat (or share a picture of one).
28 — Favorite place in autumn? Bucket list places also count.
WEEK 5
29 — Jack-o-Lantern! Carve it, draw it, make it (a cookie?), show off your creation.
30 — What costume would your favorite small-town romance hero or heroine wear? Would you wear it too?
31 — Halloween! Post a line that captures the essence of Halloween.
