Category Archives: Paranormal and Witchy Fiction

Witch Gown in Progress )O(

 

Greetings darklings:

The wind grows colder. Golden leaves are strewn over the streets and clog the gutters. Yes my darklings the dark half of the year is back. I love this time of year.

I have been busy sewing the blue Arwen gown I posted about earlier. I am so close to finished and yet so far from finished. I have finished the sleeves. I sewed in a casing for the cords on both sleeves.  I worked in the cords through the casing on both sleeves. The cords average about thirty centimetres.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seam ripped the grey sari trim from Etsy and I made a facing the second time. This time, I got it right. I sewed in the facing only instead of sewing the facing the way it says to in the instructions, I just sewed it in next to the collar seam. I had to seam rip the entire centre back seam because it was uneven. I have basted the centre back seam. I want to sew the zipper in tomorrow at the library. I love how the dress looks. It is very fairy like. I sewed a second collar with the navy blue knit fabric and the embroidered blue lace. I plan to sew that on or slip stitch it onto the first collar. I want to arrange the second collar over the first collar to look like there is 2 dresses like in the photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a break from the dress and began working on the bodice. I cut out the pattern pieces and I had left them aside for some time. I ironed them all. I was on my own. That means no room for error. 

I’m using this beautiful midnight blue velvet/ velveteen. It is the most beautiful colour. I did a gathering stitch on the front of the bodice and the double darts in the back of the bodice- which I did perfectly for once in my life. It is doing the eyelets lacing strips on the front of the bodice that has taken the most time. The seam allowance on the bodice front was hard because it did not want to stay down.
I sewed three blue lace sections onto the front of the bodice, one on the right and the left and one in the centre. Then I added interfacing to the wrong side to stabilize the lace up section. I stitched down the eyelet strips by hand and then I realized I could not get the laces through the eyelet holes. So I seam ripped the eyelet strip and wove the ribbon through. Tip: I burnt the edges of the ribbons first with a lighter just a little to make it easier. A safety pin refused to go through the eyelets. I stitched the strips down again. Now it is done. Argh. Now I have to sew the shoulder seams and sides of the bodice and then sew on the bias tape and a zipper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I photocopied the pattern piece & printed it out. I adhered interfacing to the pattern piece and cut out the dart section I needed. I was using a dark coloured fabric so tailor tacks or chalk was not letting me be as precise as I had to be. I marked with pins where the dots were. I laid down the fabric under the whole pattern piece and lined it all up and marked with chalk where the darts had to be on the fabric. It was easy! It is probably why I made great darts because that step allowed me to easily see where it had to be. I am so proud to have sewn such perfect darts. The darts are shown in the photo above but they may be hard to see. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I sewed the shoulder seams and the side seams of the bodice together. I trimmed the hem of the bodice a little to make the edges of the fabric meet evenly.  I also sewed the bias tape to the hem of the bodice, the upper part of the bodice and the armholes. I am so tired and sore now. This project has been a lot of work and a bit more cost than I had planned. I had to order a pattern for the dress because it was initially missing or so I thought. I had to buy the fabric which cost more than I thought. I still have lots of fabric left over. I bought a dress form. It has cost a lot but I believe it is worth it. I stapled the receipts together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is too dark and cold to wear the dress now. I put in a lot of hard work and time to make the dress. If I don’t do it now, it will eat at me all winter. I only have a little to do now. I have other projects to concentrate on so that is why I am glad I devoted the time I had to it now. I still have to sew in the zipper into the back of the bodice and a zipper into the back of the dress. I have decided that tomorrow I will sew the blue lace trim onto the hem of the dress. I’m sewing the trim onto the right part of the fabric- the top side. I trimmed the raw edges and excess of the hem earlier so there will be no issues with it later. I can’t wait to see how this all looks and to get to do the Grand Reveal!

The bodice is beautiful. I have to touch up 1 or 2 spots where the lace and the trim  is loose on the fabric but that is easy to fix with a slipstitch. I can’t decide what I should use for the braided trim to go on the bodice – the hem, the upper part of the bodice and the armhole seam.  I love how the bodice turned out and I am sure it will still fit despite the fabric taken in because of the darts, the gathering stitch and the seam allowance. 

Today I finished the bodice. I can’t believe how beautiful it all is. I learned how a zipper is set in. I learned a lot! I know now which presser foot – the zipper foot to use. I know how to line up the fabric with the zipper foot. I know how to sew a machine baste and how to hand baste the zipper in. I know which stitch width and stitch length to use for sewing a zipper in. I know how to sew it in, line up the presser zipper foot and seam rip a zipper out. I am so proud of myself. I did way better with that than I ever expected. I just need way more confidence in myself. I always relied on someone else and now I can do it on my own. I seam ripped the machine basting after I sewed. I am so much more confident in myself now. 

I am not lining the body of the dress, only the sleeves. I don’t need to fully line the dress which would be a total pain in the ass. Instead, I own a chemise from Holy Clothing. I can wear that with the dress. I still have to seam rip the zipper out of the dress that goes with the bodice and redo the sleeve upper cap area. I am doing all that at the library. That saves me a ton of frustration and tidying up. I need the extra help. I have taken so much care with the garments this far. I just can’t have the upper cap of the sleeve sewn in wrong and the zipper done wrong. I just can’t have it. Then I am done! I want to sew grey lace trim on the inside hem of both sleeves and sew a white trim in under the neckline. I want to check it all over for holes in the seams. I can’t believe I have gotten to this point. 

Update!: The sleeves and the zipper are done! I repaired and sewed the second collar to the bodice. I finished sewing the grey lace trim to the lining of the sleeves. Now all the hard work is done! I want to put the finishing touches on the dress and then it is time for the Grand Reveal! 

 I can’t wait to do the Grand Reveal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I await what the dark half of the year has to offer. I will  finish the dress tomorrow night. I have many other projects to focus on. I can’t wait as it all sounds exciting! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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Interview with horror author Thomas Stewart )O(

Greetings darklings:

Welcome my dear readers, to another interview with a fellow horror author. Today we curl up with our coffees and hot chocolate to learn more about  Thomas Stewart. 

Why horror? Do you have a favorite subgenre in horror?

Because horror, for me, is more than a simple umbrella subgenre. Horror is an artform. Horror is the expression of oneself, one that encapsulates every emotion on the spectrum, from joy, to sadness, to fear, and triumph.

 

Which other horror authors influenced you the most and why?

I consider my muse to be Clive Barker, but aside from him, there’s of course, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Harlan Ellison, and lately, Aron Beauregard.

 

Tell me about your writing/ editing process

I write no less than 1,000 words per day as a disciplinary principal. It’s how I’m able to keep writing and releasing so many new stories at once, but how I keep my skills fresh.

What inspires you to write horror?

Mainly the disturbed nature of my own mind, always drawn to the darker, more twisted things in life.

What do you love about indie publishing?

I love that I’m not bound to any sort of guidelines or “Rules” that mean absolutely nothing at all to the minds of readers or the art of horror.

Which is your favorite horror movie or book? Which movie or book impressed and inspired you the most?

The Exorcist is both my favorite horror novel and film. The one that’s influenced me the most, I want to say, may be Dracula.

Is there any music that helps you to write?

Sometimes. It depends mainly on the nature of the actual story being written as to what the music playlist is. For example, the novel I’m working on now, my darkest one yet, bar none, is being written alongside DSBM music (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal). Sometimes, the music is merely ambiences, used to set the tone in my mind.

Do you have any special projects you want readers to know about?

As mentioned before, I’m currently working on my darkest extreme horror novel to date, I’m going to be releasing at the top of next year the sequel to one of my most infamous works, “Finding Pig Man”, and this month, I’m releasing a co-authored tome with my friend, author Post-Mortem, “Brothers In Blood Vol. 1”

Where can readers find you on social media?

 F.B. —   bextid=Lhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089381146632&miQQJ4d

 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/corpsechild2001/

 Subreddit:  www.reddit.com/r/CorpseChildGospels/

 Corpse Child’s Sanctuary (Author website): https://CorpseChildsSanctuary.com

I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Thomas Stewart is most certainly a rising star in the realm of extreme horror. We shall enjoy watching for his next book. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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My Samhain Experience

Greetings darklings,

The sun’s shining brightly on this early November morning. I am in recovery mode. That’s my jack o lantern in the photo. I had an awesome Samhain experience. I want to share that here with my dear readers today. 

I performed a bonfire ritual outdoors at my backyard step two nights ago. I was trying to get hydrogen peroxide and Epsom salts to ignite. No luck. I used a candle to light my hag torches made from mullein stalks. To my surprise, it worked! It proves there is something to going old school with our Magick! Candles will always work when everything else fails. A lovely fire brewed in my cauldron. It was freezing cold outside but the fire kept me warm. I felt the presence of spirits as I sat there with my black wool cloak draped around me for warmth. The smoke rising from the cauldron was so fragrant! 

The next evening, I performed a nice ancestral supper. I cooked a pot roast to perfection. I set a plate for Spirit and myself and left food for spirit too. The turnip, carrots and garden grown potatoes were perfect too. The energy was in the air and I am sure spirits were with me. The candles burned bright and flickered a LOT. I got choked up, remembering my grandparents and several memories returned to me. Yes it was solemn and sad. I can’t believe I cooked that buttery soft truly magnificent meal. I even wore my mourning veil. I ought to make all my meals that delicious and amazing. 

Last night, I left candy out for the eager trick or treaters. Tonight I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, carved a pumpkin, brewed a batch of rose flavoured chocolate, and made marshmallows from marshmallow root herb powder. I need to blend it more. I bought granola bars and tried a s’more with the chocolate and the marshmallow blend. It tasted great but it is not quite there yet. I am so tired from slaving in the kitchen. The marshmallows can chill in the fridge for tonight. I am tired. Real tired. The kiddies ate most of the candy I left for them. I lit a candle and left it on the windowsill for the spirits. The pumpkin will go out in the back yard tomorrow. 

I was too tired from all that to perform a Solitary Samhain ritual. I still have candy left over from last night and a bowl of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds. I have a large mason jar full to the brim with pumpkin puree. I wish I was able to share all that magic, fun and savoury food with someone. I did it all alone with the ghosts and my cat. That is part of being a true Solitary Witch, I guess. 

Now it’s November, October hangover time. I want to buy a new canister of coffee but I must wait for a few deliveries to be made to my door: kitty kibble, a dress form from Amazon and copies of my published book! I can’t wait. The Arwen dress is not finished yet. The new dress form will make sewing the dress much easier. 

In other news, my novel is an Amazon Best seller! That is awesome. I will now write a sequel to The Cult of the Spider People. It’s successful so it would be worthwhile. I bought a neat Horror Tarot deck. The images on the cards make me think of the older days of pulp fiction. 

I would love to hear how you all celebrated Samhain!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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Samhain Blessings )O(

Greetings darklings:

Samhain draws near! I’m busy preparing for Samhain. I have a lot to be excited about! My short stories are published in two excellent collections published by Wicked Shadow Press – Halloween 24 and Witches Brew. Also, my novel is published! That is the pinnacle of my achievements. 

I still have to carve a pumpkin, leave an offering to the spirits in my garden, do the ancestral supper, bake sinfully delicious Halloween treats, buy candy for the trick or treaters and have a Samhain bonfire outdoors in the backyard. On top of that, I want to make sure I don’t freeze to death while I am having the bonfire. 

I am so hurt that the jerk that once was a part of my life – after the atrocity he did to my garden, he will never again be a part of my life. He cut down my haskap plant right down to the ground. I am furious. It will take years for it to grow back. I now have a longer time to wait for berries. He has no clue of what he has done. The nerve. It’s ok. I plan to play a cruel witchy prank on him. Never mess with a Witch. I will protect my garden with the ferocity of a starved eagle on cocaine. He has no clue what he’s done. I will be cruel. It is only fair. I plan to leave a very nice offering to the garden. I conjured up a Samhain Protection Powder. The protection is just what is needed here. I’ll get back at him. My poor haskap bush was growing berries. I can’t believe what he has done and he doesn’t feel bad about it which shows how unintelligent he is. I ever see him near my garden again and he will be in deep trouble. 

I dressed my altar for Samhain. I might buy more cider and wine today. I definitely plan to try making sinfully good Halloween treats. I bet you are all looking forward to Samhain and making plans. Samhain is the most highly anticipated Sabbat of all the Sabbats. 

I wish you all a memorable & magickal Samhain!!!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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The Cult of the Spider People- Horrors Unleashed! )O(

Greetings darklings:

Hello and welcome to a very special blog post today. I have hugely good news to share!

I am so happy! My book is released on Amazon now. I shall include the link for readers to buy the book in either Kindle or paperback format. It’s now available worldwide. I am over the moon happy. I hope it gets a lot of good reviews on Amazon! Here are all the details!

Unveiling Nightmares
Happy Release Day! This is Heddy’s debut and also Bone Chillers Book #1. So exciting!
The Cult of the Spider People by Heddy Johannesen
✨Book Overview:
Seventeen-year-old Piper and her boyfriend Cory are held captive by horrifying spider cryptids in the savage dimension of Arachnall.
The Spider King tries to seduce her into ruling with him as his queen and makes Cory a soulless slave.
Piper must make an impossible choice: help the beleaguered Spider Queen dethrone the Spider King and escape or turn into one of the bloodthirsty monsters
Since this book has proven to be a success, I shall have to write the sequel. I want to include a review from my good friend Nora Peevy. She wrote a glowing review of The Cult of the Spider People on Hellnotes:
Book Review: THE CULT OF THE SPIDER PEOPLE

The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1
Heddy Johannesen
Bone Chillers (October 25, 2024)
‘Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy

“Heddy Johannesen’s first standalone title is a creepy web of worldbuilding sending shivers down young adults’ spines. Piper’s mother is dead, and her father is hiding a secret, but she doesn’t know what it is. One day Piper and her boyfriend, Cory, go through the black door in the basement she is forbidden to go through. They find themselves in an odd world where H.R. Giger, Stephen King, or The Human Centipede would feel right at home.

What would you do to save the people you love and what part of you identifies you as human? These are two of the biggest philosophical questions Johannesen tackles in this teen horror book with grace and suspense. I can imagine discovering her book right next to  Christopher Pike’s when I read YA novels. I am captivated and waiting for the sequel to come out. Johannesen has left enough unanswered questions to warrant a sequel, and I look forward to losing myself in her next book.”

I love her review. She totally captured the essence of my book. The publication of my novel opens doors to new and amazing opportunities. I can’t wait to find out what the future holds for me. Like more reviews, maybe my book will earn awards. I want to make bookmarks to go with the books for readers. I want to hold a launch but I have to figure out how I pay for that. I get a discount but I may be able to work it out. I will figure it out. I can’t wait to get to sign books. I hope readers enjoy my book which is the whole point of publishing a book. 

My Mom and I spent the evening last night talking about the success of my book. We sipped cider, baked chocolate Halloween cupcakes and had a good time. I still hope to celebrate a book launch at Bookmark. I love that bookstore. They are really good people there. I have to give a copy to the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia and get copies into the local libaries here. 

Onwards and upwards! I am happier than I have been in a long time. Now for the sequel… 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

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Samhain in Style )O(

Greetings darklings:

I strolled down the nature trail today. The leaves are so gorgeous in their gold, red, and orange fiery colours. I saw deer on the trail. As I walked to the library, I watched the horses at Bengal Lancers. I love horses. I love all animals. I love October. The Wheel of the year turns again, this time landing on Samhain, the Witches New Year. Samhain and October have a totally awesome new meaning for me: the publication of my first horror novel and certainly not the last. 

I have been busy lately. I’m sewing a blue and silver Arwen dress. I chose blue and silver which is a nice break from black. I already have a nice Arwen dress in black. But this will be lovely. I worked hard constructing the body of the dress. The seams were twisted and I fixed that. The dress has taken a lot of work but I managed. I am enjoying sewing the collar and sleeves. I love the bright blue embroidered lace fabric for the collar contrasted sharply with this grey sari trim I found on Etsy. The collar is perfect.

I took the time to craft 2 beautiful sleeve caps that I have ever seen. I am so proud of myself. I did the top sleeve cap in the blue chiffon. I added interfacing. I had originally wanted to use this -what I assumed was lining material. I could not get pins through. Scrapped that idea. I had to conceal the interfacing so I used my grey chiffon. I trimmed the seams and marked my notches. Then I treated it all as one fabric piece. I included the blue beaded lace overlay. Prior to all that I marked where I had to do the ease stitches for basting for the sleeve setting. I did it by hand with a different colored thread to the best of my ability and left long thread tails on both sleeve caps. I also tried on the sleeve caps and they both felt good, not too tight or too lose. That was amazing…
But I was not done…..
There was a reason I bought that beautiful grey floral embroidered fabric. I I examined the nice fabric and I figured out that the bottom raw edge of the sleeve cap was 14 inches. I measured 14 inches of the grey chiffon. I cut the embroidered tulle fabric very carefully and I cut the chiffon carefully. Then I overlayed the embroidered fabric on the chiffon. I pinned it all together and put a grey thread in the machine. I stitched them together very very carefully. Sewing needles don’t like sewing over beads. I trimmed the threads. Now I had sewn the sleeve cap ends on one cap. I seam ripped it. It was easier to sew together with the sleeve caps open. Now that they were both open, I put right sides together of the blue lace sleeve cap with the grey embroidered chiffon fabric and stitched them together. I had a few problems like holes in the seams which I will fix and the iron was a huge help to make the seams nice. Some of the seams are a tiny bit uneven but thankfully, it is on the underside of the sleeve cap. That has been corrected. Mercifully this hasn’t needed that much correction. 
Ok so I trimmed threads being mindful all the while of the basting threads. It looks so beautiful. Then (I know, there’s more)… I finished the raw edge of the grey chiffon with blue piping. I have to fix 1 or 2 things with the whole extended sleeve cap but wow! I did this?? I did. I have to make the lower sleeves and sew the lining and sew the lining to the outer sleeve. But not today. I have to finish the piping on the sleeve caps. I have more work to do. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I have to add interfacing to the wrong side of the dress at the neckline to strengthen it. I have to finish the sleeve and add the other layer to the collar. I have to add fabric to the hem and sew on the blue lace trim I bought from Etsy. The chiffon and the grey embroidered tulle is so beautiful. I hope I did it justice. The dress already looks like something from a faerie tale. I love it and I am sure it will be beautiful. 
I did sew the sleeve. I figured out how to sew the sleeve to the sleeve lining. I wanted to sew the sleeve cap to the sleeve but then I could not turn the sleeve right side out. I removed those stitches and left it open. I turned the sleeve out and ironed it, pressing out the fullness of the lower sleeve. I lined it up with the sleeve cap, matched the seams and hand stitched them together. It was more difficult because of the extended sleeve cap. I have to sew the second sleeve tomorrow. I want to finish the edge of the extended sleeve overlay with a blue velvet ribbon. The seam will look finished. I will finish the second sleeve the way I did the first one. 

The lining of the sleeve cap and the extended sleeve overlay is a soft dove grey. The lining of the lower sleeve is a dark heavy grey. The lining is on the inside but the two different shades of grey are intriguing to me. One is a softer shade and on the lower sleeve is a heavier grey. Well the colours that we choose to work with in sewing and crafting are important in some way, I’m sure. The lighter dove grey is where the finer embroidery lace details are and the less detailed lower sleeve (for now) has the darker shade of grey. On a more practical level, as I was sewing the upper sleeve cap with the lace overlay to the lower sleeve and lower sleeve lining, I was fastidiously obsessed about the seams matching up – the seams of the upper section of the sleeve and the lower sleeve section. It paid off because the sleeve is now correct and looks beautiful. The lining adds a fullness and more definition too.

The color of the body of the dress itself – the front and back of the dress is now a purple color and not blue as I once believed. Somehow the colours are cohesive and correspond to one another. I was worried but now I think it all blends and works. I am very relieved about that. Today I finished the second sleeve. I am relieved that they both turned out to be so pretty! I’m ordering a dress form off of Amazon and I can’t wait to have it. That will really help with my dress. All that remains is a few details such as the interfacing to add strength to the garment, edge the sleeve lace overlay with the blue velvet ribbon, fix the hem, sew in the sleeves and the zipper. 

I have to prepare for Samhain. My book is published on Amazon on the 25th. I have so much to do and so little time. I want to clean up and tidy my place in time for Samhain. I may do some baking too such as pumpkin bread, roast pumpkin seeds, bake cookies, maybe the black candy apples I saw, the herbal lollipops. Yeah that all sounds good. 
I will have my bonfire ritual, ancestral supper, a Samhain ritual, leave offerings to the spirits that roam the mortal plane. Samhain is a time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. 
Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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The Cult of the Spider People pre-order )O(

Greetings darklings,

I am so happy! My debut horror novel is out for preorder. I am so happy and grateful to have made it to publication. There are many perks to this as well. One, I have an Amazon author page now. Two, it means I have arrived. I am so happy. I will include the link here to the page on Amazon where my novel is listed. The book is released on October 25th. It feels so good to have achieved publication. My novel is also the first in the Bone Chillers series. I am so proud of that. I hope my novel gets good reviews. 

The editor for Unveiling Nightmares and the imprint Bone Chillers had to step back from editing to take care of matters in North Carolina. Now Nora Peevy and I are reading submissions for the publisher. It’s been cool so far. I can’t wait to sign books for eager readers. I want to do a book signing at a local bookstore. I know I can’t have a big tour like  some authors but I am still over the moon happy. 

Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Cult-Spider-People-Bone-Chillers-ebook/dp/B0DJYJWKXQ?ref_=ast_author_mpb

I hope that you will consider buying a copy or leaving a review, my dear readers. I believe that I will now write the sequel to Cult of the Spider People. The publication of my novel now leads to new and better opportunities. I can try for a Bram Stoker award. I doubt I would win but it doesn’t hurt to try. There are other awards and honours I can apply for.  I can get used to this. 

I strolled down the nature trail yesterday on my way to my Mom’s for a thanksgiving meal. The nature trail was lovely. The trees were resplendent in many autumn colours. It was misty and overcast. It was perfect. I took a lot of pictures of the fiery coloured trees. 

My Arwen dress is slowly coming along. I figured out to work the sewing machine a friend of mine gave me. I have to buy more interfacing and finish the collar and then sew the sleeves next. Then I set in the sleeves and hem the dress and add the trim! I donated a Witch dress I had but I kept the bodice details and the ribbon. I want to make the bodice that goes with the dress and I might use the bodice trim for it. I am not lining the dress. I have the Tauriel grey dress from Holy Clothing. I am wearing that with it. Now I don’t need to line the dress. I want to complete sewing the dress by October 31st. I sewed the dress using knits and chiffon. I am never sewing a dress in satin or velvet because they are difficult fabrics to work with. Using the knit material means I can wear it more often. I will post photos of the dress once completed. I’m buying a dress form too. That will be a huge help!

The dress will be lovely. I took care to cut and sew carefully. The more care I take with it, the more beautiful it will turn out. I just can’t wait to have a dress form. That will make a huge difference. 

I will post more here about my novel and its success! I have to prepare for Samhain too. Till next time, my dear readers

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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The Cult of the Spider People path to publication )O(

Greetings darklings!!

I am so excited! My novel The Cult of the Spider People is all set for release to the big wide Amazon jungle! This is more than I ever dreamed of. I was on the bus when I received the acceptance email from the publisher in May. I was on the bus tonight when I saw my book covers six months later. Today’s post is about my reflection on my path to publication. 

A lot has changed since then. I have changed since then. My book has changed so much since then. Everything has changed. For the first time in my life, everything that I wished for came true and fell into place.  I am so happy I followed my intuition and decided to submit to Unveiling Nightmares, a publishing company that I never heard of before.  I took the risk which clearly paid off as we can see here. 

I have often asked myself what made me create such a terrifying story. I have reflected on it many times. The only thing I can assume is that it has much to do with my narcissistic ex-boyfriend, a vampire and Satanist. He really broke my heart and I never planned on the witch coven I was a part of to betray and ban me from the coven. I was so hurt and I like to think it is what led me to write The Cult of the Spider People. I am convinced he is the villain Roth, leader and master of the race of the Arachnas in my novel. I am sure I am not the first author to pen a novel based on total heartbreak or passion. Wuthering Heights comes to mind. Great book. Jane Eyre does too. 

Wuthering Heights is still considered a classic to this day. My novel has themes of body horror and monsters but it has themes of love, hope and good overcoming evil, sort of. Looking back, I can’t believe that I penned a love story considering the heartbreak I endured. If I hadn’t endured all that, I may not have written this book. I don’t have too many regrets. 

Heartbreak aside, I have now arrived at this stage: waiting for my book to be released on Amazon and worldwide in bookstores. I can hardly believe it. It is a dream come true and it has been a dream of mine for a long time. I have to now look to the future because I have to help with promotion and marketing. I want my book to win awards too. That would totally rock. 

I printed a copy of my beautiful and sinister book cover art and I laminated it. It looks beautiful. I even printed out the pdf ARC copy of my book and bound it. I just want it to be special which of course it is. Seeing the book on Amazon is going to blow my mind. I have to wait for approval. 

My editor who I won’t name here endured a major disaster: a hurricane and flooding in North Carolina. I felt very upset for him and his family and all the people who live there and are still suffering and just trying to survive. The water is now toxic from the flooding and the hurricane. His boots even melted from the toxic compounds in the water. I feel a mix of joy that my book is published and guilt for knowing what he is enduring. The publisher took the reins, so to speak. That means that she has a lot of work to do. He even worried about my book being out by the release date. I really don’t want him to worry. 

It is unfortunate that some sadness was involved in the creation of my book. The editor is safe and well and so is his family. That is a huge relief. Knowing he is safe helps me to focus more now on the marketing and promotion which is the next step. 

I couldn’t have written this novel without the awesome and amazing support of my friends and people who are in the publishing industry: their wisdom and patience and always being there for me as I navigated my way around getting my book published. They are the ones who really should get all the credit for my novel. My acknowledgements page credits them all. I credit Stephanie Ellis, the editor of Bone Chillers, Fred Rayworth, the Horror Writers Association, and many other people. 

Now having a novel published changes the whole game. This opens a door for me which I was accustomed to being slammed in my face. I worked hard for it and earned it. I have much to do. One thing I know for certain is that I am ready for it. I am ready for change. For the longest time, I felt like I was not shedding an old snake skin but I felt trapped in it. I can throw that husk away, take a deep breath and now feel like I no longer have to secretly envy other published authors now that I am one of them. It must be why I keep crying. This truly is a game changer for me. But I say bring it on!

Dawn Wilson interviewed me for my book. I’m excited to see that when it goes live. Nora Peavy did receive her gift of the beautiful bewitching Witch House and is totally happy with it. I hope it is the first of many interviews, reviews and new opportunities to come my way. 

Tomorrow I am sewing my Arwen dress. I can’t wait to get started on that. I plan to leave the house very early to start sewing at my Mom’s. Sewing will maybe prevent me from checking to see if my novel is uploaded to Amazon every 5 seconds of the day. I need something to focus on and that is perfect. I must be distracted or I will drive everyone around me and myself to distraction. 

I had to improve the quality of my writing and the way I write. I took the time to improve my writing and yet it worked out. I am glad I did. I can’t afford to self-publish which means one thing: improve my writing. That is why I am so grateful for all the wonderful assistance I received. That includes my cat! 

Here is the book blurb:

‘Seventeen- year old Piper and her boyfriend Cory are held captive by horrifying spider cryptids in the savage dimension, Arachnall. The Spider King  tries to seduce her into ruling with him as his queen and makes Cory a soulless slave. Piper must make an impossible choice: help the beleaguered Spider Queen dethrone the Spider King and escape or turn into one of the bloodthirsty monsters.’ 

The Cult of the Spider People is listed as 2.99 for the Kindle and 6.99 for the paperback version. I think that’s reasonable. Oh I can’t wait to see my book on Amazon. This has all been such a dream come true. I am so happy. Clearly being neurodivergent didn’t prevent me from publishing a novel. Nothing will. 

This is only the beginning! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

#horror #halloween #horrormovies #art #horrorfan #scary #creepy #horrormovie #horrorart #movie #spooky #film #horrorcommunity #horrorfilm #movies #horroraddict #terror #dark #s #goth #thriller #gore #cosplay #horrorcollector #cinema

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October Musings

Merry meet all,

I’m sure you have all heard of how Hurricane Helene has left a path of total devastation in her wake in the States. My editor lives in the area where the hurricane hit. I was so worried if he and his family were okay. To my relief though they are okay and safe. I can’t say the same for the rest of the people living there. We get bad hurricanes here but they are not on the same scale of devastation as that. I have to wait and be patient and hope everything will be okay. 

In other news, Wicked Shadow Press published my flash fiction story, The Grimm Pumpkin, in the Halloweenthology: Witches Brew which will be released this fall. Wicked Shadow Press also published my other flash fiction story, Serial Blade. Sirens Call Erin published the same flash fiction story, Serial Blade. I am not sure how I managed to have my story published twice but I did. I am proud that The Grimm Pumpkin is now published 5 times! Yes 5! Wow. Sirens Call Ezine is also publishing my poem, Encounter with Death which is its third reprint. I hope Flame Tree Press publishes my story Night Terrors. That would be awesome! I have the pdf of the Flash of the Dead: Halloween 24 anthology and it looks great! 

I look forward to reading the stories in the anthologies. Reading stories by other authors helps me with my own writing. Dawn Wilson has offered to interview me about my writing. I look forward to that. I do look forward the most to the release of my novel, The Cult of the Spider People. I am not sure when that happens because the editors’ life has just been impacted by the hurricane. I hope it all goes well. I just love the cover art for my book shown above. 

I also plan to make a few awesome Halloween treats at Samhain. I want to do my traditional ancestral supper, Samhain ritual, bonfire and of course, handing out candy to the trick or treaters! I may even finally make that concrete pumpkin. 

I will soon begin sewing the Arwen gown. I bought these gorgeous trims and laces from Etsy. I can’t wait to get to work on it. The dress will be absolutely beautiful. I have to sew a scary doll for Onyx and a smaller doll for Thomas. 

October is the most magical month of the year. I intend to enjoy every minute of it. I am amazed that my garden is holding up so far. I am still waiting to harvest my potatoes. I foraged yarrow and goldenrod. I’m going to make a tincture from the yarrow and soap with the goldenrod and calendula and a herbal oil with the St. John’s wort. I dried the nettle, lemon balm, mugwort and mint from my garden. I’m overwintering the holy basil and my rosemary. The pots are heated by the grow light. 

I shall post more here about Samhain very soon. Stay spooky!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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Bewitching Witch House )O(

Merry meet all,

The fall season is here! The leaves are already turning on the trees. My favourite time of year is here. The Wheel of the year soon turns to Mabon, the autumn equinox. 

I have been busy crafting a very special secret project. I crafted it with love and patience. It’s hard to believe that it was crafted from cardboard and popsicle sticks. However, I have persevered and crafted a true masterpiece. I have worked on it for a while and it was very hard work – but worth it! The best part of all it is not for myself but for someone else. 

The Witch House in its early construction stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I glued popsicle sticks together to form the front, sides and back of the house. I did the same for the roof. Then I got a good idea. I glued cardboard to the front, sides and back of the house over the cardboard but not on the roof. I painted the front, sides and back of the house black and I painted the roof grey. I created two sides of cardboard for the house and glued them onto the two sides of the house. It’s was so tedious because the cardboard from the raisins box is red. I had to cover every single piece of the cardboard with white printing paper. Then I glued on Halloween printed card stock to the cardboard and painted every single piece, large or small, black or grey. I made a staircase for the front of the house. The house needed to have a solid and secure foundation just like a real house. It’s important to get that stage down first before anything else. 

I made a board for the house to sit on from the cardboard raisin box. First I painted it brown. I had to glue on Halloween card stock and then paint it black all over. Everything I had to paint took time to dry. After a while, I realized that using the heat of a hair dryer made the paint dry faster. I am still trying to figure out how to add a chimney to the roof. The board now serves as the garden. I did add a chimney to the back of the house. 

I borrowed my Mom’s good bigger glue gun and glue sticks. I do believe I have used up most of the glue sticks. 

I had to trim down the foam block. I did it using a bread knife and a big exact knife. I needed to make the house and staircase meet evenly. Oh my gods the work that this took. I covered the foam block you see in the picture in Halloween card stock  paper. Then I painted that all black. Then I painted on a sealant. I adhered black spider figurines to the foam block. That nicely covered any flaws. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to Michaels arts and crafts store to buy miniatures for the Witch House. I painted small white foam balls black and glued them onto the Witch House. I bought a cool skull Led lights set and adhered it to the Witch House.  Now it was coming together. I crafted several ‘shingles’ pieces – and covered them in white typing paper and painted each piece grey and adhered them to the roof of the house. Now, with the black balls and the LED lights set, it was really looking like a house. I arranged a miniature fence around the perimeter of the house and garden. 

I added moss, leaves, an owl figurine,  acorns, a pinecone, a headstone, a large spider, and real herbs to the garden. The herbs are goldenrod, dried grass buds and broad leaved dock. I added a miniature cauldron to the garden. The cream coloured pumpkins lend an old world charm to the garden. I arranged an archway over the garden at the entrance. I glued leaves to the archway. I made the archway with the miniature fence. 

The two ‘sides’ of the house were not easy to make. They each have an arched roof. I measured and had to construct a box and secure it to the sides of the house and painted them black. The sides pulled from the house. I concealed that with popsicle sticks. Then I used another piece of cardboard which I painted grey and coaxed it into an arched design. I glued that on and painted it black underneath. I glued a real black feather I found outside to the front side of the house. 

I used tiny letter stickers and adhered them to the front door. Oh my gods the door. It was glued on to the front of the house in such a way that the door won’t close. I think of it as a moat now. I hurt my hands cutting the top of the door because I wanted the door to be curved or arched.

I formed the door from popsicle sticks. I glued a piece of cardboard to the popsicle sticks then trimmed them. I painted it blue and grey then I went with black and grey paint. The door looks battered or maybe weathered is the word. I carved out a space in the door. I wish it would close all the way. Ah well. 

It looks like an old world door. The letters on the front of the door/ moat read: “Flying School”. I glued on a small wooden witch hat above those words. I sprinkled glitter on to the witch hat. I glued on the letters “Witch House/ Salem/ 1692” above the entrance to the house. I covered the letters with sealant. I touched up the rough spots with black or grey paint. I added black paint in splotches on the grey paint. I wanted the Witch House to look aged, as if it had been there a long time. 

I adhered black spider and bat figurines to the house. They now crawl all over it. I glued tiny bone figurines to the garden and stairs and fence. I painted them grey. I glued a wooden butterfly to the lower right side of the house. I glued in three witches gathered around a cauldron figurine inside the house. They can’t move but they can still spell cast! I noticed that each witch had a different symbol on her black witch hat. I crafted a broomstick figurine made from lemon balm twigs and glued it to the lower front of the house next to the stairs. 

I cut these small round yellow and orange balls on ‘twigs’ from a weird tree figurine. I glued them to the moss, put one in the cauldron and ended up using the tree figurine thing for a tree. I glued it to the left side of the garden. It serves as a tree. It leans way out though and I can’t get it to stand up straight. 

I glued a piece of real tree branch wood to the front entrance of the garden. It lays flat and looks like it really belongs there. I glued on a skeleton torso in ornate frame to the front roof of the house. I painted it grey and I painted the eyes of the skeleton black to give it more definition. I made an arched window on the right side of the roof. I have to finish the window. I painted it black and grey. I painted a wooden piece – the letters read Boo! to the floor of the Witch House and painted it grey. I also added silver sprinkles to that and the staircase. I glued on two black widow spider figurines to the house. They add a wicked menacing feel to the Witch House. I added a bit of moss to the staircase. I know the moss will stay in place because there is so much covering the moss in the garden. I adhered toadstool stickers to the staircase and the fence archway. 

Now it’s coming together and making me wish I was small enough to live in the Witch House. I would never leave it if I could. I anointed the Witch House with special oils – Samhain and Bewitching. I have a mandrake essential oil to use as well. I burned sage and let the smoke waft over the house. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fear that the Witch House is not that stable. I still have to add a large piece under the Witch House to make it adhere to the black foam block. It tips and is uneven. Once I do that and use rubber cement glue, it will stick and stay in place. It just needs to be evened out. 

Update: I have covered the large piece of craft foam with black fabric and it now rests under the Witch dollhouse. I think the Witch dollhouse is just the coolest thing I have ever crafted! It really is and I almost wish I could keep it. The rubber cement glue didn’t work. 

I didn’t want to go for something campy. I wanted to capture the true spirit of Samhain. When the LED lights are on, the whole house is instantly alive and magickal! It appears so bewitching! The Witch House has been a true labor of love. I don’t regret it, and I want one for myself. I have nowhere to store it though. I am going to be happy to gift this beautiful, decadent and wicked witchy Witch House! 

I still have to paint the Witch House and garden in a sealant. Once I am done doing everything else. I  have painted the entire Witch house in a sealant. The Witch house is now done. I added another black block to go under the house to keep the house stable. I am so proud of my achievement. I hope my friend loves her gift! 

I found a huge box to mail her gift in. My cat Penny naturally and instantly believes the box to be hers. I needed a box that was a certain size to be able to mail the gift. I can’t wait for Nora Peevy to see it.!!!! Talk about a treat (trick or treat). 

I assembled a collection of school supplies for my niece and nephew – Halloween pencils, pens and pencils, a homemade pencil case, notebooks, scribblers, a ruler and pencil sharpener, etc. I hope they love it. I mailed it to them and I know they will love having new school supplies! So they get those straight A grades! 

I bought beautiful deep blue knit fabric, grey lining material, blue chiffon and blue lace. I want to craft a witch gown. I am tired of this other Witch gown I have. I am retiring and donating it. The dress has served its purpose. I plan to make my own pattern though. I ordered a pattern from Judy’s Little Shop. I thought I lost the original Arwen pattern only to be reacquainted with it later. But the first pattern is pretty tattered. I want to save the bodice though. I can use it for the new gown. It’s black and silver but I will find a way to make it work. I also ordered some beautiful silver floral lace from Etsy. I want to use that for the trim on the collar and sleeves. The best part of using the bodice for this dress is the eyelets are already done for me. I hate setting in eyelets for the lace up bodice. 

I love to craft and that is certainly evident here! I can’t wait to start making the gown. I guess I should get started by cutting out the pattern pieces! 

In other news, I passed the second test to become part of the Nova Scotia Guard. I successfully completed the Volunteering in Emergencies exam. I even received a certificate. The edits are done on my novella. Now we move on to formatting. Getting closer to publication! 

The finished Witch Doll House

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

The lace trims – 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/766918166/dark-silver-romantic-lace-3d-flower?click_key=54f1cf584262be0c431185264bdd6bb9919a1337%3A766918166&click_sum=c1302c61&ref=hp_rv-1&pro=1&sts=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawFKojRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHT4pm6k3_jPARFOvp8ZQVLNyAaeLJujQO5bUqgHDQZ8IAuRLIlByiKLAcQ_aem_7PYNYomrbabE5b-60BaGrg

Embroidered Mesh – EXQUISE – Navy

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