Tag Archives: Business

November 6, 2023 · 10:16 pm

Root tinctures & weird fiction )O(

 

Merry meet all,

I was out foraging for dandelion roots this morning. The earth is carpeted by beautiful autumn leaves, colouring the earth in a resplendent mix of browns, golds, yellows, oranges and fiery reds. I just love it and the weather was warm enough for foraging. I look forward to drying the roots in my dehydrator. 

I enrolled in the Business course at the Herbal Academy. The workbook is on its way to me. I am sure I will learn a lot from the course. I have to decide what I plan to do with my herbalism training. This course will help me with that. I still have a long way to go. The Business course teaches everything on how to manage a herbal-based business. Good thing too, as I don’t have the first clue. 

My bound book is so beautiful and cool. I ordered book corner protectors from Etsy. The corner protectors have an octopus on them to represent a character from Lovecraftian fiction. Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1253357176/the-bookworms-from-shaggai-lovecraftian?ref=yr_purchases. I can’t wait to see how amazing my book cover will look. I have plenty to look forward to here. Now I have to write more poems to fill the pages of the bound book. 

I received the copies of Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird and the Halloweenthology anthology my story is published in. Both books are designed beautifully. I have to stock up on coffee because I shall spend many happy hours perusing the fascinating pages of Weird Tales. Yes and I have those three past issues of Weird Tales magazine to read too. I love to read, I am addicted to the written word. I will invest in a nice bookmark to accompany the huge book, 100 Years of Weird Tales. That is quite the book. 

That is a lot to keep me busy reading during the dark half of the year. I attended a psychic fair yesterday. I can’t recall the last time I was at a fair. It was so good to be at a fair and even better to be around real mediums. I hung out with the wannabe toxic queen bee drama witches for so long. I really enjoyed the fair. I bought a Harry Potter wand. 

I’m brewing a jar of apple slices in rum. I hope to conjure a brew of Apple Spiced Liquor. The potion has to brew for a few more days then I can strain out the apples. I cannot wait to sample the potion. The apple slices look beautiful steeping in the rum. It will taste amazing. I added cinnamon and cloves to the mixture. The apple slices have an amber color and the rum looks like a deep deep red/ burgundy color. I can’t wait to taste it. 

I am also making a skullcap and ashwagandha tincture. I am blending the herbs in two separate jars but I will eventually blend them into one. The intention is to use the tincture  to calm myself, ease stress and help me sleep. The calendula oil is still steeping, as well as the lavender oil is still steeping and the echinacea root tincture. 

I have dried the dandelion roots and the plantain leaves and seeds. I stored the seeds, roots and leaves in jars but I left the lids off. I want the herbal goods to have a chance to fully dry to avoid mold. I waited hours for it all to dry. It takes that long. If you don’t wait that long from morning to night, everything will be moldy and ruined. It takes patience and I have to stay home all day but I enjoy drying herbs – leaves, roots, seeds, bark in my dehydrator. I do not know how I ever managed to live without it. 

Before the frost hit my garden, I spread the last of the straw mulch over the garden. The leaves now cover the garden like a thick beautiful blanket. My soil, the beneficial insects and the roots of my herbs and other plants are now well protected. I harvested the echinacea seed heads. The frost has hit my garden but I know that even though the snow falls and the garden is laid to rest, in the spring it will be born anew. 

I would love to hear about your garden preparations for winter and tincture making. The Herbal Academy is offering a course in tinctures currently. https://theherbalacademy.com/product/tincture-making-101-mini-course/ 

Blessings Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 15, 2023 · 4:14 pm

Seed starts

Merry meet all,

Today is rainy, snowy and very overcast. Snow lightly covers the ground. Raindrops splatter the windowpanes. It is a sleepy, stay home type of day. The next turn in the Wheel of the year is Imbolc. Before I get started, I just wanted to write here that I know I haven’t posted much. This week, I had to deal with an infected tooth and an abnormal amount of pain. I had to get that under control’s which involved freezing my tooth at the hospital, and a lot of painkillers and an antibiotic to clear up the infected tooth. I am feeling much better now. 

Imbolc is coming soon! My kitty Penny woke up from her long nap. I just gave her a cuddle. Imbolc is exciting to me because it is the first of the three Spring Sabbats. Imbolc is a time of renewed hope, purity and the return of the light. The cold remains but hope and new life stirs beneath the soil. I will post more here about Imbolc. I have a recipe on how to make Imbolc inspired cookies already. I can’t wait to try it!

Imbolc is the perfect time to read seed catalogues and to plan what you want to grow this spring. Or at least to think about which plants you want to start indoors. I plan to get the seed starting kit back from my Mom’s. I have to wait to get soil. Once I do, I plan to start seeds early. It’s my opinion that tomato plants take a long long time to grow, and I believe that they need to be started earlier in order to reach their maximum growth earlier in the year to bear fruit. This has been my observation.

Tomorrow I hope to get the Mastering Herbal Formulations book from the Herbal Academy in the mail. I can really get deep into the course once I have the workbook. I wish they did delivery on weekends but I guess USPS doesn’t work that way. I have read Unit 1 and I get most of the ideas. The calculations look complicated but not impossible. I really need to learn this stuff in order to sell my teas at the local farmers market. That is my goal and part of why I am studying at the Herbal Academy. I want to run a herbal business when I graduate. First, I have a lot to learn. I want to take my time and learn and then I will have a better chance of running my herbal business.

I had reservations about blending two or more herbs in a tincture and other preparations. The Mastering Herbal Formulations course will take away my reservations and give me a renewed confidence. I look forward to reading and learning more in Unit 2-3. The courses at the Herbal Academy are fascinating. I love everything I have learned so far. So to return to the topic of spring seed planting, I have a few new herb seed packets to try this spring. I have many packets of seeds. However, this spring, I have motherwort seeds and I can’t wait to start that from seed. There are too many for me to count here that I want to get started. That will have to be in a future post. 

If you ask me, time is speeding up. I can’t believe how fast time goes now. It seems like I was holding a bonfire in my back yard and now I want to pore over seed catalogues. Does anyone feel like time is speeding up? To what purpose? It’s hard to say. I will just ride the crest of this ‘wave’ as best I can. The possibility of the return of spring cheers me greatly. 

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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May 25, 2021 · 1:54 pm

The 2021 StokerCon Horror Writing Convention

Merry meet all,

I’m writing this post to share my experience at StokerCon with my dear readers. It was the most inspiring, badass, and educational event of my life. It was so cool to sit there ( and I had to, as it was virtual and I seriously hurt my back) with other like minded people. The organizers, panelists and attendees were so nice! 

The event began on May 20th to May 23rd. The Horror Writers Association used Hopin for a virtual platform. Over four hundred and sixty people attended the convention. Hopin was a very interactive platform. There was a live chat which I just loved. Breakout sessions, live discussions, and the Ann Radcliffe conferences which was several live videos and discussions of themes related to horror were also offered. I watched almost every single Breakout session. There were so many to choose from.   Someone could pitch to an agent/ editor and participate in the Bram Stoker hangout bars or the Mary Shelley hangout bar, the Shirley Jackson hangout bar or the Edgar Allan Poe hangout bar. 

The Breakout sessions are discussions shared by panelists online. I was able to watch them in the discussion. Live chats made it easier to partake in the session. I watched the following sessions: The Current State of Publishing, A Genre by any other Name, Professional Etiquette: The Business Side of Publishing, The Appeal of a Good Scare, Tone and Setting, Thrilling Communities with Chilling Experiences, How Dialogue can Make or Break a story, the Guest of Honour Reading: Joe Lansdale, Totally Bloodless Horror Promotion, The Scary Truth about Horror reviews, Nightfire Fall Spotlight, How to Make a Career of Writing, Interview with Joe Lansdale, the Interview with Steve Tem, Mentorship in the HWA, What makes a book cover Good, History of the Gothic Horror Folklore, the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony and the Sixth Annual Final Frame Short Horror Film Competition. But I loved the most the Breakout sessions!! I also viewed the American Female: Gothic, Classic Horror’s Timeless Appeal, the Panel on The Author-Editor relationship in The Horror Genre Author Newsletter as well as a few author readings. 

I also watched the Bathing Beauty: Violence and Vulnerability in the Showers of Horror, Blood Milk and Teeth, It’s Still Alive, Alive!, Real Vampires: The Reflection of Otherness in the lBloody Mirror, “That so wicked mouth”: Rabies, Nymphomania, and the Monstrous New Woman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Why is this Possession Different Than All Other Possessions: Jewish Exorcism Films. Those videos were fascinating. So many people let themselves believe that a dybbuk box is actually possessed by a demon or even that Annabelle doll. I don’t believe they are. The Possession video proved it. 

A few more highlights of the convention were the Film Competition and the Bram Stoker Awards. On Saturday night I watched the Final Frame 6th Annual Short Horror Film Competition. The videos were all scary and amazing! The sound and audio quality were amazing!! I voted for the best film I watched. 

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce the winners of our Final Frame Film Festival that took place during our first virtual StokerCon.

The Final Frame Film Festival is chaired by Jonathan Lees, Final Frame Director and our Director of Film Programming, StokerCon.

This year our judges were ALEJANDRO BRUGUES, GRADY HENDRIX, BECK KITSIS, CARLEN MAY-MANN, LISA MORTON, and ED POLGARDY. 

The GRAND PRIZE goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

1st Runner-Up to Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

2nd Runner-Up is to Trish Harnetiaux for You Wouldn’t Understand

Best Writing in a Short Film is a tie!

Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

and Trish Harnetiaux & Jacob A. Ware for You Wouldn’t Understand

Audience Award goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

You can read more about Final Frame here:

http://stokercon2021.com/?p=141

Abracitos used almost no music. That made the fear of the actors in the movie far more real. In fact, the lack of sound was extremely effective at making the fear unbearable and real to viewers because all you could hear was their breathing. Wow. Amazing film. 

Here are the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards: 

Announcing the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners

Los Angeles, May 22, 2021

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, announces this year’s Bram Stoker Awards® winners at a virtual ceremony during StokerCon™ 2021. “This year’s winners reflect a deep range of works from a competitive field,” said John Palisano, HWA President. “The winners and finalists truly represent a broad spectrum of titles in horror and dark fantasy. HWA members and awards juries have shown dedication and objectivity to the selection process for outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.”

We proudly provide the list of talented winners along with the finalist nominees. 

Superior Achievement in a Novel

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – The Only Good Indians (Gallery/Saga Press)

Also nominated:

Alma Katsu – The Deep (G.P. Putnum’s Sons)

Todd Keisling – Devil’s Creek (Silver Shamrock Publishing)

Josh Malerman – Malorie (Del Ray)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Mexican Gothic (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Winner: EV Knight – The Fourth Whore (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Polly Hall – The Taxidermist’s Lover (CamCat Publishing, LLC)

Rachel Harrison – The Return (Berkley)

Ross Jeffery – Tome (The Writing Collective)

Kate Reed Petty – True Story (Viking)

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

Winner: Adam Cesare – Clown in a Cornfield (HarperTeen)

Also nominated:

Daniel Kraus – Bent Heavens (Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan)

Monique Snyman – The Bone Carver (Vesuvian Books)

Aiden Thomas – Cemetery Boys (Swoon Reads/Macmillan)

Erica Waters – Ghost Wood Song (HarperTeen)

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

Winner: Nancy Holder, Chiara Di Francia, and Amelia Woo – Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural (Kymera Press)

Also nominated:

Steven Archer – The Masque of the Red Death (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Jennifer Brody and Jules Rivera – Spectre Deep 6 (Turner)

Rich Douek and Alex Cormack – Road of Bones (IDW Publishing)

Alessandro Manzetti and Stephano Cardoselli – Her Life Matters: (Or Brooklyn Frankenstein)Independent Legions Publishing)

Steve Niles, Salvatore Simeone, and Syzmon Kudranski – Lonesome Days, Savage Nights(TKO Studios)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – “Night of the Mannequins” (Tor.com)

Also nominated:

Gabino Iglasias – “Beyond the Reef”(Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror)(Wicked Run Press)

Gwendolyn Kiste – “The Invention of Ghosts” (Nightscape Press)

Jess Landry – “I Will Find You, Even in the Dark” (Dim Shores Presents Vol. I)(Dim Shores)

Sarah Pinsker – “Two Truths and a Lie” (Tor.com)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

Winner: Josh Malerman – “One Last Transformation”(Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors)(Written Backwards)

Also nominated:

Meghan Arcuri – “Am I Missing the Sunshine?” (Borderlands 7) (Borderlands Press)

Kurt Fawver – “Introduction to the Horror Story: Day 1” (Nightmare Magazine Nov. 2020, Issue 98)

Cindy O’Quinn – “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road” (Shotgun Honey Presents, Vol. 4: Recoil) (Down and Out Books)

Kyla Lee Ward – “Should Fire Remember the Fuel?”(Oz is Burning) (B Cubed Press)

  

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

Winner: Lee Murray – Grotesque: Monster Stories (Things in the Well)

Also nominated:

Kathe Koja – Velocities: Stories (Meerkat Press)

John Langan – Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies (Word Horde)

Patricia Lillie – The Cuckoo Girls (Trepidatio Publishing)

Anna Taborska – Bloody Britain (Shadow Publishing)

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

Winner: Leigh Whannell – The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Nervous Tick Productions)

Also nominated:

Scarlett Amaris and Richard Stanley – Color Out of Space (SpectreVision)

Misha Green – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Misha Green and Ihuoma Ofordire – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 8: “Jig-a-Bobo” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Angela LaManna – The Haunting of Bly Manor, Season 1, Episode 5: “The Altar of the Dead” (Intrepid Pictures, Amblin Television, Paramount Television Studios)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Winner: Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn – Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women(Omnium Gatherum Media)

Also nominated:

Michael Bailey and Doug Murano – Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors(Written Backwards)

Samantha Kolesnik – Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror (Grindhouse Press)

Sara Tantlinger – Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women of Horror (Rooster Republic Press)

Mercedes M. Yardley – Arterial Bloom (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

Winner: Tim Waggoner – Writing in the Dark (Guide Dog Books/Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Florence Kelly and Meg Hafdahl – The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films (Skyhorse)

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas – 1000 Women in Horror (BearManor Media)

Brian Keene – End of the Road(Cemetery Dance Publications)

Alison Peirse – Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre (Rutgers University Press)

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. – The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption(McFarland)

Superior Achievement in Short Non-FictionWinner: Tim Waggoner – “Speaking of Horror” (The Writer)

Also nominated:

Rhonda Jackson Joseph – “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood” (The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaptation)(McFarland)

Cynthia Pelayo – “I Need to Believe” (Southwest Review Vol. 105.3) 

Kelly Robinson – “Lost, Found, and Finally Unbound: The Strange History of the 1910 Edison Frankenstein” (Rue Morgue Magazine, June 2020)

Christina Sng – “Final Girl: A Life in Horror” (Interstellar Flight Magazine, October 2020)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

Winner: Christina Sng – A Collection of Dreamscapes (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Alessandro Manzetti – Whitechapel Rhapsody: Dark Poems (Independent Legions Publishing)

Jessica McHugh – A Complex Accident of Life (Apokrupha)

Cynthia Pelayo – Into the Forest and All the Way Through (Burial Day Books)

Sara Tantlinger – Cradleland of Parasites (Rooster Republic Press)

Named in honor of the author of the seminal horror novel Dracula, the Bram Stoker Awards® are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, poetry, screenplays and non-fiction. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman. 

So, as you can see from the above, StokerCon was a smashing success!!! Four hundred eighty five people attended the virtual convention with a ninety percent turn out!! Two thousand eight hundred people have subscribed to the Horror Writers Association Quick Bites newsletter. The Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony had a grand total of twelve hundred views with over four hundred people who watched!! There were 18,000 views and chats during the whole convention. There were a total of one hundred forty votes for the Film Competition. These shy high statistics reveal a growing enthusiasm for horror in all its ravenous blood thirsty forms. Horror has not died! The beast is alive and well and tugging at its’ Damascus steel chains!

I hope this continues into the future, however horrifying that may be!!

Horror was never meant to be compartmentalized, confined, or stamped, shipped and packeged into one solid predefined shape. I now know that like the fanged vampire, a convulsing werewolf or mummy in shreds it changes form, breaks out of its cage and along iwth the changing times, it changes. It pulses and breathes, drinks blood and yet invites us along as it keeps changing with the times.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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