Tag Archives: horror

May 8, 2024 · 12:54 pm

Publication of my novella!!!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I am over the moon with the good news! Unveiling Nightmares is publishing my YA horror novella! I am so excited and happy about this. I never thought it would happen to me. It took a few days for the shock to wear off. I am stunned. I am so happy because the novella was so much work to edit. 

I am luckier than most! I had help with edits on the novella. Stephanie Ellis helped me edit it and she breathed new life into the manuscript. She totally understood that I am neurodivergent and while I am not an amateur, I did have to seriously improve my writing in order for it to become publishable quality. I had to overcome bad writing habits but now I am more confident in my writing skills. 

Also, another friend of mine Fred Raworth helped me with a few line edits. The initial draft of the manuscript looks nothing like the manuscript now. The manuscript and my other writing has received so many rejections and now it has been accepted! This is a dream come true and opens so many doors for me. They are already drafting up a book cover for me. That seems a bit fast but I can’t wait to see the book cover. I have been published before in anthologies, magazines and Ezines but this is my first book. 

I don’t know if they will keep my title. I have a strong feeling they will. I am not a pro by any means at choosing a marketable title. I must say Cult of the Spider People is the best I have created this far. 

Unveiling Nightmares is a new indie publisher! Here is the acceptance email I received from them. 

Copied and pasted:

“Dear Heddy,

I hope you’re doing well. It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that we have decided to accept your manuscript, “Cult of the Spider People,” for publication. Congratulations! 

Your work impressed us with its compelling narrative, well-developed characters, and overall literary merit. We believe that your manuscript will captivate readers and make a valuable addition to our publishing list. 

We are excited about the prospect of collaborating with you on the publication of your book. Our team is committed to supporting you every step of the way, from the editorial process to marketing and promotion. 

Once again, congratulations on this significant achievement. We look forward to working together and bringing your manuscript to life. Thank you for choosing us as your publishing partner. 

Crystal Baynam

Publisher
Unveiling Nightmares Ltd
Wow right? I read the email on the bus going home and I could hardly sit still! I was stunned! I was elated! All my hard work has finally paid off and all my suffering was not for nothing. I can’t wait to see the final book cover. They are going to make sure I fall in love with it! I could get used to this nice treatment! 
I believe that the originality of my manuscript made it stand out from the thousands of other books out there. The underworld realm of Arachnall with its ferocious and horrifying race of human spider creatures sprang from my imagination. I am sure there are other similar stories out there but I did my very best to break out of the standard tropes in horror fiction. I am sure it also helped that I have a good track record as well. 
I have joined the Facebook chat group for Unveiling Nightmares. The people there – the team of writers and staff all seem happy. That is a good sign. I have had success but I can honestly tell you, dear readers, that is was never handed to me on a silver platter- or silver pen! Ha! I earned it every step of the way. I will be happy to create a hopefully creepy and engaging horror story, a work of art, not just for publication but for readers to enjoy! 
If this inspires you to pen your own work of horror or dark fantasy, and I sure hope that that is the case, then here is some advice!

Never give up! I was so discouraged before I received the acceptance email, I wanted to quit. I am so glad now that I ignored that nagging voice in my head. Quitters never win. You will never know if you can get ahead if you quit. You never get anywhere and the thousands of other hopefuls are quick to take your spot. 

Keep improving at your craft. Even my writing needed improvement. So yes, learn about how to use adverbs and adjectives. Practice, practice, practice. 

Be nice to everyone in the writing field. It is a small world. Word gets around and you want to be known as professional and nice. 

Keep sending your writing out. Send your writing out to agents and editors but also the editors who want flash fiction and short stories. 

Track where you send your writing. You can use spreadsheets or Google Docs or a word document. That way you won’t send the same story to an editor twice. 

Learn everything you can about the publishing field. Get professional advice before signing a contract. Don’t rush into it. Don’t worry they won’t forget you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Publishing is a business. Don’t ignore your gut feelings or intuition. Avoid publishing scams and editor scams like the plague. They pay YOU not the other way around. 

Be original. I used to believe that editors didn’t want an original horror story. I have happily discovered that they DO! There are so many worn out horror tropes that desperately need new life breathed into them. It’s alive, alive! Yes do write a gut clenching, original horror story that is sure to keep readers up at night- all night cursing you because they can’t put your book down. Write the book that only YOU can write. 

Support your fellow writers. I have not had a book published for many years. I still showed up to rally for my fellow authors. Besides, I get great books that way. Grab a coffee and attend local book launches. You can’t go it alone and  a community of fellow authors is invaluable. They know the publishing business, they know contacts and they will appreciate you. 

If you follow all that advice, I am sure you will finally see that acceptance email or phone call! I wish you all the best, dear readers. I will keep blogging and keep you all posted on the process – editing, marketing of my novella! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

 

 

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March 13, 2024 · 3:57 pm

Paranormal Convention in Thunder Bay

 

Merry meet all,

I obtained a white garment like a nightgown. I like it because I can alter it to match the chemises that I see on the Holy Clothing website. I am not done yet but it will look great. I love this photo! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I am going to Trident Cafe to support a likeminded awesome horror author.  I’m celebrating women in horror month. Yay!

Today’s post covers a new exciting event in the world of the paranormal. Enjoy!!! 

Thunder Bay paranormal convention set to showcase the spooky side of life this fall

Workshops, guest speakers will cover all manner of paranormal topics

Kris Ketonen · CBC News ·
A group of people stand in a circle.
A group of paranormal investigators record a drop in temperature inside a site believed to be subject to paranormal activities. Paranormal investigators will gather in Thunder Bay, Ont., this fall. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters )

With a slate of guest speakers and workshops on the schedule, the first-ever Lake Superior Paranormal Convention will shine a spotlight on the strange and spooky this fall.

The convention – which is being organized by Thunder Bay paranormal investigation group Lucky Paranormal – will take place in October at the Prince Arthur hotel. Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 2, and will be available online.

“At a paranormal convention, they have lots of speakers,” organizer and Lucky Paranormal member Gail Willis said. “All day long, you can listen to paranormal experts on paranormal activity, investigation, UFO’s, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, all of those types of things are spoken about openly at a convention.”

More than 15 guests have been booked so far. They include:

  • Beyond the Haunting Investigations of History’s Most Haunted;
  • Shane Pittman, from Netflix’s 28 Days Haunted and Discovery Channel’s The Holzer Files;
  • Author and researcher Jeff Belanger (Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Challenge);
  • Author and researcher Chris Rutkowski;
  • Thunder Bay writer Kim Casey;
  • Investigator and filmmaker Dee McCullay, and
  • The Winnipeg Paranormal Group.

The convention will also include vendors, as well as workshops on how to use some of the equipment paranormal investigators use, organizer and Lucky Paranormal member Mel Willis said.

A REM pod, used in paranormal investigations.
A REM Pod used by Lucky Paranormal during their investigations. The upcoming Lake Superior Paranormal Convention will feature workshops on how to use ghost-hunting equipment like this. (Kris Ketonen/CBC)

The idea for the local convention grew out of visits to other, similar events by Lucky Paranormal members.

“We’ve gone to a number of conventions in the U.S.,” Mel Willis said. “There’s one in Halifax and that’s the only one across Canada and we’re like, ‘well, we’re smack in the middle of Canada, why not here?'”

Gail Willis said the convention isn’t only geared at investigators, and hopes that everyone with an interest in the supernatural will take away something worthwhile.

“I hope that they leave with more information,” she said. “I hope that they leave with a passion for the paranormal, and also maybe new connections.”

A few other events are scheduled around the main convention, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5. Those include:

  • A VIP party with celebrity guest speakers on the evening of Oct. 4;
  • A celebrity-led paranormal investigation at the Thunder Bay museum, scheduled for the evening of Oct. 5, and
  • Sunday Spirits n’ Sweets at Cafe Ora, which will include afternoon tea and coffee with Canadian psychic medium Kerrilynn Shellhorn on the afternoon of Oct. 6.

The Lake Superior Paranormal Convention itself, meanwhile, is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2024, at the Prince Arthur Hotel. For ticket information, visit the event’s website.

Superior Morning8:22Mel and Gail Willis of Lucky Paranormal: Paranormal Convention

Thunder Bay ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts, mark your calendars, the first-ever Lake Superior Paranormal Convention is coming to the city this fall. Hear from the organizers.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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January 22, 2024 · 4:56 pm

Inspirations in spring

Merry meet all,

Imbolc is approaching! I can feel the first stirrings of spring because I have been hit with a huge creativity urge. I have planned out painting the bathroom walls -with a resident cat here, painting the bathroom tub area which desperately needs to be done because my landlord sure ain’t going to do it and painting these wooden legs to go on my altar. 

I plan to get the bathroom immaculately clean. It really needs to be done and not just because I am going to paint in there, although that is a huge part of it. Spring cleaning is a big part of spring and a wonderful way to welcome the long-awaited return of spring. I certainly plan to spring clean. My apartment really needs it and I love a fresh clean home. 

The bathroom renovation will be a ton of work.  I am sure it will be beautiful when I am all done. I plan to add more plants and amethyst crystals too. I want the big chunks of amethyst and not just the small ones. I googled witchy bathrooms online and I love what I saw. Of course, those images are all doctored to make it look that great but that is a good place to start to get inspired. 

I want to add a new nightstand and two new dressers to the bedroom. I plan to assemble the bookcases at my Mom’s place and paint them there. I have already made some changes in the bedroom. I installed two hooks on the side of the green bookcase and hung two witch brooms and my stand. That got them off the floor. I swept the area and now the black lap desk rests underneath the bookcase, giving the area an uncluttered look. 

I own a lovely black chest that holds my witchy supplies for spells. I touched it up with black paint and now the wooden chest looks brand new. I sorted through the items in the chest, tossed what no longer serves me and I kept what is still beautiful to me and useful. Now I have a clean wooden chest and I am one step closer to something that has long been an aspiration of mine: to get my altar off the floor. 

Tomorrow I am painting the wooden table legs (for my altar) with primer then I paint them black on Wednesday. My Mom will help me attach them to the altar. I will remove everything from the altar, clean and refresh it, and we will attach the table legs. I want to paint them black the same color as the altar with green vines. It will look great. I am so excited about this project. I currently hate having my altar on the floor. It makes it so awkward for me. Having it up off the floor elevates it to new levels, for sure!

Then I will sage it and dress the altar for Imbolc which is fast approaching. So first I will paint the altar table legs, then paint the bathroom walls then paint the bathtub in the bathroom. I will do just one project at a time. My Mom said I could borrow all her painting supplies, which saves me a ton of money. She is also sharing the paint for the bathroom walls with me, again which saves me money. 

I do believe I have a drop cloth in storage in the broom closet. Painting is a pain in the butt with a cat here in my apartment so I plan to move her litter box to the kitchen to avoid her being in my way. I don’t want to have a lot of cat hair in the paint or stuck to the walls. It will be hard enough to do all this. 

Change is in the air… but that is part of spring. I might add hooks and paint them white to match the bathroom walls above the trim. I will then arrange vines and fairy lights around the large bathroom mirror to soften the harsh perfectly square mirror frame. I have no idea why I didn’t think of that before. I can get ivy vines from outside. it grows abundantly on the maple tree in the front yard. That will be very handy. Ivy symbolizes resurrection, healing and is good for binding lovers together. Well I don’t have a love life but I like the other symbolism. 

I have plenty to keep me occupied for the next few weeks! In other news, I am still working on edits for my novella. I ordered these cool prints from Stamprints and I want to add them to the book I bound myself. They are so cool. I think I will wait until I fill the book with poems and then add them. I have a lot of those leaves to add too. I bought a bottle of Mod Podge glue. I am waiting a long time, way too long, for a witch broom to come in the mail. I am unsure why the order is taking such a snail’s age to arrive. I am still waiting for the new issue of Witches and Pagans magazine to arrive in the mail. 

I am so happy because my article that was printed in the Plant Healer Quarterly magazine is also published in a book. Here are some links : https://www.amazon.ca/Materia-Medica-IV-Botany-Herbalists/dp/B0CNKPZP38/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QWPLBNXQOA9&keywords=Materia+Medica+IV%3A+Botany+For+Herbalists.&qid=1705955453&sprefix=materia+medica+iv+botany+for+herbalists+%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1

The paperback copy can be found on Amazon at the above link. I am honoured and happy to be included. Now, turning over to the more horror side of things, the editor of the Horror Zine, Jeani Rector, has been voted the best magazine/ Ezine editor in the Critters Annual Readers Poll 2023. She published my short story and my poetry. I am happy to be published in a publication that was accorded that honour. The Horror Zine, her zine, was also voted the Best Fiction magazine/ Ezine by the same poll for 2023. 

Here is the link to the website: https://thehorrorzine.com/

The Spring issue is now available on Amazon so go get a copy right now!!! Cozy up with these awesome publications I am in to keep you busy this winter. It will be spring before we know it. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 25, 2023 · 11:53 am

A Dark Inspiration

Merry meet all,

This post will focus on Samhain and my dyeing fabric project using acorns. Are you all excited? I am.

I foraged for a very big mullein stalk yesterday morning. The stalk was about six feet in length. I plan to use the mullein stalk to make hag tapers or torches with. I hope and hope the weather on October 31st will cooperate. I want to have the traditional bonfire. I always have my traditional bonfire. I will  prepare the mullein pieces, cut to size in a double boiler pot with melted beeswax. I will add herbs and oils. I want the beeswax to look black so I will add charcoal. An additive to make beeswax black can affect the way it burns. The charcoal is purely for aesthetic purposes. The popular herbs for Samhain can be used to enhance the beeswax and hag tapers. I would use aromatic herbs like sage, rosemary, wormwood, mugwort and rose. I can’t wait to make the hag tapers.

I’m making the dye bath with the acorns I foraged for earlier. I have treated the muslin cloth in a pot of water with the powdered album. I use the album to make the fabric take to the dye. I used a very large stainless steel pot and added the acorns. I have to ensure the water covers the acorns. I will continue to simmer the acorns for till late tonight and let the acorns soak in the water all night until about midday tomorrow. The longer that the acorns steep, hopefully the darker the color will be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I will strain the acorns and pour the dye bath back into the pot. The acorn dye bath has steeped overnight and I’m boiling it on the stove again. The dye has become a lovely dark brown colour. I know the dye will be three times lighter when rinsed and dried. That’s why I am steeping the acorns for so long, to achieve the darkest color possible. I will attempt to dye the fabric tonight and I may do a test patch too. I am excited to see how this turns out. The tannins in the acorns are what make the dye possible. Acorns are rich in tannins. It makes me feel so witchy, stirring a pot of acorns! The scent from the acorns is musky and earthy. 

Now I have to prepare for Samhain! I am sure I am not the only one. I pureed the pumpkin to brew pumpkin bread, perhaps some barmbrack bread and pumpkin soup. I may even try making powdered pumpkin and use my dehydrator. I want to harvest dandelion roots and dry them in my dehydrator. 

Fall is the season of abundance! I am sure the book I am binding will be beautiful. Last night, I worked on it some more. I watched a few videos about people who know how to bind books professionally. They sure knew their stuff. Some of it was a little over the top. I am binding the book to create a book for my horror poetry. I want to write another poetry book. I have a pdf of the Writing in the dark poetry workbook. I am not writing my rough drafts of the poems in that book. Of course the first poem I will put in the book will be the one I wrote and had published, about the cemetery, Encounter with Death. I want to stain the pages with coffee or tea and maybe other herbal infusions. Or dilute essential oils and add that to the pages. I want herbs to have a big role in the creation of this book. The acorns are already adding that energy. I did make three pages of paper. I added a few herbs to the pages too. I will tea stain those pages and add them to the front and back of the book. The covers and spine are cut to size. I cut a small rectangle on the back book cover so I can emboss that section. 

I also plan to include a photo of the headstone where I gathered the acorns by accident. I want to include a small note that I appreciate and respect the spirit for letting me gather the acorns. I’m putting the note in an envelope and storing at the front of the book. I thought of buying a taper logy set ( the decorative paper for making a junk journal) and dyeing the paper and adding it to the book. 

The fabric I’m binding the book with is muslin. I hope the colour will be a deep enough colour of brown for this to work. I want to attach a black velveteen strip to go over the front edges of the book. I also want to add 4 corner protectors. Most of the supplies are available at Michaels. I love that store. I want to also add an adhesive to the muslin once dyed to make the fabric stiffer and more durable. 

I considered making the paper for the book by hand. But I don’t have the fine art of making paper with a mold and deckle down enough. I plan to buy a pack of coloured paper at Staples and then tea staining it and trimming the outer front edges of the paper to add texture. I have a lot of plans with this project. Maybe this will finally make me write that book already! 

Golds, brown and black tones and shades will obviously work here. I originally wanted to use the davy board up. I had some remaining from my other project. I want to decorate the pages with crows, spiders and bats. This is supposed to be about horror after all. I will post more when the book is complete. I can’t wait and I can’t wait for Samhain. 

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

 

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October 5, 2023 · 2:52 pm

Spooky reads, horror movies and lollipops oh my!

Merry meet all,

October is the most magical month! Today’s post is all about how to enjoy this insanely magickal month! Whether that be which movie to watch, which horror novel to read and more!

I am a member of the Horror Writers Association as most of my darkling readers know, and that means that I sometimes get sent free PDFs to read from them. If I like it, then I nominate them for a Bram Stoker Award. That is a great reason right there to become a member of the awesome organization. I get to read the honking’ huge October issue newsletter and with that, are many goodies. So let’s dive in to the good gory horror stuff, shall we? You will only get the best of the best here!

First up, books!

Come on, reading won’t kill you. Sit down with a hot cup of cider or coffee and enjoy!

London native C.C. Adams is the horror/dark fiction author behind books such as But Worse Will Come, Misery And Other Lines, and Downwind, Alice. A member of the HWA, he still lives in the capital. This is where he lifts weights, cooks—and looks for the perfect quote to set off the next dark delicacy.

Adams has a story in The Black Beacon Book of Horror anthology releasing Friday, October 13, 2023 (yes, you read that right, Friday the 13th). The anthology features dark and disturbing tales of psychological, supernatural, folk, gothic, and cosmic horror that you might want to read with the lights on (or off). It’s big horror fun! You can read interviews with the authors at https://blackbeaconbooks.blogspot.com/.

Lydia Peever

September brings a full semester of reading to our desks, with a little nonfiction on the reading list, too! Short stories abound, so our backpacks and brains won’t get too overloaded with page count; though there are many new authors’ names to learn. Worth studying up in case there is a quiz!

+++++

Midnight Masquerade
Greg Chapman
IFWG Publishing
2023-10-31
https://ifwgpublishing.com/title-midnight-masquerade/
Midnight Masquerade, a collection of Greg Chapman’s acclaimed and original fiction. In these stories, you’ll discover how the masks we all wear hide our innermost fears, and how our choices can expose true horrors. Also included are Chapman’s acclaimed novellas, The Last Night of October and Vaudeville, and the short stories, “Octoberville” and “Left on October Lane.”

Christmas and Other Horrors
Ellen Datlow, editor
New York Chapter
Titan Books
2023-10-24
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/727016/christmas-and-other-horrors-by-ellen-datlow/
Hugo Award-winning editor and horror legend, Ellen Datlow presents a terrifying and chilling horror anthology of original short stories exploring the endless terrors of winter solstice traditions across the globe, featuring chillers by Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and many more.

Abject Fear
Paul Carro
Tether Falls Press
2023-10-20
https://paulcarrohorror.com
Dr. Mitch Trager, a brilliant but tormented scientist, is haunted by an unspeakable tragedy that shatters his world. In a desperate bid to save humanity from the shackles of terror, Trager assembles an eclectic team of scientists, each burdened with their own agonizing phobias. Together, they plunge into the abyss of the human mind seeking a cure for the most elusive disease of all. Fear.

The Weird Cat
Katherine Kerestman and S.T. Joshi
WordCrafts Press
2023-10-18
http://www.creepycatlair.com
A well-told horror story has much in common with your own cherished puss. Kitty jumps upon your lap and purrs, and you turn the page of your book. You are mindful that cats dwell in a larger world than our own, the gulfs and abysses of which we can obtain but a shadowy glimpse, through their eyes. In The Weird Cat you delve into that larger realm through more than three dozen classic and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays by masters of the craft.

Deathrealm: Spirits
Stephen Mark Rainey, editor
Virginia Chapter
Shortwave Publishing
2023-10-17
https://shortwavepublishing.com/catalog/deathrealm-spirits-horror-anthology
Editor Stephen Mark Rainey is thrilled to announce the release of Deathrealm: Spirits, a new horror anthology from Shortwave Publishing. This volume includes fiction and verse by authors such as Linda D. Addison, Meghan Arcuri, Larry Blamire, Maurice Broaddus, Brian Keene, Ronald Kelly, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Massie, Jeff Oliver, and many others.

Tomorrow & Tomorrow
Lillah Lawson and Lauren Emily Whalen
Sword & Silk Publishing
2023-10-17
https://www.swordandsilkbooks.com/post/cover-reveal-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-by-lauren-emily-whalen-lillah-lawson
A dark and twisted retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring an all-girl rock band straight out of Athens, Georgia; witches; ghosts; and murder most foul.

Along About Midnight
Dorian J. Sinnott
Raven’s Hollow Books
2023-10-16
Like every small town, Oakridge has its secrets. When October falls, Peter Harlow and his friends seek to uncover them at the Chapel Hill Cemetery—surrounded by jack-o’-lanterns at midnight. But what starts off as a fun scare for the season, an attempt to wake the Devil, turns into something far more than they bargained for.

We Used to Be Different: a collection of stories and miniatures
Elle Mitchell
Oregon Chapter
Little Key Press
2023-10-13
https://emitchellwrites.com
Sixty-two eclectic stories and flash fiction pieces with sixty-two miniatures to match. Take a journey through the unexpected in We Used to Be Different, the latest mixed-media collection from the creative and twisted mind of dark fiction and crip-fic author and multi-disciplinary artist Elle Mitchell.

The Devil Thinks I’m Pretty
Charlene Elsby
Ontario Chapter
Apocalypse Party
2023-10-13
https://www.apocalypse-party.com/devil.html
A teenage girl can sense the devil in the trailer park. A devil’s threesome allows him to fully possess her. She can see her boyfriend’s mind is wandering. The new girl will suffer enough for everyone.

Chasing Shadows: Convocation
Zachariah Jones
Water Sign Books
2023-10-10
http://www.thezachariahjones.com
The second installment of the Chasing Shadows trilogy. The story follows Jarek Videni, a young intuitive whose next step in his journey has brought him to Deadwood, South Dakota circa 1924. Nearly 50 young women have gone missing, and it is up to Jarek to try and uncover the sinister darkness tied to the missing women … and himself.

Foxfire
Rowan Hill
Bayou Wolf Press
Virginia Chapter
2023-10-10
http://www.writerrowanhill.com
Eight potential investors and acquaintances gather at the site of a future hotel in remote Lapland. It is polar midnight in the cold ancient forest, the sky is full of the flaming aurora, and the guests begin dying at an alarming rate. As the dwindling survivors rally against the spectre stalking the forest, an ancient force connected to the land wants them off and will leave only one alive.

Let Me Tell You a Story
Tim Waggoner
OH Chapter
Raw Dog Screaming Press
2023-10-05
https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story
Partly autobiographical, partly tutorial and diagnostic, each chapter in this book features one of Waggoner’s stories followed by reflection on the historical context of publication, insightful commentary, and exercises for writers who are just learning their craft as well as those who have already made a name for themselves.

Songs in the Key of Death
JG Faherty
New York Chapter
LVP Publications
2023-10-03
http://www.lycanvalley.com/2023/05/new-release-songs-in-key-of-death-by-jg.html
JG Faherty‘s first poetry collection explores a wide range of subjects, including technology, love, fear, death, the afterlife, and insanity. There are evil dentists and surgeons, parasites, cryptids, monsters, mad scientists, maniacs, aliens, evil plants, sentient tumors, ghosts, prisoners, serial killers, and more.

Spirits of the Dead
Keith Gilman
Severn House
2023-10-03
http://www.keithgilman.com
Spirits of the Dead is a masterpiece of supernatural horror, a tightly woven tale of possession held together with fraying threads of human emotion. Readers will be scared. They will also be moved.

The Devil’s Promise
Celso Hurtado
Inkshares
2023-10-03
https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Promise-Ghost-Tracks/dp/195030163X
San Antonio is full of secrets, and seventeen-year-old Erasmo Cruz investigates the strangest of them. After gaining renown for surviving the city’s legendary Ghost Tracks, he has set up shop as a paranormal investigator. But helping exorcize other people’s demons doesn’t seem to relieve his own; his best friend has abandoned him, his grandmother is nearing death, and his own health has taken a sudden decline. A new case hurls Erasmo into a dark web of cults, bargains, and broken pasts. Only one thing is certain: the Devil keeps his promises.

Thin Places
Barbara Cottrell
Vanishing Edge Press
2023-10-02
http://www.barbaracottrell.com
Bodies falling from the sky, a serial killer on the loose, and endless bureaucracy. Winter quarter has begun at Miskatonic University.

Blood in the Holler
David Sangiao-Parga
Woodhall Press/Penguin Random House
2023-10-02
http://www.davidsangiao-parga.com
A group of pro wrestlers run afoul of some meth dealers in West Virginia on their way to a show. Their only hope for survival lies in the hands of current company champion and former U.S. Marine Brick Lamar, who’s in a race against time to find them before it’s too late.

Impulses of a Necrotic Heart: and Other Afflictions
Red Lagoe
Virginia Chapter
Death Knell Press
2023-09-29
https://redlagoe.com/impulses-of-a-necrotic-heart
The heart rots with every trauma and every wrongdoing, and if we’re not careful the necrosis invades. It has spread across these fifteen tales of horror, ranging from sci-fi to supernatural, psychological to body horror. None of which are for the faint of heart.

Cold, Black & Infinite: Stories of the Horrific & Strange
Todd Keisling
PA Chapter
Cemetery Dance Publications
2023-09-26
https://www.cemeterydance.com/coldblackinfiniteKeisling
Down here in the dark lies a vast and twisted landscape where the wicked, wistful, and profane coalesce. This is where the lonely and lost face their demons, where anxious paranoias are made manifest, and where mundane evil wears a human face. For readers, the sixteen stories found within Cold, Black, & Infinite serve as a harrowing glimpse into the nightmarish imagination of Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of Devil’s Creek and Scanlines.

Pre-Approved for Haunting
Patrick Barb
Keylight Books
2023-09-26
https://turnerbookstore.com/products/pre-approved-for-haunting
In this new collection, Patrick Barb explores themes of family found and lost, media consumption and the dangers of runaway nostalgia, the supernatural in our lives, and the impact of violence in both the long- and short-term.

Crawling: A Horror Anthology
Cat Benstead, editor
New South Wales Chapter
Hear Us Scream Press
2023-09-23
https://www.hearusscream.com/store/p/physical-preorder-crawling-a-horror-anthology
Prepare to witness grotesque metamorphoses that distort the human form, blurring the lines between flesh and monstrosity. This anthology dares to push the boundaries of the body-horror genre, immersing you in a world of dread and dreadfulness, delivering an unparalleled reading experience that will linger in your nightmares. With: Elecia Page, Danny Shaw, A.E. Santana, Elou Carroll, E.J. Bramble, Chloe Spencer, Caroline Barnard-Smith, A.R.C Mitra, Katharine Pollock, Tinamarie Cox, Kourtnea Hogan, Samantha Arthurs, August Blaine, Centauri.

Ascent of a Vengeful Woman
Ashon Ruffins
Dreadful Times Press
2023-09-22
http://www.DreadfulTimesPress.com
The town of Dalyville’s history of wickedness is catching up with its residents as an evil force that simmers beneath the surface boils over with blood-thirsty intent. The past never dies. It festers. It cultivates in pain, waiting to rear its ugly head and inflict suffering, terror, and vengeance, bringing everyone around it to their knees.

On the Subject of Blackberries
Stephanie M. Wytovich
PA Chapter
Raw Dog Screaming Press
2023-09-21
https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/on-the-subject-of-blackberries
On the Subject of Blackberries is a poetry collection that meditates on female rage, postpartum depression, compulsion, and intrusive thinking. Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and under the influence of found poetry and bibliomancy, Wytovich harnesses the occult power of her imagery and words and aligns it with a new, more vulnerable, darkness.

October Screams: A Halloween Anthology
Kenneth W. Cain, editor
Maryland Chapter
Kangas Kahn Publishing
2023-09-19
https://kkpublish.com/
October Screams brings you twenty-seven tales of the greatest holiday of all, Halloween! Featuring stories from authors like Brian Keene and Richard Chizmar, Kealan Patrick Burke, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many others.

Hollow
Davide Tarsitano
DT Author
2023-09-19
https://www.dtarsitano.com/
The world of Peter Hanson, emerging true crime writer, is about to fall apart. His parents have been found dead in their bed. The case is quickly closed as an accident, despite the doubts of the homicide investigator in charge of the case. Peter realizes that sanity and logic have very little to do with the events unfolding. A dark force is at play: an ancient and insatiable evil that feeds off negative human emotion is on the hunt for a new prey.

Never Whistle at Night
Shane Hawk Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Penguin Random House
2023-09-19
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707468/never-whistle-at-night-by-shane-hawk-and-theodore-c-van-alst-jr-editors/
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night: it can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home. These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge.

A Thin Veil of the Cosmos
Thomas Michael Thomas
Florida South West Chapter
Insomniac Cat Publications
2023-09-16
http://www.thomasmichaelthomas.com
An occult curious, small-town goth teen, Abagail Gibson, stumbles upon an obscure book that enables her to send her voice across the universe and connect with intelligent life.

The Caretaker
Cass Clarke
Hear Us Scream Press
2023-09-15
https://www.hearusscream.com/store/p/physical-preorder-the-caretaker-by-cass-clarke
Cara, an exhausted ICU nurse, reluctantly finds herself sifting through her deceased mother’s house, a task she never anticipated. While doing so, she unexpectedly uncovers her mother’s hidden secrets, including a mysterious haunted hospice bed. In a bid to confront these eerie revelations, she enlists the help of her loyal cousin Dylan and her enigmatic ex-girlfriend Beth, unwittingly leading them all into a nightmarish ordeal.

Darkest Days and Haunted Ways
Ashley Dioses
Los Angeles Chapter
Jackanapes Press
2023-09-13
https://www.jackanapespress.com/product/darkest-days-and-haunted-ways
Darkest Days and Haunted Ways is a collection of horror poetry that focuses on psychological horrors and terrors of the mind.

Girl, Incorrupted: a love-horror story
Megan Bledsoe
Arched Brow Books
2023-09-12
https://meganbledsoe.com/girl-incorrupted/
While trying to become the kind of girl her boyfriend says he’d marry, college senior Daphne James entangles herself with the local vaudeville star, an incorrupt corpse who thinks that Daphne can help reanimate her body. A love-horror story.

Never Wake: An Anthology of Dream Horror
Kenneth W. Cain and Tim Meyer, editors
PA Chapter
Crystal Lake Publishing
2023-09-08
https://www.crystallakepub.com/product/never-wake-an-anthology-of-dream-horror/
Where do we go when we dream? Since the beginning of time, people have argued the meaning of dreams. Are they symbolic visions that hold great meaning and personal significance? Are they portals into other worlds? Or are they just a series of random events our mind shows us when we fall asleep? Whatever the case, this much is true—the mind can be a scary place to venture, even for a few hours.

There’s No Way I’d Die First
Lisa Springer
New York Chapter
Delacorte Press
2023-09-05
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714580/theres-no-way-id-die-first-by-lisa-springer
A spine-tingling contemporary horror-comedy novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game.

The Eerie Brothers and The Witches of Autumn
Sheldon Higdon
Pittsburgh Chapter
Scary Dairy Press, LLC
2023-09-04
http://www.sheldonhigdon.com
Twin brothers, Horace and Edgar Eerie, must travel back to 1692, Salem, to stop Hex, a judge and powerful witch, from entering the present world. He’s after the Four Seasons, totems that hold the seeds to the seasons, and once obtained, he’ll control all magic, the Hidden Ones, humans, and Mother Nature. However, dark family secrets are revealed, and they could destroy the brothers’ family, friends, and their future before they make it back home.

Who Haunts You
Mark Wheaton
Off Limits Press
2023-09-02
https://www.offlimitspress.com/mark-wheaton
High school senior Rebecca “Bex” Koeltl is just trying to make it to graduation. But when her fellow seniors begin dying in seemingly unrelated incidents, Bex uncovers disturbing connections between their deaths, including that the teens believed they were haunted by long-dead relatives their own family members swear never existed. After Bex is visited by a malevolent specter of her own, she realizes she has to get the bottom of this horror before she’s its next victim.

Vampire Dentist
Christine J. Whitlock
Ontario Chapter
The Elite Lizzard Publishing Co.
2023-09-01
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH3Q5HWK
Meet Dr. Moe Lars, a struggling young dentist with dreams as vast as the night sky, confined to a dilapidated warehouse as a last-ditch effort by his devoted Auntie Mae Lars. His unconventional journey from the bottom of his class to the heart of dental darkness results in a clinic quite unlike any other; one bustling with fanged patients and unconventional procedures.

Nightmares
Sandra Becerril, editor
Gauntlet Press
2023-08-31
https://www.gauntletpress.com/product/nightmares-an-anthology/
Sandra Becerril, the most renowned horror writer out of Mexico, brings together for the first time three Hollywood masters and legends of the genre, with thought-provoking introductions each author wrote to their stories.

The Foot Doctor
A.J. Spencer
Psychotoxin Press
2023-08-29
https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Doctor-J-Spencer/dp/B0CGL9T5VB
Gambling addict and criminal Chris Hawthorne gets injured on a job gone wrong and crosses paths with a doctor that has a grotesque hobby.

The Dead Shall Rise: Zombie Zombie Zombie
Jay Wilburn, Armand Rosamilia, and Erin Louis
Crystal Lake Publishing
2023-08-25
https://getbook.at/DarkTide10
They’re coming to get you, Brave Reader. Crystal Lake’s Dark Tide series will continue soon with more tales after this installment spotlighting three authors’ tales of the undead.

A Shadow of Your Former Self
Amy Grech
NY Chapter
Alien Buddha Press
2023-08-20
https://www.crimsonscreams.com
A collection of poetry and prose that “… takes us on an excursion of life through the eyes of a New Yorker, from 2020’s forced isolation and displacement, through facets of personal loss, to the devastating impact of guns on our lives …” – Linda D. Addison

Shallow Waters, Vol. 9
Joe Mynhardt, editor
Crystal Lake Publishing
2023-08-17
https://getbook.at/SWaters9
With 19 dark fiction and horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.

Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
Chicago Chapter
Quirk Books
2023-08-15
https://jameskennedy.com/books/
Every generation, a small midwestern town comes under attack by sentient tornadoes, and the only defense is a strange boy known only as the tornado killer. A high school girl finds herself drawn to the tornado killer, and she discovers the unnatural connections between them. But the adults are hiding a secret about the origin of the tornadoes and the true nature of the tornado killer—and our heroine must outrun the primeval power that binds them all before it can claim her.

Curse Of The Barrens: An Ameri-Scares Novel
David Simms
VA Chapter
Crossroad Press
2023-08-01
https://www.amazon.com/Ameri-Scares-New-Jersey-Curse-Barrens/dp/1951510143
The legend of the Jersey Devil takes a wild turn in the newest installment of HWA legend Elizabeth Massie‘s AMERI-SCARES series. Dominic Riley moves to the outskirts of the Pine Barrens where he meets a friend whose family harbors dark secrets, ones that could have monstrous, devastating effects on the town. This tale tackles bullying, acceptance, and dysfunctional families in a frightening story for middle grade and teen readers.

Shadows on Glass and Other Stories
Jamie Lackey
Pittsburgh Chapter
2023-07-28
https://www.jamielackey.com/shadows-on-glass-and-other-stories/
Shadows on Glass and Other Stories collects 45 fantasy stories, including three previously unpublished tales. Set in worlds only a few steps removed from our own, pushing at the border between the real and the imaginary, Jamie Lackeydeftly leads readers down paths just twisted enough to get lost on. From sentient stuffed animals to haunted terpsitones to friendly toasts, this whimsical and unsettling collection of weird little stories contains something for everyone.

Monsters Are Real
V.L. Jones
2023-06-28
https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Are-Real-Collection-Jones/dp/B0C9SNDRLM
You will love these stories if you love cryptids, monsters, and urban legends. Monsters Are Real is a collection of stories about things that lurk in the darkness, waiting.

Bloofer
Cathleen Allyn Conway
London Chapter
Broken Sleep Books
2023-05-31
https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/cathleen-allyn-conway-bloofer
Bloofer is an intoxicating mix of the playful macabre and elements of dark academia. Conway’s illicit obsessions creep through like the full moon on a cloudy night: Bram Stoker, Plath in thrall to the occult, dark alleyways and haunted libraries. Bloofer hides razorblades between the pages that give a keen edge to this thrilling and mischievous collection of poems that disarm you with humour before they bite you.

Now on to other forms of spooky entertaining media!!! So grab your popcorn and cider/soda and sit here with the latest and scariest!

DVD

BOOGEYMAN—Tuesday, October 10. Rated PG-13. This film, based on the Stephen King story, concerns a grieving father, his two teenage daughters, and the monster his new patient has brought into their lives. Produced by Shawn Levy (STRANGER THINGS), it stars Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair.

The Exorcist movie is out and this looks to be a good one! Following that is Saw X & the Nun 2, A Haunting in Venice, Talk to me. You have a lot to choose from. The above selections were from the Horror Writers Association October newsletter. For those who are brave enough, then feel free to peruse those titles and/ or catch a horror flick or two! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

P.S.  Have a sweet tooth? Of course you do. It’s October. I have already been through a package of candy corn myself. Read on how to make your own herbal goodness candy.

This recipe is two-fold, a little aromatic coffee brewing and a little candy boiling. Combined, they come together to form a delicious and unique herbal lollipop treat! 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ground coffee
½ teaspoon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark
½ teaspoon fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed
½ teaspoon cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) flower bud
8-12 ounces hot water
1 cup sugar
½ cup raw organic honey

Directions

  • Using a french press, add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee
  • Add in the cinnamon, fennel, and cloves; you can use either ground or whole dried spices for this recipe since they are going to be filtered out. However, do give your fennel seeds a little crush to release those volatile oils for an extra kick!
  • Add in 8 – 12 ounces of hot water to your french press, water amount depends on how strong you’d like your brew to be. 
  • Brew coffee mixture for about 5 minutes. Plunge and pour your coffee into a cup. 
  • Reserve this coffee liquid for the lollipops.
  • The next step is creating the herbal lollipop mixture.
  • Using a large pot, (this is important because your liquid is going to bubble and rise quite a bit) clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pot. 
  • Place the sugar, coffee liquid, and honey into the pot and cook on medium heat to watch your candy creation form.
  • Stir and watch your mixture boil until it reaches 300 degrees, which is considered a hard crack. This takes about 20 minutes. 
  • Once the desired temperature is reached, carefully pour the hot liquid into a large measuring cup. This will allow you to pour with more precision into the silicone lollipop molds. 
  • Working as quickly as possible, fill the silicone molds before the candy hardens. 
  • This next step is more of a housekeeping tip, but it’s an important one. Quickly clean your pots and supplies. HOT, hot, soapy water works well. Sometimes I have to boil water on the stove to get out some of the remaining candy that gets stuck to my supplies. It’s a little bit of a messy clean-up, but nothing a little soap and hot water can’t fix. 
  • The lollipops will harden in the silicone molds. When they are no longer warm to the touch, they are ready! 
  • Gently peel them out of the molds to reveal delicious Halloween herbal lollipops.

To Use:

These would be perfect for a Halloween carving party. A unique treat that you typically are not going to find in the candy aisle at the stores. If you’re not serving them at a function, store any leftover lollipops in an airtight container in the fridge. These get pretty sticky, use parchment paper to keep them from touching and sticking together. 

 

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September 10, 2023 · 5:08 pm

Mabon Magick

Merry meet all,

Trees are showing off their autumn colours. Pumpkins fill the shelves outside the grocery store here, orange and ripe. I’ve bought a number of Halloween- ish items – a rat figurine, a bird skeleton, ghostly napkins, a skeleton figurine (life size),  white ceramic pumpkin, 2 leafy placemats, a black plate for Samhain, and small wooden decorative items I have yet to paint and then glue onto the bookcase. I will get around to that. I recently realized that the skeleton will help me with my herbal studies. I have to learn how the whole human body works and it may just come in handy!

I am so excited! The Horror Zine that published my short story, Skin, is now released on Amazon. Here is the link: 

Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHNWKN1G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=206DBELL1XB7S&keywords=B0CHNWKN1G&qid=1694280722&sprefix=b0chnwkn1g%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1

Paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL7M2MX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JF6TE91DBLVS&keywords=B0CHL7M2MX&qid=1694287240&sprefix=b0chl7m2mx%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Also, I found out that the people or organization that is hosting the Paranormal Symposium offers online courses. I already saved up money for the courses. The courses are Demonology for four weeks and Parapsychology for 8 weeks. They are both offered in October. So that along with my story being published in the Horror Zine and my articles appearing in The Plant Healer Quarterly and Witches and Pagans magazine, I am so excited for fall. I also anticipate the honkin’ huge October issue of the Horror Writers Association newsletter. Lots of fun coming my way soon. 

I sent a photo of me in my favourite October costume for the HWA October newsletter. I hope they like it. See photo below: 

It’s spider season here. They are everywhere. My garden looks beautiful. I feel a bittersweetness now though,  because I know the frost lurks in the near future. After months of caring for my garden and watching it grow and bloom, this is hard for me. I am ok with my garden growing all year round and being green. I know the climate I am in does not provide that. I guess all things need to rest. It is just the natural way of things. I will miss my garden but today it is still hot out. The fan is cranked way up. The heat helps my veggies grow, such as my beans, celery, tomatoes and peppers. I can’t wait to harvest all this goodness. 

I’m not sure if I will get a squash. It may be too late in the season. But the bees enjoy the pollen rich flowers and so that’s good. We need to help the bees as much as we can. I’m planting garlic and onions this fall. I have a large wood box built by my brother to grow the onions and garlic in. I plan to protect them from any mischievous squirrels, rats, raccoons, and bluejays by leaving a large rock on top. That way, they can’t get to it and that way my garlic and onions get a good chance to grow well. I want to harvest lots of dandelion roots and elderberries. I’m waiting for the berries to ripen. 

That is a lot to look forward to! If only my stove would work. Anyway, I plan to be busy this fall, whether that is making cider (I don’t know how I will do that with this stove), carving pumpkins, foraging dandelion roots or learning about demonology. Lots to keep me busy!

I wish you all a wonderful, magickal Mabon!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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August 30, 2023 · 11:04 am

Horror Novels

Merry meet all,

I feel fall in the air.  The leaves are turning (already? gulp), the air feels crisp and I am just waiting for pumpkins to hit the shelves. The asters have bloomed which is a good sign of fall coming. The bees are busy gathering all the pollen they can. 

I have started chard and beans from seed in small pots. There is still time to grow them and if the frost hits, I can grow them indoors with the grow light kit. I switched the beige table cloth on my kitchen table to my black spiderweb lace tablecloth. I also dressed my altar for Mabon. Much as I am resisting fall, I’m embracing it as well. It is inevitable. I am just angsty for my garden. I’m also working on a corn doll for Mabon. I even made a broom from herb twig stems. A few herbs are soaking in a bowl of water to let the bugs escape. I plan to use them with the corn doll. I will post pictures later when I am finished the corn doll. 

I am also hoping to get elecampane to sprout from seed. I put a few seeds on a damp paper towel in a ziplock bag. Last night, I did a full moon ritual. It felt so good. it has been a long time since I did a full moon Rit and now I plan to get way back into my magic craft. 

Speaking of magic, as I gaze out my window, a spider has caught a big bug in his web. The spider twirled the bug around and around and hangs on tight despite the breeze hitting the web. The poor bug doesn’t stand a chance. It is amazing to witness and yet it repulses me. This is the fascinating twin nature of Mother Nature: life and death twined into one. Every August, there are suddenly so many spiders. The hard part is that the bug is still alive. That is what is hardest for me. I can understand something suffering then dying quick. But this bug in the cocoon at that spider’s mercy is still alive. I can tell by the way it’s upper legs twitch. It has to endure all that. For a reason unknown to me, spiders love to weave their webs at my bedroom/ office window. I am fascinated by spiders though. I know most people don’t feel the way I do. They would likely have a harder time living here. I live near a nature trail where there are lots and lots of industrious insects. The spider tugged his unwilling prey away. I have had enough of that. 

I stored herbs in jars last night. I dried them in my dehydrator all day yesterday and that was when I understood why I bought the dehydrator. It was so easy, so simple and cut out so much drying time. I plan to use my dehydrator a lot more often. I usually dry herbs on a screen or on my air drying rack but that took out all the work for me I usually do. Yup I have officially upgraded to a dehydrator. I love it. I dried lovage, Thai basil, mugwort, goldenrod, lemon balm, red clover, dandelion leaves, chamomile and St. John’s Wort. 

Samhain is sixty two days away! It is time to prepare. I can’t believe that time of year is here. Curl up with a few good horror books. I can’t get enough of it. I have had the privilege lately of reading some damn good horror fiction. The first novel on my list is The Twisted Ones by Kingfisher. I could not put this book down. The suspense killed me, the characters were amazing and the scary creatures were original. If I saw those creatures staring into my window at night and I was alone in the country, I would freak out too. Next on the list is The Devil Takes you home by Gabino Iglesias. Read. This. Book. I had a hard time muscling my way past a few gruesome scenes in the book but it kept me riveted till the end. I cried for Mario. The situation he ended up in was so tragic and I found his predicament very believable. This novel is terrifying. Read it with the lights on! The next novel on my list is My Heart is a Chainsaw. I am not sure if this classifies as horror. I wasn’t that scared. My Heart is a Chainsaw is a brilliant character driven novel. If you want to get deep into the heart and mind of the main character and the mystery in the town, then this is the novel for you. 

Those novels will definitely get you in the mood for a spooky Samhain. The next novel I plan to read is Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling, and that is another damn good horror book. I plan to keep writing and working on my own projects too. 

I have to get going but I will post soon. Till then, keep writing and stay spooky!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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August 21, 2023 · 1:24 pm

The Mystery of Death )O(

Merry meet all,

I am happy to post the link for my interview here. I was very happy to be interviewed about my writing. A. F Stewart was a total sweetheart. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/WjfJRyGVrg8?si=aqHrGpHU6PZn6w3v.  

The month of August flew by. This morning, I heard thunder. No lightning, but lots of rain, typical of the Maritimes. I never bought a garden hose this summer. There has been so much rain I never needed to. Soon pumpkins will fill the crates and line the shelves at the supermarkets. I was on a walk at the nature trail. There is an abundance of queen Anne’s lace and goldenrod on the trail. I decided I would make a flower essence with the queen Anne’s lace and tincture the goldenrod. I also plan to brew a second bottle of hawthorn cordial. Queen Anne’s lace is mildly poisonous. The only safe way to ingest it is as a flower essence. You have to dilute it. I will buy a large bottle of vodka and brandy next week to make the tincture and cordials and flower essences. I plan to forage and harvest a lot of dandelion roots too. I still have a jar of dandelion roots in a jar. I shall use that up in a tincture. Autumn is the perfect time for that. 

I want to watch the movie The Last Voyage of the Demeter again. I’m reading Stephen Graham Jones’s novel My Heart is a Chainsaw. Bit boring, really. I am not that scared. I saw the movie Disturbing Behaviour on Tube last night. Now that was creepy. It’s like Stepford kids, not wives. Wow. I mean the theme was obviously the pressure of conformity taken to a real extreme. Holy shit.  

Mabon is coming up. I love Mabon! I mean like I seriously love Mabon. It is next in the eternal spinning on the Wheel of the Year. And we know what comes after that! Samhain. Mabon is the second harvest Sabbat. Mabon is magical and bewitching. Samhain is magical but it is far more intense. I love the intensity of Samhain. But I want to talk about spirits. Mabon and Samhain are perfect times to conjure up spirits- no demons. The energy in the air, the fallen leaves and that oh so good dark feeling in the air. I’m still having my bonfire. They can’t stop me and probably won’t even notice it. 

I love to watch Slapped Ham on YouTube. Some of the creepy spooky paranormal events that are shared there are genuine. Some of it is fake. I love the paranormal occurrences that are real. It lends to my questions and theories about the paranormal. I have to wonder why and I know I am not the only one who wonders: why so much spirit activity lately? I know that ghost hauntings were made popular due to the show Ghost Adventures. It is happening so much. I have to wonder why. I am sure there is a reason but it is hard to just go up to a spirit and ask them why they are haunting us so much. And coming back from the dead equipped with all the answers is hard too. We will never know and so are left with questions and theories. This is partly why I am attending the first ever Paranormal Symposium. I have the same questions that so many other people have. I want to know why there are so many cases of hauntings now. Someone on Twitter asked the same questions I have: Why are there so many negative manifestations? I commented that there is so much evil in the world: violence, drugs, crime, war, poverty. I could go on and on. They are feeding off of it. 

If you google the word paranormal, you come up with 200,00 hits. Here’s a link on an article about the paranormal in Canada: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/paranormal-problems-on-canada-s-east-coast-are-investigated-in-ami-tv-s-new-series-sight-seers-886992543.html.

Here is a listing of paranormal documentaries: https://movieweb.com/paranormal-documentaries-that-will-haunt-you/

I think that something big is coming. I don’t necessarily mean the end of days, because that is extreme, but ghosts, demons and hauntings are becoming commonplace. I know we have ways to globally communicate now and that means we can see and learn more about what is going on in the world faster than ever before. It’s great to let us know about how the needless war is going on in the Ukraine, about wildfires ravaging a town or where a hurricane will strike next. It is also great in letting us know about paranormal occurrences too. But I just keep hearing about occurrences, not so much explanations about occurrences. I really want to hear that. That is a more difficult answer. I won’t give up. 

Maybe someone opened up a portal unwittingly. And now so many spirits and other weird things like cryptids have come through. Who knows? Maybe we will never know. That is part of the great mystery of life. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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August 2, 2023 · 6:34 pm

Herbs and horror stories

Merry meet all,

I can’t wait to tell you all the good news! My short fiction horror story, Skin, will appear in the November issue of the Horror Zine! I am so happy. I am so excited! I now have one more amazing reason to love fall. I never imagined I would get that story published. I got so many rejections but it proves that perseverance and faith pay off. I will post the link here when it is available. I am very happy about that. And no wonder. 

It is so hot here today, as I type at my Mom’s keyboard. I am determined to reach up to 900 blog posts. I’m getting there. My kitty Penny loves it here. She is here somewhere, covering the furniture and chairs with all her abundant cat hair. 

I love herbs. I am sure that anyone who has been loyally following this blog, and I hope some of you do, would know I am a fanatic for herbs. I brought more herbs home recently. I got black petunia flowers, a tricolor sage, another apple mint, calendula, borage and lovage. My garden is beautiful. The apple mint is growing well so I added a second apple mint. The lemon balm patch is huge. I plan to divide it this fall. Then I will have more room in my garden for other herbs. My green pepper plant is starting to show peppers. No tomatoes yet but I am sure they will show up. I bought copper ties to deter the slugs and placed the ties at the bases of my beans, pepper, squash plants. I also added them to the black petunias. I hope the copper ties help. 

This weekend, I plan to make jam with all the frozen fruit in my freezer. Blueberries, strawberries, haskap berries and rhubarb lie in wait. I look forward to that. I also have frozen orange rind. Mm I can imagine the taste already. 

The purple coneflower is coming along and will soon be in bloom. I am not 100% certain yet what is going on with my elecampane plant. I cut the lovage back and I noticed new growth. The mint herbs I have: apple mint, peppermint, spearmint, after eight mint and strawberry mint are growing well. They will make nice tea herbs. The lemon balm intends to take over the garden and makes no mystery about it. The nettle is growing well but I didn’t get much mugwort this year. The comfrey is growing well but I need to tie up the canes. I spied a few Chinese lanterns are growing well. The blueberries will be ripe soon and so will the raspberries. My garden receives more sunlight because the hurricane broke a tree branch. I believe that is why my garden is so beautiful and fruitful this year. The sage and oregano are growing well too as are the lavender and rosemary. 

My garden surprises me every year. I regularly water my garden, protect it, and fertilize it. I add plant supports and I usually just stand back and let my garden do its thing. I love gardening and watching my plants become beautiful and vibrant. I suppose I could bring in the lavender. I will bring in the rosemary, since I have a grow light kit. I plan to harvest a lot of dandelion roots this fall and use my dehydrator to dry them. 

I really want to see the upcoming horror movie, The Last Voyage of the Demeter. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001520/ I really can’t wait and I have saved up for it. The other movie I want to see is the new instalment in The Conjuring franchise, Insidious: The Red Door. Yeah I love the movies so much, of The Conjuring and Insidious. I want to write more horror stories (well, see top paragraph for a good explanation of why.) Pretty darn nice to get it published! I never expected that. Yeah I have to keep writing. Moments like that renew my enthusiasm and give me one more reason to keep living and keep going. It’s a bad idea to quit writing, no matter how hard, because one day that editor may send you an acceptance email. So please, persevere! Prove your mettle! 

And stay cool during all this great hot summer heat. It won’t last. Fall is around the corner!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

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July 26, 2023 · 10:19 am

Diversity

 

My Mom’s pot of nasturtiums!

Merry meet all,

Oh my the heat! I was just out in my garden. I love summer and everything about it. I love being able to wear what I want and relax. I am the most relaxed all year during the summer. Who can argue with sun, always being warm and that total sense of freedom? 

Today I want to write about diversity in the field of publishing and writing. I do support it. It is about time that more voices were heard. I love the works of the diverse writers published today. It is so sorely needed. The publishing world – the books that are produced were never meant to be only by white male writers. Not that I am knocking that, they are valid too, but all voices are valid. All the voices have something to say. But a white writer born in Colorado won’t know what it is truly like to grow up Hispanic or Chinese or gay or  as trans. You have to truly experience it to know it. It has to seep in your bones and stew in your blood, it has to consume you, emerge from your true self to pour onto the page. It represents you and it is you and it is special. 

I would hate to grow up on a planet with one culture, one race, one identity, one way of being. I would find that so boring. I want to eat at Mexican restaurants, learn a little Spanish, visit that amazing Middle Eastern restaurants and wear Nordic inspired outfits. Now how is that for culture variety? 

I read an amazing novel by Gabino Iglesias titled The Devil takes you home. I was amazed. The problem with today’s society is this movement of conformity being shovelled down our throats on the streets, in media and in the news. If that is not incentive for you to be your true self, then what is. I struggled to understand the words written in the language he truly knows. Nevertheless, I tried. I don’t understand a single word of Spanish. I know the English language very well of course. I believe that we all have to make efforts to understand each other and all the things we have to say and listen with our ears  -and hearts. We see with our hearts and ears. I hope we can all find a common middle ground or at least try to get halfway there. 

I remember when my Mother took in international boarders. That was so much fun. They brought their traditions, clothing and great cooking with them. I loved it. I struggled at times to understand what they were saying. But I would always try. I love chicken curry and the other awesome meals I was exposed to. I would not expect them to just give up who they are and do nothing but eat (boring) Canadian food. I am a diehard fan of ethnic food. 

I hate it when I see violence against black people, for example. It is mean and ugly and cruel. If we can all understand each other at my Mom’s house, and share cultures, then why isn’t that way in the world? But sadly, that is a naive way of viewing it. It is not that simple. I just hope that one day it is. The variety of cultures on earth is not just going away, so thankfully, most people are not out to hurt each other. To me, based on what I have shared in this post, you can see why I support diversity. I hope for a brighter future of not war but love, true understanding. 

I want to read books by Owl Goingback, Linda Addison and Sumiko Saulson and many others. Linda Addison helped edit an anthology titled Sycorax’s daughters. Not one single white author in the whole book! 

Let’s understand each other and support diversity. Let’s stand together. 

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

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