Tag Archives: press

October 9, 2024 · 12:00 pm

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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June 8, 2024 · 4:41 pm

Flash of the Undead Anthology

 

Merry meet all,

Today’s cold and rainy. It is hardly summer weather at all. However, on this bleak day, I still have cause for celebration. My flash fiction story, Undead, published by Wicked Shadow Press. The theme of the anthology is the undead. I love the cover of the book. My copy of the anthology arrived the other day. I read a few stories and they were so cleverly written!  I have read a few of the stories and they are not for the squeamish!

Another cool thing about this anthology is that some of the authors who are also published by Unveiling Nightmares appear in this anthology as well. 

“Welcome to the macabre world of the zombies, vampires, mummies and more with “Flash of the UnDead”, an electrifying collection of horror flash fictions from Wicked Shadow Press. This anthology, meticulously curated by the dynamic compiler of dark tales, Parth Sarathi Chakraborty, features 70 flash horror stories that will haunt your dreams and make you do a double take the next time you see hunger on a fellow human’s face.
Prepare to savour the sinister horror of zombies, the seductive malice of vampires, and the ancient terror of mummies as each story plunges you into a realm where death is just the beginning. Encounter draugrs rising from their icy graves, experience Frankenstein-inspired nightmares, and witness the grotesque transformation of the human condition that blurs the line between the living and the undead.
With contributions from both seasoned masters of horror and rising stars, “Flash of the UnDead” offers a kaleidoscope of fear that will grip you from the first page to the last. Prepare yourself for a journey into darkness where every flicker of hope is but a fleeting illusion and survival is the ultimate horror.
FLASH OF THE UNDEAD FEATURES WORKS BY THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS: Andrew Kurtz, Barlow Crassmont, Bissme S, BW Bloodlust, Chad Anctil, Daniel DiQuinzio, David Luquer, David O’Mahony, Dawn Colclasure, Del Gibson, Desiree Horton, Diane Arrelle, Don Money, Donald Glass, Elizabeth Suggs, F. Malanoche, Fernando E. Silva, Garry Engkent, Hayden Robinson, Heddy Johannesen, Ian Gielen, Irina Tall, J. Rocky Colavito, Jacek Wilkos, Jason Kristopher, Jason Lairamore, JB Corso, Jessica Gleason, John A. DeLaughter, John Affleck, John Lloyd, Jonah Jones, Jonathan Reddoch, Joseph E. Arechavala, Joshua Vise, Justin Eells, Kain S. Bishop, Kathleen Halecki, Kay Vance, Keith B Walters, L.W. Young, LaVern Spencer McCarthy, LF Mills, Liam Kerry, Linda M. Crate, Lolly Sparrow, Lorraine Sharma Nelson, Martin Eastland, Max Christmas, Nelly Shulman, Norbert Góra, Patrick Winters, Paul O’Neill, Phoenix Mendoza, Ricardo D. Rebelo, Robert Pope, Sarah Das Gupta, Shaun Avery, Sheri White, Stephen A. Roddewig, Summer Bosley, T.L. Beeding, Terry Alexander, Tony Earnshaw, Val Roberts, William J. Connell

Details

Publication Date
May 29, 2024
Language
English
ISBN
9788197231018
Category
Fiction
Copyright
All Rights Reserved – Standard Copyright License
Contributors
Edited by: Parth Sarathi Chakraborty

Specifications

Pages
247
Binding
Perfect Bound
Interior Color
Black & White
Dimensions
US Trade (6 x 9 in / 152 x 229 mm)

Keywords

undeadvampiresinduswords booksculturecult pressred polka books”
Here is how you can buy a copy for yourself and friends – and support their efforts to help street animals in India 

This anthology would make a great gift for a loved one or for the holidays. Please share and like this post. Revel in the stories of the undead and enjoy a coffee while you read if you dare!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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September 21, 2022 · 1:01 pm

Autumnal garden activities )O(

Merry meet all,

Tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox. It surprised us all  here in Halifax. The leaves are showing those famous fiery colors. The elderberries ripen on the stems, the queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod and burdock slowly go to seed. The sky is overcast here, and everyone is scrambling to get ready for hurricane Fiona. 

I was out in my rain soaked garden this morning. Slugs clung to leaves while wasps sipped pollen. This is a bittersweet time for me. The squash and tomatoes are setting fruit late this season, I am not sure why. It could be because we had a heatwave this summer. You would think that heatwave would have been beneficial for sun loving tomatoes but no. The tomatoes are growing now. Ah well. 

I have to put my garden to sleep for the cold winter ahead and I am sharing how I plan to do that in this post today. My witch hazel flowers late in the year. I love my witch hazel. I plan to buy a huge bag of soil and arrange the soil around the trunk, then I will add a big bag of worm castings into the soil to leave nutrients for the witch hazel. I might even buy some wood chips to act as mulch. I am trying to think of what else I can leave there as a nutrient rich compostable mulch for the roots to feed on all winter. I would have to remember to remove the wood chips because the lungwort blooms wonderfully under the witch hazel in the spring. 

The leaves cascade to the earth every autumn. I usually just keep the leaves there all over my garden all winter. They act as a natural mulch/ blanket that protects my garden during the harsh winter. I rake them away in the spring. I may sprinkle worm castings, bonemeal, eggshells and coffee grounds all over my garden. 

The leaves of the plants, the vines, flowers and whatever I don’t harvest naturally dies back. This is the most free natural compost ever. I have a wooden compost box. I will store the faded dead leaves, branches, stems in the box. Most of the foliage I leave where it is to act as a natural compost and soil nutrients all winter. I spread the soil I used to grow the potatoes over my garden. The soil was amazing! The soil was loose, loamy, obviously nutrient rich and dark black. I loved it and I am sure the garden did too. The rain washes away the soil so it was nice to add rich soil to the garden. 

I still have to harvest the celery, lemon basil, raspberry leaves, mint, tomatoes, healthy disease free witch hazel leaves and beans. The red flowers of the scarlet runner beans are growing so well now. The pollinators are busy. The beans also grow overnight it seems. The leaves I keep on the soil are a nice refuge for hardworking insects too. I’m letting the purple coneflower go to seed. The bees love purple coneflowers. The nasturtiums are still blooming, and I watched as a wasp visited one fiery nasturtium bloom this morning. The wasps built a nest on the inside of the shed door. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I harvested the beautiful Chinese lanterns in the photo above. I am amazed at how rich the colours are. I’m waiting and hoping the calendula blossoms soon. I have no idea why it takes so long. I harvested and pressed the lovely yellow heliopsis and I have pressed many other flowers. I want to make a Samhain/ autumn candle lantern like I did with the  Summer Solstice lantern. I want to paint the jar a rich deep Burgundy colour so the autumn colors really pop out. Yup I think it will be gorgeous. 

Pressed purple coneflower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still have to harvest the elecampane roots, seeds and flowers. The stalk is turning brown. I will harvest in October. 

I have recipes to make elderberry mead, hawthorn cordial, elderberry syrup, cranberry sauce . They are perfect for guarding the health of your immune system all winter. Winter is known for the time when colds, flus and illnesses spread. Those recipes are sure to boost your immune system! Elecampane has inula in the roots. I can’t wait to harvest elecampane and feel like a true herbalist. I have harvested mullein root, and I want to harvest dandelion and burdock after a cold snap. The winter squash has a flower now. I don’t understand why it waited till now but plants follow their own calendar, not the calendar we impose on them. 

Elecampane

 

What to Forage in Fall: 30+ Edible and Medicinal Plants and Mushrooms

I’ve included the recipes here for your own convenience. I hope you try them and let me know in the comments below how it went. I am available here if you have any questions on how to make herbal remedies to guard your health and your family’s health this coming fall season. Now is the time to stock up on ginger, onions, elderberries ( remember: they are not edible raw!), echinacea tinctures, etc. But more on that later! Blessed Mabon to everyone! Or, if you prefer, Happy Autumn Equinox! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

How To Clear The Garden In The Fall – What To Do With Your Plants & Soil!

How to Make Elderberry Mead

https://theherbalacademy.com/homemade-bug-bite-salve/

https://theherbalacademy.com/homemade-fire-cider/

https://theherbalacademy.com/herbal-cough-syrup/

https://theherbalacademy.com/foraging-goldenrod/

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June 27, 2022 · 12:00 pm

Summer Herb Crafts

Merry meet all,

There is so much exciting news.  The sequel to the long- awaited Stranger Things Volume 4 episode is a few days away. That and summer is here. What could be better? Yeah summer’s here. My garden is almost in full bloom. We’ve had serious rain for the last few days. On the plus side, it helps my garden grow. Plants don’t have to reach so deep for moisture. I prefer the sun though. 

I just found some mandrake and elecampane seeds! Ok now for a planter and soil. I hope that this is the year that the elecampane flowers in my garden. I want more elecampane plants. Elecampane is a medicinal herb. It has been used for its medicinal qualities since Ancient Greek and Roman times. It is used for respiratory health. I love my elecampane plant. However, this herb demands patience. It has taken a few years for it to get big and not one flower yet!

I plan to start plant spirit Magick this summer. I began reading the book Entering Hekate’s Garden: The Magick, Medicine and Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft by Cyndi Brannen. I can’t wait to learn from it and try all the rituals. My cat Penny is perched above the bookcase, gazing out the window, just doing what cats do best. 

I’m enjoying my herbal studies. I finished the Fairy Home. It’s enchanting and oh so cute. I made a Summer Solstice lantern, and I am pressing sage, violets and lavender in my flower press. I just checked on my garden which is growing just beautifully. I just love this time of year. I am not so sure I love all the insects but that can’t be helped. I have a garden and they are part of the territory. 

I want to buy a beautiful leather binder from Etsy. I want to use the binder to store my Materials Medica in, my herbal monographs. I don’t want a boring binder. It says nothing about the Materia Medica. I just found a beautiful one on Etsy. I sure hope it is available tomorrow. It’s perfect. Leather can stand the test of time. I hope it would be big enough to hold all the papers I have. I want something magickal, witchy and beautiful and that binder is perfect. I am really enjoying the Flower Press course at the Herbal Academy. 

The Herbal Academy has changed my life. I don’t regret it. I can’t believe how much I have learned. It was not what I expected but I can go with that. I hope to get a good career out of this. I would still do my writing. Maybe I can write more about herbs for magazines or something. I will figure something out. I may even make gift cards with the flowers I press. I could make the gift cards out of homemade paper. I have a mold and deckle. That would be one way to make money. I told my Mom to save all her shredded paper. 

Happy Summer!

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

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June 7, 2022 · 6:03 pm

Summer seeds

Merry meet all,

My garden is growing beautifully. This weekend, I direct seeded echinacea, poppies, foxglove and root veggies seeds – beets, radish and turnip. Some of the root veggie seeds have germinated which is so cool. I had planted garlic originally in that box but they never came up. The garlic is growing fine in the garden but not in the box. I also transplanted Solomon’s seal and pretty blue bachelor’s buttons in the garden from my Mom’s garden. I planted my green and purple beans and nasturtium seeds, mugwort and more calendula. I love summer. It is not even spring yet. My  pumpkin vine flowered this morning!

I hope that my elecampane flowers this year. The garden is so beautiful. The air is still cold here. I have no idea why. I love my garden, it’s so beautiful. The bleeding hearts plant is bigger this year. I am so glad it survived being trampled. My herbs are growing well – sage, lavender, lemon balm, mint, chives, lovage, comfrey and now rosemary.

I’m still studying at the Herbal Academy. This summer, I’m studying a mini course about flower pressing. I get a flower press to use with the course. I really really wanted one. I am so happy about that.

I binge watched all the awesome Stranger Things episodes. I love that show. I want more, lots more Stranger Things. This season was darker than the previous ones.

Oh and I want to issue a warning here: Pretty Litter is the biggest scam EVER. They sell cat litter online. Well I just got ripped off. Don’t ever buy their cat litter from them. My Mom emailed me some cash for something and before I could blink, the money was withdrawn from my account. I knew immediately who stole it. Yup Pretty Litter- the worst scam ever. They refuse to refund my Mom too. Worst scam ever. I will never buy cat litter from them again.

I will post more later. This is a quick post here today. Don’t trap your pooches in hot cars. Wear a mask and be safe, everyone. 

 

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch

 

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