Ellie Potts's Blog, page 39
October 9, 2014
Remus Rothwyn Chronicles by T.P Grish Blog Tour
Title: Steel, Magick and Faith
Author: T.P. Grish
Series: The Remus Rothwyn Chronicles (#1)
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Oct 16 2012
Edition/Format Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
In the ancient and wild world of Glenryth, Fey creatures and a nascent humanity have come into conflict, the motives of each other mutually unfathomable and alien. Technological cults and Monotheistic religions are worshipped, any suspicion of pagan or fey magickal taint is reviled. Prophets spread far and wide, offering hope and comfort to the beleaguered masses. Mankind is not totally separate from the energies that suffuse Glenryth, as an unfortunate few are born as Touched.
When local dwarves put a curse upon the town of High Peaks, Remus, the aloof and irritable woodcutter and sage, must try and ebb the tide of xenophobic anger that could engulf himself and any other folk that are labelled as outcasts. But when a caravan of technocrat pilgrims fails to arrive, and the body of a local child is found in the woodlands, Remus, along with the capricious Touched Elaina, must try to understand the nature of morality in a world cloaked in suspicion and fear, and, ultimately, to prevent a brewing war that could send the region spiraling into chaos and destruction.
Book Links
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Excerpt
Excerpt from Steel, Magick and Faith
‘You know, where I come from, farmers and peasants have to eke out a hardscrabble existence, day in and day out’, said Perfidian unexpectedly. Remus and Elaina looked at him as he went on. ‘There wasn’t the luxury of helping a neighbour, or sharing with a neighbour, when a man had to struggle to feed his own. When I left my house and my father, mother, and siblings; my father was not worried for my safety. As I told him I wanted to go out and experience the world outside of my hometown, he simply gave me his old suit of chain from his army days, what coin he could spare, and told me to be on my way. I cannot blame him, and am grateful for what he gave. But, one thing that I have discovered to be exceedingly rare in this world is true friendship; true willingness to sacrifice to keep a loved one safe. Both of you have that’.
Perfidian sat silent for a few moments, sipping his tea and letting his words sink in. ‘You two are too stubborn to admit it, or appreciate it, but you have that most rare of things’. Although he criticized them both, he predominantly glanced in Remus’ direction when he used the word ‘stubborn’. ‘I have had an experience travelling with you two, that I will never forget. This was my first foray out into the wider world, my first adventure as an amateur bard. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to travel in; as where else could I find two individuals who were dedicated enough to risk all to stop a war!’
Title: The Shard of Palrinah 
Author: T.P. Grish
Series: The Remus Rothwyn Chronicles (#2)
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 30 2013
Edition/Format Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
After saving High Peaks from a devastating war between Humankind and Fey, Remus and Elaina head to the grand city of Yondern to continue their adventures, yearning for excitement and the chance to do good.
However, the long-brewing political conflict between the Steelwielders and Paragonites has erupted into open war, and try as they might, the travelers cannot escape the eye of suspicious factions. Once-friendly factions have turned wary, and they find themselves allying with those who they would least expect.
An old friend, the bard Perfidian, confronts them with troubling information, hinting at a deeper objective to the brewing war, and possibly to an object of power that could wreak devastation upon the land in the hands of the power-hungry.
The three friends must discover what the Steelwielder technocrats and Paragonite monks are truly seeking in a remote corner of Glenryth, in a deadly game of cat and mouse involving dark and sinister forces, both Human and otherwise.
Book Links
Books A Million (BAM)
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Shard of Palrinah
‘Now, it seemed that there was no option but to kill the humans that had ventured to this mountainous realm, and take their artefact, to see if it could be used for the good of Fey. Most likely it would be destroyed, to prevent any human faction from gaining power or prominence with it. Elves disdained using any human invention or magick, although the time of humans bearing the ability to create artefacts was long gone, and even during that time, only very few artefacts were created, and at great cost’.
Title: Though Darkness Comes
Author: T.P. Grish
Series: The Remus Rothwyn Chronicles (#3)
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Sept 26 2014
Edition/Format Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Having fled to Norlathaa to hide themselves, and the mighty Shard of Palrinah, from the foes who mercilessly hunt them, Remus and his companions must navigate the deadly political landscape of double-crosses and power grabs that confronts them.
The Steelwielders and Paragonites pursue the holy item of power, taking advantage of the sweltering corruption that plagues the monarchic government of Norlathaa, spreading a web of eyes and ears. Other factions stalk the shadows of the temperate land, agents of the great Cities, and Fey tribes congregate in their lairs, enacting a great magick to counter the rise of whatever group of Humanity claims the artefact.
Old friends and enemies become intermeshed in the conflict, and Remus, Elaina and Perfidian must find safe harbour in the bard’s homeland, struggling to understand the meaning of home and the ramifications of power, and, ultimately, to seek a way to end the threat the Shard of Palrinah bodes for Glenryth, once and for all.
The Remus Rothwyn Chronicles is a dark, epic fantasy series with mythological elements and a nuanced world with complex perspectives.
Book Links
Excerpt
Excerpt Though Darkness Comes
‘Remus felt a new surge of power, urging him to unleash more terrible magick at the surviving bandits, who had threatened his friends so. He struggled to resist unleashing lethal magick against the two men who had surrendered, who were being disarmed of their packs and tied up by his allies.
The battle was won, and he was no murderer of unarmed foes. But, the promise of unleashing power to finish off the vagabonds, to lick against their flesh and bone, continued to surge. Lightning and sparks began to emanate from the gem-like shard at the artefact’s tip, which glowed hungrily.
Grunting, Remus jerked his arm back, holstering the artefact under his cloak once again. He felt the tingling fade. Looking up, he saw Elaina and Queluth staring concernedly at him.
What had he almost done?’
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Author Information
T.P. Grish devoured fantasy books since he was a kid, particularly liking character-based fantasy novels with exciting sequences, complex stories and a lode of deeper meaning. Although he also loved fantasy movies and hobby gaming, his dream to write his own fantasy novels was always at the forefront. Today, he is a PhD doctoral student and part-time business writer who can’t help but daydream about writing novels for you to read.
Author Links
T.P. Grish gives us a Halloween treat!
Profile one of your characters as though they are getting ready for a Halloween Party.
Remus scrambled around the small bedroom of his cabin, throwing together the costume Elaina and Perfidian had purchased for him. This new holiday, ‘Hallows Eve’, was ridiculous, and the dour man had grumbled to his friends that it was just a way for the local government to stimulate the economy and distract people from their troubles. Even the Steelwielders and Church of St. Lusian had sponsored parties at their halls.
Despite that, Remus did not want to disappoint his friends, not after all the trials they had been through together. The companions often split up, to follow the adventures that pulled each of them, and this celebration would be a good opportunity to catch up. As he headed out the door, he smiled, thinking about the bitter expressions he would see on the faces of the other residents of High Peaks.
He almost forgot how ridiculous his costume was: a cliched mishmash of Fey creatures, both from legend and ones that were occasionally seen in the local area by wandering hunters and travelers. Remus’ face poked out of a hood resembling the bear-like Morrbeast, and the rest of his outfit had wooden claws, feathers and beads imitating scales.
There was a tingle in the air as he navigated the throngs of giddy friends and family who cavorted in the chill night air. Hanging lanterns and gaudy banners gave the rough structures of the town a festive feel, underscored by the shouts of hawkers selling their sweets and meats, and folk operating their games of chance. He would have to ask someone where this holiday came from, and perhaps make a note of it.
He saw Elaina and Perfidian, waving at him. Elaina was dressed in a sleek green dress, imitating the barkish texture of Elven skin. Remus glanced at Perfidian. The bard was dressed as an adventurer from fables, sweeping cloak, feathered hat; he even had strapped his real longsword, bow and belt to the outfit.
‘Remus! I am glad you decided to join us!’ beamed Elaina, as the friend’s joined him.
The bard struggled to hold back laughter as he surveyed Remus’ outfit. ‘You look good, my friend, even pricklier than usual’.
‘I am sure there were more sensible outfits available’, Remus replied. He added, ‘It is good to have a chance to relax, and for the three of us to meet up. I hope you will be staying longer this time, Perfidian’.
The bard’s smile briefly faded, before reappearing. ‘After what happened with my family, I realized I need to make the most of my choice… to explore the world. But I am glad to be here with you and Elaina, right now’.
‘It is strange that the townsfolk dress as Fey, despite how recently war with the dwarves almost erupted, after all that has happened’, Elaina mused. ‘But I suppose it is a way for them to defray their fears’.
Remus sighed. ‘We all need to rest and recuperate, after the turmoil we have been through lately, the foes we have barely outran’.
Remus regretted bringing up such a grim topic during this special day, special not because of the event High Peaks had organized, but because of his friends.
Perfidian clapped his friends on their shoulders. ‘They are cooking some delicious meat skewers over there, with sweet onion and softbread. My shout!’
Remus’ mood brightened as he followed his friends to the firepit by which an enterprising local sold sizzling, aromatic lamb and chicken skewers in generous portions. He was hungry.
October 8, 2014
Favorite Halloween Memory
I love Halloween more than any other holiday. I have been a lot of characters from clowns to zombies. When I was little I wanted to be Superman. My mom was not you mean Supergirl. Heck no I was not having it, either I was Superman or no one. LOL. I remember in elementary school we would have a small parade. And I knew I was going to be the most badass dead biker ever, and I was. But it RAINED! So we couldn’t do the parade. I was so disappointed. We went to the rich houses that year, who gave out large candy bars and left candy outside unattended, and over at the base housing there was a guy up on his roof wailing on his guitar freaking out my younger sister.
October 5, 2014
Sister (short horror story)
Daniel and Reese sat in the front seat of his dad’s Chevy making out. He kept pressuring Reese into going all the way and had been since the third week they started dating. She liked Daniel a lot and loved kissing him. His lips were big and soft, and he knew how to move his tongue. She just wasn’t ready to let Daniel in; really, she would never be ready to let Daniel in.
“Come on, baby,” he said, urging her once more as his hand traveled up her bare leg and under her black skirt. She had worn the skirt because she knew he liked it.
She stopped his hand. “You know I don’t want to.”
Bright lights momentarily blinded them as another car drove up behind them. Still shielding their eyes, Daniel motioned to the driver to either turn off the lights or go away. The car switched from his high beams to regular, but the glare still made them squint.
“What the fuck is wrong with this pervert?” Daniel asked as he opened his door.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Reese asked him, her voice a little higher than normal as fear set in.
“Don’t worry.” He pushed his door open and stood up.
The night was great; a clear sky sparkled with stars as a gentle breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees that surrounded them. The mellow, late September weather seemed perfect compared to the blistering summer they had barely survived.
Reese scooted over to the open door of the car but did not get out. She watched as Daniel walked over to the stranger’s car. She didn’t like it, and she wanted Daniel to come back. They could just go somewhere else or maybe just go home.
“Mister,” Daniel said as he got to the driver’s side of the other car. “You are sort of interrupting us.”
The window rolled down, and a very hairy face smiled at him. “Don’t wanta be doing that, huh? I know whatcha kids like to do out here.” He looked to his right and picked something up off the passenger side seat. “Here’s a gift,” he said, and tossed him something round.
“Wha-” he started to say, but it died as he finally looked at what he had in his hands. The female’s head stared up at him with glassy, dead eyes. The mouth twisted in a distorted scream. The hair, cut short, was plastered to the head with blood and something else.
“Fuck this.” He dropped it and ran back to the car. The stranger’s laugh followed behind him. He slid into the car and slammed his door. Rolling it up, he motioned for Reese to do the same thing. He locked his door and turned on the car.
He looked behind him. The car blocked them going in reverse. He looked left and right, but there was no way the car would make it through the trees that grew around them.
“Fuck,” he said, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. “We’re fucked!”
Reese turned in her seat, looking behind them. Her eyes got wide as she noticed the stranger was getting out of his car. She pointed silently at him, but Daniel was paying no attention to her.
She watched as the man started running towards the car and jumped onto the back. That did get Daniel’s attention. “Oh, my God. What should we do?” he asked Reese. But he saw the pure fright on her face and shut up.
The man took another step and leaped on top of the car. He took two monstrous steps and then went still, but the weight of him was denting in the roof.
The two sat there, hearts racing, frozen in panic at what the man might do next. And then the scream, a high and piercing shriek. Before they could move, something black smashed into the front window.
The sledgehammer head got lodged in the glass. The man continued to scream as he pulled the hammer from the window. He swung it again, this time shattering the window. The glass showered them, and they both let out the terrified screams.
The man jumped onto the hood, just as Reese had regained some composure. She climbed over her seat, skirt riding high, but she didn’t care that her hot pink panties were showing. She landed on the back seat.
Daniel was still screaming in the front as the man reached in and grabbed him by his head. He hauled Daniel halfway out of the car. His feet kicked as his arms flailed. He didn’t do much to fight off the attacker. And to Reese, Daniel looked like he was trying to swim. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand the urge to laugh. He looked like a fish out of water.
Then the man took his giant boot and stepped on the boy’s back. “Now none of that,” he said. She watched as he brought the sledgehammer down on the back of Daniel’s head.
Daniel still twitched, but it wasn’t as strong as before. And something in Reese wanted to climb over the seat and get closer. The man laughed and brought the sledge hammer down again. And before she could stop herself, she was climbing the seat. She could see the damage to Daniel’s head this close. The man swung again, the sound of bone impacting metal, stirred feelings in her. She should have been disgusted, and she should have tried to run away. But at the same time, it seemed so familiar. The hammer connected again, spraying her with blood and something else darker. All the time, the man laughed, and that too seemed familiar.
When Daniel’s head was nothing but mush on the ruined roof, the man jumped to the ground. Reese sat staring at the mess, fighting the urges she had. Blood. She wanted to play in it, wanted to feel it on her skin. Wanted to taste the copper smoothness on her tongue and let it slide down her throat.
Why wasn’t this grossing her out? And then there was a tap at her window. Without looking, she popped the lock. The door opened and two giant hands grabbed her out. She didn’t fight. Reese went to sleep.
“Jules, you’ve been bad again.”
A throaty laugh escaped her lips as she turned her head. “Looks like you’ve been bad,” she said.
The man pressed his bearded face into hers and kissed her hard. When he finally pulled away, he looked over at the mess. “Would have been your mess, but your sister is getting stronger,” he finally said.
“I know,” she said, pouting, “That bitch. She liked the boy. She liked him a lot. It bothered me. I need to keep my sister locked up tighter.” Her eyes sparkled at her lover. “Can I play with him?”
He nodded, letting her go. She went over to the mess and ran her hand through the brain matter. She pulled a small knife from the inside of her bra, and placing it in her mouth, she climbed on the car hood almost cat like. Her movement was slow and liquid as she made it to the body. She got to her knees and, knife in hand, carved Daniel’s body, letting the blood run around her bare knees. All the while Reese slept soundly in the back of her head, dreaming of a day when she would be free.
October 4, 2014
The Duel for Consuelo by Claudia H Long Book Blitz
Title: The Duel for Consuelo
Author: Claudia H Long
Series: Josefina’s Sin, The Next Generation
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance
Publisher: Booktrope
Release Date: June 15 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Travel back in time to 1711 in colonial Mexico, where the terrors of the Inquisition are slowly receding before the tide of the Enlightenment. Not receding fast enough, though, for Consuelo. She’s caught between two men, two religions, and two ruthless inquisitors who are hanging on to their lasts shreds of power.
THE DUEL FOR CONSUELO brings us to 1711 in colonial Mexico. Consuelo, an accomplished herbalist and daughter of a mayor, is privy to the darkest family secret possible while the Inquisition still holds fast to its waning dominance. Her ailing mother is a practicing “Secret Jew”, descendent of Conversos, or Jews who converted in Spain at the point of a sword. Her father is desperate to prevent the discovery of this secret as it will mean certain torture and possible death of his family.
Juan Carlos Castillo, the white-blond son of wealthy landowners, has a few secrets of his own. His love for Consuelo has moved into forbidden territory, and he watches as his friend and rival, Leandro Almidon of Spain, woos Consuelo with his sharp wit and promises of social and financial security.
The times are turbulent. The Enlightenment is slowly penetrating the darkness of Spain and its colony, and new thinkers are questioning everything, from religion to science, to the mingling of the castes and races. With new thinking secrets are bared and the Inquisition makes a final grasp at power. Consuelo finds herself fighting for her mother’s life, her own future, and her right to love.
Claudia H. Long grew up in Mexico City and moved to the United States when she was eleven. She wrote her senior thesis at Harvard University on the feminism of Sor Juana INS De La Cruz, and revived her passion for her when she wrote Josefina’s Sin. She lives and practices law in Northern California with her husband. They have two grown children. She is currently at work on her next novel, set in eighteenth century Mexico.
Places to find Claudia H Long
Blog
Website
Places to find The Duel for Consuelo
Amazon
Barnes
and Noble
Goodreads
Demon Killer by Myra Nour Book Tour & Review
Title: Demon Killer
Author: Myra Nour
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 2014 (Originally Published in a Anthology Shifter, NCP in 2002)
Editions/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Attacked by a soldier of the demon race, a young woman has a child from their union. To her horror, he bears the mark of the demon, and her people will stop at nothing to kill it. Being part fairy, Azra uses her magic to try and save her child from his demon blood. In spite of her best efforts, he briefly turns into the monstrous Sartwor beast, slaying her entire village.
A perilous journey to the home of the pure blood fairies ensues as she races to save Bretuck before he turns into the beast again. This time she may not be able to pull him from the grasp of the creature ruling his body. Can a mother’s love prevail over her son’s cursed blood?
Book Links
Review
This was a short yet fun read. A fun take on a dark fairy tale! A must read to those who like dark fantasy stories!
Author InformationMyra has been published since 2001 with Ellora’s Cave and New Concepts Publishing. She decided in 2014 to take some of her books the Indie route, starting with Demon Killer. Myra loves to write stories with a mix of romance, s/f, paranormal and fantasy elements. Since April 2012 she is the CEO and co-owner of BTS Book Reviews, a digital magazine dedicated to promoting authors work and bringing great books to readers. Magazine at: www.btsemag.com.
Author Links
Excerpts
Azra’s senses were overcome with wonder. The miniature figures flitting about them like the most brilliant of dragonflies, were fairy children. All had the silvery wings, long red curling locks and amber eyes that shone as brightly as gold; but their sizes were as varied as the individual features on each mischievous face.
Some were the size of the two elderly fairies who escorted them through the throng, others were as tiny as her hand, while many others ranged the size in-between. Azra was fascinated by all of them. But the tiny mites who were no bigger than her whole hand, gained most of her attention. They seemed to represent the fairies from which legends sprang, in reality; they appeared to be the youngest of the fairy children. Laughter, giggles, and whispers were a constant barrage of noise around them as they proceeded.
Many times as they traversed carefully through the tiny bodies, fairy children would hover in front of their faces like hummingbirds, their cherub faces merry and curious. More than once, she felt the soft brush of a silken wing against her cheek, almost as if the children were using their wings to give them a kiss of hello.
Azra thought it strange, but very interesting, that
Bretuck had more than his share of female fairies hovering about his face in a constant, ever-shifting flow of excited, tiny figures.
When they reached the other end of the valley, a line of impressive, majestic oaks were at the end of the short trek.
The elder fairy turned to the flock of children who’d followed them. “Go play children, you can visit with them later.”
Reluctantly, it seemed, the tiny figures left in groups, dozens of dazzling bodies flitting off together.
October 3, 2014
Halloween facts
1. There’s a $1,000 fine for using or selling Silly String in Hollywood on Halloween.
The prank product has been banned in Hollywood since 2004 after thousands of bored people would buy it on the streets of Hollywood from illegal vendors and “vandalize” the streets. The city ordinance calls for a maximum $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail for “use, possession, sale or distribution of Silly String in Hollywood from 12:01 AM on October 31 to 12:00 PM on November 1.”
2. Dressing up on Halloween comes from the Celts.
Celts believed Samhain was a time when the wall between our world and the paranormal world was porous and spirits could get through. Because of this belief, it was common for the Celts to wear costumes and masks during the festival to ward off or befuddle any evil spirits.
3. The moniker “Halloween” comes from the Catholics.
Hallowmas is a three-day Catholic holiday where saints are honored and people pray for the recently deceased. At the start of the 11th century, it was decreed by the pope that it would last from Oct. 31 (All Hallow’s Eve) until Nov. 2, most likely because that was when Samhain was celebrated and the church was trying to convert the pagans.
“All Hallow’s Eve” then evolved into “All Hallow’s Even,” and by the 18th century it was commonly referred to as “Hallowe’en.”
4. We should carve turnips, not pumpkins.
The origin of Jack-O-Lanterns comes from a Celtic folk tale of a stingy farmer named Jack who would constantly play tricks on the devil. The devil responded by forcing him to wander purgatory with only a burning lump of coal from hell. Jack took the coal and made a lantern from a turnip, using it to guide his lost soul.
The myth was brought over by Irish families fleeing the potato famine in the 1800s, and since turnips were hard to come by in the U.S., America’s pumpkins were used as a substitute to guide lost souls and keep evil spirits like “Jack of the Lantern” away.
5. Halloween symbols aren’t random.
Black cats, spiders, and bats are all Halloween symbols because of their spooky history and ties to Wiccans. All three were thought to be the familiars of witches in the middle ages, and are often associated with bad luck.
Bats are even further connected to Halloween by the ancient Samhain ritual of building a bonfire, which drove away insects and attracted bats.
6. Fears of poisoned Halloween candy are unfounded.
One of parents’ biggest fears is that their child’s Halloween candy is poisoned or contains razor blades.
In reality, this fear is almost entirely unfounded. There are only two known cases of poisoning, and both involved relatives, according to LiveScience. In 1970, a boy died of a heroin overdose. The investigators found it on his candy, but in a twist they later discovered the boy had accidentally consumed some of his uncle’s heroin stash, and the family had sprinkled some on the candy to cover up the incident.
Even more horrifically, in 1974 Timothy O’Bryan died after eating a Pixy Stix his father had laced with cyanide to collect on the insurance money, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
7. Halloween and the candy industry supposedly influenced Daylight Savings Time.
Candy makers supposedly lobbied to extend daylight savings time into the beginning of November to get an extra hour of daylight so children could collect even more candy (thus forcing people to purchase more candy to meet the demand).
They wanted it so badly that during the 1985 hearings on Daylight Savings they put candy pumpkins on the seat of every senator, according to NPR. (The candy industry disputes this account, according to The New York Times.)
8. Candy Corn was originally known as “chicken feed.”
Invented by George Renninger, a candy maker at the Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia in the 1880s, Candy Corn was originally called “butter cream candies” and “chicken feed” since back then, corn was commonly used as food for livestock (they even had a rooster on the candy boxes).
It had no association with Halloween or fall, and was sold seasonally from March to November. After World War II, advertisers began marketing it as a special Halloween treat due to its colors and ties to the fall harvest.
9. A full moon on Halloween is extremely rare.
Though a common trope in horror movies and Halloween decorations with witches flying across the full moon, the next full moon on Halloween won’t occur until 2020.
The most recent Halloween full moon was back in 2001, and before that it was in 1955.
10. Halloween is still the Wiccan New Year.
Halloween originates from a Celtic tradition called Samhain, a festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They believed it was a time that spirits or fairies could enter our world, and the Celts would put out treats and food to placate the spirits — sometimes, a place at the table was even set for the souls of the dead.
Wiccans still celebrate Samhain as a New Year celebration today.
11. Trick-or-treating has been around for a long time.
Versions of trick-or-treating have existed since medieval times. In the past, it was known as “guising” where children and poor adults went around in costumes during Hallowmas begging for food and money in exchange for songs or prayers. It was also called “souling.”
12. Trick-or-treating as we know it was re-popularized by cartoons.
Trick-or-treating was brought to America by the Irish and became popular during the early 20th century, but died out during WWII when sugar was rationed. After the rationing ended in 1947, children’s magazine “Jack and Jill,” radio program “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” and the “Peanuts” comic strip all helped to re-popularize the tradition of dressing up in costumes and asking for candy from door-to-door.
By 1952, trick-or-treating was hugely popular again.
13. Halloween is the second-most commercial American holiday of the year.
The candy industry in America rakes in an average of $2 billion annually thanks to Halloween (that’s 90 million pounds of chocolate).
Americans spend an estimated $6 billion on Halloween annually, including candy, costumes, and decorations, according to History.com. (The most commercial holiday in the U.S. is obviously Christmas.)
October 2, 2014
History of Halloween
Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve.
Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses” and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”).
The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.
The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.
Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.
The history of Halloween has evolved. The activity is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and due to increased American cultural influence in recent years, imported through exposure to US television and other media, trick-or-treating has started to occur among children in many parts of Europe, and in the Saudi Aramco camps of Dhahran, Akaria compounds and Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The most significant growth and resistance is in the United Kingdom, where the police have threatened to prosecute parents who allow their children to carry out the “trick” element. In continental Europe, where the commerce-driven importation of Halloween is seen with more skepticism, numerous destructive or illegal “tricks” and police warnings have further raised suspicion about this game and Halloween in general.
In Ohio, Iowa, and Massachusetts, the night designated for Trick-or-treating is often referred to as Beggars Night.
Part of the history of Halloween is Halloween costumes. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays goes back to the Middle Ages, and includes Christmas wassailing. Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of “souling,” when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of “puling [whimpering, whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas.”
Yet there is no evidence that souling was ever practiced in America, and trick-or-treating may have developed in America independent of any Irish or British antecedent. There is little primary Halloween history documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween in Ireland, the UK, or America before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising (see below) on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another isolated reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920. The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do not depict trick-or-treating. Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe’en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter “Hallowe’en in America.” It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term “trick or treat” appearing in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939. Thus, although a quarter million Scots-Irish immigrated to America between 1717 and 1770, the Irish Potato Famine brought almost a million immigrants in 1845-1849, and British and Irish immigration to America peaked in the 1880s, ritualized begging on Halloween was virtually unknown in America until generations later.
Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947.
Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children’s magazines Jack and Jill and Children’s Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs The Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show, and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.
Trick-or-treating on the prairie. Although some popular histories of Halloween have characterized trick-or-treating as an adult invention to re-channel Halloween activities away from vandalism, nothing in the historical record supports this theory. To the contrary, adults, as reported in newspapers from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, typically saw it as a form of extortion, with reactions ranging from bemused indulgence to anger. Likewise, as portrayed on radio shows, children would have to explain what trick-or-treating was to puzzled adults, and not the other way around. Sometimes even the children protested: for Halloween 1948, members of the Madison Square Boys Club in New York City carried a parade banner that read “American Boys Don’t Beg.”
October 1, 2014
Happy October
I have some fun things set for my blog this month. Guests talk about Halloween, Halloween Posts, blog hops (giveaways yay!) and of course hopefully the release of Playing with Magic! October is one of my favorite months. Summer is leaving, and I live in the Central Valley here in California, summer does not leave without a fight! But it is getting cold at night, and the temperature is now in the low 90s high 80s. The best part is October is Halloween! If you don’t like Halloween I don’t think we can be friends!
This year my family is celebrating our 4th annual Pot Yuck. Pot Yuck is a pot luck, the goal is to bring something very yummy but looks very yucky. We also have costume contests, pumpkin contests and new this year is a Haunted House. I will be sharing pictures as we work on it more. There is possibly a trip to Bakersfield to the Talladega Frights, maybe a trip into the local corn maze, Hanford renaissance faire, an apple festival, and some more family funness.
I still have space open on the blog for guest this month. So if you are a blogger/writer/lover of Halloween and want to take part send me an email at eclecticellie@gmail.com. Pretty much I want to know why you love Halloween. What Horror movie or books you like the most? Do you have a short horror story you would like to share? So you have a special horror book coming out? For authors you can spotlight books as well. I will be talking about favorite horror movies, books, and other horror/Halloween related stuff throughout the month.
September 26, 2014
Playing Witch Magic (Book 2 of the Elemental Trilogy) Cover Reveal!! #Coverreveal
Here it is!! Isn’t it sexy and perty? :)
Playing With Magic **Dark Erotic Fantasy**
You can play with magic, but controlling it might get you burned…
Life has been getting back to semi-normal, as everyone was starting to enjoy their new life. Okay yes, cousins, Autumn and Anatha found out they were elemental witches, and yes they spent a few years in a safe house as what can only be described as a zombie outbreak occurred. But Autumn, River and Rowan had settling in with each other, and Anatha and Jaime were getting serious. But the dreams started, and then a big secret was dropped…
This secret will take Autumn and Anatha by Storm, the nickname for their twin brothers. They journey to a magic town where they were born, and with the help of family and new friends lean that they have a destiny already set before them. One that was created years before they were born. It was written in their stars, and certain people will kill to make it happen. Will they save the world they know and the people they love, as they have no choice but to battle witches, monsters, cannibals and a crazy cult.
Coming in October!!
Sexy cover thanks to the amazing Dakota Trace, great writer and artist! Check out her work here: http://www.dakotatrace.net/
And Don’t forget to Read how it all started in Awaken the Elements!
Autumn has tried all her life to be normal, and it worked mostly. But Autumn is not normal. She doesn’t know exactly what she is or why she is so different. She does know that she can make plants grow without water or dirt, she can talk to trees, and when she is mad she can make the earth move around her. There is one other person who is different like her, Anatha, her cousin. But the two have never really gotten along.
As a virus sweeps the globe, making people seek government sanctioned safe houses. Autumn and Anatha’s family find themselves in an unlikely safe house. But they are not alone; there are friends, ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, a reunited boy band, and a wannabe rapper. Friendships grow and jealousies run crazy, as two men spark a passion in Autumn she had never felt before.
During their first summer, Autumn and Anatha, perform a summer solstice ritual which awakens the magic inside them, leading them on the path towards their destiny. But first they need to learn to control the magic that is in them as well as learn to get along, or they will destroy everything around them.
http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Elements-Elemental-Trilogy-Ellie-ebook/dp/B00IFV9RCS
