The Witch’s Debt by Edward Rollins - Haunted Halloween Spooktacular

The Haunted World of West Virginia’sGrannies

West Virginia, the place generations ofmy people have called home. Wild, wonderful, and possessed of an undeniablebeauty. But sometimes... the place just ain't right.

 

Maybe it's the narrow roads snakingthrough claustrophobic forests. Maybe it's the looming presence of themountains, equal parts shelter, and constraint. Or maybe it’s the tight-lippedlocals, wary of strangers and burdened by the weight of tales passed down sincebefore their kin left the Old Country. Whispered stories that tell of allmanner of...other. Either way, it's hard to shake the feeling that my belovedmountains are hiding secrets best left alone. That's the world that birthed theGranny, or white witch; wise women, workers of poultices, charms, and yes -when called for - curses. And it is the Granny that inspired my Coal Mountainseries. Only seems right to share a bit about them with you.  

 

The origins of the Granny lie in theisolation and desperation of mountain life, in a time and place far removedfrom modern medicine when the nearest doctor could be a day or more away. Whenfolks there got sick, they turned to the Grannies, whose reputations wererooted in their understanding of herbalism and the preparation of naturalremedies; the ability to “stir a boil” and make a sick child well. It was ashort hop from a tea to cure a fever to a poultice to catch the eye of the oneyou loved. And when the shadows grew long and the veil between worlds thinned -as it’s said happens each Halloween - it's no surprise that folks turned to theGrannies again, this time to keep that darkness at bay.

 

To their communities, the Grannies werekeepers of ancient knowledge passed down through generations; both revered andfeared for the knowledge they possessed. Their practices were a New World blendof Celtic, Native American, Germanic, and African traditions, all interwovenwith a dose of Christian beliefs and survive still among the region's followersof Celtic Christianity.

Grannies - including my own - professedthe ability to craft powerful charms and perform rituals that could protectagainst the things unseen that haunted the West Virginia wilderness. They wereknown to craft hex signs – a practice drawn from Germanic and PennsylvaniaDutch traditions – and utilized these colorful symbols to guard a place fromevils known and unknown. While many of these wards were small works of art,some were simplicity incarnate. Among the latter was the simple use of"haint blue," a soft, bluish-green color often seen on doorways,windowsills, and even porch ceilings. Tradition maintained that"haints" - or restless spirits – were unable to cross water. Thecolor - mimicking water as it does – was thought to create a protective barrierat doors and windows.

And then there were the curses—darkincantations spoken in secret, sometimes to seek justice, other times to exactrevenge. While not every Granny dabbled in curses, there is no shortage oftales telling if a wronged woman who sought out a Granny to set things right.As a teenager, I heard firsthand the tales of dead livestock, blighted crops,or families plagued by mysterious illnesses after someone crossed a Granny. Itwas plume foolish to doubt ht. It was the certainty of the belief in the powerof a Granny’s curse that led them to be treated with a blend of respect andcaution.  Their power both admired andapproached with trepidation.

The folks of southern West Virginia beingof primarily Scots and Irish decent, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Halloween,or Samhain as it was once known, was a time of great significance for theGrannies of the region. Folks had no doubt that on that night the boundarybetween the living and the dead was at its weakest; spirits walked freely amongthe living. So, the living turned to the Grannies as gatekeepers, looking tothem to perform ancient rituals – often Christian and pagan in equal measure –to honor the dead, protect the living, and keep the darkest of forces at bay.Bonfires – with deep roots in Celtic tradition - played a role in theseceremonies. The Grannies would gather their communities around these fires,where they burnt sage, rosemary, and other herbs believed to cleanse the areaof evil spirits.

The legacy of the Grannies remainstightly woven into the fabric of mountain folklore, contributing to an all toofamiliar sense of unease that hangs about the darkest corners, especially atHalloween. While many in the Mountain State have forgotten the truth of theirown stories, you can count on Halloween to breathe new life in old tales,filled with strange occurrences, eerie encounters, and supernatural events thatdefy explanation. And you can find signs of the past without looking to hard.Children carve pumpkins having no knowledge that they are practicing an ancientritual meant to ward off evil. Candles burn in darkened windows absent even themost distant remembrance of nights when they were lit to guide the ancestorshome on Halloween night.

As Halloween approaches and the nightsgrow longer, folks in my neck of the woods aren’t strained by the idea that theworld of the Grannies remains. The world of the Grannies – that blend ofancient wisdom and supernatural wonder – hasn't faded with time. No, it’llnever be truly lost. It floats through the hollers like a whisper on the wind.It’s etched into the stone of the mountains themselves. So, when the windcarries a distant howl to your ears, or the moon casts grasping shadows acrossthe ground, and you sense something off in the world... remember that theancient magic of the Grannies remains, just out of sight, but still in reach.

The Witch’s DebtCoal Mountain SeriesBook OneEdward Rollins
Genre: Contemporary FantasyDate of Publication: October 1, 2019ASIN: 1689808853Number of pages: 392Word Count: 97.376Cover Artist: Katherine Rollins
Tagline: If you like witches, werewolves, and murder, this is the book for you.
Book Description: 
When the ghost of Jake Calhoun's grandmother delivers a cryptic message to him, he's drawn back to the mountains of southern West Virginia, where he finds himself on a collision course with the consequences of his past, the strained family ties that drove him to run, and the woman he left behind. 
Though he longs to return to the life he's made for himself in the city, a string of deaths forces him to decide who he will be, where he belongs, and how he will stop whoever is killing those closest to him.

Amazon      BN

Excerpt

"You allright, Buck?" He set his coffee on the small table there as he took more ofmy weight than I intended.  

"Yeah,"I lied. "Bit of a headache." I couldn't look him in the eye. "Ineed to check on something. Be right in."  

"Sureyou're gonna be all right?" Dad picked up his coffee as I took my weightagain.  

“I’ll live.” Inodded and started toward the sitting room. I steeled myself against the pain Iknew was coming and pushed my senses into the Curtain once again.  

The little roomoff the chapel was packed with overstuffed couches and an ottoman which coulddouble for a bed. I could see just clearly enough to avoid tripping, but itmade finding the cat a challenge. I moved from piece to piece, looking behindand under each. There was no sign of it. It could have left through the chapelbut I wasn't ready to accept that it had. It was bothersome enough it wasinside the church. I didn't want to consider what it would mean if the thingcould move across the consecrated ground of the chapel.  

"Lose something?"Bonnie asked from the doorway.  

Frustrated anddefeated, I gave her a weak smile and let go of my view into the Curtain.

"Hello,Bonnie."  

She stepped intothe room, her coat and purse left behind somewhere. She wore a pained smile onher lips. "That the best you have for me?"  

There werepeople in this town I didn't care to spare a kind word, Bonnie wasn't one ofthem. She'd done nothing but love me.  

I stoppedfighting the smile she had always put on my face and replied, "Well if itisn't Bonnie Blankenship, the prettiest girl at Pineville High. How are things,Ms. Blankenship?"  

"Much better,”her smile touched her eyes and she stepped in close.  

About the Author:
As a kid in elementary school, Edward Rollins hated to read. Hated it…
Then his grandfather, who knew Edward loved the Adam West "Batman" series, introduced him to Batman comic books, the rest is nerd history. From those early comics he went on to consume a steady diet of books from fantasy to science fiction. Eventually, he found a little game called Dungeons and Dragons and a lifetime of telling stories was born.
He’s been a sailor, a soldier, a pastor, an engineer and a college professor; sometimes all at once. Mostly, he hopes to know what he wants to be when he grows up. Assuming he agrees to grow up…A writer since college, he has published a handful of short stories and gaming industry pieces over the years. "The Witch's Debt" is his first attempt at writing “something of his own”.
Edward has lectured in convention and collegiate circles on the topics of gaming simulations, fantasy world building and theology in fantasy settings. He is a fan of 1920s pulp and science fiction as well as the 1950s aesthetics of Raygun Gothic and Atom-Punk.
While he lives in central Ohio with his wife and two incredible young adults – all three of which make him proud -- his heart will always be in West Virginia.
https://www.facebook.com/EdwardRollins.Author
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Edward-Rollins/author/B07X6PJ3QC
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19609364.Edward_Rollins 




a Rafflecopter giveaway