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Halloween, As Old as the Ghosts

10/26/2022

5 Comments

 
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On October 31, beware of munchkin monsters, pint-size goblins, and shrunken super-heroes knocking on your door asking for treats. Have you ever wondered where "trick or treat" came from?
  
On Halloween, jack-o-lanterns light up dark paths and peek out of windows. So how did this tradition start?
 
Have you ever tried bobbing for apples? I have. Why do we put ourselves through such torture?
 
The origins of Halloween date back as early as the fifth century BC. The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in) celebrated a successful harvest and the beginning of the long, cold, dark winter.
 
In preparation for the celebration, the Celts allowed their hearth fires to burn out while the last crops were being gathered. After the harvest was completed, Druid priests lit a communal bonfire in the center of the village, where the residents prayed, danced, and offered sacrifices to the Celtic deities. Then, villagers rekindled their hearth fires with embers from the sacred bonfire to protect their families from harm during the uncertain days and nights to follow.
 
The Celts believed the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead opened during Samhain. Ancestors and other spirits were expected to cross over and stir up trouble. To keep the fairies away from their homes, the Celts left offerings outside the village. To prevent the ghosts from kidnapping any living beings, the villagers dressed up in animal skins and heads, disguising themselves as monsters.
 
After the Romans took control of Britain, they merged the Samhain festival with two of their own. On the last day of October, the festival of Feralia commemorates the passing of the dead.
 
The festival of Pomona honors the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Her sacred symbol was the apple. Part of the celebration was to grab hold of a dangling apple without using any hands, hence the origin of bobbing for apples.
 
Many years later, the early Christians discovered they couldn't stop pagan celebrations, so they replaced them with religious alternatives. To replace the Celtic/Roman celebration of the dead, November 1 was designated All Saints Day to honor Christian saints and martyrs. The night before turned into All Hallows Eve.
 
I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the tale from there.
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Other Halloween Traditions
I wonder if the first Celt who stuck an animal skull over his head ever realized he was starting a fad that'd still be practiced a couple of thousand years later. Of course, the celebration has changed over the centuries. I'm glad we've advanced from wearing animal hides and heads and no longer really believe that fairies and spirits come out to play on October 31. (They don't, do they?)
 
In any case, during its transition from a Druid ritual to a night of fun for the kids, Halloween has also picked up a hodge-podge of other traditions.
 
Trick or Treat came from the Irish peasants going from door-to-door begging for soul cakes. Failure to supply soul cakes resulted in fairies being set loose to play tricks and harass the unlucky victims.
 
According to Irish folklore, a character named Jack was a terrible person, always playing tricks and making trouble everywhere he went. He even tricked Satan into climbing a tree and trapped him there by carving a cross in the bark. Jack would not let the Devil out of the tree until he promised never to tempt Jack again for the rest of his life.
 
When Jack died, he was not allowed into Heaven because of his evil ways. He was not permitted in Hell either because of the nasty trick he played on Satan. Instead, Satan gave Jack a single ember to light his way through the eternal darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to make it glow longer. Jack now bore the name of "Jack of the Lantern."
 
When the Irish brought this tale to America in the 1800s, the turnip was replaced with a pumpkin. Then, somewhere along the line, a crude face was carved in the pumpkin creating the Jack-o-lantern we all know and love.
 
What I love most about Halloween are the ghost stories. Some of the tales, myths, and legends have survived for eons, like the story of Jack. Others are more modern and easier to believe. I mean, who would ever walk around carrying a turnip instead of a flashlight?
 
I like all kinds of spooky tales, except horror stories. They're just downright too scary for my taste.
​
Here are a few of my favorites:

For children
Patchy and Calico’s Ghostly Adventure by Greta Burroughs
Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever! by Don Freeman and Lisa McCue
The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Trick or Treat, Little Critter by Mercer Meyer
Peter Rabbit and the Pumpkin Patch by Beatrix Potter
What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Suess
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Cara Stevens
Clifford's Halloween by Norman Bridwell
 
For middle grade, teens, young adults, and adults
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Kiwi series by Vickie Johnstone
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
 
How about you? What are your favorite Halloween stories?
 
Be sure to subscribe to the Sweet & Sassy blog, so you never miss out on any of our posts!
 

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Amulet, DragonBlade Series (Book 1) by Nancy Lee Parish

10/19/2022

0 Comments

 
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Superbly Orchestrated Tale

"Amulet," book one of the DragonBlade Series by Nancy Lee Parish sated both the little child and the adult in me with its intriguing characters and adventurous spirit. The author's pacing of this story is superb. She always leaves the reader wanting more, giving you just enough pieces of the puzzle to stimulate your curiosity and keep you reading until the very last page.

Fantasy books can be difficult for some readers because of the author's need to invent places, things, philosophies, and a way of life totally unfamiliar to the reader. In Amulet, Parish settles into a comfortable balance between the story and the fictional world.

There are many conflicts going on in Amulet. The most obvious and long-lasting is the one which pits the Ecli, the dark wizards who rule all of Ranaria and live in the city of Dardanos, against the Volanari insurgents. Beyond this is the conflict among the four wizards known as the Ecli. Each has their own agenda. Among the Ranarians there are those who are linked to the Ecli and to other wizards of old. Among this group, there is a desperate desire to survive the Ecli and regain their freedom, but it means taking risks unlike any they have ever considered in the past. It means believing in the reality of things thought only to be fairy tales. It means trusting those once thought to be their enemies to fight the creations and the pull of the dark crystal.

I don't know that there is one main character in this book. It is more like an ensemble, which is in harmony with the theme of the story. Thus, the reader gets a chance to know the characters more through their interactions with each other rather than through the author's unveiling of their internal psychology.

Parish keeps you on your toes trying to second guess where the story is taking you. One of her characters perhaps explains it best: "Sometimes things happen for a reason, and it ain't always apparent what that reason is when it's happenin'." [Thoral]

Amulet is part of the DragonBlade Series, and I look forward to seeing where the dark crystal leads us.

www.amazon.com/Amulet-DragonBlade-Book-Nancy-Parish-ebook/dp/B0066HCK9K/

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Writers Step Into Reality Television Genre

10/12/2022

2 Comments

 
PictureKwame Alexander, Host
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of so-called reality TV. First of all, it’s not reality. Second, the plethora of these shows is all about competition. Some of the game shows are entertaining for those who like games. The productions which follow people in their private lives are pure theater, but their out-of-control behaviors, the backstabbing, and the emphasis on winning no matter what (all for ratings) do not create desirable role models whose behavior should be emulated.
 
The Real World in 1992 was one of the earliest “modern reality shows” when ordinary people were presented rather than characters. It was cheaper for the producers than what is usually involved in producing a scripted, character-driven show with actors. Survivor catapulted the reality show concept into a phenomenon in 2000, followed by Big Brother in 2001. It created a thirst for competition where winning is all that matters.
 
People watch and/or participate in reality shows for various reasons. Psychologists say wish fulfillment is a number one reason for many participants, either in terms of career advancement or financial gain. Many watch celebrity reality shows because it somehow makes the celebrities more relatable. Others watch the drama-driven shows because watching others being humiliated makes them feel superior. 
 
So, What Does This Have to Do with Books?
 
Well, believe it or not, someone has figured out a way to join the fray by pulling in amateur writers (who are obviously desperate to be noticed) to audition for ... wait for it! ... America’s Next Great Author. That’s right! They will have one minute to pitch their book idea to a panel of publishing experts. The six winners all get to live together at the Writer’s Retreat for 30 days during which time “these talented amateurs have to start their books from scratch on day one of the Retreat and finish the novel by the end of the thirty days.” But wait, they also have to participate in storytelling challenges and work with mentors to develop their stories while learning how to market and promote their books. Not sure how much time the extracurricular activities leave for writing from the heart.
 
Okay, so Arielle Eckstut and David Sterry who are behind this new reality show also co-founded Pitchapalooza  (Book Doctors) 15 years ago. It appears to be the model for America’s Next Best Author. With Pitchapalooza a hopeful writer gets 250 words to pitch their book. Twenty are chosen to have their pitches critiqued on a live webinar. The winner receives an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for their future manuscript.
 
I have no problem with Pitchapalooza. The issues I have with the proposed reality show are 1) being forced to write your book in 30 days while meeting all the other challenges noted, and 2) having to live “Big Brother-style” with five other writers while trying to find a creative space to write.
 
Being an introvert may color my perspective on the close quarters situation, but being forced to write a book in 30 days with all the interruptions going on is not something I could support. I do realize that some writers today believe if they spend more than six weeks working on a book that it’s a sign they need to pursue another profession (read this on a social media writers’ group).
 
Bottom line: This would not be my cup of tea, but I’m sure it will have as many participants and watchers as all the other reality shows gracing the airwaves.

2 Comments

K.S. (Kat) Brooks: Carrying On the Legacy of Mr. Pish

10/5/2022

11 Comments

 
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​Everyone knows the fastest way to a destination is a straight line. But what fun would that be? A start-stop, zig-zag, topsy-turvy journey keeps us on our toes.

My affair with writing started when I was old enough to hold a crayon. My first work of fiction was in kindergarten, I believe. My two-paragraph “report” about our field trip to the arboretum involved getting my foot stuck in a rabbit-hole and being left behind because I found the trip too boring despite learning about lichen for the first time. By fourth grade, I was writing stories about tropical islands shaped like a panther’s head where animals could talk. Then, at 15, I wrote my first screenplay, a historical fiction epic about a fifth musketeer. I wrote an action-adventure novel a few years later about an anti-terrorist agent, and I knew, despite working full-time in the high-technology industry, that being a writer was in my heart.

But you know, a girl’s gotta eat, so I kept working my way up the corporate ladder until I was director of operations at a small internet start-up company. Destiny decided it was time for me to do what I was supposed to be doing, and all the pieces started to fall together: I sold my house, I moved somewhere more conducive to writing, and a friend sent me information about a new publisher opening house in Chicago.

After banging up against the velvet rope of traditional publishing for decades, this new publisher accepted my novel. I’d finally “made it.” Then, I got a call from a small indie publisher wanting to handle my eBooks. I went from zero to two publishers in the course of one summer.

The move that changed everything was the one to Washington State in 2008. Living in the wilderness was where I needed to be and, within a few years, I had turned out suspense novels, romantic comedies, romantic suspense, writing prompt photo books, and the biggest surprise to me: an entire series of children’s books.

What better way to share the world around me and all the amazing things I got to see while traveling than with an adorable dog? Mr. Pish is the star of about 10 educational children’s picture books, an all-ages activity book, an app, and 14 years of calendars. Writing through the precious pooch’s eyes has given me such a wonderful opportunity to learn from a different point of view, and his philosophy that “Everywhere I am is the best place ever” is something that’s made me a happier person.

When he passed away at the age of 16 in 2013, my heart broke, plain and simple. While I still traveled and kept his thoughts in mind at each place I visited, it was too hard for me to write without him there. Having the little guy in my lap, laying his head across my keyboard, and getting me up off my butt to take him for walks is still missed, and I imagine always will be. I was never a little dog person, but he managed to win me over. I always say, “Little dog, big personality,” and nothing could be more true about him.

I am literally just now getting back to carrying on his legacy with books that teach kids history, geography, geology, and whatever else interesting he happens to discover about the places “we” visit. It’s still hard, though.

A mother once came to me and told me that her son, who was 13, refused to read. But one day, they were on Mr. Pish’s YouTube channel, watching one of the silly videos we had made together, and the boy became engrossed with my little guy. The mom seized that opportunity and gave him a Mr. Pish book, and she swears that is the only reason her son is now reading. I’ve heard similar stories from other parents that Mr. Pish’s books helped spark their sons’ interest in reading. As I think about those kids, and as I talk with teachers and sit in on school district events doing my job as a photojournalist, I see opportunities where Mr. Pish’s insights could be helpful to our next generations. And I know I need to get back to it, because he is needed.

Oddly, I always saw myself as a spy novelist and never imagined that I would achieve my dream of having thousands of people reading my writing and seeing my photography through children’s books or writing for newspapers.
​
While getting back on the Mr. Pish bicycle is daunting, I want to honor my sweet boy. He’s in my heart, and on my mind – now I just have to concentrate on getting him back onto paper.

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Learn more about Kat's and Mr. Pish's adventures:
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http://ksbrooks.com

http://mrpish.com
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facebook.com/authorksbrooks
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Mr. Pish’s amazon author
page: https://amzn.to/3S8uTB4

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I will read forever because it lets me visit in my mind the worlds that I will never be able to see; it helps me put away the stresses of the day and relax into the rhythm of the story before me; it lets me bring to the surface and experience without regrets those feelings I hide away; it lets me re-experience the thrill of first love through someone else's eyes; it keeps my mind juiced so that it will never desert me; it is always there for me even when there's no one else. I will read forever no matter whether it is print or digital because the words will always call to me. ~ A Sassy Scribbler