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Table of
Contents
Letter From The Editor
Lori Foster
Embraces Her Dark Side
Who You Gonna Call?
Honoring The Ancestors
Halloween Is Not My Bag
Irish Superstitions
Louisiana Superstitions
Spooky Doings In New
England
Crystal Healing
Food:
Evil Cookies
S'Mores Candy
Apples
A Story of
Samhain
From the Quill:
Why Paranormal?
Ghosts In
Romance
Banned Books
Week
Fiction:
Miracle
at Blood Manor
Featured Websites
From Samhain
Publishing
October e-book releases
October print releases
Editors
J.C. Wilder,
Managing Editor
Anne Cain
Ciar Cullen
Lauren Dane
Gia Dawn
Carolan Ivey
Lorelei James
Isabo Kelly
J.L. Langley
TJ Michaels
Ashleigh
Raine
Beth
Williamson, Wrangler
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Letter from the
Editor
Welcome My Pretties!
The October issue of the Samhellion celebrates all
things paranormal. The theme is “Things That Go Bump
and Grind in the Night”. As the managing editor of
the October issue, I can tell you I laughed, I
squirmed, I gasped and I shivered as I read all the
stories of legends, ghosts, and ghoulies.
Oh yes, be afraid. Be very afraid!
*cue the cackling laughter*
What’s in store for you, kiddies? First up, we have
an interview with New York Times Best Selling
Author, Lori Foster. Lori has a new pen name
and a dark, deadly tale to share. Next up is Ciar Cullen
who brings us into the
inner sanctum with not one, but two real-life ghost hunters.
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But wait,
there’s so much more! Isabo Kelly flies us to the Irish isle with legends
of faeries, and B'ella Donna a Samhain story with us. Lauren Dane
and Rebecca Goings share the lure of paranormal
romances. and
to put the sweet spot on the newsletter, J.L. Langley
shares her evil cookies recipe.
Sit back and enjoy the ride. It’ll be bumpy and perhaps
you’ll hear even a grind or two, but in the end, you’ll be
glad you stuck around.
Hauntingly yours,
Beth
"Boo" Williamson,
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood
there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming
dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before."
Edgar Allan Poe – The Raven
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Lori Foster
Embraces Her Dark Side
By
Jennifer Martin
New York
Times bestselling author Lori Foster explores her
dark side with a new name—L.L. Foster—and a new
urban fantasy book series, which launches this month
with the first book,
Servant: The Awakening.
A huge
fan of urban fantasy books, Jen—half of the Ashleigh
Raine writing team—excitedly jumped at the
opportunity to interview Ms. Foster, to learn what
made her go dark... |
Jen: Hi Lori. Thank you for agreeing to be
interviewed for The Samhellion. I’m excited to talk with you
about the new step you’re taking in your career.
Lori: Thanks Jen! I appreciate the time you’re taking
to do the interview.
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Jen: When I learned I’d be interviewing you,
I put out a call to readers to find out what they
wanted to know about Lori Foster. The responses I
got back all revolved around your new writing
venture, so let’s start there.
Lori: Great! I’m all about L.L. right now.
Jen: What made you decide to write a gritty
and scary paranormal when you usually write funny
and sexy love stories?
Lori: My first love in entertainment is
horror. I’ll see every horror movie out there, twice
sometimes. I think a mediocre horror movie is
usually more entertaining than a good drama or
comedy. |
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Plus the new focus on horror/urban
fantasy is very inspiring. Blade, Underworld, Buffy...
I love the idea of otherworldly thoughts and beings as a
focus. There aren’t any actual demons or vampires or whatnot
in
Servant, but the heroine does have some otherworldly
abilities.
(More,
More!)
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"Most of all I longed for death. I know that
now. I invited it. A release from the pain of
living. My invitation was open to anyone. To the
whore at my side, to the pimp that followed. But
it was a Vampire that accepted." Lestat,
Interview With The Vampire |
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Who You
Gonna Call?
by
Ciar Cullen
Professional ghost hunters James A. Willis and Amy
Blackthorn answer my questions about all things
ghostly.
Ciar: Please tell us about yourself. Is “ghost
hunter” the right term for what you do?
James:
I am the founder and director of an organization
called The Ghosts of Ohio. We have been in
continuous operation since 1999 and currently have
approximately 30 members throughout the state of
Ohio. I personally have been chasing after ghosts
and investigating/researching urban legends and
local folklore for over 22 years. I am also part of
the Grand Order of Weird Writers and write books in
the Weird US series. I am the co-author of Weird
Ohio, the soon-to-be-released Weird Indiana
and also worked as a contributing author for
Weird US and Weird Hauntings.
(More,
More!) |
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"Death
will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the
peace of the Pharaoh." - Legendary mummy's curse
found at tomb of Tutankhamen
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Honoring The
Ancestors
by
Gia Dawn
Our modern celebration of Halloween is a far cry
from the original Samhain celebration practiced by
the ancient peoples. For them, the day marked the
time when the veil between the worlds was at its
thinnest, and all manner of otherworldly creatures
stepped through to walk the night. |
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For the Celts, Samhain marked
the New Year, the first day of winter, when the days had
grown significantly shorter and the chill of the coming
season set in. Now was the time to look back upon the past
turning of the wheel and pay homage to those who had crossed
over to the other side.
We are the sum of all who have been before us, the
culmination of their hopes, fears, dreams, and desires. Our
children and their children will carry on our family
traditions and values as the circle of life moves on.
(More, More!)
"Death is your art. You
make it with your hands, day after day. That final gasp,
that look of peace... Part of you is desperate to
know... What's it like? Where does it lead you? Now you
see, that's the secret. Not the punch she didn't throw
or the kick she didn't land. She merely wanted it. Every
Slayer has a death wish. Even you."
- Spike to Buffy,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Fool For Love"
I don’t
dislike it because it scares me, or the pagan aspects from a
(Christian) religious upbringing, but rather from the point
of view of a woman who has zero creativity when it comes to
making costumes. I’m talking z-e-r-o.
These days there’s competition between the parents on who
can come up with the most clever costume for their child. Or
the most unique snacks for the class Halloween party. I’ve
seen frosted cookies resembling tombstones, RIP meticulously
scrolled across each cookie, clear plastic gloves packed
with popcorn with candy corn fingernails poking out from the
fingertips, and cinnamon ‘red-hots’ used as scabs. Witches’
hats crafted from ice cream cones, glazed with black icing,
and dotted with purple and orange stars. Or my personal
favorite: gray-colored ‘brain’ cupcakes filled with
raspberry goo, which is supposed to squirt like blood when
you bite into it. For the grossness factor? Cool. But I
can’t get past the “I have way too much time on my hands”
factor.
(More, More!)
"Listen to them, the children of the night. What
music they make!" - Bram Stoker's DRACULA
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Irish Superstitions
by
Isabo Kelly
Are you
full of piseogs? You might be if you’re
Irish. Even today, Irish superstitions (piseogs:
pronounced pish-ohgs) abound. When I asked friends
and family in Ireland if they could think of any,
they came back with a surprisingly long list. |
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Most of the
superstitions are an effort to avoid bad luck. Remember all
those auburn-haired heroines in romance novels? Well don’t
send them to Ireland. Redheads are to be avoided—especially
on a May morning (although no one is quite sure why this is
the case, so they don’t actually avoid redheads).
More ways to avoid bad luck include not putting new shoes on the table, don’t walk
under a ladder, and if you drop salt, throw some over your left
shoulder. Those last two sound familiar? Good whiskey and lively
music aren’t the only things the Irish exported. If they want to
avoid a jinx, they tip wood (“knock on wood” anyone?), but if no
wood is available, they knock on their heads—since of course yer
head’s made of wood.
(More, More!)
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