30 Days Until Halloween

October is here! With a mug of pumpkin spice coffee in hand, I salute you.

Today begins my sixth annual 31-day celebration of the season, a virtual Halloween party that lasts all month long. Thank you for joining me! Please pass the word if you know of others who would like to visit. Each day I will be posting a "spooky text" (some poetry and some prose, some classic and some contemporary) and a picture, and along the way I will also be sharing videos, links, virtual tours, and other treats. I hope you enjoy them.


I'm not the only one online counting down to Halloween. Be sure to check out the daily posts by mamomo, magicwondershow, and vivien529, as well.

Book Chick City is also hosting a month-long Halloween extravaganza:


In addition, the Countdown to Halloween site has a list of many other blogs participating in the daily festivities:

In other news…

• Special thanks to lizziebelle for today's photo. Look for more of her haunting pictures in the days to come.


• By Eric Diaz : "The Top 10 Greatest Classic Horror Comics in Comic History."


• From Emma Taylor: "The 20 Greatest Works of Dystopian Literature."


• Happy early birthday wishes to fenice_fu, saladinahmed, coalitiongirl, and fory_san. May you all enjoy many happy returns of the day!

Text of the Day: Let's start the month with something moody and dark by one of my very favorite poets, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).

The Soul has Bandaged moments —
When too appalled to stir —
She feels some ghastly Fright come up
And stop to look at her —

Salute her — with long fingers —
Caress her freezing hair —
Sip, Goblin, from the very lips
The Lover — hovered — o'er —
Unworthy, that a thought so mean
Accost a Theme — so — fair —

( The soul has moments of Escape — )