eldritchhobbit

“For these beings, fall is ever the normal season, the only weather, there be no choice beyond. Where do they come from? The dust. Where do they go? The grave. Does blood stir their veins? No: the night wind. What ticks in their head? The worm. What speaks from their mouth? The toad. What sees from their eye? The snake. What hears with their ear? The abyss between the stars. They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, fill tombs with sinners. They frenzy forth….Such are the autumn people.”

- Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

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And we’re off! Today begins my 14th annual Halloween Countdown. I hope you’ll join me every day. This year’s countdown will be available on my blog, on my Tumblr, on my Twitter feed, on my Goodreads blog, and on my Amazon author feed.

You can find all of my past Halloween posts here. You can also find additional countdowns around the interwebs at the Countdown to Halloween site.

This year’s countdown will include a little of this and a little of that, all with a seasonal theme. In particular, I’ve traveled to some spooky places and dived into some creepy folklore since last year’s countdown, and I want to share a few ghost stories and regional legends! I look forward to spending my favorite month with you.

(This is “Rusty Cauldron” by Shahuskies, whose work is found here on DeviantArt, here on Etsy, and here on Redbubble.)

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“Halloween wraps fear in innocence, as though it were a slightly sour sweet. Let terror, then, be turned into a treat…”

- Nicholas Gordon, quoted in Haunted Hallows: Pumpkinrot by J.M. Connor

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By goblins of the cornfield stark

By witches dancing on the green

By pumpkins grinning in the dark

I wish you luck this Hallowe’en.

- Early 1900s Halloween Postcard, author unknown, quoted in “Introduction: When Churchyards Yawn” in The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories: Terrifying Tales Set on the Scariest Night of the Year, Stephen Jones, ed.

(This is “Woven Horror” by Dilirix, whose work is found here on DeviantArt.)

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I have a couple of recommendations to get your October started on the right note.

1. A great place to begin your Halloween festivities is the Science Fiction Poetry Association’s 2019 Halloween Poetry Reading, which is already underway and will continue updating throughout the month. Images! Audio! Spooky poetry!

2. Author and multimedia artist Patrick Tumblety has put together a brilliant October celebration through audio stories (complete with music and special effects) called The October Children. You should check it out!

Who are the October Children, you ask? Here is Patrick Tumblety’s answer:

"YOU are. You and every person who celebrates the sensation that is autumn and the magnificent macabre that is Halloween.Within you will unearth short stories, poetry, and music created for the sole purpose of celebrating the season. A new audio file will release every Thursday in October leading up to THE night of all nights! Tell your friends, your enemies, and even those that have passed to gather more souls for the harvest! (Ouija board sold separately)

"Welcome, fellow children. Stay and play in the leaves."

Visit The October Children!