Happy Halloween and a Brief Hiatus

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Happy Halloween! Sometimes, October feels like one long festive party. We get thirty-one days of shivery movies and books, pumpkin carving activities, hayrides, jack-o-lanterns, hot cider, ghost stories, and spooky decorations.

Illuminated home garden path patio lights with halloween pumpkin lanterns

Trick-or-treat takes place in my neighborhood tonight, so I will be passing out candy to the little ghosts and ghouls who knock on my door. Maybe I’ll pop in a spooky movie or crack open a Halloween novel. Or maybe I’ll be doing my final round of NaNoWriMo prep. Tomorrow—November 1—kicks off the big event.

I’ve plotted as much as possible. I have my character sketches, my setting details and a number of scenes mapped out, but NaNo is still going to be a challenge. Especially because I work thirty hours a week. That’s less than many people, but still enough to limit the hours I can devote to writing.

As a result, I’m going to take a one month hiatus from blogging. I won’t be online much, if at all, which means I’m going to miss your November blog posts. I hope you’ll bear with me while I tackle NaNo. I’ll pop in, if and when I can, but for the most part I don’t expect to be visible. Wish me luck! 🙂

In the meantime, I cobbled together some Halloween superstitions and folklore for your enjoyment.

Did you know:

Leafless barren tree in front of oversized full moon iat nightYou should turn your pockets inside out when passing a graveyard on Halloween. That way,  you won’t inadvertently bring a ghost home in your pocket.

To ward off evil spirits, walk counterclockwise around your house backward, three times before sunset on Halloween.

If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween, do not turn around. It could be Death or the dead following you.

If, however, you spy a spider on Halloween, consider yourself lucky. It means a departed loved one is watching over you.

If you happen to see a bull lying down on Halloween night, the wind will blow most of the winter from the direction he’s facing.

Finally, if you were born on Halloween, you can see spirits, chat with faeries, and interpret dreams!

Happy Halloween, and good luck to everyone who is participating in NaNo!

70 thoughts on “Happy Halloween and a Brief Hiatus”

  1. Mae, best of luck with NaNo and have an amazing time! I look forward to seeing you the other side of November. Thanks for the Halloween facts! My cousin is born today … I’ll have to ask her about chatting with faeries. Loved reading these although slightly spooked! Enjoy the celebrations.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • My niece was born on Halloween, but so far I haven’t seen her chatting with any of the Fae, LOL.
      Thanks for the NaNo wishes. I haven’t participated in years, but I’ve done a lot of planning for it, so hopefully, I’ll succeed! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. All the best with Nano, Mae! I will miss your blogs. I enjoyed the Halloween tips . . . I’ll try the one about the spider on my youngest daughter who demands death for every arachnid that has the nerve to crawl in our house. Take care!

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    • I kind of have to agree with your daughter, Mark. Creepy crawly things completely freak me out. I mean…why couldn’t a departed love one watch over you in the form of something cute and cuddly like a bunny rabbit? 🙂

      Thanks for the NaNo wishes. I’ll miss reading your blogs, too. Hopefully, I can pop in once in a while during the month.

      Happy Halloween!

      Liked by 1 person

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    • So glad you’re participating, Sue! I just looked for you on the site but couldn’t locate you. If you want to buddy up, I’m MythMaven.

      I hope you’re right about the results at the end of the month. I’ve got my fingers crossed I can pull this thing off. I did it once before, but have also failed at it before, too. Fingers crossed for both of us!

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. Love these superstitions, most of which I’d never heard before. I think I’ll save them as jumping off points for a story somewhere.

    Good luck with NaNo! Write like the WIND, my PenderPal! 😀 See you on the other side. Or sooner, if you get a sudden urge to talk books! You know where to find me. 😀 ❤

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    • They would definitely play well in stories! I love old superstitions. There are even a few I adhere too (though none of the above).

      Thank for the well wishes on NaNo. I can’t believe I’m going to vanish for a month. Well, hopefully, I can pop on now and again. And yes, we have books to discuss. So many books, my Pender Pal! {{big hugs}}

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    • YAY! It’s great to see you, Stanalei! 🙂
      I’m glad to hear you’ll be doing NaNo too. I just sent you a buddy request. I’m MythMaven on the site.
      Happy Halloween and happy writing!

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  17. Our blogging circle is going to be quiet in November for sure! I hate to miss everyone’s posts, but I simply can’t do it all AND write 50k words. I too work outside the home, normally around 20 – 30 hours per week. So I have a mindset to write first, then do other stuff later. Coffee will be my friend! I love the Halloween folklore, Mae! Thanks for sharing. Here’s to everyone’s success with NaNo!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • I think you have a good plan. I’m going to miss visiting blogs too, but I’m going to word count first, otherwise I’ll just stress myself out. So glad you’re joining in, Jan! I’m cheering all of us on! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Ooo, I love the Farmer’s Almanac. That might have even been where I stumbled across the superstition , LOL.
      Thanks for the well wishes, Jacquie. I’m going to miss interacting with everyone, but as Arnold said in The Terminator “I’ll be back!” 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  25. Best of luck with NaNo Mae! I’ll miss you around here, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. I loved the tip about tucking your pockets out when going past a graveyard! Quite cute really imagining a little ghostie in your pocket 🤗

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  28. What a fun list, Mae! I looked for you on NaNo but couldn’t find you. Buddy me at username Dendra. Since I live by a graveyard, I will keep the advice in mind about turning my pockets inside out. Also. I love the forecast for those born on October 31– “if you were born on Halloween, you can see spirits, chat with faeries, and interpret dreams!” That includes poet John Keats, and he certainly did those things in his poems.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I didn’t realize John Keats was born on Halloween. I love his poetry.

      And yes, watch your pockets since you live by a graveyard, LOL. I found you on NaNo and sent you a buddy request. I started out great but wrote zero words yesterday 😦

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  30. Pingback: Book Review: Cusp of Night by Mae Clair – This Is My Truth Now

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