Friday the 13 th?

 by Diana McCollum

Well, here it is, one of the most superstitious days on the calendar. I have never taken it seriously. Have you?

I'd like for you all to comment in the comment section as to your feelings on Friday the 13th. Is it good, bad or do terrible things really happen on Friday the 13th?

Do black cats crossing your path signify bad luck? What about walking under a ladder? Spilt salt? Spilt milk?

A portion of harvested pumpkins.

Husband grew 15 pumpkins, all shapes and sizes to celebrate October, even Friday the 13th.

Paradise, CA sunset (Just threw this in because, well Pretty!!

Scary lights?

Old haunted cabin in northern CA

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you an experience with a ghost you'd care to share?

And what pray tell are your thoughts on Friday the 13th???

Have a wonderful fall!!!

Could it Be Magic?

This month we've been talking about superstitions, which seems apropos since it's October and Halloween is just around the corner.  And, what better time to talk about superstitions and magic and all things that go bump in the night?   

I'm not a superstitious person, or at least I've never considered myself one. Then I thought, hmm...maybe I should look up the definition and see for sure. 

Superstition: noun \ˌsü-pər-ˈsti-shən\

: a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck : a belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck , that some events or phenomena are omens, and, generally, fearfully believing in a supernatural dimension to events.

Okay....maybe I am a bit superstitious because I do tend to believe in omens. Here's a case in point....and because it's almost Halloween, consider this a 'ghost story' or rather "Paranormal Activity continued".  

Last July (2012) I went home (to Texas) to attend the funeral for my girlfriend's son. I stayed at my cousin Michelle's house and I hadn't seen her in a few years so we spent a lot of hours 'catching up'. On one of the nights I was there we had dinner with Michelle's brother and parents. Now, my uncle, is VERY superstitious and is always telling me stories of magic and witches and crazy supernatural events he witnessed when he was younger....he's from the Rio Grande Valley, so believing in all of that is pretty much ingrained. Anyway, he was telling me about a local 'witch' who worked out of a little herb shop and how she could cast spells and whatever.

So, being the adventurous fiction writer I am, I said how cool that would be to go check out. Michelle piped up, "Let's do it. I'll go with you." To which my uncle said (something along the lines of), "don't go in there calling her a witch or anything or she'll hex you." I told him I only wanted to check out the store and could just say I'm looking for an herb to help me sleep....I'd been feeling a bit run down.  So he gave me the address and the following morning Michelle and I set out to find the store. She was feeling a bit apprehensive so I told her, don't worry, we're just going to check it out and if she asks, we'll tell her we're looking for herbs or something. 

So, after driving past the address a couple of times, we pull into a small, graveled parking lot where an old, rundown, building set. It looked like an old convenience store that had been closed for a while. We got out of the car and went to check the front door. It was locked. So, I peered into the grime-stained window to look inside. The place looked empty. There were a few boxes on counters and a shelf to the side with a few scraps of papers, a couple of books and some figurines. It looked like whoever had been there only took what they really wanted and left the rest.

There was a banner attached to the roof with a phone number so Michelle suggested we call it. I got a bit of an uneasy feeling, so I said, "Nah, it's no big deal. Besides, I'd gotten pretty much what I wanted...a look inside." So we left and the next day I flew back to Arizona and began preparing for my trip to Anaheim and the RWA conference, which was two weeks away. A few days after I got home I got a call from my aunt saying Michelle had to be rushed into surgery because her colon had ruptured. A few weeks before Mic had learned she had diverticulitis and was on medication (I think). She was in the hospital for a week, recovering and was scheduled another round of surgery the following September. It was pretty scary and I'm so relieved she's fine now.  

Now, during that week, I was still struggling with insomnia and I was having trouble eating....I had no appetite and was basically living on watermelon and strawberries because it was the only thing I could eat that didn't taste like paste.  On the Saturday before I was to leave for RWA I was feeling really drained, so I asked my daughter if I could use her meter to check my blood sugar. I don't know why, it was just one of those things that popped into my head. I wasn't diabetic, my doctor told me I was borderline a few months previously, but I hadn't really given it much thought. So, she gave me her meter and ran upstairs so it wouldn't register on her pump....she's Type 1 and the meter is wireless to go to her insulin pump.

So, I did the finger prick and test and my sugar read 535....normal is 70. I figured it was wrong, and, because Manda was still in the house, she saw the numbers and said,

'That's too high." 

"It's probably wrong," I said. "I'll try again."

535.

*sigh*

So, I texted Michelle....she's an RN and my 'go-to' with medical emergencies.

She said, "That's too high. Go to the ER. You need insulin."

And, me, being the stubborn person I am said, "I just took one of the insulin pills the doctor gave me (a few months ago) so I'll wait and see if it works."  

Since she knew it was an argument she wouldn't win, she continued to text me until the hour was up and I could check my sugar again.

545.  

After a bit of hemming and hawing (there was a monsoon, I should wait on that. My husband and son are at the ballgame, there's no one to drive me...blah blah) Manda and I climbed into the car and I went to the ER. They took me in right away when I mentioned my high sugar, and did another test. It didn't register on their machine, which told them my sugars were above 700 now. So, they took me to trauma and tried to start an I.V. Because I was so dehydrated it took three nurses and six tries to find a vein!! 

After a few hours the doctor came in and said, "Guess what? You're not borderline anymore!" He also said they were going to keep me in the hospital for the next two days to monitor me and make sure they can get my sugar down. But, I had a trip in two days and said, "Nope. I gotta be out of here tomorrow." To which he was not all that happy about. Needless to say, he let me leave on the following day with strict instructions to not eat anything high in carbs.....yeah, that turned out to be a fun trip!

So anyway, as Michelle and I started to heal, we realized that our troubles both started after we went to see the witch. Did our snooping around her store cause our illnesses?? Had there been a spell of some sort around the store?  We don't know for sure....but it's quite the coincidence, don't you think?  

Whichever you believe, I gotta admit, it makes for great suspense in my work. ;-) 

To learn more about my work visit my website at www.terrimolina.com

 

Superstitions, Saris, Spices . . .

By Shobhan Bantwal

Growing up in a small rural town in India in the 1960s, I used to resent the fact that God had chosen to put me in a place that was about as exciting as plain boiled rice. Everyone knew everyone else and my father was the quintessential Indian 'Lord and Master.' My sisters and I were not allowed to date or even step out of the house after dark. The nuns in our super-strict Catholic school buried us in homework and left us no time for any fun activities.

However, many years later, after I had my old-fashioned arranged marriage and moved to the United States, I was amazed to discover that it was precisely my unusual and conservative upbringing that was of interest to many Americans. Eventually, when I became a fiction author, I also realized there is such abundant fodder for story ideas in my own culture that I rarely have to look beyond it. Saris, spices, superstitions, and quaint social customs have offered some great plots for my novels.

And speaking of superstitions in India, here are some examples: No cutting of hair or nails after sundown (bad luck); applying a spot of kohl on a baby's face (deflects the evil eye and protects the child); no placing salt directly into somebody's hand (potential for conflict between the giver and taker).

Matching the horoscopes of eligible boys and girls for matrimonial purposes is also rooted in superstition. Now this is one practice I really believe in. Why? Because my husband and I were matched that way forty years ago and we are still happily married. Almost everyone in my family who was married in this fashion is content in their marriage. There must be something to this horoscope business, right?

Then there are the saris and spices, a dynamic duo that adds color, heat, and an exotic component to an ethnic Indian romance. While the sari is considered a modest garment it can be one of the sexiest if worn low over the hips and matched with a revealing blouse. My book, The Sari Shop Widow (2009), generated the most sales amongst all my books, and I believe the title had something to with it.

Scenes that include food are always a wonderful way to introduce a foreign culture to readers. I often receive feedback from my readers asking for recipes of dishes I mention in my novels. Questions about Indian spices also come up from time to time. I find that rare ethnic elements are great topics to stimulate interest in potential readers.

 
Website: www.shobhanbantwal.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ShobhanBantwal.author

Superstitions

by Judith Ashley

Sarah and I sat down in August and brainstormed ideas for our 2014 monthly Genre-ista topics or prompts as well as ideas for our Saturday Highlight Contributors. I also have a paper monthly calendar I write these ideas on once we finalize them. I like the idea of picking something up and in mere seconds being able to find the information – so much easier and faster for me than scrolling around on my phone or clicking around on the computer.

What does this have to do with the topic of Superstitions? Three things…

One: I didn’t look at my calendar much less the list in the Files section of the Romancing The Genres yahoo group so I wrote a whole blog post on “Near Death Experiences” – and I published it. If I hadn’t looked at my calendar and noticed Robin Weaver’s title, you may have read that instead of this.

Two: My excuse is we came up with this topic last year. How was I supposed to remember?

Three: At some point in the annals of time, something happened that gave rise to what seems to be superstitious to us today (or in the more recent past). If you read yesterday's post by Bronwen Evans on wedding superstitions you can see the reasoning behind those traditions/superstitions.

Do I pay close attention to the cracks in the sidewalk? Sometimes – often the crack signals unevenness in the pavement. It is easy enough to stub your toe on one of them and fall.

Do I pay attention to ladders and walk around them? Yes – because ladders are a sign that something is going on over my head. I’m rather protective of that part of my body. I don’t need hammers, buckets, bricks, etc. falling on me.

One thing I do pay attention to is that particular feeling I get that tells me something isn’t quite right. In my younger more daring days I sometimes ignored it or thought I was capable of dealing with the situation. Sometimes that was true and I did bluff my way through – other times it wasn’t and I paid a physical price.

When you think of superstitions, can you figure out why they began? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

© 2013 Judith Ashley

www.FreeReadsFromTheGenre-istas.blogspot.com