Someone asked me why I picked Halloween as my launch date for my new book, The Ghostwriter: A Story Of The Guild. Well, besides the obvious connection between Halloween and ghosts, I also wanted it released on Halloween because it is a very sacred day to me. The Celtic word for this holiday is Samhain, pronounced sow-in, or SAH-win. Which means summer’s end. It is a time of ushering in the dark time of year here in the Northern hemisphere. Our new year. For me it marks the beginning of the “Quiet” time. The time when I tend to go inwards. I look back on my “harvest” of the past year and set intentions for what I want to manifest in the coming year. When marking this holiday with friends, we usually make an altar to our ancestors and honor them and those that have crossed over this past year. There is a bonfire, and usually a cup of mead passed around. Though, because of covid, this has changed to small cups of mead.
I have to admit I do tend to go overboard with the decorations this time of year, but I do want the trick-or-treaters to be entranced (In a good, non-spell casting way). And, come on! It IS the very best holiday. You get to dress up, eat candy, communicate with the dead (If you’re into that kind of thing :-)), and stand around a bonfire with friends reminiscing about the past and sharing dreams of the future. I have a small marble table that fits just beneath my gas fireplace that I call my Hearth Altar. I will place photos of my and my husband’s ancestors on it, light candles, and remember those who have gone before.
This year I will also be grateful for the Scribe Hive Publishing group and the writers within it who have inspired and encouraged me in getting two books published this year, my harvest. Writing MythMatched and The Ghostwriter has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. But without the support of our Hive, they would have never been published. I was willing to just keep them to myself when I looked at the hoops one must jump through in order to self-publish. But working together as a co-op has made that path a lot easier to traverse.
My intentions for the upcoming year will include writing sequels to both books, and maybe a short story or two to submit to various publications.
Do you set intentions for the upcoming year? Share them in the comments. I’d really love to get to know y’all better. Any Halloween traditions that you and/or your family share every year? If Autumn is also your favorite time of year, please tell me why. You never know what will be included in the next book.
May you have an amazing autumn, and a plentiful harvest.
