A Different Type of Story for a Different Type of Year

 By Maureen Bonatch

Everything is a little different this year, including my latest release. Till Death is a psychological thriller without my usual paranormal or fantasy elements. That made it a little challenging to write until I embraced my love of the human mind, that's where the true magic and mystery lies in most people. As the old saying goes, reality is stranger than fiction, and this year has certainly supported that. 

Till Death gives us a glimpse into Gina's life when she realizes that the beliefs, and the person, she's supported for most of her life may not be what's best for her—but she's made a vow, and that's not to be taken lightly. 

But just like 2020 has us all thinking, Gina wonders just when is enough, enough?

Fun Facts About Till Death:

• My character was inspired by Annie Wilkes from Misery and Castle Rock
• Are you superstitious? I had fun researching and taking Gina's superstitions to the extreme

Till Death is available now- just click right here 

Honor, obey or slay...

Blurb:

     Gina believes that mirrors hold bits of the soul, a rabbit's foot brings good luck, and that marriage vows are until death. But most of all, she’s blindly followed her husband Rick’s philosophy. Nasty men get one chance to convert from their abusive ways —or suffer the consequences they bring upon themselves. 

      But when she meets George, Gina begins to question everything Rick has led her to believe about men. Now Rick has George lined up to be the next man to be redeemed. Will black widow Gina honor and obey and weave her web around George, or will she become the next victim?

Here's an Excerpt: 

      Honor and obey. This was the life I knew. The one I’d created as Rick’s wife. I had to see it through. I lowered my gaze to the ground. “I meant, don’t give the neighborhood more to talk about than it already has.” 

     “Neighborhood? Do you mean that old man who’s been sniffing around here?” Rick smoothed his face back into the mask he shared with the world and glanced toward George’s house. 

      “No.” I didn’t dare look to see if George was lingering. It was a mistake to remind Rick that I might’ve made a friend. A male friend who didn’t fit into the mold Rick insisted most men did. But Rick made a lot of ruckus that could’ve attracted other attention, so when two ladies walked down the street, not giving us a second glance, I inclined my head their way. 

     Rick’s gaze followed mine and then returned to me. “I thought you didn’t worry about those things? About what people might think? Most people don’t see what’s justified in the world, they don’t understand the road to redemption and how we are paving it with the blood of those who don’t appreciate a woman.”      “I don’t care what they think, but this time it’s different.” I was different. But I couldn’t tell Rick that I’d begun to question the truths of performing this justice with him. All it had taken was one old man who’d experienced a loving marriage. A man who saw me as more than a cook, cleaner, and punching bag. 

      “It’s not really different when the end result is the same.” Rick pushed past me. He entered my house as if he owned the place, and as my husband, technically he did.

A Friday the 13th Short Story: 13 authors ~ 13 suspenseful short stories. Murder and mayhem on Friday the 13th...Find each story in the series on Amazon.

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her

HERE BE NEWS for July 27, 2020

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Monday, July 20 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic.  

Tuesday, July 21 -
“Promote on Social Media Without Being OVERWHELMED” – Social media can be an author’s best friend – if used wisely. SciFi romance author Deborah A Bailey provides tips. 

Thursday, July 23-
“ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?” – Author Maureen Bonatch talks about how people try to influence their luck. Plus she announces her newest story, a dark suspense with a very superstitious heroine! 

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AUGUST is the month of HUNGRY GHOSTS

Don’t whistle.
Don’t go near the water.
Don’t stay out late.
Don’t take selfies.
Don’t buy a house.
Don’t wear clothes with your name on them.
And definitely DON’T get married…

These are just a few of the precautions that may be taken during Ghost Month, which follows the Chinese lunar calendar and occurs from August 1 to August 29 in 2019. At this time of year, the gates of the lower realms of the afterlife are thrown open and the unhappy spirits of the dead are free to wander among the living. (And you thought October was the scariest month!) 

According to traditional Buddhist and Taoist beliefs, Hungry Ghosts may be those who left no descendants behind to remember them or whose family failed to hold the proper rituals for them when they died. These troubled spirits may also be people who died by violent means, or they may be the malevolent ghosts of those condemned for their own acts of greed and cruelty. 

Hungry Ghosts are not depicted as they appeared in life, but are distorted, ugly and frightening, with long narrow necks and large empty bellies. This emphasizes that these spirits are perpetually subject to powerful desires that they can never satisfy on their own. 

During the month of August, they wander the living world in search of food and drink, entertainment and other worldly pleasures, a little respect and reverence – and many also look to cause mischief and misfortune.

In Western culture, ghosts are usually associated with indoor hauntings. But in Eastern culture, the unquiet souls are generally roaming the streets. This is why so much effort is put into appeasement of them with offerings, in hopes of avoiding the curses and bad luck they might bring to one’s home. In fact, the ghosts are usually politely referred to as “Good Brothers” or “Good Sisters” in order to avoid offending them.

Throughout the month it’s common to see plates of food and small cups of tea or wine set out at the curb to feed these wandering spirits. Incense is burnt next to the meal, and paper money (called “hell money” or joss) is set alight as well. The currency may not be legal tender in the realm of the living, but it’s apparently quite useful in the otherworld, and the fire transfers it into the hands of the ghosts. 

The hell money is traditionally printed with very large denominations and folded into elaborate shapes (some are even printed to resemble US dollars). Paper effigies of luxury items like TVs, cars, houses, etc. may also be burnt to make the deceased more comfortable in their world. There are even paper cell phones!

Superstitions abound like the ones listed at the beginning of this post. The main premise is to avoid attracting the attention of a Hungry Ghost. Here are just a few of the many, many taboos:

• Singing and whistling are frowned upon in case a ghost is tempted to answer you. 
• Don’t wear your name on your clothing lest the ghost find out who you are, and don’t call a friend or family member by name. 
• It’s considered dangerous to be outdoors at night, especially for children and the elderly, because some of the nastier spirits might attack them. Hungry Ghosts are at their strongest at night.
• Most people avoid swimming during this month because a ghost might pull you under and drown you. In fact, don’t go near any body of water, even a stream – that means no fishing! 
• Umbrellas should be left outdoors or not used at all. To bring one inside is to accidentally invite spirits into your house, especially if you open the umbrella to dry it out. Ghosts apparently like to hide inside them.
• Don’t ever take the last scheduled bus of the night or a ghost may be tempted to join you on your journey home. 
• Cameras are believed to be able to trap spirits, so no selfies this month unless you want a ghost to hang out with you indefinitely.
• Red and black are thought to attract ghosts, so don’t wear these colors this month.
• Don’t leave clothing hanging on the line overnight. Ghosts may be tempted to try them on and come back into the house with them when you gather the clothes the next day.

Ghost Month is considered highly unlucky for weddings and also for the purchase of big ticket items. In Taiwan for instance, car sales typically plummet in August and property prices drop!

The 15th of the month is reserved for the annual Ghost Festival, which is celebrated not only in China and Taiwan, but in Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and more. 

Both public and private feasts are laid out on tables along the streets or on altars in front of temples for invisible guests. Buddhist and Taoist rituals are performed to redress the spirits’ sins, hopefully freeing them from their current misery so they can move on to a better place in the afterlife. Outdoor performances of Chinese opera, plays and music are held on Festival Night, with the front rows of chairs always left empty for the ghosts. These events are often quite loud as spirits are believed to be attracted to noise!

During the mid-month festival and again at the end of the month, thousands of lotus-shaped lanterns are lit and placed into rivers and lakes. 

As the lanterns float away, it’s believed they guide the spirits back to the otherworld. When the flames go out, the ghosts are gone.

At least, until next year…
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TEA EGG RECIPE:  https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/51326/chinese-tea-leaf-eggs/

Are you afraid of Friday the 13th?

Are you a triskaidekaphobe? 

Blame it on the Vikings.

That ten-dollar word refers to someone who is afraid of the number 13. And the Vikings apparently regarded 13 as a sinister number because their trickster god, Loki, once crashed a party for 12 at Valhalla and caused the death of beloved Baldur, god of joy and light. (No doubt this is also the origin of the term “party-pooper”)

The number 13 is bad enough, but add it to a Friday and the bad luck just gets worse. For one thing, you’ll have more big words to deal with – if you’re afraid of Friday the 13th, then you have friggatriskaidekaphobia, also called paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Think about it. Even if you don’t believe in luck or bad karma or cosmic forces, do you still hesitate before buying a lottery ticket on Friday the 13th? Or starting an important project? Or traveling? You might brush it off and carry on with your plans, but the day is so ingrained in our culture that few of us are immune. 

A calendar year may have 1 to 3 “thirteenths” occurring on a Friday, like 2012 and 2015. Fortunately for the fearful, the triple threat years don’t happen very often. This year, 2018, has two – the first one was in April, and the second in July.

Image: Bigstock.com

Superstitions about the number 13 or Friday the 13th

• If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone in your family will die. (Does it depend on how good the haircut is?)

• A clock striking 13 portends a death in the family. (Again with the family!) Or it may signal paranormal activity.

• If you’re born on Friday the 13th, you’ll be unlucky for life. Not to worry, apparently it’ll also be a short life!

• It’s bad luck to marry on this day. (In Middleton, New York, in 1913, a pastor offered to marry couples for free on Friday the 13th to counteract the superstition.)

• Some folklore claims that if you’re passed by a funeral procession on Friday the 13th, you’ll be the next to die. (So is everyone the procession passes doomed? You could wipe out most of a town in one fell swoop!)

Image: Bigstock.com

• Leaving on vacation? Bad karma to do it on the 13th. Historically, mariners have declined to set sail on that day.

• Thirteen stairs? Bad news. (My knees think so too.) In British history, tradition held that a gallows had 13 steps, and Friday was known as “the hangman’s day”. Literally.

• Never have 13 place settings at the dinner table; it’s said that one guest may die within a year. Since the 1700s, tradition has held that there were 13 people in attendance at The Last Supper. In France, you could once hire a professional quatorzieme, or 14th guest to balance your dinner party and avoid calamity.

• Many airports still don’t have a Gate 13. Ronald Reagan National in Washington is on that list. So is Chicago’s Midway. Tall buildings and even hospitals still sometimes skip having a 13th floor (in name at least – the floor is still there of course, just renamed). Hotels have known for years that customers dislike rooms with the number 13 in them.

Can you escape Friday the 13th?

No matter how enlightened we think we are, a lot of us exercise caution on this calendar day. In fact, it’s estimated that the US probably loses millions of dollars in business on Friday the 13th, because so many people postpone major purchases and reschedule trips. And that doesn’t count the number of workers who call in sick.

Image: Bigstock.com

The town fathers of French Lick, Indiana, tried to be proactive in October, 1939. They decreed that all black cats in town wear bells on Friday the 13th so that people could avoid them. This practice stayed on the books through 1941. After a particularly bad Friday the 13th (no mention of what happened), the law was reinstated for 1942. The person with the worst luck in all of this was probably the town marshal, whose job it was to bell all those cats!

Of course, you can always fight superstition with superstition. To counteract Friday the 13th, folklore says you can climb to a high place (mountain or skyscraper, whatever’s handiest) and burn all of your socks that have holes in them. Or you can walk around your house 13 times on Friday the 13th and hang your shoes out the window.

It goes without saying you should avoid anyone wearing a hockey mask.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page

BATS in Myth and Legend

National Bat Appreciation Day is upon us!

Image: Bigstock.com

April 17^th is an annual opportunity to wonder anew at this amazing and mysterious creature. Humans have always been fascinated by bats – and maybe a bit envious too. After all, these little mammals can fly – not leap or glide, but truly FLY. Bats traverse the darkness easily, and sail fearlessly into the blackness of caves without hesitation. The echo-location and sonar capabilities that we can now create with sophisticated technology, have always been possessed naturally by bats.

It’s no wonder that throughout history we’ve attributed both good luck and evil to them, told stories about them, and even deified them. 

Here are just a few examples:

As a rule, bats haven’t enjoyed a great reputation in Western Culture. As a creature of the night, they were easily associated with evil, death, and the underworld. Superstitions abounded that claimed the bat was a messenger between witches and the devil, that bats could steal souls, or spread disease and misfortune. (And this was centuries before Bram Stoker penned his famous novel,“Dracula”!)

Old Scottish superstitions claimed that if a bat flew toward you, it was a sign that someone was trying to place a curse on you. It might also indicate that you will soon be betrayed by someone. If a bat is seen to rise quickly and then swiftly descend to the ground, you knew that the Hour of Witches had arrived. This meant that unless you had protected yourself against them (such as by keeping flint arrowheads in your pocket or wearing amulets fashioned from rowan wood), all witches had great power over everyone during that time.

Old illustration of Vampire Bats
Image: Bigstock.com

The bat might also be a faery in disguise. In Celtic folklore, the Pooka (also Puca or Pwca, according to which UK country you’re in) was a trickster fae who could transform into any creature it pleased. Although it seemed to favor the forms of horses, goats, and rabbits, stories exist where the Pooka shapeshifted into a bat. The wise took care not to go outside at night, for fear of meeting the Pooka. It could be merely mischievous – or it could be deadly.

While some people in the UK and Europe believed that harming a bat was bad luck, most did not. In fact, a bat flying into the house was often thought to signify that a death would soon occur in the family. This could only be averted by killing the unfortunate bat! Similar superstitions are also found throughout North America. One claims that simply dreaming about bats means the death of a dear friend.

It was a widespread belief throughout Europe that bats were used as familiars by witches. This sadly led to the wrongful conviction of many people. In 14^th century France, for instance, a noblewoman was burned at the stake simply because bats were seen to fly around her home!

So, are there any positive superstitions about the poor bat? Thankfully, YES!

In many eastern countries, bats are appreciated. A common belief is that a bat flying into your house is considered a sign of good things coming your way. And the more bats, the better!

Intricately carved facade of Goa Lawah Bat Cave Temple.
Image: Bigstock.com

An 11^th century Hindu temple was deliberately built around a cave housing a colony of thousands of bats in Bali, Indonesia. The images of bats were incorporated into the stone façade of the temple itself. To this day the worshippers co-exist with the animals, and it’s now become a tourist attraction largely due to the bats’ presence.

In Chinese Feng Shui, bats are associated with happiness and wealth. Symbols and images of bats (sometimes shown with coins in their mouths) are deliberately placed on the door of a house, on the front of a business, or on a pendant around the neck in order to attract positive “chi” (energy). The Chinese word “Fú”, when spoken, means “bat”. It also sounds exactly like “good fortune”, so the character for good fortune is often included on any images of bats.

Chinese pendant showing lucky 5 bats
surrounding the word for good fortune
Necklace owned by Dani Harper

In the Qing Dynasty, pictures of bats were embroidered onto royal robes and painted on walls and ceilings. They were carved into furniture and thrones, and adorn the doorways of many buildings. Even in the Forbidden City in Beijing, you can find many examples of stylized bats.

The number of bats incorporated into a symbol is very important too. For instance, a pair of bats doubles the luck they attract. Five is the most desired number of bats because they represent the five most important blessings: prosperity, virtue, health, long life, and a peaceful natural death. This might be why a bat symbol is sometimes hung on a window to ward off illness.

The ancient Mayans of South America counted Camazotz among their deities. First mentioned around 100 AD by the Zapotec tribe, this bat-god possessed the body of a man and the head of a leaf-nosed bat, plus bat wings. He lived in the underworld, and was mostly associated with night, with sacrifice, and with death. Although he looks terrifying, Camazotz is credited with negotiating with another god so that mortals could have the gift of fire. And thus the bat-god is also known as the god of fire!

*****************

THE GRIM SERIES by Dani Harper

The fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…

In this enchanting romance series from Dani Harper, the ancient fae come face-to-face with modern-day humans and discover something far more potent than their strongest magic: love.

LEGEND ∙ LORE ∙ LOVE ∙ MAGIC

  

STORM WARRIOR, STORM BOUND, STORM WARNED, STORM CROSSED

Note: Every book in this series is designed to stand alone.
It's fun to read them in order, but you won't get lost if you don't!

See ALL Dani's novels on her Amazon Author Page 

Good Luck!

I'm a bit late for St Patrick's Day, but still - Luck o' the Irish to ya!

Thinking of St Pat's got me thinking about other lucky superstitions. There are some weird ones out there - weirder than kissing the Blarney Stone, for sure. (Good luck superstitions from Mental Floss). 

Even weirder is the fact that lucky superstitions can actually work! Yep, cross your fingers for luck as you read this article on a study concerning the nature of luck, belief and performance from Live Science.

Belief is a powerful force. I'd argue, that at its heart, belief is a story we tell ourselves. I've mentioned before how important I think stories are in making sense of our lives and the world around us, but stories can also change us. The story we tell ourselves of who we are becomes the reality we live. We live up or down to our own expectations.

Wow! Look at me getting all philosophical. Back to superstitions! I happily make up fairy tales (like with The Troll Bridge), but I've never thought to make up a superstition. I'm going to change that. I'm not sure which book I'll put it in, but I'm thinking of giving it to my young doctor heroine of Amaranthine Kiss. Superstitions can be how we cope with stress, and the life of a resident is definitely stressful! (Amaranthine Kiss is part of my Old School paranormal romance series). Now, I have to think of a superstition that a young Boston woman might believe...

Do you have any weird superstitions in your life? I've happily owned (or been owned by) a black cat, stepped on cracks on the sidewalk, and I never worry when I spill salt. But I do have a superstition that when I hang out the laundry in winter, it'll rain :)

Oops, they're all bad luck superstitions! Um, good luck ones ... you know what? I'm sitting here stunned because I don't think I have any lucky superstitions, not a charm, a habit, or even lucky underwear! LOL I'll have to adopt a new superstition. Any suggestions?