31 Days of Spooky - Day 12
31 Days of Spooky - Day 12
Cross-stitch, creatures and covens
Welcome to Beware of Creepy Houses: 31 Days of Spooky, where I’ll be celebrating Spooky Season with my thoughts on books, podcasts, films and spooky activities to get you in the mood this Halloween season.
There will also be a free writing prompt every day to get your spooky creativity flowing, which you can use to build a collection of 31 flashes, begin 31 short stories or stitch together into a great big spooky novel. Or maybe some poetry. Whatever floats your spooky spirit!
The time for trick or treating approaches.
When six will run and half a dozen take cover.
Touch of Magic - Halloween Cross Stitch Kit or Pattern
If you’d like something crafty to add to your Halloween decorations, this beautiful typography Halloween themed cross stitch project can be turned into a wall hanging.
Available in a variety of options from a PDF pattern download to a full kit including a (very cute!) black cat needle minder, this is a lovely project to work on over Spooky Season and give to a friend as a treat or add to your own Halloween home collection.
10 Delightful Witchy Romances
For those who like a cosy romance with a supernatural twist, these witch-themed books should offer something to snuggle up with this Spooky Season.
Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist sounds like a particularly good choice, and includes ghosts as an added spooky bonus.
Women and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman
This book is a cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, perfect for helping you to get over the recent news that Kaos has been cancelled.
On that note, I’m genuinely upset, as I thought it was great and, despite what others have said, unfinished. Talking Gods from Arrow and Traps Theatre is also absolutely amazing and it’s honestly criminal that more people aren’t aware of it and haven’t seen it. I am really hoping they jump on this news and bring it back. Especially Pygmalion which was wonderful and (at last!) did real justice to my favourite Greek myth.
But, back to the book!
This is an exploration of how women are often presented as monsters because they’ve dared step out of line. A call for women everywhere to reclaim these stories and embrace their own monstrousness, this is a defence of harpies, Medusa and the other women who have been villainised for succumbing to “unnatural monstrous” qualities like hunger and anger…
This is top of my TBR for non-fiction Halloween choices.
How witches went on to become modern feminist icons
This is a really interesting piece about the early history of witch hunting and its associated trials and executions, and how these relate to both today’s practice of Wicca and contemporary feminism.
As I mentioned on Day 7, Royal Witches by Gemma Hollman is a great book about accusations of witchcraft towards royalty, so I appreciate how the article mentions that the stereotype of people (mostly women) being accused of witchcraft aren’t always isolated, widowed or marginalised members of the communities they lived in.
I think it’s so important to remember the witch trials and the catastrophic effects that they had, especially when we look at some very similar issues being repeated once again today.
To all of my sisters who were and continue to be persecuted by their communities for their knowledge, behaviour, refusal to do as they are told, or just not fitting into a sick world: blessed be.
Writing prompt - Strange situations
Penelope delayed remarrying in Odysseus’ absence by weaving, and simultaneously unweaving, a burial shroud.
Take another craft, such as cross-stitch, crochet or knitting, and have your character use delaying completion of their project to avoid something life changing that they don’t want to do, such as decluttering in preparation for downsizing, or completing education and starting work. You could even take more inspiration from Penelope’s story and have your character avoid a remarriage, or even a divorce…
I’d love to see anything you write over 31 Days of Spooky and hear about anything you are doing to celebrate Spooky Season!
Sending tricks and treats and spellbinding history,
Donna
Beware of Creepy Houses is free to read, but if you would like to support my work, you can buy me a hot chocolate