Three nights ago I was looking at my to-finish-reading pile and I had a revelation. There's a reason these awesome, best-selling, indie, award-winning books have been collecting dust for the past seven years. I don't want to finish reading them. And it hurts my heart. It has nothing to do with the quality of writing. These are amazing stories from debut and established authors, alike. I even tried tricking my brain into thinking they were gifts (hence the wrapping paper) so I'd stop buying MOAR books that I won't even get to for another year. Instead, two[...]
Category
Cemeteries
0 This story happens by lamplight, under a copse of trees and at the top of a steep hill, predictably under the cover of night when only the most nefarious deeds are done. It's October and the ground is frosted, but there are men at work with spades and shovels, digging into the soil with some ardour, awaiting that telltale sound of metal striking a coffin. If you've ever dug up a grave yourself, I'm certain you'd know it: the timber of the strike changes as the wood buckles, and then splinters. It's an extra bit of give beneath the tool -- the result of the grav[...]
I had a bad dream last night. I don't remember too much about it, except that my late father was there and something about pie. It wasn't great. Kind of scary, actually. This got me thinking about the dreams and nightmares that have never left me. Here are my top seven: 7. Forest Island (Age 12): There's this dense pine forest and a lake with an island. I need to get to the island but the only way is to cross this rickety bridge that disappears as I walk. Oh, and I'd be stranded forever if I do. This was such a vivid dream that when I woke up I drew it (see[...]
Being possessed of a transient heart, I can whittle my bucket list into something that generally revolves around travel and experience. This is only ironic inasmuch as I am fond of staying home on my couch, until I'm not: until I've crammed a week's worth of clothes into a backpack and hopped on a plane to go adventuring -- to see what I ordinarily wouldn't see. I'm in the planning stage of another two trips -- three if you factor in DragonCon 2017. Two of those adventures are taking me back across the pond to Europe, venturing a little deeper into the land whe[...]
Hello, my little Christmas Kittens! I'm so excited that it's finally December. I feel like my year doesn't start until September - at least the good parts. We get Thanksgiving (Canadian here) Halloween, and then it's Christmas! I fucking love Christmas. I love shopping and eating cookies and hanging out in my jammies. I'm SUPER pregnant so I'm hoping I don't calve before then haha. Wish me luck! Anyhoo - this has a point. It's Horror Origins month here at the Midnight Society, so I chose this week's blog based on one old bad ass...Krampus. Sorry Jolene,[...]
Hello, lovelies. I wanted to write a post about NaNo, but I'm tired. So tired. My kid is in the throes of what's called a sleep regression. It's this brilliant stage in a child's life where they decide, "Hey, fuck this sleep thing. I can survive on mere hours a day." It's a glorious time for all parties involved. *Giant pause because a motherfluffing mouse just ran by. It may be time to reconsider the humane traps* Anyhoo - I'm not getting a whole lot of Z's these days. As you can imagine, I'm a total treat. I started researching signs of sleep deprivat[...]
In October I visited my brother in Colorado. It’s a magical place for me, full of crunchy leaves, kind people, and awe-inspiring beauty. I also have a favorite place to go while I’m out…the graveyard. I absolutely love visiting cemeteries and when I’m in one, I find this unexplainable peace and comfort. There’s this one in particular that I love. Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins, Co. The first time I visited it was at midnight in the fall several years ago. The light shimmered through the trees as they swayed in the wind and dead leaves s[...]
Hello, lovelies!!! Happy Friday before Halloween! Past Jenna would be marinating skittles in vodka right now and piecing together a road map of debauchery. Present Jenna just picked out matching Halloween costumes for her husband and son and is already scoping out hiding spots for leftover candy. My, how things change. This past week has been all about Vampires! I love me some Vampires. Like many others, good old Twilight started me on my writing path, though I do prefer my vampires to be of the non-sparkling variety. So! What shall we talk about? Famous[...]
It’s sometime after ten and we’re standing in front of Old Yard holding an eighteenth-century lantern replica with a tin roof, holds slotted into it to let the heat escape. We’re dangling it over the wall that separates the parking lot from the cemetery. The candlelight reflects off a small slabbed tombstone — isolated from the rest of the graves without any real indication why. It could be a dissenter’s plot. I run over the number of reasons why someone might be buried as a dissenter in 19th century Stowe: usual reasons include not adhering to the popul[...]