Jumpscare
AKA: How did Halloween get here so soon?
BOO! (she wrote, knowing full well that your inbox is full of stupid Halloween puns. Sometimes simple is better.)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I love Halloween. I have always loved Halloween. I was one of those weirdo kids who asked to dress up as nouns or verbs and baffled my poor mother. (I think I need to apologize for the year I wanted to be Greenland. Not “Miss Greenland” or anything having to do with the national costume, no. I wanted to be Greenland.)
I’m lucky because my kids have always preferred to create costumes themselves on the morning of Halloween out of whatever was already in the house. Here’s a few memorable last-second ones:
I was thinking about what I adore about Halloween, and it’s not the scary stuff—I actually did not see a real horror film until some high school senior had a graduation party that included a screening of Amityville Horror. I couldn’t even watch the whole movie. Mostly because of the cognitive dissonance — everyone around me was laughing and I thought I was missing something: to me the movie seemed designed to be terrifying.
(I’m such a nerd.)
And I certainly don’t love that Halloween has become a commercial “season” like other holidays. Seeing Halloween stores in August and September frustrates me to no end. But on the night itself, there is nothing I like more than to see the parade of staggering creativity - whether simple or elaborate — of people being something.
I think what I adore about Halloween is that it is a day that real creative genius is fully celebrated.
That, and I love dressing up. A lot.
So how am I celebrating this year?
Friday night, Radiotheater presented ”The Whisperer in Darkness” a play based on HP Lovecraft’s creepy tale. It was at St. John’s Sanctuary just off Christopher street.
I put all the photos from Friday night's revelries on my author page on FB. Side note: I’m not quite sure how to handle the fact that FB is now Meta and likely all my walks and wanders and posts are going to vanish into another universe.
We followed up with dinner and then drinks in the Village—great place to people-watch. There were a staggering number of people dressed as astronauts. I did not see any Shatners among them (which was, I think, a missed opportunity.) Still, I can safely say that “astronaut” is this year’s “everyone’s wearing it” costume.
Saturday was a day to prepare/decorate the house—LadyTeen is going to have some friends over and we decided to surprise her with an all-out decorated space. She’s away this weekend which gives the adults time to play. And play we did!
After the outdoor revelries (I took many more photos but I want to allow you to experience it firsthand without spoilers. (however: the little house eating small grouse, and the extraordinarily generous host, and the zombie pole dancer are not to be missed—so keep your eyes peeled) PUBLIC Hotel is on 215 Christie and the walk-through takes about 20 minutes if you go slow and interact with the medium.
Also there is a great rooftop bar…
…and you might even get to share the elevator with a giant chicken.
Tonight we go to the Poetry Brothel’s Masquerade!! Costumes & photos to come…
READ ME:
A) 13 Tales of Halloween in Silver Webb’s The Thinning Veil anthology…..my story “Checking Out” is excerpted right here.
B) Don’t forget about my book. If you are a writer and have kids of any age, this reference book is for you. I really think you’ll like it. Check it out.
C) Got a crazy note from an editor who usually gets back to readers in 3 weeks. It has been six months and she wrote, asking to hold onto a story another few weeks. I had (naturally) thought the piece was rejected and was just sending it out to new markets! Luckily she is fine with simultaneous submissions.
C+) But that’s not the craziest note. That nice magazine editor who rejected my short story months ago with the glowing accolades (I posted the rejection, it was that surreal) reached out to me (the subject header on her email is STILL the short story she rejected) — and told me about four new markets that had opened that might accept the story she rejected. I thanked her, baffled. She wrote back that she hoped I would let her know when the piece was placed.
(Readers: she needs to just take the short story, she obviously loves it.)
Parting words:
…also, this delighted me. These women are dressed as a pack of killers:
