SOMETHING IN THE AIR
First of all, welcome to autumn!
Fall is my favorite season. I like everything about it -- the scrunch-scrunch of fallen leaves, the chill in the air, the fat harvest moons, the cessation of lawn mowing.
And of course with fall comes Halloween, which is also my favorite holiday. Christmas comes with too much emotional baggage. Thanksgiving is just an excuse to eat turkey. New Year's Eve is what happens to young people while we're at home snoring.
No, give me October and Halloween. Spooks and haunts and scary movies. Costume parties. Kids out engaging in mild forms of delinquency. Pumpkin carving and pumpkin pie.
Oh yeah, bring on October!
There's a book I like to read every October, because it sets the perfect mood. Sadly, you can't get it for your Kindle, but it's worth chasing down in hardback.
A Night in the Lonesome October, by Roger Zelazny, with illustrations by the late great Gahan Wilson.
The illustrations are, of course, amazing. Heck, the whole book is amazing. There aren't many authors aside from Ray Bradbury who can capture the essence of a season so well you can feel the chill coming off the pages, but Zelazny does it here.
I got my copy many years ago from the Science Fiction Book Club. There are still some copies about, but they aren't exactly cheap -- click here for Amazon's list of available editions. There's also an audiobook version for less than 25 bucks, and that might be the best way to experience the book (although without Gahan's illustrations).
Anyway, that's my pick for a great October read. 31 chapters for 31 days. It's like carving your brain into the shape of a grinning jack o'lantern!
LISTEN LIVE!
Tomorrow (Monday the 23rd) I'll be appearing as a guest on Steve Bradshaw's Refocus Memphis radio program. If you're in or near Memphis, you can listen in on AM 990. Or you can click this link to listen and watch via the studio's webcam, at 4:30 CST tomorrow!
LINK TO AM 990 RADIO SHOW
Host Steve Bradshaw is an entrepreneur and the author of Bluff City Butcher and The Skies Roared. We'll be talking about whatever idiotic thing pops into my head, and believe me folks, nobody does idiotic like I do when I'm nervous.
To make things even more interesting, right after confirming my Monday appearance on the show, I got sick. Sick with a chest cold that rendered my voice perfect for use as a horror-movie villain. Think Darth Vader with a mouthful of warm butter and a freshly-stapled tongue.
I'm much better today. Hopefully no trace of the rasp or rattles will be left by tomorrow.
So tune in and join me, if you can!
That's all for tonight. Expect the usual ghostly October material to start next week, as I once again take to the road in search of EVPs and photographic anomalies!
Until then, stay safe, and....
Boo!
