Happy Halloween & Blessed Samhain

And so the challenge begins...

Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain, for those who celebrate! If you’re unfamiliar with Samhain (pronounced sow-wen), it’s the ancient Celtic holiday that predates Halloween, before Christianity adopted the traditions. Since Christianity took what it wanted and left the rest and now denounces the holiday it created—Halloween—I choose to go back to my roots and the traditions of my ancestors and celebrate Samhain.

This is the time to connect in with the wisdom of our ancestors, to honor their struggles and victories that ultimately resulted in us. We can get caught up in whining about all the crap they passed down to us, but they also bestowed many gifts. My talents and passions for writing, teaching, and spiritually guiding others goes deep in my roots. What about your gifts? Can you take some time now to honor and give thanks for what your ancestors have given you?

I think of Alexis and the gifts she received from her ancestors and the angels. She also inherited the responsibilities of matriarch, as well as some old wounds and lies that are coming to light in the Knights of Souls and Shadows series. Light and shadow—they exist everywhere.

Alexis, thrown into matriarch-dom before she was ready, relied heavily on her ancestors for guidance and support. Unfortunately, she never quite learned that they were always there, even when they seemed unreachable. She was used to—and blessed to—see them in the physical realm when they were no longer physical beings themselves. She’d forgotten how Cassandra had assisted her from the Otherworld, when Alexis had gone deep within herself to finally know her full power in Dark Power.

Now that Heaven’s gates are shut and locked tight, perhaps she’ll remember that they haven’t completely abandoned her. Maybe she’ll learn that their wisdom carries on, encoded in her blood and bones, her very DNA. We’ll see what happens in the Knights of Souls and Shadows series.

The twins, at least, are more aware in this area. Or, at least, becoming so as the series progresses. They learned a lot while at Sun & Moon Academy in Havenwood Falls, and more secrets and lies are revealing themselves in this second book of the series I’m working on now.

That brings me to what Oct. 31 also means to me, as an author. If you’ve been with me for a while, you know that sometimes I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In fact, that’s how I finished Knights of Souls and Shadows. I don’t associate with the formal organization anymore, but I am doing a 30-day writing challenge, Creating Magic Fall Challenge with the Writers Cauldron. My goal is to finish Book 2.

I’ve created some rewards for both me and you as I hit milestones toward this goal. I have a new cover waiting to be revealed, for one, as well as a title reveal for Book 2. I’m so excited!

What do you think the title of Book 2 could be? Let me know in the comments. To be honest, I haven’t yet decided, so maybe your idea will be chosen or inspire the final decision.

Blessed Samhain! Happy Halloween! Happy Birthday to Tristan! ;-)

And now…the challenge begins. Wish me luck!