It’s the night of Halloween. Spooks, spiders, and skeletons abound, the full moon glows – so who is cheering, “Ho, ho, ho!”? Apparently, Santa Claus has come to town, though it’s the wrong time of year! But what could be a bad situation, is wittily handled with humor, and there’s a new winner at this year’s Halloween parade. For fans of Room on the Broom and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Purchase a copy of Santa’s Slip Up on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or Barnes and Noble. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
Black Cats: Really Evil or Is it All a Myth?
Our family cat, Lilac, is practically smiling at me, lifting her fuzzy chin as I brush her long ragamuffin black fur. Suddenly, out of the blue, with no prior indication, she becomes a tiger, biting into my palm, green eyes shining, ears pulled back. What happened? I had not done anything out of the norm, there were no sudden movements on my part, or outbursts of any kind to instigate the ravaging. Crazy? Yes. Evil? Well... no. After a decade with our furball, we’ve come to realize that on rare occasions, she just wants to burn off some of that wild animal energy, especially since the days of having our little terrier in the house are over. She lost her pal/nemesis a few years back to cancer and old age, and now it’s just her and the humans. BOOORING!
When I think about it, that tends to be my own pattern as a book reader and literature lover. Here’s what I mean: During spring, interesting non-fiction, and biographies- new information sprouting that I didn’t know about, are on my to-read list. When sunny, warm summer months arrive, I have a whole string of easy-breezy books with gentle story lines that I sink into. Many are light family dramas, some with a touch of romance and humor. In autumn, more mysteries are added to my bookshelf and the tension builds. By December, I usually end up randomly reading the new horror that everyone on Goodreads is talking about. And with that – there I am, deep in the story, ears back in suspense, eyes shining in “oh-my-gosh-what’s-going-to-happen-next”, and ready to pounce or jump in fright if someone (like my black cat) coincidentally brushes my leg or something.
When I set out writing my new children’s book, Santa’s Slip Up, I wanted that quick and sudden pounce to punctuate the end of the story. Hopefully, you’ll get that if you read the book. The text builds a mystery, depicting a sequence of those creepy ghouls that go bump in the night during Halloween. But these creatures and critters are innocent patrons, playing their proper spooky roles, so who’s eerily cheering “Ho-ho-ho!”?
Because of social
media connections over the years, a lot of internet peeps know that my family
has a black cat. And now, seeing the cover of Santa’s Slip Up which
features a black cat, always hastens the question, “Is that your cat on the
book cover?” And no matter how I put it (“No”), most of my friends still want
to believe my cat inspired the illustration on the cover. Ok, that’s cool with
me, but she really didn’t. Illustrator Savannah Horton came up with the images
on her own without my suggestions. So, a little myth building begins (“That’s
Raven’s cat on the cover of Santa’s Slip Up.”) I love myths. I love
black cats. And, no, they are NOT evil.
About the Author
Raven Howell writes stories and poetry for children. Having published several award-winning picture books, she enjoys sharing her love of literature by visiting classrooms and libraries. Raven is Creative & Publishing Advisor for Red Clover Reader, Poetry Director for Monster Magnificent, and writes The Book Bug column for Story Monsters Ink magazine. Her poems are found in children’s magazines such as Ladybug, Spider, Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty, and Hello Magazine. She’s a Collaborating Author for Reading is Fundamental SoCal and writes storybooks for Reading Gate.
You
can find her online at:
https://twitter.com/atpearthkeeper
https://www.instagram.com/atpearthkeeper/
2 comments:
It was so fun to participate, and I wish for a little mystery and cheer to inspire everyone's days!
I have been following Raven Howell for quite a while now , and I will have to say I have most of her book, I love the fact that my niece love when I read her books to her and her, last book Santa slips is now of my nieces favorite of all,
Diana Stellitano
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