Part V and the end of the Blood and Ice haiku series.
berserkers battle
Odin bathes in draugr blood
a new king is crowned
Haiku of the Week
Haiku of the Week
Part IV of Blood and Ice haiku series.
death of a lover
alone on a winter’s night
Freyja’s cold embrace
Haiku of the Week
Part III of Blood and Ice haiku series.
an old flame returns
bloodlust rages within
blood and ice reign
Haiku of the Week
Monthly Haiku Corner – January 2023
The theme this month is Blood and Ice. All the haiku posted every Monday will connect to tell the tale of a newly born vampire hero trying survive the winter against a Nordic vampire clan.
alluring stranger
vampire’s icy tale
a new year’s hero
Happy New Year, 2023!
Welcome, January! I don’t do resolutions because I can never keep any promises. Life simply gets in the way sometimes and adapting is name of the game. That’s not to say I don’t make changes. Truth is, I’ve been thinking of quitting this blog for some time, but later this spring will mark my blog’s 5th anniversary and I’m proud of my little creations. So, I’m going to stick it out another year and see where the road leads.
Blogging hasn’t always been easy. Last year was a dismal time. I have not been able find the balance in work-to-home life after the pandemic. The first two years of blogging seemed promising. Then, I realized there was another Halloween Haiku writer who returned from a long hiatus and insisted in creating a competition. It was awkward and weird. Totally killed my inspiration. I ignore that person and exist in my own space because my haiku are original. I never claimed to do anything first, especially where a 3,000 year-old art form is concerned.
My real enemy is social media. I added “horror” to my blog name to differentiate between any other halloween haikus, no matter when they started. I thought I would gain more followers doing that. The unpleasant reality is my blog is a little too niche, even for fans of Halloween, horror, or haiku. Thus, I’ve failed to make any kind of mark. I don’t have the time to keep up Halloween trends, nor the skills to run entertaining or informative social media accounts. If you’ve noticed, I stepped back from Meta (Facebook) and Twitter altogether. While I’m happy to be part of The Samhain Society, it seems my lot in life is to always be the square in a circle. But, hey, this is no pity party. I am GenX. Being alone ain’t nothing new.
So, here I am, giving blogging in 2023 a chance. This year I’m going back to basics, just writing haiku. Halloween and horror haiku to be specific. Trying something new though, all my haiku will connect to tell a story that fits a monthly theme. Actually, I did it in December 2022. Every Monthly Haiku Corner, I will announce the theme and give readers a little background blurb. From there, a tale will unfold week after week and by the end of the year, I should have 12 different micro stories, told in haiku format. Occasionally, I’ll post some other stuff too, a horror movie list for those looking for recommendations, a Friday Fright Nightcap here, a Wicked Art Wednesday showcase there, but mostly, it will be all about the Halloween and horror haiku.
I wish everyone all the best this year. May 2023 be good to you. Be safe and have fun. May you find love and inspiration this year, and of course, good health, joy, happiness, and prosperity.
Haiku of the Week
As Christmas season 2022 winds down, we look forward to a bright and shining year. Now is the time to start anew. Refresh. Shed skin. Take on new challenges and don’t look back. The past is gone. There’s nothing for us there.
Our little ghost friend had a visitor last night, and now, he’s safely back with his family, where he belongs. See, everything works out in the end, even for the haunted. Our theme this month has been haunted holidays.
sugarplum dreams
bright light in the darkness
Ole Saint Nick was here
Happy New Year, everyone!
Spooky Last Minute Gifts
Happy Yule! Our theme this month has been haunted holidays. A week ago, I shared great gifts for Ghost Hunters, but what if you missed your shopping window? Christmas is not lost! The best thing about buying for Halloween and Horror lovers is there are a ton of great last-minute gift ideas. So, stay cool and let’s save Christmas morning!
Digital Downloads via Kindle of The Omnist Series by Rob Weldon: The Omnist series is new funny, magical fantasy series centering around a spiritual center in Los Angeles with an app that matches people to gods to worship, daily affirmations, prayers and mantras, spiritual advice and guidance, retail merchandise to purchase, and in-person events that fit the needs of the person seeking out some other type of religious experience that they don’t get through the traditional religions. Protoganists will change book to book and Book three is due out in 2023.
Tattoo Vouchers
Thinking of getting a tattoo of your favorite artists, well, guess what? Tattoos are now copyrighted and the hot thing to do is get a voucher from the artists, giving permission to the tattooist to use one of their works on your body. Trust me, make sure your tattoo is legit.
Ghoulish Bunny: Diana Levin, artist
Give the Gift of Patreon
Gift your loved one year of Patreon to their favorite artist, podcast, or someone new and cool and they’ll really love it. Everyone loves to be entertained and inspired.
It’s Always Halloween: Haunted host, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner. provides a year ‘round research-based podcast that dives deep into the dark history of our favorite horror-filled holiday. Every episode is backed by a custom soundscape created by audio engineer, Pete Byrnes.Â
Scary Podcast Subscriptions
Scary Story Podcast Subscription: Lifetime Member unlimited access to all shows, completely ad-free. If your loved one loves podcasts and spooky stories, this sounds like a hot deal to me!
Crunchyroll Streaming Membership
Crunchyroll Steaming Membership Digital Gift: There are a lot of spooky horror animes out there and thanks to Crunchyroll, you can gift a one year streaming membership digital card for just $80.
Spooky Cute Art Prints – Buy yourself some time!
Okay, here’s what you do: Find a really cute spooky cute art seller, go to their shop, buy item(s), copy and paste, and/or print said item, stick the printed pic in a holiday card, and explain their new art print is on its way, but there were unexpected shipping delays. Your giftee gets to see what they got, and they’ll love it, and then, when it arrives, it’s like second Christmas!
There’s a number of fantastic artists out there with shops selling art prints, stickers, apparel, and more. It’s really hard to choose, so, please understand, I pick sellers at random and I’m just trying to spread some ghostly love.
Gifts from Across the Pond
Ghost decor from Oktober31st.co.uk store – Direct from the UK, the country with the most ghosts, ghost lovers will find enamel pins to wall decor, mugs to ornaments, stickers to art prints from this independently owned shop. Spooky Wil has all your ghastly needs covered! He also carries gift certificates available so plenty of time to cover those peeps that you won’t see until after the holidays. https://october31st.co.uk/Creepmas
Gift Yourself!
Um, did you forget someone this season? Maybe you have a new Visa giftcard or some cash gifted to you from your Auntie burning a hole in your pocket? Well, look no further.
Creepycompany.com is one of my favorite stores. From apparrel to home goods, Creepy Co. has a wide selection and good variety of different brands to choose from, like Future Ghost. Let’s face facts, ghosts are real cuz we’re all future ghosts.
Creepmas Ghost Mugs – $£4.50
Get into the holiday spirit with these one-of-a-kind coffee and tea mugs.
https://october31st.co.uk/creepmas-ghosts-red-and-white-mug/
The Original Ghost Candles from Melou Candles on Etsy – $12
These adorable soy candles come in several colors and aromas. Perfect all year round.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1294979125/the-original-ghost-candles-halloween?gpla=1&gao=1&
Beistle Batty Ghosts socks Creepy Co – $12
Why do ghosts love socks? Because they have no soles.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10097891489514919537?q=ghosts+socks&client=ms-android-verizon&biw=360&bih=621&tbs=vw:g&prds=eto:11993294977634636907_0,cdl:1,prmr:1,cs:1
I hope you find the perfect gift for your loved ones this season. If nothing on this list worked for you, I hope I inspired you to think up more ideas on your own. There are tons of independent artists, writers, and other creators out there
Friday Fright Nightcaps
Happy Yule! Christmas is hours away and this week has been a whirlwind of work, shopping, chores, cooking, and more. I’m now on vacation until January. Time to relax and unwind.
Now, I know there’s a crazy blizzard happening in the midwest and backeast, but it’s actually really nice in SoCal right now, so I decided on mixing something tropical and Christmassy and came up with the Cranberry Mint Martini.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Cranberry juice
1/2 cup Vodka
1-1.5 oz. Peppermint Liqueur
This refreshing holiday cocktail is so crisp and clear, you can see right through it.
Haiku of the Week
Our little ghost has no name, but he wanders the hallways of his old home this December, looking for Christmas cheer. The theme this month is haunted holidays.
grand noble fir
lit candles on the branches
our last Christmas eve
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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