“Where there is no imagination
There is no horror”
~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
As unfathomable as it may be, October has arrived, and though I desire that time slow down I could not be happier. I love this month…
(Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Living)
“There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir, We must rise and follow her; When from every hill of flame, She calls and calls each vagabond by name”
~William Bliss Carman
Before we get into a conversation about the R.I.P. III related activities going on this month, allow me to share a few reasons, a top ten as it where, of what I particularly enjoy about this month:
1. As the month progresses the weather (generally) becomes truly autumn-like.
2. The leaves begin to change to absolutely glorious shades of color.
3. October baseball–’nuff said.
4. Martha Stewart becomes a prime source of inspiration (The October issue of Living is always a treat).
5. Watching scary movies, particularly the classics, becomes not only a good idea, but a necessity.
6. Scary, creepy, gothic reads become even more scary, creepy, and gothic.
7. Orange, one of my favorite colors, is the Queen of the Color Palette for 31 straight days.
8. Moody, melancholic music is so much more delightful during this season.
9. Decorating for Halloween…nearly as fulfilling as decorating for Christmas.
10. And of course the big day, All Hallow’s Eve–the pumpkin carving, the cookies decorated with appropriately colored frosting and sprinkles, the annual Tarts Halloween Party, kids dressed up and trick or treating…I love it!!!
“October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again.”
~Hal Borland
So what does this hauntingly glorious month have in store? I’m glad you asked!!! First and foremost it is the final month of the third annual R.I.P. Challenge. At last count we had 159 participants, a number which staggers me, it really does. I sincerely love each and every one of you dear people! And of course I’m not about to let up now that we are in the most important month of the challenge!
As many of you may know, Neil Gaiman’s latest young adult novel, The Graveyard Book, was officially released on September 30th. At some point in the next few days I myself, as well as numerous other bloggers, will be reviewing this book. Although most if not all of the R.I.P. III participants will post their review links on the R.I.P.ing Yarns Review Site I will most likely link to reviews in my post as well.
(Work by Anne-Julie Aubry, Justin Madson, and Lisa Snellings)
There are a handful of R.I.P. III related artists interviews on the horizon, the first being a long-awaited interview with artist Anne-Julie Aubry, to be coming your way as a Friday Favorite this Friday, October 3rd! The interview will feature images of Anne-Julie’s latest works as well as a giveaway of some of her deliciously R.I.P.ing art randomly drawn from those who participate in the comments of that post throughout the coming weekend. In addition Anne-Julie is offering a fantastic one-week sale for Stainless Steel Droppings readers only. More details to follow. You don’t want to miss this Friday!
Also included in the October artist interviews is comic book writer, artist, and Etsy seller Justin Madson. I have just finished reading the first 3 issues of his mysterious comic series Breathers and I think you are going to enjoy the review of it and the interview with Justin. Giveaways will be included in his post as well, including an autographed 0 issue of Breathers, and original sketch, and a small sketchbook.
And though I have talked about her and sang her praises for years, the artist I am absolutely mad about, Lisa Snellings, has agreed to a grueling Stainless Steel Droppings interview. Seriously I am quite nervous and excited about it. It isn’t that I haven’t had several email conversations with Lisa over the years, but I can still get star struck by her and am absolutely over the moon about her willingness to participate. In addition Lisa Snellings has agreed to include a few poppets for prize giveaways AND has agreed to be one of the judges for the Tiny Stories contest (As has science fiction author and SSD blog-friend Stuart Clark)!!!
(Rope Trick, photo by Carl and Tori Anderson)
Last year SSD teamed up with Mosker and Suzanne to host a Something Sinister photo contest. On Monday October 6th the official announcement for Something Sinister II will go live including new example photos and two categories for photo entries. Are there prizes? Do you have to ask?!?!? 😉 I am really excited about this and am thrilled that Mosker and Suzanne have agreed to co-host and judge this contest again this year.
Each and every year I plan to do some sort of feature on one of my top 3 favorite authors, Edgar Allan Poe, and each October slips by with this not happening. Not this time! Both Poe and Lovecraft will be discussed in at least one post as the month progresses, so plan on sharing your thoughts on one or both of these R.I.P.ing authors soon!
One of the things I strive to do with my blog is promote what other people are doing out there that is of interest to me and that I think will be of interest to you. And I have made it no secret that I long for the challenges I host to be a community affair which is why I seek out sponsors and look to cross-promote events that are in the R.I.P. spirit. One such event is:
Go Gothic with Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey sponsored by Austenprose. The event runs from October 1st through October 31st and is a group read/discussion of Jane Austen’s gothic work, Northanger Abbey. There are multiple tie-in events described on the Austenprose site including book giveaways, so do not miss out.
This is a very fun idea centered around an author who was, quite simply, brilliant.
October is also the month of Dewey’s latest 24 hour read-a-thon. I have sadly not been able to participate in past 24 Hour Read-A-Thons and have enviously read about other’s wonderful experiences with them in the past. Alas I will not be able to participate fully this year either, however that hasn’t stopped me from agreeing to have Stainless Steel Droppings host a R.I.P. related mini-challenge as part of the event!!! You can get more details about the read-a-thon at the above link but let me tell you now that you don’t have to participate for the full 24 hours to be a part of the festivities and there are many great mini-challenges, giveaways, etc. happening within those 24 hours. The read-a-thon begins October 18th at noon, GMT. At approximately 11 p.m. that night the R.I.P. mini-challenge will begin. I will post more details about this soon but suffice it to say that all you need do to be a part of it is save a bit of scary reading for the witching hour. A R.I.P. prize will be a part of the mini-challenge and that too will be revealed in a forthcoming post!!! Thanks again Dewey and gang for letting me be a part of this!!!
October 20th is the deadline for your R.I.P. III Tiny Stories Contest entries. As noted we have two judges lined up, Lisa Snellings and Stuart Clark and I am awaiting word from a third judge who I hope will also have time to participate. As promised an image of the very worthwhile prize pack is on the way. I’ve gotten several wonderful entries already…the only thing I am missing is yours! Get to writing!!!
(Aren’t these erasers fantastic? I found them at Target and they will be included in all of the prize packs from here on out. How perfect can you get?)
“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
~Humbert Wolfe
And that is but a small sampling of what is in store for this month. More R.I.P. related book reviews, discussions about creepy films, and many other October themed posts, events, and giveaways are on the horizon. September was a slow posting month for me. I promise you that I will more than make up for that in October so come by frequently and participate as much as you can. I hope to have some SSD regulars who are also very creative in their own right participate in interviews and giveaways during the month as well.
The R.I.P. III Challenge and the potential for enchanting, haunting, horrifying good times are right here for the taking. I promise to provide you with ample opportunities to revel in the spirit of the month and all I ask is that you participate when you can and that you not feel guilty when you are too busy to be a part of every post. Remember, “fun” and “no pressure” are the buzz words for this challenge and for the month of October.
Please feel free to post about any October activities that may be going on at your blog site that fit in with the spirit of R.I.P. The more the merrier! And for those of you who may still want to participate, it is not to late to join in on this year’s R.I.P. Challenge!
“October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.”
~Anonymous
Welcome to October 2008!!!
(Eye bubbles, also coming to prize packs near you!)
Uh….I’m truly overwhelmed by this post! lol…I share the love of all things October with you. It’s by far my favorite month of the year and I’m always so sad when November 1st hits…at least this year a new Ender book is coming out on November 1st! That’ll cheer me up. I’m in love with that Lisa Snellings-Clark image by the way! I think I’ve seen that piece on her blog and it’s phenomenal. She’s really done some amazing stuff lately! I can’t wait for all of this RIP goodness!
Wow. What a post! The October line-up looks amazing and I’m really excited about participating in this challenge that you’re clearly putting so much work into. Thank you.
This post is incredibly rich… lots of interesting, fascinating images… such a good news about Anne-Julie on this Friday! And yes the scent of autumn in October is soooo sweet and agreable 😀
Great post Carl! You’ve made October even better, which is a pretty big achievement. 😉
Very excited about the interviews, particularly the one with Lisa.
The RIP erasers are so cool!
I love those RIP rubbers (I know politically incorrect – but that was what erasers were called as a teen – the slang for what is now known as rubbers was French letters – if I want a condom I will ask for one !!!)
Anyhow – I digress 🙂
October for me here in the tropical part of the southern hemisphere is rising temperatures – humidity in the 90% + on a daily basis until April next year. I would love to experience a real Autumn 🙂
So I will experience the Halloween weather through all my friends up there in the wrong half of the world 🙂
Wow! Sounds like a busy month. I can’t wait to see what’s up on Friday.
Hooray for the photo contest! It was so cool last year !! And you know me.. if there’s a poppet to be won I will be there! lol (I need a blue and a brown one to go with my red and my green ones! hehe)
I know how excited you are about the Graveyard book ! The title alone is more than perfect for RIP ! Enjoy it when you get it (duh, I know you will)
Deslily: Not sure which Poppets Lisa is going to donate but am excited to find out. I certainly count on your participation in the photo contest since I know you’ve been working on pics already.
Chris@: Yes, it is going to be a busy month indeed. Thankfully a few of the posts, including this Friday’s, are already in the can awaiting publication.
Sally: R.I.P. rubbers…I love it…sounds scary!!! I always think about folks like yourself when I am posting about Halloween and Christmas and Spring, when your weather is opposite of what we experience. Having grown up with this seasonal pattern what you experience seems so wrong and I certainly wouldn’t want to trade hemispheres at all. However if it is much cooler where you live when we are in the heat of summer I’d love to come stay with you! 🙂
Quixotic: Aren’t they perfect? I was so happy when I saw those in Target. If you didn’t notice, there was a thinly veiled reference in there to a possible interview with you as well! 😉
Sabbio: I had fun taking pics for this one, especially the two Poppet pictures. The weather has turned so perfectly cool today, just right for the beginning of the month.
Peta: Thanks, I am excited about your participation as well.
Chris: Yes, Lisa is doing some really fun, funky stuff right now. The whole steampunk-ish set of Poppets and Poppet masks are fantastic, her anti-summer stuff. And this figure, Blast Radius, is amazing. I am hoping it won’t be an overwhelming month since I have so much planned but I’m working ahead on a lot of things so it shouldn’t be. Personally I am making up for what I feel I missed out on last year when work was overwhelming. I miss October when it leaves as well but this next 3 month period is my favorite time of year so I am not sad when Nov. 1 rolls around because that is the beginning of my birthday month! And I turn the big 4-0 this year! Talk about scary!!!! 🙂
Wow, sounds like your going to be so busy this month, you won’t know whether you’re coming or going! Remember to take time off and enjoy the lovely crisp clarity that the air around here takes on about the 3rd week of October in the Ozarks. Looking forward to finishing up my R.I.P. challenge reading and all the cool stuff you’re promising. cheers, later – susan
can’t wait to hear what the “catagories” are!! silly me, thought creepy and spookey would cover it lol lol
Deslily: Actually it will be two different ‘types’ of pictures…hopefully it will all be clear on Monday. Your pics will definitely fit into one if not both.
SG Taylor: It will be busy but this is ‘fun’ busy, if that makes any sense. I’ll definitely be taking many opportunities to experience the crisp morning October air, gaze at the stars in an October sky, and generally enjoy every aspect of the month!
Great post Carl. Cheers to a great October!
What fun! I too am completely enjoying the season. I have the Martha magazine you mentioned and am going to make the bat mobile (saying that aloud makes me think of Batman) and am looking forward to some Poe, Lovecraft, and scary movies. I do love those erasers! Might have to sneak over to Target and get a couple, myself. fun, fun, fun.
I’ve just written a post about how much I love October and then I come here and (I should have known) you’ve written a post about October that makes me even happier that October is here. I can’t wait. You made me want to pull out a scary movie and watch it tonight! God, I love this month.
It all sounds so exciting! Can’t wait for it to begin….
Carl,
I couldn’t agree with you more, I love everything about October! Autumn and Spring happen to be my favorite times of the year! My oldest daughter was born in May and my youngest was born in October! I decided to join your R.I.P III challenge this year for the first time and chose to read Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods”, wow!! That’s all I have to say for the time being. I am still working on finishing it!
Ahhhhh, I love October and how into it you get!!!
I have to say I LOVE your photographs. Wonderful! I am almost done with my second R.I.P. III book and am trying my hand at the short story thing. I’m not a “writer” but this is super hard! I’m struggling over not repeating “the” “a” etc. but I am having fun. Thanks!
Amanda: Thank you, they were fun to arrange. I’m glad you’re giving Tiny Stories a try. I understand the frustration, it really is hard not to use certain words more than once.
Janet: Me too!!! Ha! 🙂
Gina: I am so glad you joined in and chose such a fantastic book! American Gods is fantastic. After you finish you should track down a copy of the short story book of his, Fragile Things, and read the novella Monarch of the Glen. It is a story of Shadow set after the events in American Gods and is very, very good.
5: Begun this clone war has…whoops, wait, wrong moment there!
J.S.: I’d love to do that too, but tonight is going to be taken up watching playoff baseball and reveling in The Graveyard Book!
Daphne: Aren’t her magazines great? I hope you post pics of the bat mobile!
Sassymonkey: Thanks, I hope we all have a wonderful October!
I love fall too! I agree with all of your reasons except baseball and Martha Stewart. Her ideas are too long and involved and difficult for me but I do like seeing the craft ideas in October issues of magazines.
I too love October — autumn is my favourite time of year, plus October is my birthday month, plus now you’re doing all this fantastic stuff! I am so looking forward to all the things you have coming up. Amazing!
BTW, I’m having a giveaway right now on my blog (until the end of this coming Monday) of a new Canadian novel, Blasted, that RIP’ers may be interested in. While it wasn’t published as such, I found it to be kind of “urban fantasy”; well, it involves fairies and changelings and a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed and yet wonderful main character. Take a look if you’d like.
This is so exciting!! I love October as well, because I love the cold weather!
Oh Carl, what a perfect post 😀 I’m sooo excited about all the stuff that is going to happen this month. And I think your Read-a-thon mini-challenge is a wonderful idea!
I love the RIP erasers. What a great post to kick off the month. I look forward to the interviews and photo contest. I’ve never read any Lovecraft and I really need to remedy that this month. October baseball is the best. Orange isn’t my favorite color though. I love to see what the kids will dress up as each year. Trick or Treating is so magical. My RIP reading has been wonderful this year and I look forward to continuing it all month. Yeah new Neil book!!!!!!!
Jeff: Hopefully you’ll find yourself the proud owner of a R.I.P. eraser, especially if the Great Pumpkin visits you this fine month! 🙂 I think orange and red are probably my favorite colors although the reality is that it is what colors are contrasted against that make them interesting. I especially like oranges and reds contrasted against darker elements.
Nymeth: Awww, thanks! I’m really excited that Dewey and the rest of the hosts of the read-a-thon are allowing me to be a part of it, it is so sweet of them.
Kristina: The weather is so perfect here today in Kansas City that I am positively beside myself. I did a little reading of The Graveyard Book outdoors today and it was magical!
Melanie: I will and hopefully others will as well, the potential for free books is always worth visiting other people’s blogs!!! And how cool to have a birthday in October. I am almost jealous, but I love November too so I guess I cannot complain!
Callista: I can forgive the baseball, but hating on Martha?!? Just kidding, although I have to say that many of the ideas for Halloween in her magazine are pretty darn easy. Some are certainly waaay complicated, but there are some easy ideas and best of all it is just a place to get inspired to do one’s own things.
Ah ha Carl, now I see how busy you have been – what an excited/exciting post!
You just have to love October – what’s not to love?! One of my favorite traditions is going to the apple farm, picking apples and a pumpkin from the field, and buying a gallon of fresh apple cider. Then coming home and chopping up the peanuts and melting the caramel. Oh my gosh, my mouth waters just thinking about it.
And RIP? I am just about ready to write my review. I had to change books midstream, but sometimes that happens.
So, thanks for your enthusiasm Carl – it’s a fun month so far!
(And how about them Brewers??!! Not that I care.)
Great Post Carl. I have to say I am honored to be a judge of the tiny stories contest. If last year is anything to go by it will be a stiff competition indeed! I look forward to reading the entries. Get scribbling people!!!
Stuart: Thanks, and thanks for agreeing to be a sucker…er, judge! 😉 Seriously, I love having authors and other creative types help in the judging of these things.
Qugrainne: Yes indeed, I have been working!!! What is not to love indeed! I’m with you all the way regarding fresh apple cider and picking pumpkins! And caramel apples…mmmmm!!!!