The Latest News from Blydyn Square Books
It’s October, and this month, I thought I’d turn things over to Blydyn Square Books author Addison L. Jones, who wanted to share a few memories from Halloween.
The Ghost of Halloween Past 
by Addison L. Jones
We’re coming up on Halloween, and though I rarely have the time, money, or energy to pull together a costume for myself these days (let alone anyplace to WEAR said costume), I’ve always had a soft spot for the holiday.
Back in the day, I used to put a lot of effort into my costumes—or, rather, I put in a lot of thought and then made my poor mother put in all the effort (thanks, Mom!).
I was thinking about Halloweens past and wondering how many of my costumes I could remember. Let’s see, shall we?
In kindergarten, I was an angel (Mom made the costume, including big gold wings).
For first grade, I was a bride (thanks to Mom’s deft alteration of somebody’s used First Communion gown).
In second grade, I was a gypsy (Romani, if you prefer, but we weren’t all that PC back in the 1970s). Mom made the costume and expertly tied my headscarf. I lost a Marco Polo–style game at our class Halloween party because my jangling chains and pendants easily gave away my location.
For third grade, I was a cheerleader (thanks again to Mom’s sewing skills). (It occurs to me, in doing this list, that I wasn’t the most original—or the most progressive/feminist—in my choices for costumes. It’s actually kind of scary, but that’s okay; it IS Halloween, after all.)
Fourth grade was one exception to that rule: I was a clock, and it was possibly my favorite costume of all time. Mom sewed the elaborate brown quilted jumper that turned me from a preteen girl into a grandfather clock (complete with a mouse running up the side, just like in the old nursery rhyme).
In fifth grade, I was a birthday gift—less sewing, but it was still Mom who created the wrapped box I wore around my waist.
In sixth grade, I was a cat (wearing parts of a costume Mom had made a few years earlier for a school play).
My memory fails me when it comes to seventh grade, but I’m pretty sure I wore a lavender gingham 19th-century-style dress (another creation Mom had sewed for a school play). I think I was getting lazy about coming up with cool new costume ideas (and I’m guessing my mom wasn’t complaining).
In eighth grade, I was a clown. Talk about boring. And scary. I HATE clowns. (Shudder.)
Ninth grade, I was a baby (and it was that year when I realized that the whole costume thing was definitely starting to get a little boring, now that I was too old to go trick-or-treating anymore).
In a dramatic swing, in tenth grade, I went to a school dance as a prostitute. (Another wonderful and empowering choice for a young woman of the 1980s.)
In eleventh grade, a group of us went as KISS (I was Paul Stanley).
In twelfth grade, my two best friends and I dressed as Snap, Crackle, and Pop from the Rice Krispies box (I was Crackle, with the red-and-white stocking cap).
I officially gave up on Halloween costumes in college because dressing up suddenly seemed inherently uncool, but I dove back in during my twenties, going in various years as a vampire, Greek goddess, witch, the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, and the inevitable “girl from the 1950s,” with the poodle skirt and saddle shoes.
My most recent Halloween costume was a geisha back in 2009, when my boyfriend and I went to a party.
I haven’t dressed up since. And that makes me a little sad. It’s probably too late for this year, but hey—I think my old poodle skirt made need to come out of that mothball-smelling box in the attic and make an appearance come next Halloween.
Addison L. Jones is the author of several nonfiction titles for young adults, as well as two novels for Blydyn Square Books: Eye of Horace and The Birds of Brookside Manor.
Blydyn Square Review
More big news this month! Blydyn Square Books is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new literary magazine, Blydyn Square Review! Like our books, the Review will be devoted to publishing writing that “makes you think.” We’re now open for submissions and plan to release our first issue in early to mid-2021. If you’re interested in submitting work or learning more about Blydyn Square Review, please visit our website for more details.
Blydyn Square Book Club
This month, we read The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian. Normally, I’d include a link to the video from our meeting, but we h
ad some technical difficulties, so, unfortunately, that won’t be happening this time
around.
Our next meeting will be on November 19, and we’ll be reading Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller. Check out the book club’s Facebook page for more information.
First Monthly Happy Hour
Even MORE big news! Blydyn Square Books is launching a new monthly “happy hour,” open to the public (via Zoom, so you don’t even have to get dressed to attend).
Chat with our authors, ask questions about our books or the publishing process—anything goes! We can’t wait to meet you, so mark your calendar for our first event on November 12. For more details, check out our Facebook event page.
Quote of the Month
“Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”
—Fernando Pessoa
Brain Teaser of the Month
Congratulations to last month’s trivia winner, Wini Tomczyk (yes, that’s my mom, but she won fair and square, seeing as she was the ONLY person to send in an answer!). She won an Amazon gift card—and so can you, if you just send in your answer to the question each month!
September’s question was: In what book did the longest-ever sentence (823 words) appear? The answer: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.
Now, here’s this month’s question (email us the correct answer and you could win an Amazon gift card, just like my mom did!):
In keeping with our Halloween theme, here’s an Edgar Allan Poe question for you:
In his famous poem “The Raven,” Poe originally planned to use a different kind of bird. What kind was it?
That’s it on my end this time. Hope you’re having a spectacular autumn full of warm drinks and good books!
See you next time,
Tara Tomczyk
Editor in Chief
Blydyn Square Books
www.blydynsquarebooks.com
