Tag: heartbreak

All’s Fair in Love and Noir!

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized14 Comments

So, yes, I have been as incognito as a Cold War spy, but work and school have been hectic as my school semesters are going into the “final project” mode!

I hope you enjoy February’s horrorscopes and inspirational tarot card readings! Head down that dark alley at Horror Tree!

Love in the Time of Noir: https://horrortree.com/february-2024-horoscopes-love-in-the-time-of-noir/

February 2024 Tarot Card Reading: https://horrortree.com/february-2024-tarot-cards-for-writing-inspiration/

Horrorscopes, Heartbreak, and Horrifying Book Reviews

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized19 Comments

One of the most difficult parts of living in small-town Kansas is dealing with the overall attitudes here towards the nonhuman animals we share our world with.

I have been trying to help animals since I moved here, and every day is a new level of heartbreak and agony.

It hurts me more than I can possibly describe to bear witness to the things that go on here.

I used to think I was pretty resilient, but most days I worry about even getting through the day. I keep trying to fight for the animals here, especially the cats. But to say things are rough going is an understatement. It feels like a living hell–for animals and the people that care about them and their welfare. And I say that even after my experience in working with animals and animal rescue back in my hometown, and getting up close and personal with the ways people mistreat animals.

My experience residing in my current locale has definitely the stuff of “real-life horror” where animals are concerned, I tell ya.

This weekend was especially hard in regards to local animals, so I’m still not as present in the blogsphere as I usually try to be.

I did start a citizens’ advocacy discussion group for animals, and I got interviewed by the local paper (it should be coming out soon, and maybe if I feel brave enough, I’ll post the link in the comments), and I’m attempting to get an item on the agenda at the local city commission meeting. I’d like to help my fellow animal advocates that have joined the group start a nonprofit to have an official platform from which to launch the ideas we’ve been discussing, but that’s a little ways off. 

In other, lighter news, August’s horrorscopes and the tarot reading for writing inspiration are up over at Horror Tree.

And I’m still taking a stab at writing reviews over there…hopefully they aren’t too horrifying!

https://horrortree.com/august-2023-horrorscopes-how-youll-die-in-a-national-park/

https://horrortree.com/august-2023-tarot-cards-for-writing-inspiration/

Book Reviews (I’m still kinda new at this):

https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book-review-the-midnight-lullaby-by-cheryl-low/

https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book-review-the-ghost-of-laurie-floyd-by-courtney-lynn-mroch/

https://horrortree.com/epeolatry-book-review-maskerade-6-by-kevin-smith-and-andy-mcelfresh/

https://horrortree.com/comic-book-review-miss-truesdale-and-the-fall-of-hyperborea-3/

https://horrortree.com/comic-book-review-conan-the-barbarian-1/

I hope everybody’s weekend is fabulously spooky!

Wednesday’s Book Look–Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized3 Comments

I’ve been a little off-kilter lately. First the time change, and now temperatures are rising, and it seems winter has left. While I like all things nature-related, winter and autumn are my favourite seasons.

I miss cold, crisp days, and walking in the snow, and eating dinner when it’s actually dark out.

And so it was chillingly comforting when I read Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction.

The characters were like the voices of friends, by virtue of their shared experiences that were revealed in many of the stories.

Yes, the content was dark, but it also felt like some mysterious, imagined presence had appeared, wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and whispered to me “you are not alone”.

Maybe that’s why I’ve been a little discombobulated lately. Reading this collection of stories was not only a haunting experience, but a visceral one as well.

Sure, I could talk a lot more about this anthology. But it’s proving to be a bit of a challenge, because my readerly experience went deep. And I’d rather listen, anyway. Listen to all the authors’ voices, as they tell their stories. Stories that remind me that I’m not so alone, after all.

Special thanks to Editor Rebecca Rowland for the advance reader’s copy.

You can dig up a copy for yourself when it releases June 1: https://rowlandbooks.com/unburied. Because, admit it, we could all use a little less “alone time” and a little more community, about now.

Am I right, or am I right?

A Tide’s Breath Apart

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized19 Comments

…it’s a day of hauntings and heartbreak and loss, and maybe just missing things that you never had (but were close enough to hold on and never let go)…

A Tide’s Breath Apart

I slept the sleep of the dead
if the dead dreamed
during their thick & heavy sleep
I dreamed
not exactly of you
but waiting for you
knowing even in the dream
that you weren’t coming
even though I knew you were
only separated from me by
a sparrow’s breath
a ripple on the tide of time
I can’t cross
except in dreams
except in this dream
where the meadow holds us close
together
and where
I’m reminded of your last
might-have-been look
before you walked away.
You, grey, clear, and so delicate;
a strand of grass, clinging
to its coat of winter frost.
I hold you close
and not at all delicately
but only in my dream.

–Willow Croft