Halloween: Inspire Your Sabbat, Spook Your Socks Off, and Lift the Veil

It's only September, but the days are already getting shorter, the sun a little lower in the sky, and the breeze cooler. Before you know it, Halloween will be here! The time is at hand to begin planning for both business and home, and for us at Llewellyn, that means books. Sabbats and spirit communication...and a lot of spooky, all-too-true tales. Behold the spectacular selection of titles new and old that will inspire your Sabbat, spook your socks off, and lift the veil.

To Harness the Eerie Power of Halloween Every Night of Year:

Each of the 36 richly illustrated cards of The Halloween Oracle has an accompanying meaning in the guidebook, which features rhyming couplets like those used in ancient storytelling as well as a message of divination for you based on an aspect of Halloween tradition.


With art and instructions by Maggie Stiefvater—New York Times bestselling author of the Raven Cycle series—The Raven's Prophecy Tarot reveals the wisdom of dreams, helping you harness the opposing forces of intuition and cunning, Moon and Raven, spirit and intellect. Inspired by Stiefvater's artist mentors, this deck is a path to a more creative life for everyone.



To Empower Your Sabbats:

Now in its seventh year, the Sabbats Almanac features a wealth of recipes, rituals, craft projects, and lore. Filled with over fifty articles by your favorite Wiccan and Pagan writers, Llewellyn's 2016 Sabbats Almanac provides welcome ideas and insights into each holiday on the Wheel of the Year. Plan spiritually uplifting celebrations and family activities. Perform sabbat-specific rituals and world folk rites. Whip up tasty treats and crafts as reminders of the season's gifts and lessons. Also featured are astrological influences to help you plan rituals according to cosmic energies.

The latest release in Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series, Samhain features ways both new and old to celebrate the cornerstones of the witch's year. This guide shows you how to practice the serious work of divination and honoring the dead along with the more lighthearted activities of Halloween, along with rituals, recipes, lore, crafts, correspondences, and much more.







To Celebrate Those on the Other Side of the Veil

Join renowned Druid priest Kristoffer Hughes in this COVR Award-winning book as he explores the three realms of existence—the realm of necessity, the realm of spirit, and the realm of infinity—and illuminates the essence of grief, mourning, and spiritual continuation. Challenging many status quo beliefs about the afterlife, this book provides exercises, meditations, rituals, and thought-provoking questions designed to bring you on a journey of discovery through the most profound of all human transitions.

Filled with insight and practical guidance, The Journey Into Spirit shows how to honor family and friends in spirit, discover life-affirming aspects of every state of existence, and move beyond the fear that surrounds death.





To Scare Your Socks Off:

From exploring the Tower of London to investigating a haunted Colorado firehouse, paranormal researcher Richard Estep takes you behind the scenes for an up-close-and-personal encounter with a fascinating legion of hauntings. In Search of the Paranormal reveals some of the most chilling, captivating, and weird cases that Richard has investigated over the past twenty years, in England and in the United States.

The September New Moon Is Out--Check Your Inbox!

Our September 2015 issue of the New Moon, our email newsletter for booksellers, was mailed this
morning. This issue includes:

-Books, ideas, and crafts for Halloween
-Shelftalkers (La Santa Muerte; The Magic of Flowers Oracle; Wicca: Another Year and a Day; and The Wild Kuan Yin Oracle)
-A Stuffer (Samhain Recipe: Soul Cakes)
-October New Releases
-Indie Stores' Top Five Picks
-And Much More!

If you did not receive a copy in your email inbox, you can also view it here: The New Moon, September 2015 Issue.

You can also visit our website to subscribe to The New Moon, ensuring that it reaches you each month (please note that you will need to log in/register to be able to join our mailing list).

Halloween: Inspire Your Sabbat, Spook Your Socks Off, and Lift the Veil

It's only August, but the days are already getting shorter, the sun a little lower in the sky, and the breeze cooler. Before you know it, Halloween will be here! The time is at hand to begin planning for both business and home, and for us at Llewellyn, that means books. Sabbats and spirit communication...and a lot of spooky, all-too-true tales. Behold the spectacular selection of titles new and old that will inspire your Sabbat, spook your socks off, and lift the veil.

To Harness the Eerie Power of Halloween Every Night of Year:

Each of the 36 richly illustrated cards of The Halloween Oracle has an accompanying meaning in the guidebook , which features rhyming couplets like those used in ancient storytelling as well as a message of divination for you based on an aspect of Halloween tradition.


To Empower Your Sabbats:

Now in its sixth year, the Sabbats Almanac features a wealth of recipes, rituals, craft projects, and lore. Filled with over fifty articles by your favorite Wiccan and Pagan writers, Llewellyn's 2015 Sabbats Almanac provides welcome ideas and insights into each holiday on the Wheel of the Year. Plan spiritually uplifting celebrations and family activities. Perform sabbat-specific rituals and world folk rites. Whip up tasty treats and crafts as reminders of the season's gifts and lessons. Also featured are astrological influences to help you plan rituals according to cosmic energies.



To Celebrate Those on the Other Side of the Veil

Join renowned Druid priest Kristoffer Hughes as he explores the three realms of existence—the realm of necessity, the realm of spirit, and the realm of infinity—and illuminates the essence of grief, mourning, and spiritual continuation. Challenging many status quo beliefs about the afterlife, this book provides exercises, meditations, rituals, and thought-provoking questions designed to bring you on a journey of discovery through the most profound of all human transitions.

Filled with insight and practical guidance, The Journey Into Spirit shows how to honor family and friends in spirit, discover life-affirming aspects of every state of existence, and move beyond the fear that surrounds death.


To Scare Your Socks Off:

Lving with a paranormal storm looming on the horizon, constantly feeling the darkness trying to penetrate his soul, Steven LaChance has discovered that the aftershocks of a demonic possession can be more dangerous than the initial haunting itself. Marked by the supernatural trauma inflicted by the Union Screaming House—as chronicled in his first book, The Uninvited—Steven and his family find that no matter where they move, no matter what they do, they are still vulnerable to otherworldly attacks.

As malevolent forces continue their relentless assaults, violent outbursts erupt among the close-knit community that has been touched by unspeakable evil. Fighting for his sanity and his life, Steven records in Blessed Are the Wicked how repressed horror and pain nearly tore his world apart.

Halloween Event Planning Made Easy

Though it is but the end of July, and the sweltering, dog days of summer are upon most of us, it's already time to begin planning for the holidays. (Where has half of the summer gone? It seems as though it was just Midsummer yesterday, and Memorial Day the week before that!) Though many of us will be loathe to see these long, sweltering days end, there is something magical about the palpable change in the air, the feeling of renewal that comes with that change, even if we are entering the dying portion of the seasonal cycle.

The crisp autumn air, the crunching of leaves underfoot, the smell of wood-burning fireplaces…to me, these things bring such happiness. And Samhain! That most magical of holidays, when the veil between the worlds is thinnest, when we celebrate the turning of a new year, when “kids” of all ages have reason to celebrate. And it's never too early to begin your Halloween holiday preparations!

As we near this magical time, it can be hard to reconcile plans (both personal and business) between the sacred and the secular, as well as between the spendy and the thrifty. That said, there are many ways to make Samhain more than just pointed hats and candy –without breaking the bank—at both your home and your store.

Spooky Stories
For many of us, Halloween is a time for fright—to spook and to be spooked. We have a great collection of ghastly titles coming out just in time to send tingles down your spine.

• Playing with the Devil, by Marcus Griffin. This haunting, thrill-ride of a true account is sure to please. Join paranormal investigator Marcus Griffin as he relates his true, first-hand account of his rock band Entropy and their encounters with the Gray Man, answering the question: Can you really sell your soul for rock 'n roll?


• Batting Demons of Darkness, by Brandon Boston. Now determined to embrace his destiny with the paranormal, Brandon Boston shares his true, first-hand stories of battling demons. Join him on a transformative journey from terrified boy to confident man whose purpose is to defeat dark spirits.


• Encounters with Flying Humanoids, by Ken Gerhard. Cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard has traveled the world collecting evidence on the Mothman, the Owlman, the Van Meter Creature, the Valkyrie of Voltana, the Houston Batman, and other strange "bird people" that have been sighted throughout history. Packed with famous historical cases and dozens of chilling first-person accounts, this is the first book to focus exclusively on flying humanoids—a wide array of airborne entities that seem to feed off our deepest fears.


• The Ghosts of Chicago, by Adam Selzer. This new book from the author of Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps pieces together the truth behind Chicago's ghosts, and brings to light dozens of never-before-told firsthand accounts.


• Haunted Asylums, Prisons, and Sanatoriums
, by Jamie Davis with Samuel Queen. Explore frightening ghost stories and true paranormal encounters at ten well-known, haunted institutions across the United States. This unique collection of investigations is filled with terrifying photos, spooky highlights from on-site tours, and historical information about each location.



• Embracing the Spirits, by Barbara Parks. Traumatized by a poltergeist as a young adult, Barbara Parks never imagined she would overcome her fear of the spirit world. This collection of true ghost stories relates her dramatic, heartwarming journey toward embracing her gift for spirit communication.



• Surrounded by Ghosts, by Janet Larkin. Janet Larkin has, since birth, lived a life full of ghostly encounters. In her new book, Janet recalls her creepiest stories and grapples to make sense of a life overflowing with unexplained phenomena.


Décor
For me, decorations are always a great way to set the mood for any holiday season, Samhain included.

• Pumpkins. A great way to spend time with family, friends, and associates is always at the pumpkin patch, finding that perfect gourd to display, carve, or both. While pumpkins can be found in many places (grocery stores and supermarkets included), I always favor the pumpkin patch because it is generally cheaper, the selection is wider, and it makes for a great activity for everyone.
• Incense. Smell is one of the first things we notice when we enter a building or home; why not use some that celebrates the season? For a magical, uplifting, and thrifty option, try making your own incense or potpourri.
  • Crafting Incense at Home: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/522
  • Granular Incense Making: Tips and Techniques: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1334
  • Magical Power Simmering Potpourri: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1452
• Colors. Colors are a huge part of décor, and I like to use those that are not only traditionally seasonal but also magically appropriate. Silver is great for making connections and bridging the gap (such as with Samhain spirit communications); yellow and gold symbolize the Sun and a fruitful harvest (whether literally or metaphorically).
• An Altar. Perfect for store or home, a Wheel of the Year altar can be suited to any Sabbat, including Samhain.
Rituals
Another strong way to connect to the season, to our friends and family, and to our ancestors is through rituals. These make great activities to do alone, to do with friends or family members, or to host as a store activity.

• Candle Rituals. To me, candles seem to be perfect to use any time there happens to be a chill in the air, but they also can be used for powerful candle magic.
  • Pick a special candle for Nights of Halloween Magic: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1625
  • Perform a Ritual for Candlelit Autumn Evenings: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1409
  • Invite prosperity with a Full Moon Candle Ritual: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1700
  • Worried about (or prevented from) using candles around children, pets, or particular building codes? Flameless candles can be just as magical as the regular ones. The Magic of Using Flameless Candles in Ritual: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2184
• Abundance Ritual. If you ask me, any time of year is the right time for abundance, but abundance has been traditionally associated with the Harvest Sabbats. Try a Halloween Cauldron of Abundance Ritual: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1773
• Spirit Communication Rituals. During this time when the veil is thinnest, it is easiest to connect with and communicate with our ancestors and other spirits. Why not host a group ritual to communicate with spirits?
  • Ancestor Circle for Samhain: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1771
  • A Samhain Visitation: Connecting with our Ancestors: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1730
  • Table Tilting is another form of spirit communication method great for a group: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2038
  • You may wish to use fragrance to heighten your intuition and spirit perception (Fragrances to Assist Spirit Perception: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1970) or do some energy work to aid in the process (Chakra-Cleansing Meditation to Prepare for Mediumship: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1595).
  • If using a Ouija Board, be sure that it is fully understood by all using it. Here are some Facts (and Fiction!) About the Ouija Board: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1729.
  • If you are not comfortable performing such rituals in the company of others, try doing your own spirit communication (Solitary Séance: On Your Own with the Spirits: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2187.
  • You may wish to ground and center or do a simple banishing prior to starting any ritual: Making Your Own Ritual (Some Fast Guidelines): http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2063

Activities and Parties
There is something about Samhain that just seems to warrant having a party or other event. Looking for ideas? Look no further!

• Crafts. Crafts always make a great activity, as long as they are well-planned out (especially when large numbers of participants are concerned).
  • Try one of these two magical crafts from HedgeWitch Silver RavenWolf, a Harvest Wish Jar and Vintage Magic Blocks: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1734
  • Have knitters or crocheters in your audience? Try crocheted bookshelf organizers (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1194), a crocheted tarot box (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1328), or a Dream Pillow (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1342).
  • If you have access to a kitchen (or other large, open workspace), try having participants make their own Plant Spirit Essence (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1972) or other tinctures and infusions, such as a Magical Stress Eraser Mist (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2218.
• Divinations. Everyone loves having a peek into their lives and their future, whether by palm, tarot card, or pendulum.
  • Looking to do some divination yourself? Why not try tassomancy with your guests? Here are 10 Tips for Giving Dynamite Tea Leaf Readings: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2181
  • Having someone read the Tarot? Any gathering will likely have people of all ages, some you may know, and some you may not. Keep in mind 12 Tips for Reading Tarot for Children (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1927) and tips for reading Tarot for your friends (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1928)
  
  
  
Still looking for more ideas? Check out Samhain Party Hosting Made Easy (http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1396).

Get a Jump on the Holiday Hoopla: Must-Grab Gifts

Hi Booksellers,

With Halloween yet to arrive, I admit it seems a tad early to bring up the holidays. It’s the calm before the storm, right? So, before we’re blown away by a whirlwind of parties, decorating, and baking, let’s talk about some exciting gifts that will satisfy a variety of tastes. 

From cat lovers to fairy fanatics, the steampunk crowd to Witches and Pagans, we’ve got you covered.

Felines Forever

Eyes on cover
glow in the dark!

 

Cat’s Eyes Journal

Black Cat Satin Tarot Bag

Tarot of Pagan Cats Mini Deck

Tarot of the White Cats
 
Cat Note Box

Witches and Pagans

Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Calendar

 Llewellyn's 2013 Sabbats Almanac

Witches Moon Satin Tarot Bag

Pagan Circle Velvet Cloth

Triple Goddess Journal

Pagan Note Box

Enchanting and Beautiful Faeries

  

Fairy Note Box

 Faery Craft

 White Fairy Journal

Llewellyn's 2013 Woodland Faeries Calendar

Dream Fairies Inspirational Deck

Moon Fairy Satin Tarot Bag

Fairy Tarot Bag

  

Steampunk and Goth

The Steampunk Tarot

Steampunk High Priestess Satin Tarot Bag

Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot Deck

Favole Tarot

Gothic Unicorn Journal

Rose Hand Journal 

Rose in Hand Satin Tarot Bag

Royo Dark Tarot

Powerful and Pretty Runes

Blue Onyx Runes	Golden Quartz Runes	Hematite Runes

The September New Moon Is Out--Check Your Inbox!

For those of you who currently subscribe to our email newsletter for booksellers, The Moon, you may have noticed a few changes.

We've streamlined the look, included new features, and christened it with a new moniker: The New Moon. As with this blog, our goal is to really connect with you, our selling partners, each month and offer support, guidance, and resources with the aim of helping you grow and thrive in this ever-changing market.

Our September issue of the New Moon was mailed this morning. This issue includes:
-Embracing the "Spirit" of Your Business, from author Deonna Kelli Sayed
-Shelftalkers (Witches Tarot, So You Want to Hunt Ghosts?, America's Haunted Universities, and The Healing Power of Reiki)
-October New Releases
-Llewellyn's Winter 2013 Catalog
-Indie Stores' Top Five Picks
-And Much More!

If you did not receive a copy in your email inbox, you can also view it here: The New Moon, September 2012 Issue.

You can also visit our website to subscribe to The New Moon, ensuring that it reaches you each month (please note that you will need to log in/register to be able to join our mailing list).

Embracing the “Spirit” of Your Business

Dear Booksellers,

It’s a quiet evening and the store is empty. You're locking up for the night and hear a thump. The lights flicker for no reason. A book inexplicably tumbles to the floor. The feeling of being watched is overwhelming.

Is your store haunted?

With Halloween approaching, it’s a great time to explore this question. Deonna Kelli Sayed, a paranormal investigator and author of So You Want to Hunt Ghosts (Oct 2012), can help you figure out whether you’ve got spirit guests. Maybe a few otherworldly visitors can help you build publicity and expand your customer base.

Even if your store isn’t a hotspot for paranormal activity, there are plenty of opportunities to take part in your community’s Halloween festivities to boost your business.

Embracing the “Spirit” of Your Business
By Deonna Kelli Sayed

Halloween is around the corner, and ‘tis the season for the spooky and the spectrally spectacular. This time of year celebrates everyone’s interest in ghosts and hauntings. The slew of paranormal reality TV shows has turned spirit talk into water cooler discussion among an unprecedented part of the population. Bookstores and booksellers can capitalize on this interest to help bring new customers in the door.

So You Want to Hunt Ghosts
October 2012

All the better if your business is actually haunted!

Bumps in the Night

A quaint, locally owned bookstore in a small Southern coastal town started experiencing some no-so-subtle paranormal events. Most noticeable were loud bangs that occurred in the early evening, and sometimes during business hours. The noises even shook the building. The owners were baffled, yet intrigued by the happenings.

They quickly capitalized on these occurrences and called in a reputable paranormal investigative team to conduct research. Local media was also contacted, and the team and the bookstore obtained some great local coverage from the investigation.

Not only did the bookstore get free media exposure, but also their willingness to share their stories created a unique way for people to identify with the business. Local residents began coming forth with their own experiences at the location, some of which occurred before the site became a bookstore. Interestingly, it was soon discovered that the entire downtown area shared an affinity for unusual occurrences.

Got Ghosts?

If you work (or live) in a location that you feel may be paranormally active, here are a few things you need to do:

•    Start keeping a journal of paranormal events. Note the time, place, people around, and provide as much description as possible.

•    Start asking others about their experiences on site. Research suggests that paranormal events occur when people are just doing their everyday routine—not when actively seeking out a ghost. Also, events do not exclusively occur at night.

•    Try to find out as much as you can about the location’s history. Contrary to what many people believe, no one has to die in a place to make it haunted.

If you find that you are having consistent or intriguing activity, consider calling a reputable paranormal investigative team. The Atlantic Paranormal Society has “family” teams around the country, and teams are listed by state on their site (look for the TAPS family). There are also many professional non-TAPS affiliated teams around, as well.

If you are lucky, a team may collect evidence of paranormal events and will provide you with a copy of any audio, video, and photographic anomalies. A team should also submit a report documenting their personal experiences at the location. Most teams, likewise, will ask you how much information from the investigation (if any) you want to make public, thus giving you control of how you represent your resident spirits.


Piquing Public Interest, Even When You’re Ghostless

Evidence of paranormal activity isn’t necessary to get the public buzzing about the ghostly side of your business. The Halloween season is a great time to welcome authors of paranormal topics (particularly those writing about ghosts) to host talks.

Even if your business doesn’t have ghosts, your customer base will have stories of their own. Having a “share your ghost story” hour at your location over hot cider gets customers in the door and also creates a sense of community around your business. Invite well-respected paranormal teams to come in and talk about local haunts or to conduct lectures on how to ghost hunt.

Locations housed in historic buildings have an added bonus of using public paranormal interest to teach local history. This is one of my favorite things about ghost stories—they are really retellings about who we are and our local communities. You can also invite local historians, coupled with local paranormal teams who have investigated historic sites, to provide an educational and spooktacular event at your store.

Ghosts or not, utilizing public interest in the paranormal is a great way to build a fun, personal relationship with your customer base!

***

Photo by Jessica Labbé

Deonna Kelli Sayed is a writer and paranormal investigator in North Carolina. She is the author of Paranormal Obsession: America’s Fascination with Ghosts & Hauntings, Spooks and Spirits and the forthcoming So You Want to Hunt Ghosts?  A Down-to-Earth Guide (October 2012). Visit her website.

Deonna on her favorite bookstore:
My favorite is the local Greensboro-based metaphysical store, Eclectic by Nature. The place is so bewitching, it comes with its own cats. It is unclear, however, if there are any ghosts.





Do you suspect your business or home is haunted? We would love to hear your spooky stories!

Deborah Blake on Celebrating Halloween at Your Store

Hi Booksellers,

Looking for ways to attract a crowd on Halloween? Here’s some fun, inexpensive ideas from author Deborah Blake on how to appropriately celebrate this sacred Pagan holiday at your store.


Celebrating Halloween and its Pagan Roots
By Deborah Blake

Halloween is a holiday that has an origin deep in Pagan roots. Its name comes from the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve, or Hallow Evening (hence Hallow E’en), which in turn was taken from the Pagan holiday we now call Samhain—pronounced Sow-win. Samhain is one of the most important holidays of the year for Pagans and Witches; it is considered to be the day on which the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, and it is possible to speak to those we have lost, whether the recent dead or our ancestors. You can see where the “spooky” reputation of this holiday came from!

It can be tricky to balance the sacred nature of the spiritual holiday with the more commercial aspects of the secular celebrations that most people are accustomed to—but here are some suggestions for Halloween events that won’t demean the holiday . . . or cost an arm and a leg to put on.

Treasure Hunts
One of the easiest and most fun Halloween events that I have hosted at various bookstores is the “treasure hunt.” Find all the books in the store that have spooky or magical themes; this can include children’s stories, real-life books on ghosts, anything Pagan or related to Witches (yes—Harry Potter counts!), etc. You can then either write up a list for people to use as they hunt for the books (in which case, they have the list later to possibly shop from), or place bookmarks or other “markers” in the books that count towards the treasure hunt. You could even put a bookmark that is a coupon for any book it is in, in the hopes of selling a few in the process.

If you have a metaphysical or New Age store, you could try a scavenger hunt with clues, like “I am a clear rock used for boosting psychic energy” for a quartz crystal.

You could give a special prize to the first few customers who find all the “treasures” or simply offer candy and Halloween goodies to all participants. 

Storytelling
This can be aimed at kids or adults. You could invite a local author for a reading/signing event. Or arrange to have a staff member tell spooky or witchy stories.

Host a Costume Contest
Invite your staff to dress up, too.

Special Guests
Tarot readers and tealeaf readers are a popular attraction, and you can display books about psychic phenomenon near the reader’s table.

I suggest steering clear of insulting stereotypical witch make-up (long nose, green face and the like), but everyone loves a long black dress and a pointy hat. The trick is to celebrate this important Pagan holiday with respect, and treat all who come into your store as though they were V.I.W.’s—Very Important Witches.

***

Photo by John Mazarak

Deborah Blake's most recent book is Witchcraft on a Shoestring. She is also the author of Circle, Coven and Grove, Everyday Witch A to Z, The Goddess is in the Details, and Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook. She has published numerous articles in Pagan publications, including Llewellyn annuals and has an ongoing column in Witches & Pagans Magazine.

When not writing, Deborah runs The Artisans’ Guild, a cooperative shop she founded with a friend in 1999, and also works as a jewelry maker. She lives in a 100 year old farmhouse in rural upstate New York with five cats who supervise all her activities, both magickal and mundane.

Witchcraft on a Shoestring
by Deborah Blake

Deborah can be found online at Facebook and Twitter. Or check out her website.

Deborah on her favorite metaphysical store:
“I get most of my supplies from AzureGreen and I have for many years. They have a wide range of stock, good quality and low prices, and the nicest folks working there. They’re a small company and I love them.”

October New Moon Newsletter is Out--Check Your Mailbox!

For those of you who currently subscribe to our email newsletter for booksellers, The Moon, you may have noticed a few changes.


We've streamlined the look, included new features, and christened it with a new moniker: The New Moon. As with this blog, our goal is to really connect with you, our selling partners, each month and offer support, guidance, and resources with the aim of helping you grow and thrive in this ever-changing market.

Our October issue of the New Moon was mailed this morning. If you did not receive a copy in your email inbox, you can also view it here: The New Moon, October 2011 Issue.

You can also visit our website to subscribe to The New Moon, ensuring that it reaches you each month (please note that you will need to log in/register to be able to join our mailing list).

Just in Time for Halloween: The Tenth Anniversary Edition of Monsters by John Michael Greer

Last Saturday, my six-year-old son watched a Scooby Doo movie, loosely based on the age-old werewolf legend. Later that evening, under a gorgeous almost-full moon, we were hanging out in a tent set up in our backyard. My son loves the idea of camping, but we weren’t planning to spend the night outside just yet. After a few stories, it was bedtime. As we left the tent, my son warned, “Run fast, Mommy, so the moon won’t turn you into a werewolf!”

He was a little spooked by the idea of werewolves. Right away, my mommy instincts kicked in. “Don’t worry, sweetie, werewolves aren’t real.” But is that really true?

I’m not sure of whom to thank for the incredible popularity of werewolves, vampires, and zombies right now. (I like to think that Joss Whedon, the genius creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, kicked off the craze.) In any case, the more these creepy creatures populate mass media, the more our curiosity intensifies. We want to know more: Are they real? Are they dangerous? Where can we find them?

Anyone hungry for more information on these legendary beasts will want to check out Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings. The newly expanded edition is available now, just in time for Halloween!

This best-selling guide by John Michael Greer is required reading for both active and armchair monster hunters. The tenth-anniversary edition features a new preface, new chapters on chimeras and zombies, and updates on werewolves, dragons, and faeries.

Are you ready for a harrowing journey into the reality of the impossible? Combining folklore, Western magical philosophy, and actual field experience, Monsters offers a chilling collection of fiendish facts and folklore, including:

• 

Why true vampires are the least attractive—and most destructive—of all monsters
• The five different kinds of ghosts
• Magical origins of the werewolf legends
• How to survive a chimera encounter (Jersey Devil, chupacabra, Mothman)

• The hidden connections between faery lore and UFOs

• Where dragons are found today
• How to investigate a monster sighting
• Natural and ritual magic techniques for dealing with hostile monsters 

Planning a special Halloween display devoted to monsters? Check out these favorites:

NEW!  The Dragon Keeper's Handbook  
by Shawn MacKenzie

Werewolves
by Konstantinos

Vampires in Their Own Words
Edited by Michelle Belanger

The Vengeful Djinn
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Philip J. Imbrogno


The Dictionary of Demons
by Michelle Belanger

Vampire Nation
by Arlene Russo

Ultraterrestrial Contact  
by Philip J. Imbrogno