When Holidays Collide

As you are probably aware, the current season is Christmas... and so it only makes sense that I'm writing the final chapters of a Halloween novella entitled Flicker Shimmer Shine. Wanna hear about it? Alright. This will be good practice for when it comes time to write a synopsis.

One year after her eighteen-year-old brother Brooks takes his own life, ten-year-old Olivia Mooney finds herself in the woods on Halloween. She has no idea why she's entered the forest or what she might find there. She certainly isn't expecting to be reunited with her brother. As it so happens, however, Brooks has made a deal with one of the higher-ups and, as a result, is now able to spend every Halloween with his sister. The catch? Oli must cross over into the ghost world each Halloween.

Flash forward eight years. Both Mooney siblings are now eighteen years old. Both Mooney siblings have twenty-four hours to spend with one another. What will they do? What new memories will they make? What past experiences will they lay to rest and learn to move past?

Flicker Shimmer Shine is absolutely the darkest thing I've ever written... but it's also kind of comforting. I will admit, though, that the only reason I'm finishing it now is because I have four things started and an idea for a fifth Christmas-themed idea and I refuse to start a new thing without first finishing an old thing.

"So," you're probably wondering, "why are you sharing all of this with me now?"

Well, let me tell you. The reason I'm sharing this with you now is because today I received a text message from my friend Victoria. For those of you who were avid readers of the trivia blog when we used to write it, Victoria is the one who began carving a cabbage for me each Halloween after learning that the cabbage was not a stand-in for pumpkins. (Turnips were, though! Turnips were once used by the Irish in place of pumpkins!)

Anyway... because this October was very, very busy for Victoria, she did not get around to carving a cabbage. But then today I received a text from her that said, "Hey I noticed there was an Amazon package on your doorstep when I was driving past and there's an absolutely gorgeous beautiful creation that must've been made by a very talented artist also." (This was sent with Siri, which is why there is no punctuation. Victoria is actually quite good with punctuation!)

Obviously, I went directly outside to view the "absolutely gorgeous beautiful creation" and was astounded to discover my very own Christmas cabbage!

Who needs a Christmas cactus when you can have a Christmas cabbage instead?! And how cool is it that, unknowingly, Victoria confirmed that a collision of Halloween and Christmas is exactly what is meant to be happening in my world right now?!