The Black Hand, vol.42
Poisoned candy! Halloween crime!
I’m here to tell you that most of the rumours circulating about poisoned candy (or razor blades in candy, needles in candy, drugs in candy etc), especially around Halloween, are urban legends. Phew! You probably already knew it, but it’s always nice to have some reassurance.
But let’s go back a little – the ‘poisoned candy’ myth first popped up during the Industrial Revolution (I know! This apocryphal tale is really old). Before the mid-nineteenth century, you probably knew everyone who was making your food? (it was probably your nan who made beer for everyone in the village, or your cousin who made the bread for everyone in the village, or your mum at home, or the guy who lived across the street at the local inn) But during the late 1800s, food manufacturing was moved out of the home/local area and into factories.
People got kind of freaked out by the idea of food made by strangers (who used ingredients that were also unknown and not sourced locally). And let’s face it, in the nineteenth century, there probably were some dodgy ingredients going into factory-made food - does the legend of Sweeney Todd ring a bell? Anyway, governments started conducting food safety testing to reassure people, a practise which continues to this day to ensure quality control. But apocryphal stories about polluted food continued to make the rounds…
Myths about poisoned Halloween candy popped up here and there over the years, and kicked off hard in the 1960s and 70s. There were actually a couple of cases involving candy-covered laxatives, ant poison, and dog biscuits handed out during Halloween (all non-fatal), and another very sad case involving a man who took out life insurance on his kids and murdered his son with cyanide-laced candy. But mostly, the threat is wildly exaggerated. More recently, there’ve been rumours about kids receiving THC gummies during trick-or-treating – there’s no evidence this is a real thing either (also, sounds expensive).
History researchers have found that the rise of urban legends related to food tampering are an indication of societal upheaval. We live in scary times! And we translate that fear into formless anxieties about food tampering hurting our children.
Now, I wonder what sort of societal upheaval we could be dealing with at the moment? 🤔
All Shall Mourn, Chapter 3
Tangier, 27 October 1982
Simon has a standing invitation at Dar Laurent in the evenings, where they drink coffee and play chess at the rattan table with the cushioned chairs and overhanging potted palm fronds.
Laurent is about eight years Simon’s senior, an aesthete, French Canadian, with brown hair and a great deal of inherited money. He favors hashish while he plays, but Simon declines the shisha and smokes his preferred French tobacco, flavorsome and dark. He is expecting Kristin at any moment, and little of his attention is on the game…
There you go – that’s a snippet from the new chapter of All Shall Mourn which is going out this month.
If you’re a Nailbiters subscriber, you’ll already have access. If you’d like to become a Nailbiters subscriber, well thank you, that would be delightful 😊 You can find the instructions for upgrading from free to paid subscription at this link.
Each new instalment gives you a jolt as all the pieces of this story begin to slowly come together. If you’d like to catch up on the open-access chapters so far, Chapter One is here and Chapter Two is here. And for those of you waiting impatiently for the entire book to arrive…well, February 2025 isn’t too far away.
I’m hoping to have the cover and the digital preorder link for All Shall Mourn ready to go soon – I’d like to release it during spooky month, but the timing depends on my cover designer, so keep your eyes open and your knives sharp for updates 😊
Some Shall Break is in US paperback!
I mean AT FREAKING LAST, amiright? The book first released in hardback in the US (and in paperback for Aus/NZ) in June last year, so US readers have been waiting over a year to get access to the paperback version – if I could’ve hurried it up, I would have, but alas I am a slave to the timetable of my US publisher. Anyway, it’s FINALLY here!
You can grab a copy at B&N for $11.99, or at Target for $11.49, or at IndieBound for $11.15 right here – choose your fighter.
And thank you for supporting the book, and the series, it really means the world ❤️
Events
I was just in Canberra, teaching free writing workshops with the UWrite @ UC program – to all the students who participated, thank you! I really hope I gave you some useful tips.
This month I’m conducting workshops at St Kevin’s College, and then I’m appearing on a panel at Newstead Young Writers Festival on Sunday 20 October – it’s free to attend, but please book and discover more info here. I’ll also be at Dymocks CBD Melbourne for Love Your Bookshop Day on Saturday 12 October - I’ll be sitting on the comfy couch at the entrance to the store, along with friends CS Pacat, Astrid Scholte, Vanessa Len and more (I hope it’s a big couch!) from 11AM-1PM and I’ll be happy to sign any books you bring along 😊
What I’m reading
I’m supposed to be in Book Jail while I finish this manuscript… But I was undisciplined as always 😬
I caved and read Nestlings by Nat Cassidy (awesome, Rosemary’s Baby meets Dracula in NYC with Jewish protags, great stuff) and They Lurk by Ronald Malfi (five novellas, my first Malfi, really enjoyable but especially the first story Skullbelly and the final novella Fierce). I also got a great-looking writing craft book, Story by Robert McKee, which I’m taking notes from.
Now I seem to have busted myself out of Book Jail, I’m hoping to get a bunch of books read in time for spooky month - I bought Experimental Film by Gemma Files, and The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, to kick things off, as well as Murder Road by Simone St James.
I was also invited to the Melbourne launch of Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, which looks amazing, but alas I couldn’t make it! I was so bummed. Don’t make my mistake – jump on this book, which has been described as The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House.
Any of these would be an excellent addition to your Halloween TBR. And please do tell me what you’re reading for spooky month! Horror or thriller or whatever genre you prefer, I’m always excited to see what folks are reading.
Random giveaway
I’m really stoked that US readers finally get Some Shall Break in paperback, far out. I’m also really excited that we’re finally getting All Shall Mourn in only three more months 😊
To celebrate, I’m giving away two signed paperback copies of Some Shall Break – to enter, RT either of these two posts on your Instagram feed (not in your Story, just your feed, and remember to tag me @elliemarney so I know) and I’ll choose a winner by 31 October. Easy!
Option 1:
Option 2:
Scare Up The Vote
Okay, as you all probably know, I am not American! I cannot, therefore, vote in the US election - but I’m still kind of invested in seeing Good triumph over Evil. Also, I really wanted to draw your attention to this because it’s freaking awesome.
Tananarive Due, the author of The Reformatory (and many other amazing books), has led a grassroots campaign within the US horror community to raise funds and awareness for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Democratic ticket. She’s organised an amazing live event called Scare Up The Vote, and seriously can you believe the names here?
This is honestly the most incredible group of horror authors and creators I’ve seen in one event outside StokerCon. If you can participate, go here to scareupthevote.com and sign up. Because we like horror in our books, not so much in RL government…
Anyway, that’s a wrap for October 🎃 I hope your spooky month is full of good feelings, tasty treats (not poisoned), and great books.
If you’re signed up to Nailbiters and reading Chapter 3 of All Shall Mourn, I hope you enjoy it! Keep an eye out for the cover reveal for All Shall Mourn, coming soon! If you’re in the States, grab your copy of Some Shall Break in paperback! And if you want to comment down the bottom of this post and tell me what you’re reading for Halloween, I’d love to hear it 😊
Until November, stay spooky and happy reading.
xxEllie