Tuesday 10 July 2012

Friday 13th is looming...

Do you suffer from triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number thirteen? If so, are you superstitious that bad things might happen this coming Friday?

It’s an interesting fact that so many people genuinely get their knickers in a twist about Friday 13th - but just what is it about this specific day that triggers a sense of bad luck?

Well, the answer is a bit sketchy at best - it would seem that nobody knows the real reason where it all stemmed from in the first place - but I discovered a few possibilities…

Thirteen certainly steps outside of the box in our date and time systems - there are twelve calendar months and twelve numbers around the clock - which is perhaps enough reason to make the neat and orderly amongst us feel uneasy. But then, there were thirteen guests around the table at the Last Supper so it’s a reasonable assumption that the superstition could have religious connotations. And, of course, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested on Friday 13th - so, maybe that has some bearing on it. Who knows, perhaps any one of the above, none of the above or all of the above apply when we look to Friday 13ths with a  sense of dread - or maybe, these days, it's because we automatically think about Jason donning his hockey mask...

I must admit I’m not a fan of the number thirteen myself, but, that said, I certainly don’t have a phobia - I’m just not all that fond of odd numbers in general, for which I have no rational explanation. I just don’t, so there.

What will you be doing this coming Friday? Cowering beneath your pillow in bed all day hoping the house won’t fall down on your head, going on as normal but cringing each time you cross a road or walk near scaffolding, or will you simply be going about your daily business with not even a second thought to all this superstitious talk?

I personally like nothing more than to watch a horror film or to read a scary book on Friday 13th - but then I like watching and reading scary things all year round so no change there. But I must admit, horror books and films do have extra appeal on Friday 13th - so perhaps, to a degree, I do get swept up in the whole thing.

Anyway whatever it is you plan to do on Friday I hope you have a lovely (and safe!) day. To mark the occasion I’ve decided to make my short story Indefinite Fear free on Kindle for that one day only. So please do spread the word and tell everyone about it!

Indefinite Fear is a coffee-break-read of around 1700 words -





Some things in life deeply affect us – but just what is it that Janie’s so scared of?
A dark psychological/supernatural short story, Indefinite Fear is about a young woman who struggles with her own past and future when she finds out that her mother has terminal cancer.


Links -

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indefinite-Fear-ebook/dp/B006P0M2IW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341905319&sr=8-1

US: http://www.amazon.com/Indefinite-Fear-
ebook/dp/B006P0M2IW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341905353&sr=8-1&keywords=indefinite+fear

I’ll send out a reminder on Friday when the giveaway goes live - and, of course, I’ll spare a thought for all you triskaidekaphobes out there!

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