Monthly Archives: April 2013

Spring Witches (a reblog)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I haven’t reblogged someone else’s piece here before, so this is a first. The author, a Salem State University history professor, has a blog in which she offers a wide variety of images to illustrate historical topics. Found out about … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 2 Comments

In pursuit of a history of spiritual shaking

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Brian Bixby

After being sick for a month, I decided to get out of the house and go visit the former site of a Shaker village. Most Americans these days, if they think of the Shakers at all, think of their finely … Continue reading →

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Chapter 10 of Martha’s Children

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“The blood brotherhood of vampires,” chapter 10 of Martha’s Children, is now available. “Scratch” Wilson didn’t get to be the leader of the Bronzeville vampires by being stupid or hasty. And he’s no great fan of white cops, even if … Continue reading →

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Two birthdays related to magic and Hollywood on April 23

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Brian Bixby

It’s time to celebrate the complexities of America’s Madonna/whore complex about women with the birthdays of Marjorie Cameron (1922-1995) and Sandra Dee (1942-2005). It would be easy to categorize Dee as the Madonna and Cameron as the whore. But things … Continue reading →

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Chapter 9 of Martha’s Children, and the ongoing Boston bombing story

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Can’t get enough of you, Love,” chapter 9 of Martha’s Children, is now available. Martha warned Ned to stay away from sorcerers. By reputation, they are dangerous, devious, and capricious. All of which describe the sorceress named Make Love Not War … Continue reading →

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Tragedy and uncertainty in Boston

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Brian Bixby

This is a blog about mysteries and magic. Well, today we have had a real-life mystery unfold through the magic of explosives technology: the multiple bombings at the Boston Marathon, just across the river. As death tolls from explosions go, … Continue reading →

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The land of the dead

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I grew up among the dead. My local landscape was inhabited by stories about ancestors who had lived and died in nearby places for centuries. My mental landscape was haunted by ghost stories. I had relatives who ran a funeral … Continue reading →

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Chapter 8 of Martha’s Children, and the logic of enthrallment

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“It’s not that I don’t like you, I just want to kill you,” chapter 8 of Martha’s Children, is now up on my blog. Cops are loyal to their partners. But what happens when your partner turns up as a vampire? … Continue reading →

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Chapter 7 of Martha’s Children, and not much else

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In “Home is where the bleeding heart is,” chapter 7 of Martha’s Children, Ned finds himself  without Martha to instruct him in living as a vampire. So what does he do now? If you’re not reading Martha’s Children, my tale of cops … Continue reading →

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