It’s the bitter end of October, and all of Nature seems to be intent on dying. Leaves have lost their vital greenness and are falling from their trees. The last green tomatoes hang hopelessly on their withering vines. The flowers have faded, leaving behind brown seedpods, their visible prayer for continued life. Even the weeds have showed down to a near halt. The life-giving light is fading and the nights are longer. And those who are sensitive to such things say that the darkness is alive with ghosts and spirits. The souls of the dead. Over the past few years I have been thinking a lot about ghosts and spirits and souls because I’ve been writing Hell’s Gate*, my next book, which will be out soon. Hell’s Gate is a structure that strips away the magic of anyone who walks through it. But I couldn’t just say it does this, I needed to give the reader some sort of explanation of how it does it.… Read More »