Thursday Thirteen about the Number Thirteen

Thirteen Facts about the Number Thirteen



Why does the number 13 evoke feelings of uncertainty and uneasiness? Is it really an unlucky number? What started this stigma about 13?

Here are thirteen facts:

1. Triskaidekaphobia means the fear of number 13. Tradition traces this fear of 13 at the table to the

2. Tradition traces this fear of 13 at the table to the Last Supper- Jesus dined with his twelve apostles. The inference was someone was going to die within a short time. Judas betrayed Jesus, overcome by his guilt, he hang himself.

3. Mythology has its own story. The Norse gods were having a banquet for 12 at the Valhalla when Loki, one of the evil gods gatecrashed the party. Balder was the god of light, joy and reconciliation. He had a blind brother whom Loki tricked into throwing a sprig of mistletoe on Balder’s chest which killed him ( Balder). Mistletoe is the only earthly thing that was fatal to Balder.

4. Into the Middle Ages, the stigma against Friday the 13th grew stronger. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Phillip !V of France ordered the arrest of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar and his senior knights and other members. They were tortured to compel them to admit to “wrongdoings.” And they were executed. Sympathizers of the Templars condemned Friday the 13th as an evil day.

5. In the 18th century, the belief about Friday the 13th was reinforced. The British ship HMS Friday was launched on a Friday , the 13th , the captain was a man named Jim Friday. The ship was never seen nor heard from again.

6. Apollo 13 mission in 1970. It was launched on 1313 hours, from pad 39 ( 13 x 3), 3 of the sleeping arrangements for the astronauts were timed to start at 13 minutes past the hour and so was one of the possible splashdown. On April 13th, the first of the several setbacks to Apollo 13 occurred and this added drama to the mission.

7. In many hotels and skyscrapers, there is no 13th floor.

8. Most airplanes have no seat No. 13.

9. In Italy, it is usual to leave out 13 in numbering the lottery tickets.

10. Thirteen for dinner? Not in France. A party of thirteen can hire a professional quatorzieme, a fourteenth person, from an agency.

11. In some big hospitals, there is no Operating Room 13, to spare the patient added anxiety being wheeled into Room 13.

12. 13 is the ideal number of people in a coven.

13. It is believed that to left-handed people, 13 is their lucky number.


Information taken from: Number Power by Keith Ellis

Excerpt Monday August

This is something new I've been playing around with, in its earliest stage. Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Sacred Flesh

Prologue

Pale golden hair whipped around her as frigid air from the generator swept across her skin. The wavy ends tumbled around her shoulders, sending silvery strands into her mouth that caught and stuck to her moistened lips. Her modest black gown lay in tatters around her waist, leaving her upper body clad in only the transparent body stocking she wore to support her buttocks and breasts. Humiliation burned in her cheeks as she looked down to see her pink nipples standing hard and erect under the frigid air of deep space. Instinctively, she tried to cover them with her arms, but the ropes biting into her wrists above her head held her securely in place.

Blinking back tears, her eyes darted around the room. A dozen or so pairs of eyes were trained on her, glittering with hunger and lust, and at the certainty that she would soon be theirs. Intense sickness and desolation swept over her. She was never going to get out of this alive.

"Mmm-mm, looks like we struck gold, boys."

Several of the men whooped their agreement.

"Nah," said one of the men. "Silver, perhaps, but not gold."

"Hell, Kiev, she's the prettiest piece of pussy I've seen in years. I think you must be losing your eyesight entirely."

The man - Kiev - crossed the room and stopped in front of her. She cringed upon getting a better look at him. The immense, bear-like pirate was uglier than sin. His face a mass of puckered and scarred skin, surrounding one beady eye that still gleamed with the blood lust of their most recent kill. The other eye was a milky, bluish-white color that stared forward endlessly.

"Granted, she's a pretty little thing, all right," he murmured, appraising her slowly, lasciviously, "but look at these tits!" She squirmed as his filthy hands cupped her breasts, jiggling them around and pinching the nipples. He bared brown teeth, enjoying her discomfiture. "They hardly fill my hands," he complained. "I like my women a little softer, with more meat to their bones. Hell, I've seen men with bigger tits than these."

"Like me, Kiev?" a burly, obese man said from the corner, garnering bawdy laughter when he reached for his own sagging chest and wiggled the rolls of fat around in his meaty palms.

Looking over his shoulder, Kiev laughed crudely. "Right, you are, Miloh. But still, I suppose it doesn't matter." He sighed, looking back at her. Releasing her breasts, his hands drifted downward, reaching for the hem of her gown and pulling it up above her waist. Her legs jerked as she tried to kick out, but the bonds on her ankles allowed for little movement. "They all look the same where it really counts, 'eh Jett?"

"One pussy, a million faces," the pirate called Jett agreed rudely, to the amusement of his companions.

A collective sigh of appreciation could be heard as her thinly-veiled femininity was revealed for all to see. "And would you look at that," Kiev announced, "she's a golden-girl, through and through."

Outraged at his audacity, she spat in his face.

Several of the men laughed, but not Kiev. His hands flew instantly to his belt, and before she could blink, a very sharp, very deadly looking dagger was pointed at her throat.

She lifted her chin, meeting his icy one-eyed gaze head on. Do it, she challenged silently. She'd rather die on a dagger than at the hands of this lot.

Alas, no such mercy would be hers. Peering over his massive shoulder, she saw that four of the men had unsheathed their daggers or plasma rifles, and were now pointing them at Kiev's throat. Their black eyes blazed with incensed alarm.

"Don't even think about it, Kiev," one of the men growled in warning. "It's been too long since I've been waxed. I'll slit your throat before letting her go to waste."

Another man joined in on the protest. "That's right, man, you kill her, and your blood will join hers on the floor tonight."

Her mind whirled as she listened to these men. They were truly barbaric and held no regard for loyalty. Goddess! They'd been ready to kill one of their own to get their hands on her!

"Back down, all of you," Jett advised, coming up from behind the group. His strong hand dropped on Kiev's shoulder. "Let her go, man. She's just a woman - nothing worth losing your head over. Besides, it's the captain's decision, not yours."

At length, the knife fell away from her throat. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling a trail of warm liquid run down her neck.

Kiev ran the back of his hand over his swinish nose to wipe away the spittle, and then leaned in closely. Her head turned as his fetid breath assaulted her nostrils. "I'm not through with you, bitch," he swore in a whisper meant for her ears only. "You will bleed for this. Those golden hairs will drip red after I'm done with you."

She gasped and began to shake as fearful images built in her mind. Yes, she'd known from moment one what they planned to do to her - she'd seen it in their eyes, their smiles - but to hear it spoken out loud...and in such gruesomely vivid detail...

Don't you dare cry! she commanded herself. Don't give them more fodder for their amusement and anticipation. Men like this have no concept of humanity, or mercy. They only know thievery, murder, raping, pillaging, torture.... Seeing your tears will only make their conquest sweeter.

A single tear managed to slip out in spite of her bid for self-control. Thankfully, the marauders didn't see it. For once, their gazes had shifted to each other.

"Captain Eirik has always distributed evenly before, I'd say."

"Right, he has. I don't see why he'd change his mind now."

"Didn't you hear? Eirik is no longer captain."

Judging by the uproar that followed the announcement, this was as much news to them as it was to her - or would have been had she known who this grizzly Captain Eirik was.

"Come again?"

"Explain yourself, Gorin," Kiev growled.

"Eirik is dead," Gorin - an older man with leathery skin, blackened teeth, and a pronounced limp on his left side - announced as casually as if he were remarking upon the weather. "Saw Rath slit his throat myself."

Jett shrugged dismissively. "Then Rath has earned his place. He's a good man, and will no doubt make a good captain."

Wrath? She shuddered. What a perfectly horrible name for a perfectly horrible captain of blood-thirsty space pirates.

"But will he share out the wealth?" Kiev questioned, tilting his head in her direction.

Jett looked unconcerned. "I don't see why not. He's always been just in his dealings."

Several of the men mumbled in agreement.

"But when it comes to the girl?” Kiev persisted. “You know how he feels about taking captives."

Heads nodded in understanding, and more than a few faces looked worried.

How did Wrath feel about captives? She wanted to ask, but it seemed that she was the only one aboard the pirate starship that was not privy to his feelings on the matter of captives, and as such, no explanations were necessary. And they certainly wouldn't deign to explain the captain's feelings with a lowly woman captive.

Fabulous, she thought as her body sagged against the pole, a crew of space pirates that each planned to have their turn with her, and a new captain who had "feelings" about taking captives. Her future was growing bleaker by the second.

She straightened her body defiantly. She would survive this! She was a Sister of Sevella, ordained by the High Priestess herself, and a loyal - if occasionally rebellious - member of its order. She inhaled deeply, hoping to gain strength by reciting her daily devotions.

A Sister never surrenders to the darkness. A Sister has a responsibility to the public and therefore must be able to employ calm and rational thought in all situations. A Sister does not allow herself to be governed by emotions; rather, she explores her options thoroughly and bases her conduct upon clear-headed meditation...

Yes...meditation…explores her options thoroughly.

Think! There has to be some way.

She processed all she had learned so far. I am spoils of battle. These men plan to have me. The captain will decide my fate. The captain's name is Wrath.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to go on…

Or was there?

She frowned as a rather outlandish idea began to form in her mind.

Her initial thoughts had been of weapons, but seeing as how she was tied up…and seeing as how she wouldn't know how to use a weapon, even if she did have one, and therefore would have little success, if any, against a band of barbaric, lusty pirates, the whole objective was pointless.

Looking at it from another perspective, however, it occurred to her that, for all intents and purposes, she did have a weapon at her disposal. She just hadn't thought of it before because she would only consider using that as a last resort. Looking around, she realized this was it.

These men wanted to have her. She could exploit their want, use it against them. But how? How could she use it to her advant-

The captain. Of course!

Her fate was the captain's decision, and he controlled them all. She didn't kid herself into believing that she could somehow appeal to his kind nature. He was a pirate, and as such, probably didn't even understand the nature of the word kind. But, if she could appeal to his baser appetites…if she could somehow make him desire her to such an extent that he would refuse to pass her on to the others, then maybe - just maybe - she would have a fighting chance.

But was she willing to go so far to survive? Did she have it in herself to offer her body in exchange for her life? She would be violating the first rule of her order: A Sister's body is, first and foremost, an instrument of absolute purity. But this was a matter of survival. Surely the High Priestess would not fault her for using the only weapon at her disposal. If there was another way, she would use it, but as she saw it, it was either fall or die. Captain Wrath was her best – no, she amended hastily - her only hope for survival.

"Captain on deck!"

All speculation immediately ceased as the men stiffened and parted down the middle to allow passage for the newest arrival in the cargo bay.

And so it went: Novice Cidra Armano, a holy vessel-in-training - not to mention a virgin - took her first glimpse of the man she shortly hoped to call lover.

Links to other Excerpt Monday writers
Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
and
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)

Joining us this week:

AJ O'Donovan, Poetry (PG13)
Stephanie Draven, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Heather S.Ingemar, Dark Fantasy/Poetry (PG13)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG 13)
Cynthia Justlin, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Kaige, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Julia Knight, Fantasy Romance (PG13)
Ansha Kotyk, Middle Grade Adventure (PG13)
Adelle Laudan, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Romance (PG 13)
RF Long, YA Paranormal (PG13)
Caitlynn Lowe, Epic Fantasy (PG13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Crista McHugh, Contemporary Erotic Romance (PG 13)
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)
Leigh Royals, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Megan S., Paranormal (PG13)
Dara Sorensen, Historical Paranormal (PG 13)
Bethanne Strasser, Historical Romance (PG13)

Melissa Aires, Futuristic Romance (R)
Melissa Blue, Contemporary Romance (R)
Jax Cassidy, Contemporary (R)
Christina DeLorenzo, Furturistic Sci-Fi (R)
Maya Doyle, Parnormal Romance (R)
Ginny Glass, Paranormal (R)
Amber Green, Romantic Suspense (R)
Cate Hart, Paranormal YA (R)
Kinsey W. Holley, Erotic Romance (R)
Ali Katz, Erotic Paranormal Romance (R)
Aislinn Kerry, Fantasy (R)
Inez Kelly, Fantasy Romance (R)
Cherrie Lynn, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)
Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
Rebecca Savage, Romantic Suspense (R)
Fae Sutherland, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)

Stephanie Adkins, Paranormal Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Evie Byrne, Erotic Historical Romance (NC17)
Ella Drake, Erotic Contemporary (NC17)
Dawn Montgomery, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Lauren Murphy, Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Kim Knox, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Emily Ryan-Davis, Historical Western Romance (NC17)
Kirsten Saell, Erotic Fantasy Romance (NC 17)
Jeanne St. James, Contemporary Romance (NC)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Lesser Known Superstitions about Humans

1. If a person’s ear is pulled, especially a child’s when he is told to do something, he will not forget it.

2. A flat chin signifies viciousness, a small chin, cowardice, a pointed chin, craftiness, a soft round chin, fondness for food, a square strong chin, self-restraint and willpower.

3. Women who have hair on their lips will be rich.

4. Bloodless lips denote an immoral and treacherous person.

5. A large number of wrinkles around the mouth signifies a tendency not to tell the truth.

6. If two persons by chance say the same thing at the same time, the superstition is that each must bite the little finger of the right hand while making a wish, and then quickly reach for the other one’s little finger and pull hard. This makes a hooked cross which holds a wish. If neither makes a sound to show pain when pulling the little finger, their wishes will come true. If there is an outcry, the wish will not come true.

7. If a female places her shoes beside her bed with the heel of one against the middle of the other, she will have happy dreams and good luck in love. (making a tau-cross).

8. Many brides believe that she should jump out of bed and land on both feet on her wedding day to ensure she doesn’t start off her married life on the wrong foot.

9. When you stumble, you should snap your fingers to frighten away whatever evil spirit was responsible for the mishap.

10. When a girl’s eyebrows meet, she’ll marry someone near home.

11. The ashes of the burnt shells of hazel nuts applied to the back of an infant’s head will insure the color of the iris in the baby’s eye from turning gray, bu will make them dark instead.

12. Combings and fallen hairs should be burned, or else a bird will weave these hairs into its nest and the person from whose head they came will go insane.

13. To make a cross with saliva and then touch the ear is a good formula for outwitting the one who is gossiping about you (Re. Ears ring when being talked about).

Thursday Thirteen

13 Quotes about Love
After a hard couple of days, I needed some inspiration and chose it in quotes about love. What could be more inspiring than that?

Amy Bloom:
Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.

Amy Tan:
I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.

Carl Jung:
Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve:
Tell me who admires and loves you,
And I will tell you who you are.

Elbert Hubbard:
The love we give away is the only love we keep.

Elizabeth Barret Browning:
Whoso loves, believes the impossible.

Francis David:
We need not think alike to love alike.

Franklin P. Jones:
Love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Henry David Thoreau:
Love must be as much a light as it is a flame.

Jeanne Moreau:
Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.

Jimi Hendrix:
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

Karl Menninger:
Love cures people -- both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.

Lisa Hoffman:
Love is like pi - natural, irrational, and very important.

Thursday Thirteen

I read a lot. So, for today’s Thursday Thirteen, I’ve decided to list Thirteen YA/Teen book series on my book shelf that I really love.

1. Final Friends by Christopher Pike
-My first and favorite book series. I can still remember all the character’s names and everything about these stories. I first read them in 8th grade.

2. Secret Circle by L.J. Smith
-Anything by L.J. Smith I love and have loved since the first time I read them in High School. This was probably my favorite of hers. I heart Nick in this story.

3. Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
-I really enjoyed these stories when I was young, but I can’t say I much like the new 5th book that came out. I read more than half of it before giving up and switching to something new that I’d been wanting to read.

4. Dark Visions by L.J. Smith
-Another favorite, although I’d place this as second to Secret Circle.

5. House of Night by PC Cast and Kristen Cast
-Even though the main character is the definition of a mary-sue, I really love these books.

6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
-I enjoy these because the main character isn’t a vampire, which is a nice change from all the other vamp books.

7. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
-It took until book two for me to really start to enjoy these, but I’m hooked now that I’ve found out who the Silver Blood is. Want next book now!

8. Generation Dead & Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters.
-Don’t love the man’s writing style, but by the end of the first book, he had me wanting to read what happened to next one, so I guess he did his job.

9. Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund
-Ok, not technically YA/Teen, but this series was pretty fun and I devoured them all in about two days.

10. Evermore by Allison Noel
-I don’t love this one as much as many of my friends do, but I did enjoy it.

11. Oh.My.Gods & Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs
-Cute stories. Really liked them.

12. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
-Duh!

13. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
-Read all of these the year I first started teaching, when I was looking for books to rec to my middle school students. I like them better in the books than I do the movies.

Honorable mentions: Twilight (a guilty pleasure), Tithe (et.al), Wicked Lovely Series (haven’t finished, but will), and I’m in the middle of reading the Mortal Instruments Series (which I don’t love yet, but I’m hoping will happen soon).

Contest with a great prize!

THE TAGLINE/TITLE/TEN LINES AGENT READ CONTEST

Submit the tagline, title, and first ten lines of your manuscript, and you could win one of two critiques of your partial + synopsis from Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency!

The contest is divided into three phases and runs from July 23 to August 10.

Refer a friend, and you could win a box of spa/author goodies!

For more information, visit Dawn Halliday's Website.

Thursday Thirteen

I've decided to join in on Thursday Thirteen this month.

You always hear people say, “Write what you know!”

Well, for Thursday Thirteen, I’ve decided to write about thirteen things I know a fair amount about and could easily apply to the novels I’m interested in writing.

1. Scuba Diving
2. Teaching
3. Photography
4. Cheerleading
5. The writings of Shakespeare and Jane Austen
6. Web Design
7. Art/Art History
8. Sociology of Sexuality
9. Psychology
10. U.S. History and Ancient Civilizations
11. Cooking
12. Editing a news publication
13. Greek Mythology