Superstitious Shadows...

*Cues JAWS music*

The full moon is waning...and it's the second Friday the 13th in a row. Superstitious people are stepping lightly...but is it just us? Even people not plagued by superstition are being extra careful today. Take my husband for example. *grins* No, I don't mean literally. I think I'll keep him. But figuratively... He is the least superstitious person I know and even he rearranged his schedule so nothing big fell on today.

While walking the dog this morning, I noticed every shadow had eyes. The deer lurking in the trees really were going to jump out and eat us. Now, my dog's nickname is the Cowardly Lion. Lacy tends to think ANY shadow is out to get her, and I laugh normally. Today? Today we cut our walk short and came up to lurk around the street lamp...and not just because I've been working on another shifter book.

Enjoying the crisp warmer air of the coming spring and the bright light of the moon is one thing. Standing around waiting to be eaten is another thing entirely. The dog had her long walk after the sun came up.

Crazy? Cautious? Or just plain smart? Uhm...makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

On a brighter note, the box of books I ordered came this week. I was so excited! It was better than Christmas to my five-year olds. There's just something about having the smell of new books...and the reality that it's yours that validates the hours we spend pounding out the words.

And this brings me to a story...of my first official book signing to a stranger. On Valentine's Day, my husband and I packed up the kids and zipped to the only store that I knew stocked ON THE PROWL. It was in Macon, forty-five minutes away.

When we got there, Josie and I went straight to the shelves and started looking. I didn't see it on my first glance under "C". A closer look showed it - there was only one copy left (but they've restocked it) - and I thought my heart was going to stop right there! We had our little happy dance moment and then took some pictures for my scrapbook. I was on cloud nine. The moment couldn't get better, right?

Wrong. Cheryl, a reader who was browsing the aisle, saw the commotion and came over and asked if it was my book. When I said yes, she immediately asked if I would sign it for her. Talk about making my day! I was so excited my hand was shaking. And of course, she had to pose for pictures for my scrapbook, too. It was a really grand moment for me.

Thank you, Cheryl, for making the book day complete.

But, I digress. Back to the original topic - superstitions. Are you guilty of throwing salt over your shoulder? Avoiding black cats? Cracks on the sidewalk?

What is the one thing that makes your heart pound when it happens to you?