E.M. Markoff 12/3/20 E.M. Markoff 12/3/20

Reading "Leaving the #9" on 12/9 + the Meaning Behind Cuetlaxochitl

"All I could make out was that her skin was a warm sandy brown, like mine, her lips full and stained a deep red, like a cuetlaxochitl." - from "Leaving the #9"

Morning, everyone! I'll be joining Anya Martin (Sleeping with the Monster) for Story Hour hosted by Laura Blackwell and Daniel Marcus. When: Dec 9 at 7pm PDT/10pm EDT via Zoom and Facebook Live! I'll be reading my short ghost story "Leaving the #9." Check it out!

Photo taken and modified from www.storyhour2020.com

In the story, I include both Spanish and Nahuatl, which is one of the many native languages of Mexico and is still spoken today by 1.7 million people. I describe one of the character's lips as being stained a deep-red like a cuetlaxochitl, which you might know as the "poinsettia" or "noche buena" for Spanish speakers.

While doing research for this story, I learned that the poinsettia was co-opted after colonization and had its indigenous origins rewritten to accommodate its new Christmas narrative. The name cuetlaxochitl means “mortal flower that perishes like all that is pure" and also symbolizes the life force of blood. The flower was introduced to the United States by then-U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who apparently hated the native indigenous peoples. Surprise, surprise (not really), the native flower was named after him, with no recognition of its indigenous roots.

I grew up knowing this flower as the "flor de noche buena" and associating it with Christmas and thus Catholicism--colonialism at work, y'all. Not until I wrote "Leaving the #9" did I learn its true origins, and it broke my heart to learn of the erasure. Mexica (Aztec) history is not ancient; it's a culture and a people who are still very much alive to this day. So now that you know the truth, next time you see this lovely flower, you'll know its history ❤️

Have a great day!

Please check out these sources for more information over the cuetlaxochitl: https://bit.ly/33AwbOk, https://bit.ly/3lCPFrA

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Tales for the Camp Fire 1-Year Anniversary: Our Wildfire Relief Charity Anthology of Short Horror Stories

Happy Saturday! I'm excited about today as it marks the 1-year anniversary of Tales for the Camp Fire!! Within one day of the ebook going live, the charity anthology I published reached #3 in Amazon's Best Sellers in Horror Anthologies, and the 100 print books I had taken to Bay Area Book Festival sold out!

During that launch weekend at the book festival, many readers shared their personal stories of how they or someone they knew had been devastated by the wildfire that tore through Paradise, CA in late 2018. The loss was heartbreaking. By the end of 2019, we raised $2,200 in profit and donated it to North Valley Community Foundation’s wildfire relief fund. All of this was possible because of the readers, authors, organizers, media outlets, and local bookstores who supported the charity anthology in one way or another. I'm very grateful and proud of this book because I and a lot of other people donated our time and labor to give back to the community.

Many thanks to Jonathan Maberry for blurbing the book (eekk! mind blown!!), Petersen Games for donating the awesome cover artwork, Deirdre Spencer for designing the cover, to the estate of Clark Ashton Smith for graciously donating a story, to Bram Stoker Award nominated author Loren Rhoads for stepping up as editor, to L.S. Johnson and Qamber Designs for taking on the ebook, to all the contributing authors who donated their stories, to author Ben Monroe for coming up with the idea of putting together a charity anthology, and to director and author Death's Parade Film Fest and Chad Schimke for going above and beyond to spread the word.

I feel very grateful to have been a part of this ❤ If you would like to help out and get a great collection of horror stories, you can find the anthology in print and ebook on Amazon. All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to Camp Fire relief and recovery efforts administered by the North Valley Community Foundation.

All the best,

EMM

*click on the images for the full picture

Originally posted on my Instagram @tomesandcoffee 5/2/2020. Minor edits were made to the text for the post. Additional photos were added.

3rd Annual Tales of Horror at the San Mateo Public Library

This Wednesday, 10/2, at 7pm-8:30pm, I will be at the 3rd Annual Tales of Horror at the San Mateo Public Library. I had quite a lovely time at the 2nd Annual Tales of Horror …

This Wednesday, 10/2, at 7pm-8:30pm, I will be at the 3rd Annual Tales of Horror at the San Mateo Public Library. I had quite a lovely time at the 2nd Annual Tales of Horror and am looking forward to reading to the public once again! Last year’s event was a lot of fun with authors dressing up in costumes and reading excerpts from their books. I’m hoping to dress up again this year, but lately the Kleenex box has been my best friend. Maybe I can be a catrina with a head cold. lnstead of a crown of roses in my hair, maybe I should consider a crown of tissues, lol!

em-markoff-2nd-tales-of-horror-san-mateo-public-library-1.jpg

I’ll have a limited number of copies of “Leaving the #9,” The Deadbringer, and To Nurture & Kill on hand for sale. And since you’ll be buying direct from me, all purchases will include a free limited edition Ellderet bookmark (while supplies last). If you’re one of my Newsletter of the Cursed subscribers, you know all about the trials and tribulations behind these bookmarks. If you’re not subscribed, please consider becoming one of The Damned. The Faceless God will most certainly be getting its own limited edition bookmark, and I would like to ask my newsletter subscribers to help me choose the design.

Authors from left to right: Loren Rhoads, Mercy Hollow, EM Markoff, Emerian Rich

So yeah, if you’re looking for a night of spooky stories read by costumed authors dressed to impress, then the 3rd Annual Tales of Horror is for you! Many thanks to the San Mateo Public Library for hosting the event (#supportlocallibraries) and to HorrorAddicts.net for organizing.

The following authors will also be reading at the event: Emerian Rich, Jonathan Fortin, J. Malcolm Stewart, Trinity Adler, Loren Rhoads, Laurel Anne Hill, Ben Monroe, R.L. Merrill, Mercy Hollow, and Sumiko Saulson.

2019 Upcoming Events:

10/2/19: Tales of Horror | San Mateo Library | San Mateo, CA | Free | Reading
10/11/19: Stephen Chbosky with E.M. Markoff | Kepler’s Literary Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 7:30pm - 9pm | Buy tickets
10/19/19: Lit Crawl | Dalva | San Francisco, CA | Free | Reading