JOHN PALiSANO: The Luck of the 13

The Luck of the 13

by John palisano

Copyright © 2017 by John Palisano

So what the heck does the number 13 mean to me? A whole lot. I came into this world on a 13th. June, if you’re wondering. Me and my twin brother. And from what I’m told it was kind of a hair-raising entry. We were underweight. We fought for our lives. We barely made it. Life was a struggle. From day one.

But we did it. We thrived. We lived, damn it.

This made me feel like me and my brother were lucky as all get out. How could that day be anything other than luck-giving?

Growing up, we were razzed. Thirteen, after all, is supposed to be bad luck. It’s not supposed to be good luck. No way.

I resisted.

Even after the movies about Fridays and thirteens being about a murderous, shapeless, heartless child-man.

Nope.

Thirteen is lucky, I insisted. It was mine. My luck. Get over it. I don’t care what you say!

I would bet on thirteen. I used it for my email address at times.

As I grew and found myself chin-deep into the horror genre, I embraced being born on the thirteenth. We had special Friday the thirteenth birthday parties on the years it fell on that notorious day. They were always fun.

But why is thirteen considered unlucky? Is it because it’s not an even number, easily divisible by something smaller? Well, that sounded like me, too. I’m not something easily divided by smaller things.

What does numerology have to say about thirteen? I was surprised to find that thirteen is considered a lucky number in many circles. Especially older places. Made sense. I knew I was an old soul.

But do I really believe in numbers being inherently lucky or unlucky? Could there be some real science behind the phenomenon? Was and is there anything to your birthdate?

According to Astrology your birthday has a whole hell of a lot to do with your personality and successes and failures in life.

I’ve had many readings in my life, and they have been on the general side. Not enough to be applicable with any real proof other than coincidence. Once I was told I was an artist. Easy. I keep my hair long. Have that feel. It’s an easy guess. I checked some of the other celebrities who shared my birthday and they are very different than me. Each seems the be into different walks of life.

Some of the things Astrology claims about people born on my day can be seen as accurate. But they always seemed so vague.

In the end? I think that it’s mostly a cultural folk tale. It’s fun to think about, and fun to play in that mythology, but in the end? It’s just a number. It’s. It really representative of who I am as a whole.

But I will admit that even as I say these things, there’s still enough of a curiosity in me to play those numbers on the Lotto, or think if it comes up on a receipt it could be some kind of sign.

So if you see me at the liquor store buying lottery tickets, or grabbing a birthday six-pack, you’ll know, and there’ll be a mischievous look in my eye, because on Friday the thirteenth, curious beings can be born, and even more curious things can happen. Especially if you make sure of it.

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GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY TIME! Yup, another great one! John Palisano is offering up THREE of his titles! One ecopy of STARLIGHT DRIVE, DUST OF THE DEAD and GHOST HEART are all up for grabs!!! So click on back to the FB event, find today’s post, and comment “I WANT TO WIN (fill in the title you want to win) and you’ll only be entered in that contest. If you’d like any one of them, then comment “I WANT TO WIN EVERYTHING!!!!”and you’ll be entered in all three or until you WIN!!! Yes, will only be allowed to win once! Got it? Good!!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!!

Four Halloween short stories from Bram Stoker winning author John Palisano, including the brand new tale, "Starlight Drive".

STARLIGHT DRIVE
'John Palisano is exactly the type of writer horror needs right now: bold, brave, imaginative and unflinching." --Bentley Little

STARLIGHT DRIVE
Four Tales of Halloween
'This one's for all those creatures for whom Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year . . . .'

From Bram Stoker Award-winning author John Palisano comes a collection of four tales from Halloween and Dios De La Muertos.

In "Starlight Drive" two boys find allies through unexpected friends who help them confront a neighbor from hell.

In "Outlaws of Hill County" a small town finds itself terrorized by a creature that only comes out on Halloween.

In "Samhainophobia" a group of college kids still find Halloween terrifying, although for a very different reason than they did while growing up.

In "Fantasma" a young boy searches for his lost cousin during a chilling Dios de la Muertos celebration.

Reboot the apocalypse!

For a while, it looked like the living had won. The war against the walking dead lasted almost a decade, but it’s mostly over. There are only a few straggling zombies left to take care of. Los Angeles has returned to its lattes and long commutes. It’s up to a small Reclamation Crew to clean up the Zoms left behind. But when the undead dry up, their skin turns to dust. Now the hot Santa Ana winds deliver a new threat…because the Zoms were only the beginning of something far worse.

“John Palisano crashes the zombie apocalypse genre into dystopian fiction at high speeds. Clever, brutal and highly entertaining.”
—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Fall of Night

“Dust of the Dead is a pressure cooker of a thriller, a masterwork of world building, and a genuinely and refreshingly unique spin on the zombie genre, but above all, it is a beautiful dance on the line between life and death.”
—Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Dead City

“There's never been a zombie book like Dust of the Dead. It's horrifying, blackly funny, rich in pathos, and thoroughly original, and it's also one of the best L.A.-based horror novels ever written.”
—Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Zombie Apocalypse: Washington Deceased

That’s the saying of a new pack of fiendish predators infesting a New England town. They’re infected with the Ghost Heart, a condition that causes them to become irresistible and invincible…as long as they drink the blood of the living. But these vampires don’t live forever, and as the Ghost Heart claims them, their skin loses color and their hearts turn pale. When a young mechanic is seduced by the pack’s muse, he finds falling in love will break more than his heart.

“Possessing a firm grasp of tradition but with his vision clearly focused on the future, John Palisano is exactly the type of writer horror needs right now: bold, brave, imaginative and unflinching.”

—Bentley Little

“John Palisano’s GHOST HEART is a gritty, action-packed novel with strong characterization and some truly nasty vampires. Highly recommended!”

—Tim Waggoner, author of Eat the Night and The Way of All Flesh

“GHOST HEART is a hauntingly beautiful, equally tragic and terrifying journey through your innermost fears and desires.”

—Kya Aliana, author of The Vampiress Thrillogy

AUTHOR BIO

About Bram Stoker Award^® Winner John Palisano

Author John Palisano has a pair of books with Samhain Publishing, DUST OF THE DEAD, and GHOST HEART. NERVES is available through Bad Moon. STARLIGHT DRIVE: FOUR HALLOWEEN TALES was released in time for Halloween, and his first short fiction collection ALL THAT WITHERS is available from Cycatrix press, celebrating over a decade of short story highlights. NIGHT OF 1,000 BEASTS is coming soon.

He won the Bram Stoker Award© in short fiction in 2016 for “Happy Joe’s Rest Stop”. More short stories have appeared in anthologies from Cemetery Dance, PS Publishing, Independent Legions, DarkFuse, Crystal Lake, Terror Tales, Lovecraft eZine, Horror Library, Bizarro Pulp, Written Backwards, Dark Continents, Big Time Books, McFarland Press, Darkscribe, Dark House, Omnium Gatherum, and more.