The naming of individual Harvey Duckman anthologies is a long and complicated process. The first of the new anthologies, for a long time as we put it together referred to only as ‘the steampunk one’ eventually became Folly and Madness after much discussion in the bar at the irregular Thursday night meeting of authors…

A sober affair that definably doesn’t take place most Thursdays in Connections Bar on Norton High Street.

A similar discussion lead to ‘the post-apocalypse one’ being named Death +70. A name that stems from the idea that after an apocalyptic crashing of civilization it would take the world no more than 70 years for the world to recover and for the last survivors to die off. I honestly am not sure who suggested that one, but once suggested there was no other name it could be.

This brought us to the first ‘Urban/Dark Fantasy’ anthology, and Gillie named that one ‘Rum and Rosemary’ based on what she was drinking at the time. We all assumed this was based on the other use of the word Rum, (uncanny and strange), and Rosemary being a herb associated with folk magic. We also assumed that Gillie’s professed surprise when was all assumed it was this other meaning of the word rum was put on and in no way genuine…

The ‘Science Fiction’ one was one of those pub sessions as well. We bounced names around, before Anna mentioned Pluto, some one said it was good it was a planet again and someone else said it had been a injustice when it was down graded. ‘Justice for Pluto’ became the collective cry.

We then faced a discussion over the next book, the original plan was to do ‘a second steampunk book’ but I, the steampunk author of the collective, suggested that this would be a mistake. That steampunk was a tad narrow and we should expand it to be an alterative history book. the inevitable what should we call it conversation was derailed quickly by me saying ‘ A different Tuesday’.

Occasionally inspiration strikes, Tuesday is always the weirdest day, and the title just felt right. Once spoken the title was never going to be anything else…*

*Except it is, Gillie added an ‘On’, making it ‘On a different Tuesday’ because it looked better on the cover…. Breaking the three word pattern… But still inspiration alone picked that one.

The next Harvey, due out in a few days, is ‘the second Urban/Dark fantasy one.’ Of course a long discussion was required over drinks to come up with the right name. I absolutely did not just type Three Turns Widdershins into the Facebook chat, without any thought…

For those unaware, Widdershins is an old Scottish word, adopted into English in the 1500’s. It means to circle something in the opposite direction to which the sun travels. That is to say anti-clockwise. To turn widdershins is considered to bring on bad luck, or to involve evil. It is ‘the wrong way’ around the maypole. In folk magic if a circle of witches were to move around widdershins they would be invoking the devil, or some other spirit of the dark.

To make three revolutions (or turns) around something, say a standing stone, is to invoke the darkness three times, and three is a powerful number in witchcraft… Which is the reason behind this delightful old folk rhyme

Three turns windleshin’s

Around the Lochfa’ston

Three turns windleshin’s

an’ call the other’s names

_

Three turns windleshin’s

a’fore the moon does rise

Three turns windleshin’s

And fear not the dark

Now if you have heard that rhyme before, which you may have done as a child, you may have never known its dark connotations… You almost certainly, and thankfully, have never heard the third stanza, it is seldom repeated and only recorded in some old books and a few scattered modern volumes on witchcraft. I will not record it here either. The third stanza of a folk rhyme,. A rhyme known to be spoken as a circle of witches goes around a stone three times , one stanza for each rotation… Well..

The third stanza holds the power after all, until the third stanza is spoken, and that third turn taken, this is just an old folk rhyme. Just words. Nothing more….

So no, I will not record the third stanza here…

That would be unwise…

The next Harvey is due out on the 10th of October…

I really don’t remember just why ‘Three Turns Widdershins’ came to mind as a fully formed idea for the name we should give this book. Nor why everyone agreed so readily. I am not sure if they know why either…

Luckily there is no way Gillie would have let all the words of an ancient summoning ritual be put into the last story in a book… She would never let me do that, obviously… Not knowingly.

Any more than I would do that, though now I think on it…

Why did I put that in…