Hello Riskies! It is with great sorrow that I announce that today marks my last Risky post. It’s been wonderful being part of your community for the last two years. Stay in touch! (The best ways to do that are probably to follow me on Twitter or sign up for my newsletter.

Next week is Halloween. I’m pretty excited because the BFF and I are dressing up as our two favorite wrestlers, who are also BFFs!

When I was researching Sussex for my Lively St. Lemeston books, I discovered that traditionally, Halloween in Sussex was a pretty romantic holiday! Or at least, it was a time when young people attempted to divine their romantic future. Here are two divinatory games/rituals that were played on Halloween:

1. Put two nuts in the fire, representing you and your crush. Then say “If he loves me, pop and fly; If he hates me, lie and die.” If the nuts burst or explode, scattering pieces, that’s a good omen for the relationship.

2. Everyone hangs an apple on a string in front of the fire, and then watches to see which fall first. The order in which the apples fall supposedly tells you the order in which the players will marry; the player whose apple falls last will never marry.

What are your Halloween plans?