Last week, a rare event occurred. For the first time in one-hundred fifty years, a super moon (when the moon is closest to the earth), a blue moon (the second full moon in a month), and a blood moon (eclipse) occurred on the same night.

Unfortunately, I was only able to see a partial eclipse as it occurred near sunrise. The photo is not one of my own (I should get that lucky) and the ones I took with my iPhone don’t do it justice. But the moon and its phases have always fascinated me.

Did you know that Native Americans had names for each of the full moons? They correspond with the appropriate month or season, such as the Harvest Moon (either September or October, depending on when the full moon falls in relation to the equinox), the Strawberry Moon (June), the Wolf Moon (January), and the Hunter’s Moon (October). For a complete list, click here.

Also, different tribes had different names for each moon, depending upon their locations. For instance, tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska referred to the July moon as the Salmon Moon because it was the time when Salmon swam up river to spawn.  You can find a more comprehensive list of the names at this site.

Because of my interest in full moons, it’s no surprise I incorporated the idea into a story. The Blue Moon Murders is a short story featured in the anthology Unshod. Published by AIW Press, this collection of stories has a western theme. But they aren’t your typical western—the only stipulation was for the story to be set in the west.

If you haven’t read Unshod, you can get a copy free! There are nine stories, all penned by female authors. Some are contemporary, others are historical, but I think you’ll enjoy them all. You can obtain a copy by clicking here.

And as for me and moons? Don’t be surprised to see more stories involving full moons sometime in the future.