I was super excited about a 2-book contract offer I received last week and in my enthusiasm, told a friend all about it.
"Shhh," she responded. "Don't tell anyone about it yet. Not until it's finished. Somebody might jinx it."
Excuse me?
Now I could certainly understand if she meant not to tell anyone for fear the deal would fall through and I would have to face humiliation in admitting to those I'd confided in that my good news was, after all, bad news. I certainly learned that lesson after my second of six miscarriages when I'd already spilled the beans before I lost the baby and had to painfully answer all the smiling folks who asked how the pregnancy was going.
But that's not what my friend meant. She explained that when she'd had good things on the verge of happening in the past, she had made the mistake of telling one particular acquaintaince who, my friend was certain, counteracted the good by wishing bad on her and thereby jinxing it. The good things never happened and were replaced by bad, worse and downright rotten.
I must say this was a surprising point of view to me. I responded that as a Christian, I believe that Jesus is stronger than Satan and mere people do not have the power to wish bad things on other people and make them come true.
She just shook her head, wide-eyed, and said that in her South American country, she had seen it happen.
So what are your thoughts on supernatural slander?
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