Michael Jordan wore the same pair of University of North Carolina shorts to every single basketball game he ever played. Audrey Hepburn insisted on always having dressing room 55. Van Halen avoided brown M&Ms. And maybe you just can't help but look up for a rain cloud every time you squish a spider. Superstitions stretch far beyond the clichéd black cat and sidewalk cracks.

Everyone has a quirk or two, even (or perhaps,especially?) authors. From Margaret Atwood's astrology to Andrew Pyper's piranha teeth, CBC Books presents the strange writing habits of the authors you know and love. Happy Friday the 13th!