Tag: Halloween

EXCERPT: Love on All Hallows Eve by Martha Wickham

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The cold fall air blew over Terra’s face and through her long, curly, black hair. It was the night before Halloween and Terra’s mind drifted away. She was on one of her late night strolls through the local graveyard. Sitting on a grassy mound she watched the blood moon turn slightly red. This part of Chicago was peaceful and restful. No city to disturb anyone.

Fall leaves blew and circled her a few times then left. Her black lips glistened as she smiled at the night. The reddish moon interested her and she wanted to know more. Why was Samhain so interesting? She didn’t know anything about it, but wanted to. She would start by studying the moon. The night was spent reading a book about it and the fall solstice. It was 1979 and little did she know Halloween had approached at midnight. Heading back home she began to feel alone. Going out at night made her feel lonely. Bride did not know anyone. Her new name was Johnston, but she was not married to that new monster she made long before he was destroyed for being evil. She reflected on her living time with him sometimes. She wanted to meet people. As the sun gave a hint of sunlight it was time to sleep at home and she wondered if Frankenstein would ever come back to claim her? Probably not.

On Halloween night Terra sat quietly in her room. Creepy cackling and bubbling could be heard, then footsteps. She went outside and saw nothing. The full moon lit the area well. Curiously she headed to the graveyard and sat on a large tombstone. Crickets chirped and fireflies flew, but that was all. It was time to go past the graveyard. Walking near a road she heard voices. Two young men were chatting and a little drunk because they were coming from a Halloween costume party. One was dressed as a vampire with teeth, dark slick hair, pale skin, and a dark cape. The other, his close friend, was Frankenstein. They looked very good. Tall and dark.

Bride approached them.

“It’s back that way,” Frankenstein said pointing in the direction of the party.

“I don’t need that info from you any more,” Terra said to what she thought was her ex. She walked over to the vampire and put her arm through his. “What part of this country are you from?”

“South of Chicago,” the vampire replied.

“I’m Terra. I’m the bride of Frankenstein, or was. Care to get a drink?” she asked the vampire.

“Why not.” The phony vampire’s teeth sparkled. He winked at Frankenstein. “I’m Dracula,” he said to her with a Transylvania accent. He looked so handsome in the dark. Terra didn’t look so bad herself.

“I’ll see ya later,” Dracula said to Frankenstein. They were off to have a romantic drink.

After the drink it was time to say goodnight. “Can we do it again some time?” she asked.

“Yes,” the vampire said. “I’ll come by and get you this Friday evening. We’ll have a candle lit dinner at my house.”

“That sounds lovely! Alright.”

He began walking her home. “Don’t hate my friend Frankenstein. He can be nice.”
“I know. I was engaged to him once. Didn’t know him well. You I’d like to get to know.” “I will see you then.” He kissed her on the cheek and left her sight.

“I’m going to go out with this girl again. I like her, but I drank too much last time,” Dracula said to Frankenstein with a stomach ache.

“Just don’t let her find out your not a vampire. Why does she believe we are monsters?”

“I don’t know. Good costumes,” he said shrugging.

“Watch her. I think she’s weird.”

“Pretty, but weird. She won’t find out. I’ll only come out at night,” the vampire swore. “How is it you’re not hung over?”

“I hold my liquor,” the green one answered and they both laughed.

“I need to prepare for our Friday dinner. Do you know where I can get a hearse and a coffin? And I want to shop at one of those Halloween stores. They are probably having clearance sales now.”

“I know a company. I’ll ask if we can borrow or rent,” Frankenstein said hatefully. “How long can this go on for?”

“I don’t know. When it gets tired I’ll wait until she loves me and cares for me too much to get mad. Then I’ll tell her.”

Boo-graphy:
Martha has studied writing with Writer’s Digest and has an associates degree in Social Behavioral Science. She has also written poems and songs and even studied screenwriting and horror. She still practices writing and likes getting writing prompts. Her favorite author is V.C. Andrews.

The Mystery of Frankenstein’s Bride –
When love takes a turn, what are you willing to do to keep it?

Terra’s love life is a monster so she sets out to see her old flame Nathaniel Johnston. But when she finds he is no longer living either, eternity is theirs. Bringing him back will get her a husband because of her passionate feelings for him.

Johnston is her new life, but when they are on their honeymoon in Germany things take a bad turn. The castle they stay in creates too much distance between the two.

Can she get closer to him before it’s too late?

Love On All Hallows Eve –
On All Hallows Eve Terra meets Bobby. He pretends to be a real vampire to her and they start dating. When they find out, Bobby and his friend, she is the undead bride of Frankenstein they have a violent breakup. After when Terra is haunted she gets the help of psychic Rose. The hardest part is for Terra to let go of the machine that brought her and Frankenstein to life.

BOOK BLOGGER INTERVIEW: Shawn Remfrey

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Hey, Shawn! Welcome to Meghan’s House of Books. I’m so excited to have you on one day to start this whole thing out!

Meghan: What Is your favorite part of Halloween?

Shawn: It has to be Slappy’s Escape. Slappy is a ventriloquist dummy from the Goosebumps series. He’s super creepy but so much fun! Every year at our Halloween/Birthday Bash, we set up this really cool trick or treating circuit. The premise of the game is that the group stops at each station in an attempt to find where Slappy has stolen all the birthday gifts to. Don’t tell anyone, but this year Slappy is going to be stealing the gifts by trying to ride the lawn mower to get away. At each station, a costumed person will read out a clue and then treats are handed around. The clue leads them to the next station. Setting this up is sooo much fun! We hand out Ramen noodles and fruit snacks and bath toys and all sorts of silly stuff. I get so much joy out of planning this! Last year Slappy tried to steal my car! It was such a blast taping his hands to the steering wheel and peaking at him through my windshield throughout the entire party!

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?

Shawn: It’s easily The Sorting of the Ramen. Do you know just how many flavors there are?! Invariably, when the kids reach the ramen station at trick or treating, they rifle through to find their favorite flavor. Ramen noodle packs fly everywhere and people get whacked on the head. Last year I’m pretty sure somebody threw elbows over a pack of shrimp lime. It’s like Halloween Hockey!

Meghan: If Halloween is your favorite holiday, why?

Shawn: It used to be my second favorite. Since the pandemic that has changed. For me, it’s all about the magic factor. Christmas used to be top of the list. I spend the entire year preparing for Christmas and then my entire family shows up to my magically lit home to open magically wrapped gifts and I get to see the magic release itself as they open each gift. Now I send boxes of stuff for people to open whenever they open them. Halloween gets to retain its magic. I get to dress up in costume and be someone else and throw joy and intrigue at people. Halloween is magical. You get to live in another dimension for a short time where pumpkins and blood and a little fear are at the core.

Meghan: What are you superstitious about?

Shawn: I enjoy canning food. I only have one superstition. When the jars are lining the counter, while they’re cooling, they make a pinging sound as each one seals. Every time a jar seals, I yell out ‘Thank you for your service!’ If I don’t do this, the other jars will feel like I take them for granted and they won’t seal and I’ll be wading through rotted food up to my hips. No way! Thank you for your service!

Meghan: What/Who is your favorite horror monster or villain. 

Shawn: I gotta tell you, I don’t even remember his name but the guy that Jeffrey Jones played in Ravenous. Okay, yes, he’s a vampire. He’s gonna eat my brains with a spoon and that kind of stinks. But! What does he plan to use his eternity for? Knowledge! He just wants to eat a little flesh and study all the great philosophers and figure out the meaning of life. Who wouldn’t respect that?!  

Meghan: Which unsolved murder fascinates you most?

Shawn: Honestly, I can’t go here. This is a world that I don’t let myself get into. I’m obsessive and I know that somebody would end up writing a cozy mystery series about a crazy woman and her paper dolls that tour the country solving unsolved murders.  

Meghan: Which urban legend scares you the most?

Shawn: My older son and I were talking about this last week. Final Destination. When Death wants you, it’ll get you one way or another. Oh you took the wrong flight? Didn’t die when you were supposed to? Guess what? Now rabid dogs will be eating your entrails.  

Meghan: Who is your favorite serial killer and why?

Shawn: I can’t pick a favorite specific one. I just really love cannibals. If you’re gonna kill people, at least be productive.

Meghan: How old were you when you saw your first horror movie?

Shawn: Story time!!

I have this aunt, we’ll call her Aunt Smelley. You know, anonymity and all. So Aunt Smelly has me spend the night with her when I’m 8. I had no idea she’s a horror junkie. She knows I love Santa though. So we get our cappuccino and some cookies to nibble on and sit and she begins the movie. Silent Night Deadly Night. I’m doing just fine, thinking how cheesy it is. Then it reaches the scene where the guy peeks through the door and sees the couple getting intimate. I was even alright then. He walks in with his knife. I’m still alright. He plunges it into the woman’s side. Still, heh, not so bad. Then there’s the moment he’s sawing down her side and you can see the knife halting momentarily in the more gristly areas and you can hear that sound! Oh that sound! I still have nightmares.

Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you most?

Shawn: This is an easy one. There has only been one horror book that upset me so much I had to stop reading it. Spilled Milk by Paul Dale Anderson. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I couldn’t make it past chapter three.  

Meghan: Which horror movie scarred you for life?

Shawn: You probably think I’m going to say Silent Night, Deadly Night. I’m not. Big Trouble in Little China. Scariest movie I’ve ever seen. They don’t die! It doesn’t matter what you do, they just keep coming! And the fingernails! The fingernails! They want you dead and they’re not gonna stop when the movie ends. Oh no. They’re still coming. They’re still after me. They won’t stop until they get me!  

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween costume?

Shawn: These are such fun questions! Okay so a few years back we went to a special needs trunk or treat event. It was amazing! I, in my infinite wisdom, chose to be She-ra: Princess of Poweeeeeeerrrrr! I bought these amazing gold knee boots. I bought this great costume to go with it. I went all crazy and got this wretched blonde wig that really finished off the look. We’re walking along and I’m having the time of my life. I’m She-ra! Then this sweet girl came over and started stroking my wig. I smiled at her and she scowled at me. “Is this a wig?” “Yes it is.” “I don’t like it. Take it off.” It’s such a fun memory! She-ra is awesome! I got to be her until this sweet little pumpkin told me to stop.

P.S.  I kept the dang boots.  I like to sit in the bottom of the closet and hug them sometimes.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?

Shawn: It’s a toss up between Rockwell and Alice Cooper. Somebody’s Watching Me or Feed My Frankenstein. Until they have a sing off, I’m gonna have to pick both.

Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween candy?  What is your most disappointing?

Shawn: I love candy corn!  Love it! Gobble a hand full and I’m Spider-man bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Love it! Sugar high! Anybody wanna send me some? 

As for my most disappointing, wow I don’t even know if they make them anymore. My grandma always bought them and everybody gave them out back in the 70’s and 80’s. They were these wretched peanut butter taffies and they were rapped in the prettiest papers of orange and black. They were the epitome of what a Halloween treat should be, until you took a bite. Peanut butter dust on the inside and since it was mostly a taffy texture, you couldn’t get it out of your mouth.

Meghan: Top Halloween movies/Books.  

Shawn: That’s like asking me which kid is my favorite! (It’s the smartass one) Okay so I don’t have a favorite Halloween book or movie, but I do have a favorite Horror book that is terribly underrated. It was a gift from one of my kids and I treasure it so much I keep it in the bathroom where I keep all my extra girly stuff. That way, if I wanna do a face mask or have a bubble bath, this book can keep me company.  

Bon Appetit: Stories & Recipes for Human Consumption edited by Hydra M. Star and Alder Strauss. It’s an anthology of short stories about cannibalism. Some of them are meh, but most of them are pretty dang good!  Plus there’s a mystery to solve!

Boo-graphy:
I’m Shawn and I began reviewing books about 20 years ago. I’ve been a blogger off and on for nearly as long. Though I started off reading everything, I really found my niche in the horror community. These days most of my time is spent teaching, learning, and arting. I’m still a part of the book community, but for medical and personal reasons I’ve had to really pull back. Most of my recent work has been behind the scenes as well as throwing up the random review on Goodreads. I think the hardest part of being a book blogger came a few years ago when I began losing my eyesight. In an electronic world, it’s difficult to be productive when you can’t see things very well electronically.  

Halloween holds a really special place in my life. I have a special needs teenager with severe cognitive delays. It was only a few years ago that he began to understand what a birthday was and that he had his very own. At that time, he was an avid Goosebumps fan. He still is. His birthday is in October and Halloween is his favorite holiday. We began throwing Halloween themed parties for his birthday and it’s been a huge success! The entire family shows up in costume and we have a rollicking good time!  

Halloween Extravaganza 2021

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There was an old witch, believe it if you can
She tapped on the windows, and she ran, ran, ran
She ran helter skelter with her toes in the air
Cornstalks flying from the old witch’s hair

Swish goes the broomstick, meow goes the cat
Plop goes the hop-toad sitting on her hat
“Whee,” chuckled I, “What fun, what fun!”
Halloween night when the witches run

Rattle go the skeletons, running down the lane
And a spooky tree taps the window pane
“Whee,” chuckled I, “What fun, what fun!”
Halloween night when the witches run

Jangle of the rusty chains, the monster drags along
And bats go screech for their Halloween song
“Whee,” chuckled I, “What fun, what fun!”
Halloween night when the witches run

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have been waiting all year for this day. Having not done the Halloween Extravaganza last year, I felt like I really needed this, and from the reactions I’ve gotten so far, I can guess that I wasn’t the only one.

This year, we’re doing things a little differently.

I added some additional ways for authors to participate and created an interview specifically for this year’s event. (I’m very excited about the interview AND a huge thanks to the readers who sent me over questions for that.)

There’s also a Facebook group where we’ll be participating in other frivolities, so if you haven’t joined, you really should! Trivia and giveaways and links, oh my. Stop on by and say hello. In the end, those who joined in the shenanigans will have their name added to the Halloween bowl and maybe, just maybe your name will be drawn for an Amazon gift card (runner up will get a set of Halloween bookmarks – who doesn’t love bookmarks?).

Let’s see how long we can celebrate Halloween.

Halloween Extravaganza: Austin Crawley: Shades of Halloween Past

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Shades of Halloween Past

Who doesn’t love Halloween? Scary stories, vampire movies, costumes and parties and most of all when you’re a kid, trick-or-treating!

When I was a kid in California where the nights don’t get as cold as a lot of other places, my brother and I treated trick-or-treating like a non-contact sport. We knew the rules. If the porch light is on, they’ve got candy. Only one hit per house, unless they’re giving out candy bars and a big group of kids is coming along so you can filter in among them and pretend you haven’t been there already.

Back in the days when grocery bags were still made of brown paper and held a lot more than the namby-pamby little plastic bags that replaced them (and are now polluting our oceans), we could fill them up in the hour and a half allotted as trick-or-treat time. When we got older and could stay out later, pushing the 9:00 cut-off time, we dropped off our full bags one year and started on another.

How old do you suppose is too old to go out trick-or-treating? Well, that depends on how creative you are. One year when I was sixteen, my parents had just bought a new refrigerator. I took the box it came in, cut holes for eyes and arms and a chute for dropping in candy, and no one knew there was a teenager inside. A little silver spray paint and some random dial knobs had turned me into a robot, height and age unknown.

Then we always went through the candy and discarded anything that looked like it might have been tampered with. That was silly. Our neighborhood was a small community and the houses we went to were all family homes. There were no bad people waiting for a chance to poison a child in those few blocks near my house.

Teenage Halloween wasn’t so bad when I finally accepted I was too old to beg door-to-door anymore. Halloween treats at parties have their own merits, especially imaginative cupcakes and cookies. We still got to dress up and with adolescence bringing on the pheromones, the costumes got sexier and kissing games began to feature. All in innocence of course. How disappointing it could be to meet a fascinating person at a Halloween party, then look them up at high school the next day to learn they had suddenly got younger and more ordinary!

The kissing games fell by the wayside as adulthood encroached on all our fun, but now that my driver’s license insists that I’m a grown-up, I can look back and see how Halloween fun has affected the person I grew up to be; one who enjoys cosplay and likes to read (and write) scary stories! I still watch the same movies I used to watch as a kid if I’m at home on Halloween night. The 1941 version of The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney Jr. was old before I was born, but I still enjoy it more than any of the remakes and have a copy of it on DVD.

Some years I may do no more than wear a wizard hat when I answer the door to give candy to the local kids (well packaged so they can see it hasn’t been interfered with) but Halloween is still a time of letting my imagination fly free into the dark recesses of what makes us afraid and why we still find it so fascinating. Reading scary stories in October gets me in that Halloween frame of mind and by the time the day comes at the end of the month, that wizard hat is all it takes to bring out my inner Bela Lugosi and add a little acting to my responsible adult giving out candy routine.

It’s all a bit of fun. Remember the old saying: “What’s the point of being grown-up if you can’t act childish?”

Happy Belated Halloween everybody!

Austin Crawley writes Horror and Dystopian fiction with a supernatural twist. His lifelong love of ghost stories and interest in comparative religions has led him to seek the darker corners of human existence and to exploit them in prose, touching on our deepest fears. he has been known to spend his vacations visiting places that are reported to be haunted.

Crawley is the author of A Christmas Tale, a story about three young women who perform a seance to raise the fictional ghosts of Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol with surprising results, and of Letters to the Damned, about a post box in a small English village that reportedly transmits written requests for favours to the dead and damned. His most recent release is A Halloween Tale, which came out last month, a haunted house tale filled with horrific, inter-dimensional terror.

A Halloween Tale ** A Christmas Tale

Halloween Extravaganza: Tommy B. Smith: Halloween

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Halloween

The walls between worlds draw thin. This world and which other, you might ask? The world of shadow, dreams, and imagination. Its denizens hurry along the streets in masks, shrouds of white, black, and orange, and bags full of sugar-bombs.

Tis the season. No, not that season. The other one. The one many of us horror fiends celebrate all year round, in our fashion.

The day is known as Samhain to those who recognize and celebrate the occasion’s Celtic roots, Hallow’s Eve to some others, and Halloween to many. It’s inspired countless adventures, tales, and films across the years.

In general, I’ve found inspiration in the fall season. Its arrival is unmistakable with a cooler note on the winds rustling among falling leaves, the season coloring the trees and steering summer behind us as another year winds toward its wintery conclusion.

Maybe the next year will be better. Maybe not. Perhaps we should appreciate what we have while it’s around. Watching the leaves fall has become a subtle reminder.

To step outside and sip a tasty beverage isn’t out of the question. Oktoberfest brews line the shelves, though I’m not partial to the style. In my experience, a winter warmer goes a long way on a brisk October day, even if October isn’t quite winter.

So there I am, sipping my whiskey-barrel ale on a Halloween night while the vampires, princesses, pirates, and green witches with pointy hats make the streets and occasion their own. A night of tricks and treats, a catalyst for liberation, and imagination overcomes fear.

Rise and conquer, children of the night. This is the stuff of stories.

Tommy B. Smith is a writer of dark fiction, author of The Mourner’s Cradle, Poisonous, and the short story collection, Pieces of Chaos, as well as works appearing in numerous magazines and anthologies throughout the years. His presence currently infests Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he resides with his wife and cats.