The Day After Halloween by Diane Burton

Halloween is over for another year. The kids (and some adults) dressed up in costumes, running from door to door for candy, decorations in windows and on doors, scary movies. All done for another year.

My favorite aspect of Halloween is watching the kids in costumes race down our street, dart up driveways. Hubs and I usually sit in our open garage with a huge bowl of candy between us and welcome the neighbor kids. Yesterday was bitter cold and rainy. The day before we had our first snow. Snow in October? Yeppers. It melted as it hit windshields and the streets. Nevertheless, we had snow in west Michigan. That’s pretty rare. At least the Trick-or-Treaters didn’t have snow.

Our town (and the one we lived in before) had specific times to trick-or-treat: from 6 pm to 8 pm. People put their porchlights on if they were handing out treats. I’m amazed at the politeness of kids as they stick to the street (we have no sidewalks) and don’t run across lawns—even when we told them to cross the strip of grass between our house and the one next door. They almost always thanked us for the candy, too. And, if outdoor lights are off, they don’t bang on the door.

When no little witches, goblins, or Wonder Women were on our street, we turned off the light and went inside at 7:30. Considering how nasty the weather was, if I was a parent, I’d bribe the kids to stay home, turn out the lights, and give them the trick-or-treaters’ candy. 😊 And watch a scary movie.

Having done our "civic" duty, we proceeded to watch that scary movie. If you’ve read any of my posts, comments on FB, etc. you know I don’t do scary stuff. No roller coasters, no Stephen King, no Friday the 13^th. It took me years before I watched Alien (and the sequels). When I made the mistake of taking my kids to Gremlins, they begged to sleep in my bed that night. And I let them because I’d been scared, too. LOL

So, consider yourself amazed that I willingly watched a scary movie last night. Jekyll & Hyde (1990) with Michael Caine and Cheryl Ladd. I love Michael Caine, so I thought why not? I’d never read the book but sort of knew the story. (Who doesn’t?) That it was written by Robert Louis Stevenson surprised me. I hate to say it, but it wasn’t very scary. Gremlins scared me more. But, hey, I was trying to get into the mood. LOL

As I said at the beginning, Halloween is over for another year. We do have some candy left over, which I’ll take to the craft show on Saturday where I’ll sell my books. Candy always makes people stop. The spooky decorations will come down, and those for Thanksgiving will go up. Another holiday and one I look forward to.

Enjoy the post-Halloween time, if your kiddies aren’t hyped up on all that candy.

Things That Go Bump In the Night...

by Maureen L. Bonatch

—or at least like to change your favorite television show

I believe the house we used to live in was haunted.

As a paranormal/fantasy author you’d think this observation would thrill me. Not. So. Much. Turns out, I’m very happy to experience the paranormal world in my writing, in books, and movies but not too happy to run into it in the real world.

Lucky for us, the ‘ghost’ wasn’t threatening in any real way. More of a “hey, I’m here” kind of behavior. I assumed our uninvited houseguest was the woman who used to live in the house showing her displeasure that we couldn’t maintain her once gorgeous flower gardens. But I had absolutely no green thumb and the hubs had accidently (or intentionally?) plowed over some of the overgrown plants in his efforts to get the ungainly yard back under control.

Hey, I’m Here

Our otherworldly guest left little clues that ‘she’ was still hanging around like…

• The stove burner turned on
• The door to the garage slowly opening
• The dog staring into an empty room, growling at something unseen
• A radio (which initially resisted turning off) blaring on in the basement while I slept
• A Christmas decoration, long packed away, beginning to play when I approached the box
• Every night when I watched my favorite show she’d change the channel. (I’m guessing she didn’t approve of my choice in sitcom.)

Eventually she moved on as the occurrences diminished and then disappeared leaving me silently relieved that I hadn’t pushed her over the edge and forced her to drag me out of bed if one of my feet escaped the protection and security of the blanket.

What Happens in the Fiction World, Stays in the Fiction World

After some contemplation, I’ve come to realize that experiencing the paranormal in the fiction world, does provide a small level of security since some things can always be relied upon. Applying these certainties from fiction/movies provides me with an irrational level of comfort.

• Bad things only happen at night

I could be in the same place, and hear the exact same noise, but it provokes a certain level of terror if it’s dark outside. Somehow the evil, unearthly forces retreat when the sun rises as my shield of protection. Too bad mister ghost, the sun just rose, I’m in the safe zone.

• Blankets can protect you from anything

No matter how old I get there is still a certain comfort and security found under the protection of a blanket. “Oh wait, is that a ghost/vampire/monster I heard? Quick! Get under the blanket until it leaves. It will never be able to penetrate this polyester shield!”

• Killers never run

In just about every horror movie I’ve ever seen that features a helpless (and usually clumsy) victim fleeing from some kind of a monster. The victim is running full force yet still can’t seem to outrun the slow stride of the approaching evil. (Thus validating my personal abhorrence of running)

• Start to worry if it gets too quiet

Ok, this only works in the movies, but it’s my cue to avert my attention so I don’t toss my popcorn or inadvertently scream. This tactic is probably intended to build suspense, but it also has the inadvertent effect of reducing spilled drinks and bruises on boyfriend/husband’s arms.

• The music is your first clue

Grab the chair arms and hold your breath—cause something wicked this way comes. Again, this only works in the movies—unless you’re like me and constantly have music on the mind. Then you might have your own ominous tune starting up as your heart races when you turn the page.

So tell me, what do you do when something goes bump in the night?

    Moon, Mist & Magic 
     Get ready to be enchanted by mythical beasts, magical creatures, and moonlit nights. 
     Enjoy your favorite author, and perhaps discover someone new, in these five fantastic tales of paranormal romance woven with moon, mist, and magic…


Featuring Stories by
Maureen L. Bonatch, Abigail Owen,
 J.C. McKenzie, Sharon Saracino & L.A. Kelley

About Maureen
Maureen writes stories in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania that boast laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world. She writes Paranormal Romance and Fantasy.

Find Me:
Writing on my Website
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What is Scary???

Since this is the month of the scare holiday, I thought I'd share what I view as scary. Now I understand this will vary from person to person. I don't like the 'new' horror movies – aka slasher. Watching blood spray all over as people get dismembered doesn't scare me – it makes me sick. Now that's just me. I want 'old fashion' scary. And that means – to me – 'real' things. For example this is how I see spiders….

And I find this much more frightening 

than this…

Watching the movie Spiderman doesn't bother me but the movie Spiders – another story. To be honest I don't think I've made through the entire Spiders movie without pausing it and taking a time out.  Every weekend for the month of October hubby and I watch at least one 'scary' movie. This provides good cuddling time ;) and I get the house clean because I can't sleep – hahaha.

Of course a scary movie night needs a 'scary' drink – here's my recipe for a (if I drink too many then sleep is assured) Zombie cocktail!

Ingredients:
• 1 oz lime juice (fresh lime is always best)
• 1 oz light rum
• 1 oz golden rum
• 1 oz dark rum or anejo rum
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz cherry brandy
• 1 tsp. of simple syrup

To Mix:
Mix the ingredients well. Pour over ice.

I have a Halloween romance suspense novella out ~

Knock Knock…. Answer if you dare. 

New to Kanna, Florida, Lila Maxwell attends All Treats, a Halloween speed dating event in the hopes of meeting Prince Charming but instead one Halloween ghoul after another appears at her door until Cowboy Bill.

Jax Carlson has spent the last year focusing all of his attention on starting his own business. Hiring Lila Maxell over the Internet as his project manager was the completing task. Set to open for business in three days, Jax plans on spending a couple of days on his boat relaxing. However, his friend Erik has a different idea – a speed dating Halloween party. 

Jax has spent the night plotting the best revenge possible for Erik until Sally opens the door. The woman dressed in the pale lavender Harem costume ignites a fire that Jax thought was impossible without the aid of his formulated dating list. 

After a night of mind blowing sex, Lila sneaks out before they exchange real names believing it was no more than a one-night stand. 

When Lila reports to work she learns Cowboy Bill is actually Jax Carlson. She thinks keeping her hormones in check while convincing Jax that love doesn't follow a formula is complication enough until she learns the participants of the All Treats speed dating event are being killed.

It's available at ~ http://www.amazon.com/Knock-ebook/dp/B00A4NPFKI