Big Halloween update

I’m a horror author, so by default I have to love Halloween. But even if I didn’t write spooky stuff, I’m pretty sure I’d still like the holiday. In fact, this Halloween is super special to me, since it is Emily’s and my first one in Elkins. Below are some updates on what we’ve been doing this spooky season!

Spooky house

We bought a house here in May, so everything this year is a “first” for us here, which is pretty cool. And we have lived out in the boonies for so long before now; I have been aching to live in a neighborhood with kids so I can hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. In addition to all the new-house firsts, this will be the first trick-or-treat night since… I can’t even remember!

Spooky cat

To help fill our new house, a new family member joined us this year. Say hello to Poe, our beautiful black Halloween cat with big orange eyes!

Spooky town

One of the cool things about Elkins is the autumn scarecrows they put up every year. I love this town!

Spooky pumpkins

Behold our first Jack-O-Lanterns carved from pumpkins we grew in our garden! The stitches on my Frankenstein’s monster were a pain, but the bolts were easy. Emily did the one that accidentally turned out kind of like Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas. We also did a quick bonus pumpkin using a mallet and some cookie-cutters.

Spooky songs

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but my paternal grandfather (we call him Pépé) is a huge bluegrass aficionado and wrote this kid’s halloween song:

Speaking of kid’s halloween songs, Emily and I were carving our Jack-O-Lanterns on Saturday night, and I had Pandora on and discovered the following rap song, which is corny and I absolutely love it:

Spooky reads

I recently started Gabino Iglesias’s horror/crime novel The Devil Takes You Home, and I’m really digging it. So far it’s a bit light on creeps but the writing is solid, the plot compelling, and the protagonist easy to connect to.

In the past, I’ve often run Halloween sales on my books. Sorry to tell you I made no plans to do that this year. Been busy and distracted with a lot of things. But if you like haunted houses, check out Little One. Creepy-cult-in-the-woods fans should read When the Watcher Shakes. And for the weird horror fans out there—or anybody who gets a little creeped out by statues—I present my novella, Unknowing, I Sink. You can get any of these for your Kindle for less than most trips to Starbucks. If you’re still reeling from the high price of Halloween candy, then go here to sign up for a free electronic copy of my novelette Antique Bed.

Spooky threads

I gotta confess that I don’t have a good costume this year. But I found a pretty great tie for the season. From far enough away, it’s subtle enough to remain classy, but anyone close enough to me can tell I’m all about that #ghostlife.

Have a Spooktastic day!

Not really Halloween-related, but I couldn’ resist. If you don’t know, I’m pleased to share with you the Corn Kid:

That’s it, folks! Happy Halloween!

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