Halloween Spooktacular: Day 31: Guest Post with Liesel Hill

Please give a warm welcome to Liesel K, Hill who is guest posting today on BLH! Thank you Liesel for stopping by today!

Why The Human Race is Weird—Don’t Worry! We Can Totally Explain! 

 Halloween is all about being scared, right? Okay, some people will take exception to that. Halloween used to be about pagan beliefs, keeping the evils of winter at bay, celebrating or communing with the dead, celebrating the Saints…But I digress. Many cultures and entities (I mean the medieval church, here, not something creepy) have latched onto Halloween for one reason or another. They’ve changed it, celebrated it, and made it their own.

For those who celebrate Halloween today, it’s generally about two things: being scared and having fun. An odd combination, right? Or is it? Most people who are scared out of their shorts aren’t having fun, except for around Halloween.

This falls under How Weird is the Human Race? Animals don’t make a practice of scaring the urine out of themselves and call it time well-spent in the woods. With few exceptions, if you scare a baby, toddler, or young child, they will cry rather than laugh. Which means that scares as fun is a learned behavior.

So why do we like to be scared? There are lots of theories.

1) The Physical—being scared spikes our adrenaline and releases endorphins, which make us feel good. Makes sense, right? Maybe. But if we were really afraid our lives were in danger, chances are we wouldn’t be laughing. So what’s the missing ingredient? Most people would argue controlled circumstances. We like cheap thrills for the adrenaline, but we know there’s no real danger, so we can allow ourselves to enjoy it. And, like exercise, the spike in our heart-rate releases stress, but more on that below.

One could even make the argument that the heart-rate spike burns us some extra calories. Halloween = healthy anyone? (Yeah right. I might pretend to buy into this argument if roughly one quarter of all candy bought in the U.S. every year wasn’t purchased in October. Can we all say Pyrrhic victory?)

2) The Psychological—Stephen King argues (and I think we can all agree that he might know a thing or two about this) that we all have a dark side. He says that in order to not let that dark side take over, we have to indulge it every once in a while. A great way to do that? Slasher movies, gory books, and Halloween scares.

I agree with King to a point. While I think his explanation holds water, explaining it like this makes it sound like every Joe and Joelle American is a stark raving psychopath waiting to happen. I think it has more to do with allowing ourselves to understand the evil that’s out there. After doing this, we make ourselves better and resolve to take a stand against the injustices of the world. Therefore, we keep the “dark side” at bay.

3) The Emotional—I’ve always considered slasher movies my guilty pleasure. I don’t like them for the content (not into gore, nudity, and f-bombs) but there’s just something about them that always draws me in. Then I read an article in EW, which explained that the audience for slasher movies is largely female. Why? Think about it. Most slasher flicks have a female MC (often a virgin, or if not that, a “good girl”) who is either the sole or one of few survivors. In the end she’s the one that generally gets the drop on the bad guy (invariably named something creepy like Michael ,Jason , or Edward) and often gets to deal the killing blow. Can everyone say girl power? I think it’s true for guys too, though. We get a certain validation from seeing good triumph over evil. The more evil, the better. So, we like the scares because we know the payoff will be awesome!

Getting back to stress reduction, we also like being scared for the cathartic effect. For example, if our real-life soul mate asks us to marry them, and we love them but are scared of commitment, it’s not really kosher to scream bloody murder and jump two feet up into the air. Such behavior will likely cause our would-be spouse to find some reason to move across the country. In a dark movie theater or a haunted house, however, we can scream to our hearts content without feeling sheepish. Ah, stress reduction!


4) The Intellectual—In terms of higher reasoning power (that’s our story and we’re sticking to it) we tend to think about how we would handle any given situation. I’m sure we all convince ourselves that if a mask-wearing, machete-wielding, “misunderstood” drifter was after us, we’d keep our cool and be the one to conveniently pull the mini- gun from our purses and take care of the situation. In reality, most of us would probably run in circles screaming like girls (yes, I’m looking at the macho guys too) and be the first to get decapitated. But we’d like to believe that we have more sense than that. So we scream ourselves hoarse in the haunted house, movie theater, or other Halloween- themed adventure, then go home patting ourselves on the back, confident that, should the situation ever arise, we’d be the Sam-and-Dean-Winchester to the bad guy’s homicidal, paranormal psychopathy. In short, cheap scares just make us feel better about ourselves. 

What do you think? Do you fit into any of these categories? (Honesty, now. It’s All Hallow’s Eve and the spirit of your saintly great-grandmother is probably listening.)

 Happy Halloween, Everyone! Make sure and allow yourselves a few scares. You know, for good measure. :D

Scheduled Release Winter 2012

Blurb:

 In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

 After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

 In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

 If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...

Author's Links:

Blog/Twitter/Pinterest/Goodreads/Goodreads Author page

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

And The Winner is .......

Thank you to all that entered the Becoming Jolie giveaway,  there is still time to enter the Halloween Spooktacular Giveaways as well as Wicked After Dark Giveaway and The Follower Appreciation Giveaway, so if you haven't you still have time.

Now on to the winner of,  An Ebook copy - reader's choice of pdf, mobi, or epub of Becoming Jolie.

Maria 

Congrats! An email has been sent on to the sponsor and you should be hearing from them shortly. 

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 30: Guest Post and Excerpt with Dusty Crabtress

Please give a warm welcome to Dusty Crabtree, who is guest posting today at BLH. Thank you Dusty for stopping by. 

 I absolutely love Halloween, almost as much as Christmas, and get excited every October when I’m finally allowed to set out my decorations and get in a festive mood. Therefore, I had to put a Halloween party scene in my young adult urban fantasy Shadow Eyes. Since the shadowy figures Iris sees throughout the book are pretty creepy themselves, Halloween just lent itself easily to the overall vibe of the story.

This is an excerpt from the book when the protagonist, Iris, arrives at her boyfriend’s Halloween party with her friend Nicole.

 As we waited in the cold, shivering, I admired the Halloween decor Josh and his parents had set up out front. Orange, green and purple lights draped over bushes and surrounded tree trunks. A graveyard sprawled over half the lawn where skeletons peeked out in front of their tombstones, clawing the earth with their bony fingers. For added visual effect, a creepy green spotlight was illuminating the grim scene. A homemade, life-sized mummy with ketchup-bloodied rags had been hung from an awning and was pointing its stained, bandaged finger at us. From the driveway to the door, two flickering trails of small ghosts lit the way up the sidewalk. Cobwebs stretched out and attached themselves to outside walls, trees, bushes and the entryway, and eerie Halloween music crept out the door to the chilled air outside. No wonder his house was a hot spot for trick-or-treaters.

“Hey!” Tyler swung open the door, wearing a black zoot suit and gangster fedora hat. His fake Tommy gun was pointed directly at me. “Whoa! I better not shoot an angel. That’d be bad luck or somethin’, eh?”

His thick Chicago gangster accent cracked me up. He moved his gun to point at Nicole, who held up her gloved hands and winked at him before he lowered it. “Hey! There’s my doll! Come on in to our little speakeasy. It’s the bee’s knees in here!”

He wrapped an arm casually around Nicole, continuing in his character, and turned to escort her into the house. “Hey, Babe Ruth, your dame’s here!”

My eyes brightened in surprise. Babe Ruth? Was that Josh’s costume?

“Hey, Iris, let me take a look at…” Josh had just appeared from around the corner in an old Yankees baseball uniform and stopped short when he saw me standing in the foyer. “Wow! You look…”

“Angelic?” I suggested, flattered by his stunned reaction to my costume.

“Well, yeah, obviously. But I wasn’t going to say that because that would be corny.” He closed the distance between us slowly, looking me over from head to toe.

“That’s never stopped you before.”I chuckled softly as he took my hands.

“I was going to say beautiful or gorgeous…or sexy.” He paused with a quizzical expression. “Is it bad to call an angel ‘sexy’?”

“I don’t know. Is it bad to be a sexy angel?” I had no idea where that boldness came from, but if it was any indication of where the night was headed, I was in big trouble.

Blurb: 

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows...until they went after everyone she loved. Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. 

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. 

 As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.  

About the Author:

Dusty Crabtree has been a high school English teacher at Yukon High School in Oklahoma since 2006, a challenge she thoroughly enjoys. She is also a youth sponsor at Cherokee Hills Christian Church in Oklahoma City and feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis.

Her passion for teens has poured into her writing as well. She is the author of the young adult urban fantasy, Shadow Eyes, through Musa Publishing, which she wrote in order to give teens an intriguing and provocative book series that promotes moral messages. She lives with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents.

 Check out Dusty’s blog at http://dustycrabtree.wordpress.com/ 

Find her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dusty.crabtree.1 

Follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/dustycrabtree 

Buy Shadow Eyes at http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=176(also available at all major online bookstores) 

View the book trailer at a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hurricane Sandy - Power Might Go Out....

So far we are just getting rain and a bit of wind but we are in a High Wind Warning and Flood Watches. My son was let out early from school today. Not sure what kind of punch we are going to get from Sandy but just wanted to let you all know. If my power goes out before my giveaways end... I promise to announce the winners as soon as I am able. Praying we don't get hit hard but you never know with this monster of a storm. Everyone on the East and Mid Atlantic Coasts stay safe!! We are sending you are prayers from my family to yours

.

Halloween Spootacular:Day 29: What is Your Favorite Halloween Myth

Another Question for You? What is Your Favorite Halloween Myth? If you can't think of one what is your favorite myth?

  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular:Day 28: If you could speak to someone famous that has passed on? Who would it be?

My question for you today is : If you could speak to someone famous that has passed on, who would it be and what would you say? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Edna's Review: The Angel by Tiffany Reisz

Paperback: 416 pages 

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA; 

Original edition (September 25, 2012) 

Language: English 

ISBN-10: 0778313999 

ISBN-13: 978-0778313991

Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches

 Blurb: 

No safe word can protect the heart


Infamous erotica author and accomplished dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is doing something utterly out of character: hiding. While her longtime lover, Søren—whose fetishes, if exposed, would be his ruin—is under scrutiny pending a major promotion, Nora's lying low and away from temptation in the lap of luxury.

Her host, the wealthy and uninhibited Griffin Fiske, is thrilled to have Nora stay at his country estate, especially once he meets her traveling companion. Young, inexperienced and angelically beautiful, Michael has become Nora's protégé, and this summer with Griffin is going to be his training, where the hazing never ends.

But while her flesh is willing, Nora's mind is wandering. To thoughts of Søren, her master, under investigation by a journalist with an ax to grind. And to another man from Nora's past, whose hold on her is less bruising, but whose secrets are no less painful. It's a summer that will prove the old adage: love hurts.

Review:

I really liked this book. Father Stearn better known as Soren he is well liked. All the women of the community like him for his youthfulness, beautiful,and he is very desirable. But finally I got the story I was waiting for. Is he the Angel everyone thinks he is or is he the devil in disguise. I really love this book. Soren's back ground was a big shock to me, but it cleared up alot of my questions I had about him.  

Now the story has a twist, that I didn't think would happen. Nora went and left her intern for her former lover. But when someone tries to ruin and expose Soren for what he is and does, he sends Nora away. She goes to Griffin Fiske's house to hide away.

Griffin is my favorite character in the book he is so funny. This book makes you laugh and angry, all kinds of emotions comes out in this book. There's so many things I want to say I could go on and on, but that would be bad and I don't want to give the book away. I loved this book and the story line kept you on the edge of your seat.

Where does Angel come into play.Michael is a very confused teenage boy, who life is so missed up because  
his mother and father doesn't like the way he is. And again Nora takes another under her wing.


I can't believe how the end comes into play. I was shocked and mad because now I'm waiting to read more. Is there going to be more to this series? I'm hoping there is, Just when you start to like how things are going its the end and I really hate when that happens. So Tiffany, we need more please.

Rating:

Heat Factor:

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 27: Guest Post and Giveaway with Evelyn LaFont

Please give a warm welcome to Evelyn LaFont, Thank you Evelyn for stopping by at BLH!

Reagan Marsellis was immune to the government’s biological warfare agent, Test Contagion 76—but not everyone was. After the accidental release of TC76, three-quarters of the population changed into hollow, hungry, reanimated dead who have nothing to lose from eating your face. 

During the months after infection, Reagan led a small group of survivors to safety deep in the woods of New Hampshire. Surrounded by a fence that represents the limit to their safe zone, the survivors in the Evergreen Nursing Home are now relying on Reagan to go back outside The Limits and return with supplies, weapons, and fencing material so they can build a secondary perimeter that will help accommodate their growing numbers and keep the zombies, and whatever else wants to hurt them, out. 

The Recruiter is an episodic serial. Each season has six 38-page episodes. Episodes are released monthly starting with Episode 1 on October 31st. 



 In the following excerpt, Reagan has just discovered that she’s being forced by the colony’s council to partner with a man on her missions to the limits. A man—exactly what she didn’t want to be partnered with.

Excerpt from: The Recruiter, Episode 1 (An Explicit Dystopian Romance Serial) 

In my room, I slammed yet another door, plopped down on my bed, and lay with my head at the bottom, feet propped up on the wall, combat boots fitting into the comfortable black-and-dirt embossed grooves they’d carved from weeks of resting there.

I grabbed my black resistance bands from the floor and wrapped the three of them around my hands, leaving very little slack and enjoying the way the black latex tugged and pinched the skin on my palms.I pulled my hands apart slowly while feeding my stress into the taut muscles of my already shaky arms, hoping to simply burn through it so I could once again interact with humanity without wanting to rip its fucking face off.

The room was just starting to warm from the calories I was expending and the muscle tone I was earning when a hesitant knock sounded against my door.

“Holy fucksticks. If this is the new recruit, he knocks like a frightened toddler. Jesus H.” I dropped the resistance bands, pulled my knees into my chest and twisted, planting my feet on the floor. I stood, stretched up and then down, wrapping my fingers around the toes of my boots without bending my knees, cracked my knuckles, then checked that my thick, dirty blonde hair was still stuck back in its severe knot.

When I opened the door, I stood facing a muscular brunet in a tight green T-shirt and camo pants that matched my own. His black hair was cropped close to his head, a style I might soon adopt if the recent rash of head lice, which I’d so far avoided, didn’t soon meet its end. Though taller than me, he probably didn’t break five eleven, although I’m sure his driver’s license said otherwise. His arms were big—just flirting with too big, threatening to make it difficult to fit through a normal doorjamb without slightly cheating sideways. He had dark skin that said perpetual tan, and a smooth face that said he was hiding razors somewhere.

“Your muscles are too big. You’ll never be able to slip quickly through a crowd of undead. You’re a liability.” I pushed the door to slam it in his face, but he shoved one steel-toed boot in the jamb.

“Why don’t we do some exercises in the yard and test that theory?” His voice came out warm and mocking, deep and smooth, masculine but also somehow genteel. Like a man who fucked hard but still manscaped enough to make sure his fingernails were clean and his chest hairless.

“Why don’t we just talk about your experience first?” I opened the door slightly, still not giving him permission to enter, but enough that we could see each other. And I did not like the way he was seeing me, his eyes climbing slowly up and down my frame and pausing at the most predictable points. “Hey—eyes up here, mister. Tell me what you did before the outbreak?”

He brought his roving gaze back up to mine. Apparently, he was smart enough to realize that my tits hadn’t asked him a question. “I was a financial planner.”

I gave him a dirty look, hitched my cargo pants up past my waist, and affected my best herp-derp voice. “Erm, yes, I, erm, was a financial planner. Erm.”

He looked confused. “What the fuck was that supposed to be? Christ, I heard you were an asshole but I didn’t realize you were also a fucking child. I was a financial planner and on the side, I taught hand- to-hand combat and competed in some amateur boxing matches, so I know how to fight. That’s what you need, right? Someone who knows how to fight and won’t cry once the undead start coming at him? Well, I’m your man.”

His pre-apocalypse experience, in the ring and as an instructor,was similar to my own, but that didn’t make me want to be his BFF. “No, you’re not my fucking man, you’re the council’s man, so fine. Whatever. At least you say you know how to fight. How did you get here?”

“I led a group of survivors across the state after we heard rumors of the safety zone you’d set up here. Many of the people I led were elderly and untrained and unable to fight. So, yeah, I can deal with the zombies.”

As I realized who he was, I gained a kernel of respect for him. “You’re the guy who showed up earlier this week with the group of twenty, right? We put you up on the third floor. You’ve been traveling outside the limits for weeks with no losses. That’s pretty good.”

 “Well, I didn’t do it to impress you, I did it to save lives. Now, when can I start going out and bringing in more survivors?”

 “Easy there, guy. First of all, the council’s gonna get their panties in a wad if you keep calling ’em survivors. Call them recruits if you wanna be PC. Secondly, we don’t know how we work together. I’m not going out blind with a new partner. I need to practice with you first, understand how you work and develop some sort of survival camaraderie before we get started. Right now, I don’t know your name, much less your fighting style.”

He stuck a hand through the opened door and said, “Marcus Alonso. I already know your name, Reagan, and your story. Impressive.”

I shook his hand and nodded. “Yeah, well, I didn’t have as many people in my group as you did, but I held my own.”

“You traveled a hell of a lot further than I did. That’s saying something.”

I shuddered involuntarily as I recalled parts of my trip. I began in Nevada, continued across Kansas, and began anew in Connecticut where I was left on my own to walk through Massachusetts, finally resting at the community set up in a nursing home in the wilderness preserve just outside the limits of a small Vermont-New Hampshire border town halfway up the state. I’d heard about the location on a radio band; they had a message on repeat about safety. Some were still able to pick up that message, and that’s what brought them to us today, but our message had been joined by competing messages from other communities not exactly living by the same humanitarian code as ours. Not that they admitted that in their messages, which made it hard for survivors to know which group to trust.

“Whatever. It sucks.We both survived and we brought recruits with us. Fuck it. You wanna go do some practice runs now? Or do you need to manscape some shit?”

He cracked his knuckles and flexed his arms. “Let’s go.”

I grabbed my hatchet.“It’s a date.”

The Prize: One person will win a free copy of every episode of The Recruiter Season 1 as they are released. The copies will be provided via Smashwords coupon emailed to the winner monthly.

 

Evelyn is a full-time writer living in Florida with her perfect orange kitties and totally alpha hubby who saves her from squirrels, stray dogs, glue and herself.

Her debut paranormal romance series, The Vampire Relationship Guide, is a four-novella romp that takes a satirical look at what could happen if a clueless human chick really dated a vampire. It’s also got some good sex and romance shoved up in it, making it a lovely four-course meal that won’t leave you feeling bloated after consumption.

 Her newest series, Pack Mistress (Quick ‘n’ Dirty Erotic Paranormal Romance) follows the adventures of red wolf Pack Mistress Lorena as she satisfies the males of her south Florida pack while trying to find herself. It’s more serious than VRG, and more erotic. The novel is being released in serial format, with new 30-35 page installments every other month in 2012.

You can also read Evelyn’s essays and ramblings weekly on her blog or by visiting VampLure, the satirical monthly magazine inspired by The Vampire Relationship Guide series. You can also find some of the guest posts she’s written on The Bitch Blog, Book Love Blog, and The Weblog of Zoe Winters.

She’ll never admit it, but she’d love it if you followed her on Goodreads or Facebook.








  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Edna's Review: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

Paperback: 432 pages

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA;

Original edition (July 31, 2012) 

Language: English 

ISBN-10: 0778313530

ISBN-13: 978-0778313533 

Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches

 Blurb: 

Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she's sure it'll be her breakout book…if it ever sees the light of day.

Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it's no deal.

Nora's grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining…and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him…or returning to his bed?

Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple.

Review:

Well lets just start with this is my second BDSM book I read. Nora Sutherlin The erotica writer is very interesting. She is one of those people who likes to be noticed by everyone and anyone. Then Zach enters the picture by being her editor and he wants to change her  whole out look on the way she writes her books, He wants her to clean up her writing style.

I love Nora with her intern Wesley. Wesley is so different from Nora, but they have a great relationship one that makes people question whats going on with these two people. Nora is so funny at times you can't help but laugh at her.

Soren I would love to hear alot more about this guy, he sames like there's some deep dark secret behind him. I can't wait to find out in the next book, I hope. I feel that Soren is very hard person to read, he comes across as not only very private but a hard ass as well.

Question: would I read more of Tiffany's books? Yes, definitely I would. There is a good story behind her writings. And I can't wait to read the next book.

Rating

 Heat Factor:

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 26: Interview with Chris Lange

Please give a warm welcome to Chris Lange, who has graciously given us an interview for BLH today.

1. What kind of Halloween person are you? 
Dress up and party every year, give out candy maybe dressed up, or hide inside your house with the porch light off? I invite friends to hide inside my house and watch "The Shining".

2. Do you decorate outside for Halloween? 
I don't, and everybody is going to hate me now!

3. Are you a master pumpkin carver?
I lost the ability to carve when I was about 10 years old. Now I'm just a clumsy person, happy to let others do the job.

 4. Name 3 costumes you’ve worn. 
The princess (I mean, which little girl hasn't?), Snow White, and I went for the toad once but ended up as a mouse.

 5. Tell us the scariest thing that has ever happened to you and it doesn’t have to be Halloween related:
Getting utterly and completely lost in San Francisco with no money, no cell phone, not even my friends'address. I cursed my own stupidity for about three hours.

6. Do you like haunted houses or mazes? 
I love haunted houses. I went to Scotland once just to visit haunted castles. Sadly I didn't spot Nessie

7. Do you believe in ghosts? 
Only in mine. Every time my TV suddenly stops working while I'm watching it or my computer shuts down while I'm writing, I yell at my ghost. He's a cheeky one, but we get on well.

8. What is your favorite Halloween tradition? 
I'd say the spooky feeling.

9. What is your favorite Halloween movie to watch or are you a Great Pumpkin,Charlie Brown sort? Actually I'm a romantic. My favorite Halloween movie is "The Crow", Eric Draven's mortal passion for Shelley Webster gets me every time.

 10. Have you ever tricked instead of treated like toilet papering someone’s house or egging a person or house? 
Nope. I was the quiet kid at the back of the classroom.

 11. Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees? 
I hate Freddy Krueger. Freddy Krueger gives me nightmares. Nonetheless I watched the whole series 

Author's Links:

 http://chrislangeauthor.wordpress.com/

 https://www.amazon.com/author/chrislange

 http://www.facebook.com/ChrisLangeFanPage

Blurb for GABRIEL:

 Who can stop a master vampire from expanding his territory? Only one woman, born with a rare, invisible power, and hate for his kind deep in her blood. Now she has to face the master who has become a legend. His name is Gabriel.

 Buy link:

 http://www.amazon.com/author/chrislange 

 Chris is offering  free swags to anyone who becomes my fan on Goodreads: 

http://www.goodreads.com/chrislange

so if you leave your email with your comment letting us know you became a fan, Chris will contact you to send you your swag.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 25: Guest Post with Michael West

Please give a warm welcome to Michael West who is guest posting today at BLH, Thank you Michael for stopping by!

The Most Horrible Time of the Year

A Holiday Poem by Michael West 

 I love Halloween. The whole Halloween season! Ask anyone who’s met me, they’ll tell you the reason. I’m a fan of all things Horror and Gothic. In fact, it’s hard for me to speak on any other topic. And October is an entire month dedicated to nothing but fear. Why, it’s just the most horrible time of the year! So sit back kiddies, and stay for a spell. I’ll tell you how to get ready for this holiday that I know so very well.

You first need a costume. Not a last minute affair. It’s very important to know what you will wear. I’ve had mine picked out for far longer than a week! A really scary one; it will get me the screams that I seek. You can go with the tried and the true. Maybe Jason of Freddy are what will suit you. Or you could come up with a character all your own! Something to make the all kiddies shriek and their parents moan.

Now that your dressed, you have pumpkins to carve. First you cut open the top and remove all the guts from the gourd. This is fun for the whole family, and no one gets bored! Deciding on the perfect face is an important matter. You can take a conservative approach, or be mad as a hatter! Then put a candle inside for that eerie glow. Your house is the scariest, let everyone know!

Next is the candy. So much from to choose! With chocolate, however, no one can lose! I like to give the first ones full sized bars. By the end of the night, I have people pulling up in their cars!

You should turn your front lawn into a cemetery. Put a few gravestones around in the yard. It’s really not very hard. You can use Styrofoam, cardboard, even some wood. Or they have some in stores that are really quite good. Then you add hands coming out of the ground. And it can be cool to add music or sound!

Now you’re ready. Time for Halloween fun! Scare the kids at the door and see how they run! And once the trick ’r treaters all go away, you can sit yourself down and watch some movie maniac slay!

Oh yes, I do so love Halloween! It’s the night of which a Horror fan dreams! The night the air fills with the roar of chainsaws and screams! And when it ends, there is sadness as I put all the decorations away. Too bad it can’t last for more than one day.

Oh but wait! I almost forgot, that I’m a writer of fear! I can keep the scares going all through the year! So now I will sit down and type out a plot. Did I mention that I like Horror more than a lot? So enjoy this whole horrific time! As for me, this is the end of my rhyme.

Happy Halloween!

Blurb: 

 There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

 It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

About The Author: 

Michael West is the critically-acclaimed author of The Wide Game, Cinema of Shadows, Skull Full of Kisses, and The Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar. Every Halloween, he turns his garage into a haunted house.

 Where to find Michael: Website Facebook Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

And The Winner is ......

 Thank you to all that have entered in Dianne Duvall's giveaway, Be sure to check out the many giveaways going on at BLH. Now on to the winner. 

 Pam

You should receive the email soon, please reply back in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen Also please check your spam , the email that will be sent might end up in a Spam Folder.

 

Wicked After Dark Hop

I had so much fun with the last hop I decided to do another one. I know you have a lot of hopping to do so I am making this short and sweet. For my giveaway I decided to just let you decide on what book to get... so I am offering either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 dollars worth of books at TBD. Good Luck and Happy Hopping! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 24: Review and Guest Post by Emma Meade: Halloween Movies

Please give a warm welcome to Emma Meade, who is guest posting today on BLH, Thank you Emma for stopping by today! 

 Halloween Movies 

There's nothing I love better on Halloween than kicking back with some of my all time favourite scary movies. After the last trick-or-treater leaves, fall back on your couch and hit play.

My suggestions for October 31st start with Hocus Pocus. Okay, not so scary, but it's deliciously enchanting and darn good fun. The Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) are hanged in 1693 for murdering a beloved child. Fast forward three hundred years and some kids bring them back to life when virgin, Omri Katz lights the black flame candle. A night of high jinks ensues. The costumes are stunning, the atmosphere spooky, and Midler and Parker even give us some hot musical numbers. This is guaranteed fun for the whole family.

To ease you into something a little more frightening, let's visit vampire infested Santa Carla where The Lost Boys reside. Jason Patric and Corey Haim are uprooted by their newly divorced mother to the Californian seaside resort, where Patric takes a shine to the beautiful Star. Little does he know he's about to be initiated into a group of biker vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland. Corey Feldman is on hand to put a stop to the vampire shenanigans, and watching he and Haim team up to destroy the monsters is worth the watch alone.

Now you're ready for the scariest monster of them all, Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. "One, two, he's coming after you. Three, four, better lock that door." Well, you know how the rhyme goes. I must have been thirteen when I first watched this in my cousins' house in County Limerick. If my parents had known what I was watching, they would not have been impressed. The black and red jumper wearing baddie likes to hunt down the teenagers of Elm Street in their nightmares. If he gets you in your dream, you die for real. I dare you to fall asleep after this.

Struggling to get some shuteye? It's time for The Blair Witch Project. What can go wrong when three young people enter the woods to shoot a documentary on the local legend of the Blair Witch? Lose the map, and turns out, a lot. Every day the trio spend lost in the woods leads to more distressing incidents, like rocks being left outside their tent at night and strange noises. If you like shaky camera, found footage type films, give this a go. It's seriously creepy. Watching this brings me back to being a teenager and looking at the cinema screen on Halloween night through my fingers.

And finally, to lighten the mood and chase away the shadows, throw on the season two Halloween episode of Buffy, which is a must watch for me every year. Seeing Buffy as a helpless lady of leisure from the past, Xander in soldier mode and ghostly Willow take charge is entertaining every time. When evil sorcerer, Ethan, casts a spell on Halloween that makes all kids become the costume they're wearing, all hell breaks loose in Sunnydale. Funny stuff.

So that's it. Happy Halloween to everyone. Don't eat too much candy!

File Size: 138 KB

Print Length: 43 pages 

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited 

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 

Language: English 

ASIN: B00647Y158 

Text-to-Speech: Enabled 

X-Ray: Not Enabled 

Lending: Enabled

 Amazon: 

 Blurb:

 It's good to be alive...when you're dead! Meet Alex & Tristan, modern star-crossed lovers of the supernatural variety. Alex is running-on-empty, one year on from the death of her fiancé, and the only thing that keeps her going is her romance with the young vampire Tristan. Tristan, meanwhile has a serious obsession with Bruce Springsteen, and is battling a 'can't live without you' sort of love for Alex. He's trying to persuade her to come over to the dark side but so far she's resisting his efforts.

So come and sing along to Tristan's band, The Dead Beats, the hottest group in London right now, and walk with Alex as she teeters between this life and the next. Because when you're around Tristan, you'll see, how much fun it is to be alive when you're dead....

Night Sighs is an adult paranormal romance, following the relationship & adventures of Tristan & Alex through five short stories: The Dead Beats, The Ancients, Until My Body Is Dust, Bourbon & Jazz and West of Forever.

 Review

I have to say these kind of books are hard to rate and review, because they are so short and you don't want to give out any important details. I will do my best not to spoil any of it for you. 

This novella consisted of 5 short stories revolving around Tristan and Alex and their relationship and how it progressed.  The first story: The Dead Beats, we are introduced to this couple. This one starts out very passionate and ends with a shocking twist. One I didn't see coming and though I understand why he did it, I am not sure I would have been too thrilled with him if had with me.

You all know my love for vampires and I have another love as well, music and this author combined the two to create Tristan.  He was a bit possessive, or maybe obsessive of Alex , which is why it led him to the decision he made in the first story.

The Second Story: The Ancients, they travel to Egypt and I can say this one was a bit spooky, quite fitting for this time of year. The Third Story: Until My Body is Dust, where  the action really kicked into gear. I can't say too much because I don't want to spoil it.  The Fourth Story: Bourbon and Jazz, after the craziness in Story 2, they traveled to New Orleans, just when they thought they could relax there was more action.  And finally Story 4: West of Forever ; The happiness they were both searching for.

While I did like this novella, I just wished it could have been more, parts seemed  a bit rushed. I am not the type that has to have a lot of  detail, I  just would have liked to have more. Other than that I did enjoy this adventure with Tristan and Alex. I hope to read more of them in the future.  Maybe divulge into their past a little bit.

Rating:

About The Author:

Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland. She loves vampires, slayers, witches, ghosts, aliens & shadow men (or at least the youngest of the Shadow Men), and regular people who live extraordinary lives (think Slayerettes and you’re on the right track). Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home, and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.

Writing supernatural short stories and watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.

 Author's Links 

Author Website: http://emmameadebooks.com/ 

Blog: http://emmameade.com/ 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13067064-night-sighs 

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/102664 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmameade83 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/emmameadewrites

  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 23: History of Samhain

What is Samhain?: 

 Samhain is known by most folks as Halloween, but for Wiccans and Pagans it's considered a Sabbat to honor the ancestors who came before us. It's a good time to contact the spirit world with a seance, because it's the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. 

Myths and Misconceptions: 

 Contrary to a popular Internet-based (and Chick Tract-encouraged) rumor, Samhain was not the name of some ancient Celtic god of death, or of anything else, for that matter. Religious scholars agree that the word Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") comes from the Gaelic “Samhuin,” but they’re divided on whether it means the end or beginning of summer. After all, when summer is ending here on earth, it’s just beginning in the Underworld. Samhain actually refers to the daylight portion of the holiday, on November 1st.

All Hallow Mass: 

 Around the eighth century or so, the Catholic Church decided to use November 1st as All Saints Day. This was actually a pretty smart move on their part – the local pagans were already celebrating that day anyway, so it made sense to use it as a church holiday. All Saints’ became the festival to honor any saint who didn’t already have a day of his or her own. The mass which was said on All Saints’ was called Allhallowmas – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before naturally became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually morphed into what we call Halloween.

 The Witch's New Year: 

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us. This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you’ve gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.

Honoring the Ancestors: 

 For some of us, Samhain is when we honor our ancestors who came before us. If you’ve ever done genealogy research, or if you’ve had a loved one die in the past year, this is the perfect night to celebrate their memory. If we’re fortunate, they will return to communicate with us from beyond the veil, and offer advice, protection and guidance for the upcoming year. If you want to celebrate Samhain in the Celtic tradition, spread the festivities out over three consecutive days. You can hold a ritual and feast each night. Be flexible, though, so you can work around trick-or-treating schedules!

information courtesy of Patti Wigington, About.com Guide, click link to read more about Samhain.


My question to you is do you celebrate Samhain if you do what rituals, traditions do you celebrate? If not would you want to ? 






  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review, Promo and Giveaway: Becoming Jolie by Monique O’Connor James

Blurb: 

Jolie Bourque is trying to finish her thesis on mass hysteria and get on with her life. Enter Follette, Louisiana. The small town has been plagued by ghost sightings and a rash of missing children.

She is convinced everyone in town is crazy — except Hutch Landry and his brother Tucker. The brothers seem to be the only people willing to help when she starts asking questions. Just when she thinks things can't get any crazier, she begins to have dreams and visions of her own. Uncovering the town's ties to her own life throws Jolie into a tailspin.

Can she survive the madness that is Follette, Louisiana? Who is preying on the town's children? Can Jolie afford to fall in love while drowning in madness? If she does — how on earth will she choose between brothers?

It's all just part of the journey to Becoming Jolie.

You can find the book at Amazon: http://t.co/oyjS0Q81 

The author’s website: http://moniqueoconnorjames.comThe author’s twitter handle: @mjames13

 About the Author:

Monique is the mother of two beautiful children and lives in a small community outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She currently works full time as an insurance agent, but her favorite jobs are mother, wife, and author.

On her eighth birthday, her mother bought her a journal and said "write whatever you want, just write." And so, a love affair with words was born. She wrote poetry and short stories in high school and college, until 1993 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After her mother's death in 1998, deep in depression, she found herself unable to write. Nine years passed, and only on rare occasion did she attempt to write, with no luck.

Finally, in 2007, under the urging of friends, she sat down and pecked out her first novel. It was raw and unpolished, but the process had been unquestionably cathartic. The next three years were spent filling her hard drive with seven complete manuscripts.

At the beginning of 2011, Monique decided it was time to edit the work and share it with the world. She hopes you enjoy the ramblings of a deeply southern girl raised in a state rich with heritage and love.

Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance with a Cajun Flavor!!!! Check it out!

Review:

Jolie, a college student trying to finish her thesis and graduate, heads to Follete to find out the strange occurances that had been happening there . To her, things like ghosts, and such doesn't exist until she experiences it herself.  And even then she still doesn't want to believe.

I have to admit I was on the fence when it came to how I felt about Jolie, she came across as a spoiled brat but I am happy to say that she grew through out the book and by the end I really liked her and understood why she was the way she was.

I also can say I was totally taken off guard with the two guys actually three guys who seemed smitten with Jolie. I didn't expect it to go the way it did and I did like the fact the author teased me with which one would it be.  My personal favorite didn't win the girl but I still didn't mind who she did end up with.

The story was filled with twists and turns and just when I thought I had figured it all out, the author changed it up on me.  I want to thank the author for this, because sometimes its irritating to figure out the mystery almost at the beginning of the story.

I highly recommend this book for you Urban Fantasy lovers out there. I know I will be reading more from Monique in the future.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular:Day 21: What Paranormal Book Would You like to be turned into a movie or TV Series.

Question of the Day: If you could have your favorite Paranormal novel turned into a movie or tv series, what would it be and who would like to play your favorite character's part?

  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular: Day 20: A Halloween Tale by H. David Blalock

Please give a warm welcome to David Blalock, who is guest posting today at BLH. Thank you David for stopping by!

 A HALLOWEEN TALE (Based on true events)

 by H. David Blalock 

 Once upon a time, a long time ago, we had a Halloween party at our house. Now, this house (in which I no longer live) is located off the main highway a bit and nestled within a heavy wood. As such, it afforded the perfect venue for large Halloween gatherings, including bonfires and other less perilous activities. These Halloween get-togethers had become something of a tradition for us, and each year got a little larger. This particular one was no exception.

However, amongst the several dozen attendees it was discovered that we had an unexpected guest. It seems that two of the revelers exposed a pagan squirrel in our midst. They immediately came to me to reveal this intrusion and I went to investigate, suspecting that another of the guests had merely neglected to mention they had brought along their pet. I discovered, to my bemusement, that the revelers directed me to my own living room where the interloper sat silently waiting.

Now, it happened that this squirrel was actually a life-sized, painted wooden animal, part of a tray we bought built to hold nuts and incorporating a nutcracker in its teeth. This fact, however, did not deter the revelers (who had imbibed a prodigious amount of our home brew, nicknamed "rocket fuel" - draw your own conclusions about that), who promptly decided it was their holy duty to convert this pagan squirrel to Christianity. With the ardor of the Inquisitors of old, they set about their task.

There followed scenes reminiscent of the mind of William Friedkin (director of the classic horror film The Exorcist, for those of you too young to remember, or those of you who don't care). Howls of outrage at the squirrel's reticence in the face of the revelers' pious demands, imprecations about the squirrel's imminent damnation should it continue its stubborn resistance, and a general feeling of impending failure pervaded the congregation (the ruckus had attracted an audience of the remainder of the revelers, who went about encouraging the evangelists).

It wasn't until the talk of burning the little fellow at the stake that I had to step in. Even then, I found myself in the unenviable position of defending the heretical animal. I was reminded of an Arthur Miller play (The Crucible, of course. Doesn't anybody go to community theater anymore?) as I plead for the remission of sentencing (and that they refrain from burning the house to the ground).

At long last my glibness bore fruit and the squirrel was given a conditional reprieve. It had to promise, however, to refrain from worshiping the devil every other Sabbath and to never again use the Lord's name in vain. It was given the option, but greatly encouraged, to restrict its use of grimoires to those that deal only with spicy recipes and none that incorporate more than three eyes of newt at a time.

 I am happy to report that the squirrel (with whom I have lately lost touch) was strictly adhering to those guidelines last I knew. The Halloween revelers were at least that successful in their endeavors. I can only assume that squirrel and evangelists lived happily ever after.

 The end.





  a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway