We have a winner to Devon’s Zombie Dating contest, sponsored by Berkley. Randomly picked from a co-worker’s coffee mug, the lucky commenter is:

Katiebabs!

Congratulations, Katiebabs! You have won an all-expenses paid date with a Zombie, including dinner for two at the Olive Garden!!**

Actually, you have won copies of the following titles (all courtesy of Berkley Publishing).:

• The Black Dragon by Allyson James
• Clandestine by Julia Ross
• The Courtesan’s Daughter by Claudia Dain
• Bond of Blood by Diane Whiteside
• Girls that Growl by Mari Mancusi

Be sure to email Sybil at sybil @ tgtbtu .com (no spaces) with your physical address so that you can get your prize. Unless you want that date instead. I think I know some guys that qualify as zombies…

Thanks tons, Berkley! You make us happy!

**No you didn’t.

Congratulations to Maria!

Maria commented on this post about how normal people going over the line is scarier than horror and has won a signed copy of something from Meljean Brook’s backlist!

Thanks to everyone who commented!

Maria, be sure to email Sybil with your physical address at sybil @ tgtbtu .com (no spaces) and she will make sure you get your prize.

WE HAVE A WINNER from our Duck Soup Recipe Contest (name drawn randomly)!!

PAM P (Ghost Pretzels)

And here’s the quack worthy prize pack that will be coming your way courtesy of those quazy quackers at Berkley: Down and Dirty by Sandra Hill / Dark Hunger (Manga style) by Christine Feehan / A Lady Betrayed by Nicole Byrd / Eternal Love by Maggie Shayne (2in1: Eternity and Infinity) / Fairyville by Emma Holly

And, just because Berkley is so good to the Duckies, we drew another name:

Wendy (Creepy Witches Fingers)

And here’s quack worthy Berkley prize pack #2: Dark Possession by Christine Feehan / Return to Me by Julia Templeton / Atlantis Awakening by Alyssa Day / Trouble in Paradise by Jill Shalvis / Elemental Magic by Sharon Shinn, Rebecca York, Carol Berg, Jean Johnson

Congrats and please email your name and mailing address to tgtbtu @ goodbadandunread . com (remove spaces) by noon CST on Friday, November 09, 2007. And it would be just duckie if you could put “Duck Soup Contest” in the subject line.

Hey Syb, that was fun! Can I have another contest and give more stuff away?! *evil grin*

The wonderful Lisa Renee Jones shares an EXCLUSIVE (and unedited) excerpt with TGTBTU’s readers. Her new Silhouette Nocturne novel, The Beast Within, releases tomorrow, 1 Nov 07.

Here’s a link to some recommended pre-reading. It will help you understand what is going on in this excerpt.

The Beast Within

End of Chapter Seven and all of Chapter Eight…

Karen paced the bedroom floor, her stomach fluttering with a combination of worry and just plain sickness. She hadn’t slept. Hadn’t eaten. Hadn’t stopped worrying since she’d gotten that telegram from Eva saying Mike was dead.

A rush of nausea came over her and Karen paused, pressing her palm to her forehead. God. She didn’t have time to feel sick but her body wasn’t cooperating. It wanted rest. If only she’d slept on the plane instead of worrying and working on her article.

Why wouldn’t they let her see Eva?

She shouldn’t have come here. She didn’t even know if this healer treating Eva was a real doctor. She had to get her sister to another hospital. Besides, something wasn’t right here. What exactly had she walked into? How could the man from the airport be here?

They were acting like they couldn’t trust her and her sister. She’d seen all those big, burly men. It seemed like she should be the scared one, not them. So what was going on? Why treat them like this? Clearly, her sister was injured. It wasn’t like she was lying.

And what harm could two women, without weapons – which they had searched her for when they locked her in the room – do to a bunch of macho men like these guys?

Her mind went back to the leader. To the man from the airport. Karen couldn’t quite get her mind around his presence. Of course, her body had grasped the concept quite easily. Even tired, he’d drawn a sizzling reaction. A reaction she felt guilty as heck for. The man had her locked in a room, captive for all practical purposes, forbidding her from seeing her sister, and Karen had managed to get all lusty over him. How sick was that?

Karen sank onto the bed. She’d reacted to him at the airport, too. That funny familiarity from her dream niggled inside a bit stronger. Her mind played with some distant image, trying to make it vivid and understandable, trying to grasp it. The clouds were thick and hard to clear. She was just so tired. Maybe rest would make her remember how she knew this man. Because to dream of him, she had to know him.

As her lashes fluttered, Karen told herself to stand back up. To get her blood pumping again. Her body just felt so horrible achy and heavy. Yet, the very thought of falling asleep while terrible things could be happening to her sister brought panic. What if this healer did more damage than good?

She had to stay awake. There wasn’t another option.

Karen balled her fists in the dark brown comforter on top of the mattress. Everything in the room was brown. Brown curtains. Brown blankets. Brown carpet. Brown. Brown. Brown. So incredibly dreary and dark. And so was the future right now. Somehow, Karen realized, she’d taken a bad situation and made it worse. Somehow, once again, she had failed Eva.

Karen looked skyward. “Mom. Dad.” Her chest tightened painfully and she gave into the need to rest, easing back to lay on the mattress. “I don’t know how to fix this.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I have to save my sister…”

A knocked sounded and Karen jerked up to a sitting position. Before she could find her way to her feet, the door flew open. In strode the man who seemed to hold her destiny in his hands. As he had on their prior two meetings, his powerful presence overwhelmed her, his masculine beauty registering even when she wanted to deny its presence.

But as he slammed the door behind him, locking the door and turning to face her, the contempt and anger in his deep, dark eyes were what took her breath away. Whatever brought this man here now, it wasn’t an apology.

From the look in his eye, it appeared he wanted more than a word with her…he wanted blood.

***

Jag entered the bedroom, shutting the door behind him, and locking it. Turning to face the woman he now knew as – Karen…, anger coursing through his veins. How dare she come in here, taunting him with his wife’s name, with her sacred memory?

It was bad enough she’d haunted his dreams. Now she dared to taint the name of his only love.

Unexplainably, as angry as he was, as full of fury, he managed to bite back his imminent explosion. He studied her, this woman, who might well be his enemy disguised as an innocent, exploring her features. Searching for some unnamed something.

What he found was a look of concern and uncertainty so raw, so real, the power of his emotions shifted. Softened. Began to evolve them into something just as powerful, but far more hungry. This woman did things to him he had yet to understand. Perhaps it was magic, certainly black magic if that were the case.

In her eyes, in her expression, he saw the same kind of honestly he sensed in Marisol. The same pureness. Surely, if it were an act, the animal in him would sense as much.

But it was too late to retreat, to rethink his actions. The beast still roared inside, needing an outlet for the anger of only seconds before. The beast he’d always controlled…until this woman. If she was so innocent, so honest, why did she bring it to the surface?

That outlet he sought came without his consent. It pulsed to life in the heat of desire. He watched her movements, the animal inside him purring with life, his body reacting to the vision she made. To the unintentional, yet, oh so, seductive sway of her hips in the snug black jeans.

Her eyes narrowed on his face, and it was clear she searched for his intentions just as he did hers. Slowly, she took several steps backwards, putting distance between them. “How is my sister?”

“Who sent you here?” Jag demanded, ignoring her question, while refusing to let his reactions to this woman drown out his agenda.

“Where’s my sister?” Karen demanded in turn, ignoring his question as he had hers. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Over the top of those lush, full breasts that fit into his hands like they were made for him. He knew because he’d seen and touched them so many times before. Even knew that her nipples were a perfect rosy pink and that they were so sensitive, he could practically bring her to orgasm just by tasting them.

His eyes dropped, tracing each line of her body through the clingy material of her shirt, confirming she was the woman he knew. Fire burned in his veins, pushing him to claim her as he had so many times before this moment. In the dreams so ripe with reality.

He’d never met a woman who could do this do him. It went beyond reason, this need, this reaction. He couldn’t be near her, or talk to her, without wanting her. “You didn’t answer my question,” he countered, wanting to know how this woman found him. Wanting to know a lot of things, actually. Questions flew through his mind.

She spoke through clenched teeth. “Where is my sister?”

Her fearlessness should have surprised him, but it didn’t. In his dreams, she’d been brazenly direct. He expected nothing less of her in flesh and blood.

“You already know your sister’s with our healer,” he said in a low voice. “But what do you know of me before this night?” That was the real question. One he wasn’t going to find out on his current path.

“I want to see Eva,” Karen declared as if it would make him oblige her wishes.

Jag noted the command in her voice, but he also sensed her fear. “You’ll see her soon,” he replied. Silently he added, once I decide if I can trust you.

“Not soon,” she said, pointing at the ground and taking a step forward. “Now.” Her lips thinned. “I want to see her now. We came here for help, not to be locked up like criminals.”

His nostrils flared with the scent of woman, sultry and sexual and drawing a response from his body. Damn this woman. The one he knew far too well for a stranger. The one he’d lost himself in until he couldn’t see straight. The one who had driven him to complete ecstasy and then, by doing so, delivered him to his darker side. She’d shown him his beast and taken him to the edge of the cliff, one step from the pits of hell.

His cock thickened in demand, screaming for him to take her as he had in those dreams. To rip her clothes off and bury himself deep in the hot, wet recesses of her core. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest in anticipation thrumming through his veins like a flare headed for explosion.

A mere hair from snapping, Jag crossed his arms in front of his chest, mimicking her prior position. Trying to keep from claiming her. Knowing his physical surrender could be exactly what she wanted. Maybe she was a part of some master plan to destroy him. In his dreams, she’d certainly pushed him to the worst of places, using pleasure as her tool.

The thought brought a welcome jolt of reality. “And how do I know you aren’t a criminal?” he asked. “You were trespassing.”

Her eyes went wide. “I came for help and you locked me up. I call that kidnapping.”

The fear and desperation in Karen’s voice rang with sincerity. He wanted to believe she was a victim. He really did. But not once in his dreams had she come off as innocent. Not once. To trust her would be a grave mistake, and too many depended on him being cautious. His men. Their cause against evil, their fight for good. And evil, he’d long ago learned, could easily come off as pure as newly fallen snow.

The name Caron meant – pure – in Italian. He wondered if this woman knew that.

New anger formed at the thought of being manipulated and before Jag could stop himself, he closed the distance between them. He didn’t give Karen time to protest, pulling her into his arms and staring down at her. Instantly, he knew it was a mistake. He’d only meant to rattle her. To grab hold of the situation and make her tell the truth. He just wanted the truth. But everything inside him called to her. He wanted to take her. To taste her. To claim her right here and now.

His own inability to resist her hardened his voice, frustration at his lack of control burning inside him. Even her stiffness in his arms upset him. He was a wreck, and she was to blame.

“How did you even know about this place?” he asked, determined to find answers.

“I…”

“How?” His voice was rough. Harsh. He stepped backwards with her, towards the wall.

Her hands were by her side, her chin tilted up to study his face. As if she gauged his next move from his expression. “I… heard there was a doctor here.”

“From who?”

Another step backwards, his thighs against hers. And damn it, the friction shot through him like rocket fuel. His cock thickened, pressing against his jeans. Reminding him of her power and adding to his frustration and her lack of response.

“From who?” he repeated, his tone more forceful.

“A nurse.” She sounded breathless. “At the hospital.”

Her full bottom lip trembled as if in invitation for his mouth. He wondered if she tasted as sweet as he thought she did. Like honey with a hint of cinnamon. That is how he remembered her. Unique but familiar. So damn familiar. He’d wanted to know at the airport but hadn’t dared taste her fully.

She stared up at him with fury in her eyes as he flattened her against the wall, his knees caging hers. Ah, but there was more. There was lust in the depths of those perfect blue eyes. Knowing she wanted him, knowing that could not be faked, only served to fire his desire. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to grind his hips against hers. Not to palm those lush breasts.

His gaze dropped, and he could see her nipples pebbled against her thin t-shirt. He didn’t have to see them to know they were rosy red and plump. Or to know how she would whimper if he pulled them between his lips and suckled.

Her hands went to his arms as if silently begging him to stop. To look at her again. His gaze lifted, contempt in his voice as he broke the sex laden silence. “You expect me to believe the hospital told you to come?”

She stared up at him, and her deep blue eyes pulled him in, drawing him under her spell. Further into his sensual haze. But as seconds passed, he was amazed at what he saw in Karen’s gaze. Beyond the lust, the exhaustion, the fear for her sister. Not of him.

In her eyes, he again, found that pureness, more subtle than in Marisol’s but there. Or was it? Perhaps he just wanted it to be. Perhaps it was a trick. He couldn’t let himself believe in her. He couldn’t. His dreams had warned him of what she would do to him. Of where she would take him.

“Answer me,” he ordered. “Why would the hospital tell you to come here?”

“The nurse told me. I shouldn’t have listened. I shouldn’t be here. I know that now. It was stupid. I just thought…” Her words trailed off as her gaze dropped to his chest.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I thought you could help. I… needed help.”

The pure desperation lacing her words reached out to Jag and made him snap. One minute he was absorbing them, the next kissing her. He slid his tongue past her teeth, tasting her like a starving man would food. She was stiff, hands pressing against his chest.

But Jag took with a ruthlessness that allowed no room for resistance. Taking. Taking. Demanding. Her resistance lasted all of a few seconds. Slowly, she eased into the kiss, her arms sliding upward, over his chest and around his neck.

In his lust-laden mind, he justified his actions. She wasn’t an innocent victim. Not at all. This woman had manipulated his dreams for what felt a lifetime, controlling him with some unknown agenda. She’d used sex as a weapon. Sex to consume and devour his very will.

He’d come to her to talk, but to hell with it. She wanted to use sex against him. Well, no more. He’d use it against her. He’d make her need him. Make her beg to have him buried deep in her body. Make her beg. Yes. He liked that. And with each passing moment, she softened more, her body melting into his and she made a soft, whimpering sound. A sound that told of his success. Of his conquest.

Abruptly, a knock sounded on the door. A knock that jolted Jag back to his senses. He pushed away from her, putting distance between them even as the knock sounded again. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, desperate to get the sweetness of her out of his system.

She collapsed against the wall, her chest rising and falling with heaviness. Her expression one of shock. Her lips parted and swollen from his kisses. The taste of her still lingering with him, driving him wild with the need to pull her close again.

“Jag.” It was Des.

“Yeah,” Jag called.

“We got a problem, man.”

“Be right there.”

He stared at Karen, lowering his voice for only her ears. “Why do I know that problem has something to do with you?”

“You’re crazy,” she whispered. “I only wanted help. Just let us go.”

A smile touched his lips, but not one of pleasure or invitation. He didn’t like being played with. She might or might not have started this game, but she was a part of it. And he intended to end it. No matter how good she was at playing the sweet, innocent, good girl, he’d seen another side of her in his dreams. He’d lived the temptation she offered in them. Even felt her press him to seize his dark side.

“Let me go,” she whispered again.

“Not a chance in heaven or hell.”

And without another word, he turned and walked away, knowing she wouldn’t follow. Wouldn’t beg. And she didn’t. She watched him leave in silence, not moving. Proof that he knew this woman. Knew her well. Which meant he couldn’t dismiss what the dreams had told him no matter how much he felt drawn to her. No matter how innocent she looked and even felt in his arms.

She wanted the beast in him. The dreams were proof.

The thought twisted his gut. Deep inside, Jag needed Karen to be innocent. She felt so perfect in his arms and he sensed a connection with her. But then, maybe that was the plan. The dreams, her presence, might well be a part of confusing him.

Still, he went back to one thing. She felt so damn pure and innocent. He saw it in her eyes. Felt it in her touch. But he knew her actions. He’d known she wouldn’t follow him or beg. He could predict how she would respond. His dreams were the only way he could know her. And those dreams spoke of something dark and evil. Of his beast rising to the surface.

A beast he could never let have life. He didn’t dare trust Karen. There was till too much unknown. Not yet, at least.

Maybe not ever.

A random comment in this thread will be picked to win a signed copy of Hard and Fast and The Beast Within for the prize: along with a book light!

And your neck!  I’m hungry!

We’ve got a marvelous prize pack of the three ARCs of Lynsay Sands‘ new Argenau Vampire books:

• The Accidental Vampire (Argeneau Vampires, Book 7)
• Vampires are Forever (Argeneau Vampires, Book 8 )
• Vampire, Interrupted (Argeneau Vampires, Book 9)
• Plus some other little goodies that Gwen apparently has been trying to steal from Syb.

All you need to do to enter to win this fabuloso prize pack is comment about vampires on this post. What’s your favorite part of vampire lore? Favorite vampire movies? Favorite vampire hero? How realistic are vampires in fiction compared to what could happen in real life?

I might love someone forever if they comment about the changing myths about vampires over time and how that reflected the society that it came from. Of course that may be asking for a lot. . .

Be sure to comment on this post about vampires and a winner will be randomly selected to win the three ARCs and the goody bag of toys.

The Beast Within is Lisa Renee Jones introduction into her new Silhouette Nocturne series, The Knights of White . It will be followed in March 2008 with Beast of Desire and Beast of Darkness in July 08.

Known only as ‘Jag’, he leads the Knights of White against the soulless Darkland Beasts who took his wife and his life.  Jag is immortal, destined to live with the vengeance he feels in his heart. And the dreams that haunt his soul. Sensual dreams of a woman. Dreams that threaten to unleash the beast within…

Karen Gibson is an innocent mortal, unwittingly thrown into this millenia-old battle, and, unwillingly, under Jag’s protection. She and Jag are about to discover that they have met before – in the dreams they share.

Neither trusts the other. Neither can survive alone. The secret of those erotic dreams may be all that saves them – if Jag can only accept it.  At risk is Karen’s life.  And Jag’s immortal soul…

Knights of White: These demon hunters fight for all that is good…

Lisa Renee was telling me Nocture is going to get somewhat hotter. At least with some of their authors, they have signed on a few old EC authors. You can read a bit of it on her site. And then stick around… will have have an exclusive taste for your later today.

What do I want to dress up as for Halloween this year?

Easy. Whatever gets me the most candy.  

Everybody knows that’s the real point of Halloween. The reason we dress up like butterflies and ghosts and superheroes. Sure, it’s fun and make us feel all girly-girl feminine or kick-ass strong, depending on whether you’re a fairy princess or Wonder Woman. But we also expect to be rewarded for it at the end of the night –with candy.

Like the song goes, I want candy. And lots of it.

At RWA this year, someone compared my Bigtime superhero series to “book candy.” I think that’s a pretty cool description for them — and romance books in general. In honor of Halloween and all that sweet, sweet candy coming my way, I’d thought I’d share what I’ll be picking out of my plastic orange pumpkin to read with some popular romance genres.

For the paranormals on my shelf, there really is only one choice — dark chocolate. All those dark, dangerous men deserve an equally dark, luscious treat to go with them. Don’t you think?

Historicals, you say? I’d have to go with something a bit more upscale and refined, like English toffee with chopped walnuts. Or perhaps some chewy caramels with just a hint of vanilla in them.

Romantic comedies deserve to be enjoyed with something just as light and fun as they are. M&Ms come to mind.

When reading a contemporaries, I usually grab a classic Hershey bar. Milk or dark chocolate, you decide.

A sweet or inspirational romance? I’m going for the candy apple, which is all sweet and sugary on the outside. And inside, there’s fruit. Real fruit, so it’s good for you, too. Right? Right.

As for my books, well, I’d suggest a Dum Dum lollipop. Sweet, simple sugar. Nothing too complicated, not too much angst. Just a sugar rush when you finish it.

Of course, I haven’t even discussed half the Halloween candy out there, like Snickers and Three Musketeers and Tootsie Rolls. So many books, so much candy, so little time…

What about you? What kind of book candy will you curl up with this Halloween? What do you hope to get in your pumpkin? Inquiring minds want to know… Comment here and get a chance to win a Karma Girl and a Hot Mama t-shirt.

Yours in nougat,
Jennifer Estep

Zombie of My Dreams?  Not Likely.
by Devon

I’ve got monsters on the brain. Not surprising, given the season and all. Things that go bump in the night are everywhere, from my local Target to all the Halloween books and shows my kids have been overdosing on The Nightmare Before Christmas (back-to-back three times Saturday afternoon), to the elaborate lawn displays put out by some of my neighbors.

As I watch yet another Scooby Doo movie, I can’t help but compare the depictions of all things creepy and monstrous to the characters to be found in my favorite subgenre, the paranormal romance. How do authors take creatures meant to inspire fear and horror, and make them into heroes and heroines, objects of desire and romance?

The reasons for the appeal of the paranormal romance are numerous, in my opinion, and require multiple posts for me to explain all my theories. So I’ll spare you. But, how to make undead bloodsuckers and hairy wolfmen romantically appealling?

Putting it simplistically, it’s a matter of taking out the ugly, and leaving in the power and strength. Let’s look at perennial favorites the vampire and the werewolf. We don’t want a romance vamp to look like Count Orlok or even Bela Lugosi. Nor do we want our werewolves to look like that guy. He must be human enough not to squick a reader out. It’s the power and strength that we are drawn to, the heightened senses, the abilities no regular man has.

But along with the physical ugly, the ugliness of their powers must be downplayed. The vampire doesn’t drink blood for fun, but to survive (and it is often a source of angst). The shapeshifter turns into a wolf because it is what he is, he must. Not to terrorize necking teenagers or whatever. But what about the other creatures?

With the popularity of paranormal romance, we have seen a diversification. Witness the rise of the demon (a romanticization of the embodiment of evil). The shapeshifter romance has been branching out. There’s a number of big cats (especially lions), and quite a few dragons. Birds of prey. You’ve got a few selkies (half-man/half-seals from Celtic folklore). I think I’ve seen a dolphin story.

But this ties back into the ugly thing. These animals are predatory, beautiful, strong, almost elegant. There may be more wereanimals coming our way, but I bet we’re not getting a were-rat, a were-vulture or a were-cow hero anytime soon. Only cool animals need apply. What else? Fairies and elves? Notoriously good looking. Witches and sorcerers don’t count, neither do humans with extrasensory powers. I know there’s some gargoyle books out there, and I read one with a Yeti, though I doubt Yeti romances will catch on any time soon.

So what “monsters” will never be attractive subjects for romance? Zombies get my vote, as do mummies. Undead is one thing. Dead and shuffling around, possibly drooling, is another. You never see a zombie with a personality. Also Leprechauns. Too short and I can’t get past the association with Lucky Charms and a bad movie franchise.

What underrepresented supernatural creature would you like to see get a chance at true love? And alternately, what creepy crawly do you never want to see get his own sex scene? Devon will pick a comment to win a Zombie pack of three Berkley Books.

PS: If anyone knows of a decent zombie or leprechaun romance, pass it on. I always try to keep an open mind. For more ramblings on romance, particularly of the paranormal kind, visit my blog Is that a Stake in Your Pocket? And Happy Halloween!

Share some fun and yummy Spooktacular recipes and you could win a prize to be quacked (prize packs from a publisher – but we’re not sure which yet)!

And n-o-o-o-o, it has to be more than “Melt caramels. Dip apples. Eat.” You can share as many recipes as you want, but only one entry per person. Since the only fair way to judge them would be to make and eat them all, I’ll do a random drawing from all eligible recipes shared in the comments for this post. If you’ve already tried any of the recipes entered, feel free to give it your lip-smackin’ endorsement!

Here’s a couple of easy ones:

Fall Fruit Tray & Fruit Dip (this is so pathetically easy and good)

1-container CoolWhip Extra Creamy (size optional)
Lemon zest to taste
Fold together, adjust for taste

• Garnish with extra lemon zest.
• Slice fruit to dip. Apples and pears – the more flavorful and colorful the better (for example, Granny Smiths and Royal Galas) - grapes, strawberries, etc.  Note: To prevent the sliced fruit from turning brown, toss it in cold water with Fruit Fresh. Drain well.
• Arrange (with peel colors showing) on a bed of colorful leafy greens (purple leaf kale looks particularly nice).

I found this recipe the other day and can’t wait to try it. Have any of you already tried it? Whatcha think?

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE, From the Black Cat Cafe & Bakery, Sharon Springs, NY

1/4 cup butter, room temperature (plus a little extra to grease the pan)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup fresh pumpkin seeds, shelled, washed, dried and toasted (can find shelled in grocery stores)

• Line a 9X13 inch pan with foil or parchment and grease with extra butter.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir in sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil.
• Stir constantly(or edges will burn) 5-8 minutes until mixture reaches 280-degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• Stir in pumpkin seeds.
• Pour mixture quickly into prepared pan, if necessary spread with back of a greased spoon.
• Let cool completely until hardened. Break into pieces as desired.

Okay, your turn! Lay some Spooktacular nummies of the season on me for a chance to win a prize.  It can be recipe ideas for kids, family parties, hanging out with friends, or whatever. C’mon… make me hungry!

Okay, so these are true stories. Honest. I’m from a long line of Englishmen and Irishmen. I believe in ghosties and things that can’t be seen. Otherwise, life would be no fun.

—

When I was very young we had a neighbor who had a serious drinking problem. One night my sister woke up and saw flames coming from his house. Turns out that he had been drinking, turned on the gas stove, lit a cigarette, and then fell asleep on the couch in his dining room. (Clarification — I grew up in rural Nova Scotia where it was common to have a sofa, or ‘chesterfield’ in or around the kitchen. Don’t ask me why.)

Anyway, this old fella used to look in our windows and come to visit when he was alive and I guess he saw no reason for that to discontinue just because he was dead. To this day I refuse to sit in front of a certain window in my old house at night because I’m convinced he’s looking in.

One night, shortly after the fire, my mother and I were alone in the living room watching TV. The kitchen door was locked and when I heard the knob rattle I went to see who was there. Only no one was there. And we hadn’t heard anyone come into the porch — or leave.

Around the same time my mother saw a shadow pass across our kitchen. The shadow was the same shape as our deceased neighbor, and she swears it was definitely a man. She said the dead man’s name and two glasses on opposite ends of the sink flew together and smashed. My mother told her guest “that’s enough, now” and he went away.  Ghostly Wail

—

Years earlier, when I was about three years old, I was chasing my grandmother’s fat tom cat (ironically named ‘Tiny’) through her house. I chased him to the bottom of the main stairs, beside what was originally the front parlor. This house was of the Victorian era and my grandparents bought it in the ’70′s when they moved back to Nova Scotia from Toronto — so it had a history long before they arrived.

When Tiny and I reached the foot of the stairs, he looked up — and every lick of fur on his back stood straight up on end. I looked up the stairs and saw two women in long dresses coming toward me. I still remember what they looked like.

It would be another twenty years before I saw them again — in an old photo my mother showed me. It was taken around the early part of the 2oth century in front of what was to become my grandmother’s house. The photo was black and white but I knew which woman was which and the hair color of each — even though I’d never met them. My mother was able to confirm it, because my grandmother had identified the women to her. Both of them died before I was born.

—

One more about my grandmother’s house. When I was in my teens, my grandmother (long since widowed) decided to go away for a week. My mother and I were asked to check in on the house. Since it was only 1/4 of a mile away, I’d often walk down to water plants and make sure everything was okay.

One day while I was standing in her sun porch, at the foot of the stairs that led to what we called ‘The Kitchen Chamber’ (a large room above the kitchen, oddly enough), I felt a ‘presence’ on the stairs behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled and the flesh there tingled. I remember my palms went moist and my heart was in my throat. I just knew that if I turned around there would be someone there watching me, and I was terrified of who it might be.

Obviously, whoever it was didn’t think I should be there without my grandmother home. So, I said aloud, “Nan’s away. I’m just here to water the plants. It’s all right.” I’m not sure how long I stood there, too scared to turn around, but eventually the feeling passed and I braved a glance over my shoulder. Nothing.

Nevertheless I didn’t waste anymore time there than I had to. I practically ran all the way home, my legs shaking. When I told my mother what had happened she just nodded and said, “My brother said he saw an old woman in there one night, but mom accused him of being drunk.” See, the funny part is that my grandmother never had experienced anything strange in that house. If she did, she never said anything. It was only those of us who didn’t ‘belong’ that ever saw or heard anything.

My grandmother died a couple of years ago and her house sold. Shortly after he bought it, the man put it up for sale again. Most people believe it was because of financial difficulties, but there are others who claim he saw a ghost. Joke or not, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had, although I can’t imagine any spirits in that house, a place that holds such wonderful memories (like Nan’s sugar cookies) could ever be malevolent.

Now, who wants to tell me a ghost story? One of your ghost stories will be picked to win a signed copy of my first two books in the Brotherhood series: Be Mine Tonight and Night of the Huntress.

Happy Hallowe’en!
Kathryn Smith
Ghost Mistress

UPDATED: Join us tomorrow, November 1st, 2007 for Kathryn’s Guest Author Day. YAYAAY! We are planning way ahead these days . And yes that will be fixed by this weekend. Honest!

If you’re looking for a classic horror film for the Halloween mood, you don’t have to wait for one to play on SciFi channel, many public domain movies are available online, and you can either watch them at your computer, or download them to a mobile device.  Read on for some recos from Meljean Brook…

Again, you won’t find many modern movies in the selections (or many in color), but you will find some classics.

	DRACULA — this is the original, starring Bela Lugosi.
	NOSFERATU — this is the Max Schreck, silent-film version of DRACULA (but here he’s called Count Orlak).
	PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE – if you aren’t looking for a scare as much as a laugh, this one is your film. This cult classic, filmed by the mad Ed Wood (look up that movie, too — it’s wonderful) has possibly the worst special effects, script, plot, and acting in the history of film … but there’s also something endearing and charming about it all. Maybe because everyone threw themselves into it wholeheartedly, I don’t know.  But it’s worth a watch.
	PUPPET MASTER — This one is in color, and is a gross-out film with puppets. All good fun.
	NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD — this is George Romero’s 1968 zombie film … but it is so much more than just horror. Civil rights, Vietnam, the Cold War … take your pick, and this film can be seen as a comment on it without ever resorting to pedantry — because, dude, it’s about zombies. You can approach it just as a horror film, but it’s easy to take away more.
	CASPER, THE FRIENDLY GHOST — for the kiddies, and all of us J.R. Ward fans.

You can find more public domain movies simply by going to Google, and doing a video search with “public domain” as the search terms. Add in “horror” and you’ll get a more specific selection (but be sure to read the descriptions, as some are just fan-created movies and re-makes.)

Have a look at my other Spooktacular post for information on FREE public domain horror books and stories. Comment to either post and you’ll get a chance to win a signed copy from my backlist.

Happy Halloween!

Meljean Brook

Get your scares on without spending a dime… or leaving your chair.

Here are links to many public domain horror stories available online, and you can read them at your computer, or download them to a mobile device.  For
.

Project Gutenberg is a library of 17,000 free ebooks whose copyrights have expired. There’s a searchable database of .txt and html files, and no signup or login required.  You aren’t going to find any contemporary horror novels (don’t expect to find a Stephen King, for example) but many of the classics are there.

Here’s a sampling of my favorites…

The Raven and THE WORKS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE, Volume 2, which includes The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart, among others.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

DRACULA by Bram Stoker

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

FAMOUS MODERN GHOST STORIES by various authors (including A. Blackwood, E. A. Poe, A. Bierce, G. de Maupassant)

The Wendigo and FOUR WEIRD TALES by Algernon Blackwood

The Vampyre by John Polidori

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

And another huge archive of classic horror stories here (including H.P. Lovecraft, who I couldn’t find at Gutenberg).

Check out my next post (at 4pm CDT) for information on horror movies you can see on your computer for free.  That’s right.  FREE.

Comment to either post and you’ll get a chance to win a signed copy from my backlist.

Signed,
Meljean Brook
Your Horror Dealer

Sybil said I can play at Halloween, and I thought, what I’d really like would be good scary Halloween story. But I’m too lazy to write more than the beginning, so I decided to do my bit, and see if any of you talented writer/readers could chip in a few words. Go wherever you want, be silly, be scary, be whatever you want, just help out little Mary Sue . . . please.

So I’ll start the story, and your comments will take it to the next place.  Each comment progressively changes the story.  By Wednesday afternoon, we should have something pretty entertaining to read.

Here goes:

It was a dark and stormy night and Mary Sue was heading into it. It was Halloween! She’d get candy if it killed her . . .

She’d been in this rotten orphanage for five years, ever since she was six, with not so much as a Snickers bar. Heck, even talking about Halloween was against the stupid rules. The way Mary Sue saw it, it was now or never.

She even had a costume.

Okay, it was the sheet from her bed, and it wasn’t very ghostly, a stupid pink color… so last week!… and covered in green alligators, but no one could see her. That’s what mattered. No way she wanted anyone yakking about her being on the street after dark. It was eight o’clock now, and she planned to be back by nine with no one the wiser. All she had to do was get out of here without Black Bonnie, the headmistress, gettin’ in her face. Mary Sue shuddered when she remembered what the Black B had done to Mitzi when she’d forgotten to put the stupid cap on the toothpaste… Jeez! But she wasn’t going to think about that, and she wasn’t going to get caught either.

She took her pillow from its slip and tossed it over her skinny shoulder. She could almost taste the candy hoard now…

**But how in heck was she going to get out of the house?**