It’s pretty much a given that the seeds of Halloween originated with the Celts and their celebration of Samhain. The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the next was thinnest at this time of year. They believed that friends and relatives who had died would often return, with their souls inhabiting an animal – often a black cat. Black cats have remained a symbol of Halloween all the way until now.

Once of the Celtic customs involved going door to door asking for food to be donated to their deities. And young Celts would ask for wood to be burned on a hill top to celebrate Samhain and further honor their gods. These are two of the possible origins of Halloween’s Trick or Treating.

When I was a kid, I wanted to dress up as something different every Halloween. One year a black cat, the next a hula girl, one time a princess — I suppose I was like the children now who want to dress up as whatever movie or tv icon catches their imagination. My brother and I would race from door to door yelling Trick or Treat with our long-suffering mother trailing behind but keeping a careful eye on her own little gremlins. At the end of our neighborhood canvassing, we’d return home, examine our loot and proceed to stuff ourselves until Mom put a stop to it.

All too soon, I considered myself too old to run door to door begging for candy and dressed as something I most definitely was not. When my daughter was born, I considered dressing up while I escorted her but none of the other mothers in the ‘hood did and my sense of conformity kept me from doing it.

What a shame.

Halloween is one of the last childhood institutions that actively encourages imagination. And what better way to do it than running through crisp Fall leaves on a cool night yelling at neighbors to give those sweet candy bribes or risk getting windows soaped or trees decorated with TP?

That is…unless you’re a writer. Or someone who likes strange, possibly frightening tales.

HEARTSTONE EXCERPT

The ringing phone jarred Keriam out of a sound sleep.

She bolted upright, heart pounding and groped for the handset.

“Hello?”

No one answered.

Her heart continued to pound.

“Hello?” she repeated. For a second, she thought she heard

breathing and an uneasy tendril snaked down her spine. She’d had

a number of these no-answer calls in the last few days. Normally,

they didn’t bother her.

This one did. She hung up.

Too awake to fall back asleep, Keriam swung her legs out of the

bed, feet hitting the cold floor. She’d been locking the doors lately,

though she didn’t remember doing it. Probably another facet of her

episodes, another sign she was losing her mind. Still it wouldn’t hurt

to check them just to make sure.

And she could check on Wolfgang. Having a huge dog gave her

a sense of safety. Not that she expected to keep him, but she might

think about getting a dog of her own. She stared at the telephone

for a moment, then stood.

She rubbed her eyes, then, without turning on the lights, went

into the hallway. The quiet house had an empty feeling, as if she was

totally alone. That couldn’t be. Not with Wolfgang in the kitchen.

Still, she advanced slowly, using all her senses to detect anything

out of the ordinary. Moonlight shone through the living room

window and she paused, looking out into the front yard. Nothing

there. Turning, she tiptoed into the kitchen, the same eerie feeling of

emptiness hitting her again. This time, she flipped on the overhead

light. The dog wasn’t there. “Wolfgang?”

Quickly, she checked the living room although she already knew

it was empty. A growing urgency had her race through the rest of

the house checking under tables, behind furniture. She didn’t find

him. She ended on the back porch, shivering in the cool night air

and looking out over the fallow field between her house and her

neighbor’s. “Wolfgang!”

She couldn’t see much past the glow from her doorway and

stepped farther into the shadows to let her eyes adjust to the dark. Her

toes brushed against a leathery object and she picked up his collar.

Somehow, Wolfgang had gotten out. Or been let out.

She whirled, looking back into her kitchen.

No, Wolfgang would have barked if there’d been an intruder.

She was sure of that. And she would have seen anyone who’d come

inside. She pressed her teeth onto her bottom lip, confused. Worried.

The door had been closed. Locked.

How had he gotten out?

It didn’t matter. She had to find him. He was her responsibility.

She raced inside to get dressed.

Within minutes, she thundered down the stairs and headed to

the kitchen door. Wolfgang had probably gone into the woods out

back. A big dog like him, he’d enjoy chasing the small herd of deer

or the raccoons or possums. She hoped he didn’t find the skunks

though. She didn’t have enough tomato juice for that.

A sudden banging on her front door had her nearly leap out of

her skin. Then she realized it had to be Mr. Mountley. The old man

knocked like he was driving nails with his fist. He’d probably caught

Wolfgang nosing around the emu pens. She hoped Wolfgang hadn’t

gotten injured by the big, mean-tempered birds. She whipped the

door open preparing to thank Mr. Mountley and scold the big dog.

“Marc?” Surprise made her step back.

Marc jerked, sweat sheening his face. His hair curled in damp

tendrils on his forehead and his eyes looked fever bright. He made

a moaning sort of noise and leaned unsteadily on the doorframe.

“Are you all right?” Keriam pushed the screen door open

without thinking. Then took another look at him. Something in his

expression sent an uneasy shiver up her spine. Something’s wrong

here, she thought. Something’s off. She hesitated, then years of

country-manners kicked in. “Come in, Marc. It’s freezing outside.

Is something wrong? Is that why you came by?”

He moved like a marionette, stiff and loose at the same time. As

he walked past her, the rank odor from his body was overpowering.

She drew back, startled. Marc had always been fastidious.

He was obviously ill. Maybe drunk. But she didn’t smell alcohol.

Marc’s gaze whipped around the living room but he didn’t move. He

simply stood there as if trying to figure out what to do next. She felt

heat pouring off his body. Not drunk, sick. The thought didn’t ease

her slowly tightening nerves.

Marc took a ragged step forward, followed by another. He approached

the family portraits hanging above the stone hearth. Keriam

watched, puzzled, as he stared at Meredith’s picture. Her mother’s

red-gold hair gleamed in the autumn sunshine. Keriam moved behind

him. “What is it, Marc?”

He stilled at the sound of her voice. His hand trembled as he

rested it on the mantle just below Meredith’s photograph.

“Meredith I’sadhe.”

A chill traced over her skin at the quiet menace in his voice.

“Ezahdhee? What does that mean?”

Marc turned, ignoring her question. The ravening hunger in

his eyes seared her. She backed away as he grinned, a feral baring of

teeth. Ruthlessly, she shoved her uneasiness aside—this was Marc,

her ex-fiancé—and crossed her arms over her chest. But still… “Marc,

I think you should go.”

He took a step toward her. She retreated again.

“You’re not well, are you?” Her voice quavered and she hated it.

He took another halting step closer, closer.

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Heartstone

Trade Paperback
240 pages
$13.95
978-1-60659-233-5

eBook
$4.99
978-1-60659-232-8

Eric d’Ebrur is out of time. He must find the legendary Heartstone and
fulfill the ancient Gar’Ja bond he shares with the Stonebearer. But
when he finds her, he discovers that love can be more dangerous than
the Gawan threat. Eric can defeat the mind-controlling Gawan but will
it cost him the woman he loves?

After terrifying episodes of hypersensitivity, Keriam Norton thinks
she’s losing her mind. When handsome shapeshifter Eric d’Ebrur saves
her from the monstrous Gawan, she’s sure of it. But insane or not,
she’ll find the Heartstone and, if she’s lucky, a love to last a
lifetime.

Heartstone is also available on Amazon.com

GIVEAWAY: If you join or are a member of my newsletter group, send me an email with Don’t Open The Door in the subject line, and your snail mail address in the body, I’ll enter you in a drawing for a ‘Heartstone’ necklace of your very own.

Email me at Lynda@LyndaKScott.com

Deadline: Friday, Oct 29

My alien kitten, Wookie, will assist me in picking a winner (she likes bribes but I insist the drawing must stay honest, so no bribes please, lol). I’ll announce the winner on my newsletter group.

I love contact with my readers and there’s lots of ways to stay in touch with me. The best way is to join my newsletter, a non-chat yahoo group, with a low volume. Hope to see you there!
To join my newsletter, send a blank email to:
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Update: Marilyn’s winner is…Sue Brandes! Congrats, Sue!!

It’s such a thrill to get to be part of Cynthia’s Halloween Blog Party today! Thanks so much for letting me join in ;). Because I’m a guest, I wanted to bring along a treat for the party’s host (*waving to Cynthia*) and all her friends…so I brought the drinks! Let me explain why I chose these…

In my new October book, Friday Mornings at Nine, three friends get together weekly for coffee and conversation. They discuss their marriages, their jobs, their lives — just like a lot of suburban moms do. But, one fall morning, after one of the women admits to getting emails from her college ex-boyfriend, they also begin to wonder if they married the right man…which leads to much drama, some humor and a lot of relationship complications.

One of the story’s major turning points takes place at an adults-only Halloween party. (Because, hey, what better backdrop is there for games of romantic pretense, right?) There are costumes, of course. Spooky music. And snacks. Because there’s a fairy-tale theme running throughout the story, too, I had a lot of fun getting to name the foods served at the party: Three Bloody Pigs in a Blanket, Jack and the Bean-Dip, Golden Goose Deviled Eggs and, of course, Poisoned Appletinis!

So, I’m here to raise my glass to all of you Halloween revelers today and share my version (and a couple of variations) of the recipe with you, just in case you’d like to make it for your grown-up friends in the real world while the costumed kidlets are chomping on their candy!

Poisoned Appletini (Marilyn’s pink version):
2 parts vodka
1 part apple schnapps
1 part Cointreau
1 part apple cider
Directions: rim a chilled martini glass with apple-flavored sugar rimmer; mix all the other ingredients with ice; shake and strain into the glass; garnish with a slice of apple.

You can also make it GREEN by substituting the 1 part Cointreau above for 1 part Midori melon liqueur and the 1 part apple cider above with a good squeeze of lime juice.

OR you can go a completely different way with it and make Caramel Appletinis using only 2 parts Bacardi Big Apple Rum and 2 parts butterscotch schnapps and an apple slice garnish.

Sound good? I hope so. What are some of your favorite Halloween snacks? Are you a candy person? (I’ll confess to an Almond Joy addiction.) Popcorn balls? Hot stews or warm cinnamon ciders? Anything with pumpkin? I’d love to hear your faves and will give away one copy of Friday Mornings at Nine (after midnight EST tonight!) to a commenter on today’s post.

Thanks, again, for having me visit, Cynthia, and wishing you all a fabulously frightening Halloweeeeeen!!
~Marilyn

Update: Arianna’s winner is…Cassandra! Congrats!

Firstly, I’d love to thank Cynthia for allowing me to be a guest on her blog today.

I remember when I set out to write my first erotic romance. I really wanted to write the dark compelling tale of a woman who finds out that she is actually a faerie princess. I had a plan. I had a plot. Darn it, I had good story. My muse, although, must have misheard me. Instead of dark she heard “snark” and that’s when I realized that I’d never be able to write a dark fantasy or paranormal.

Then again, I should have known. Horror movies always scared me. Whether it’s Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, or even Ghostface, the result is always the same. I get scared as HECK. Don’t even get me started on The Exorcist and the 360 Linda Blair puts her head through. To a kid the tender age of ten, it can be frightening. I really don’t see the enjoyment of covering or closing your eyes through an entire movie. And even to this day I have problems watching scary movies.

Scary Movie on the other hand? Well I can watch that over and over. I love comedy. I love to laugh. Parodies have helped me discover that I have a real knack for humor. My recent trip to the theater brought me to see Vampires Suck. Okay, as far as parodies go, it wasn’t the greatest, but it did give me enough chuckles to satisfy my love of humor.

So, I’m quite happy with my hard of hearing muse and whatever corniness she decides to send my way. And thanks to her, I’ve found the perfect mix—A dash of snark with a splash of dark.

Here’s the blurb for that “Snark Fantasy” erotic romance:

A fairytale, but not the kind your mother used to read you!

Rhiannon Kinsley’s life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she’s a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.

With the Dark Faerie forces threatening his kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He’s performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more—a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn’t unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she’s convinced they’re both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over the kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?

See what I mean? I definitely can’t write dark. And that’s the way I like it.

You can purchase Wings of Desire, my first published novel at Eternal Press or at Amazon (in Kindle or print formats). And in 2011, a ton more snark will be available in Spring, 2011 when Beauty School Demon (Written under my other penname, Sidney Ayers) will be available from Sourcebooks. You can read more about it here.

Update: Rebecca’s winner is…Lynn Rush! Congrats, Lynn!

First I’d like to thank Cynthia for letting me play on her blog today! My name is Rebecca Zanetti and I write dark paranormals for Kensington Brava. My debut book, FATED, will be out February 22, 2011.

I love the month of October.  The time when goblins walk among us and the veil slips between reality and the supernatural.  And, well, it’s a time for pumpkins.  Carving them.  Eating the seeds.  Decorating.  Who doesn’t love decorating?  Plus, you have the perfect excusing for toting around those miniature candy bars–in you purse, in your desk, in the car…  It’s October!

This is the best month to write a good paranormal, as far as I’m concerned.  There’s something about writing a bad guy during the month of October. The mist creeps higher off the ground, the clouds hang lower and well…nature crackles. At least where I live. Take the misty picture with the cold looking bench.  Can’t you just see the villian wandering the rough path, thinking about doing evil?

I love a well written bad guy.  But he has to be SO bad you don’t want to root for him. In October, it’s easier to create him. The bad guys in FATED are called Kurjans—pasty faced devils who hate the sun and like to kill. Of course the sexy good guys love the sun and are determined to end the Kurjans. For good.

There’s something about the moon in October.  It’s more mysterious.  Maybe preparing for Halloween like the rest of us.  But if you’re a writer and you want inspiration, look up.  Then imagine who else is looking up.  Probably a bad guy out hunting prey.  Or maybe a goblin or two out looking for treats.  Or possibly a lonely writer trying to create the ultimate bad guy.

November will be here soon.  The mystery of October will disappear until next year while snow blankets the ground.  (At least where I live.)  But for now, the mist is scary and the moon is veiled.  Something howls late at night.  And the bad guys roam.

So, here are a couple of questions:  What makes the ultimate bad guy?  Or, what do you like about October?  I’ll randomly draw the name of one commenter and send a signed coverflat of FATED right away – and then an ARC when I get them.  (I should be receiving ARCs soon, and will send one right out.)  BTW – this will be the first ARC I send out!  🙂

Thanks for reading today!

Rebecca Zanetti has taken her experiences as a lawyer, college professor, Senate Aide, art curator and cocktail waitress, wrapped it all up, and decided to write about vampires and fate.  It all fits together.  Somehow.  Please visit her at: http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/ for more information.

Update:  The blog winner is Lisa Freeman! Congrats, Lisa!

What is it about dark edgy men that we love so?  Is it the fact that we like a little roughness around the edges?  A bit of friction to make things interesting?

I think women like a challenge and what better challenge is there than a bad boy?  A man with dark secrets and a past that may be questionable.

In my latest book, His Darkest Embrace, my hero Jagger is such a man.  He’s a jaguar warrior and carries with him the sins of his past.  He’s dark, edgy and passionate.  It will take one hell of a woman to break through the barriers he’s erected around his heart and soul.

A solitary hunter with no regard for the human world, Jagger Castille is a shifter living on the edge. It will take the woman who calls him enemy to give him a reason to live.

Jagger is a creature of the night—Skye Knightly soars in the sun. Natural adversaries, they have been joined by destiny in a mission entrusted to Skye’s family centuries ago: Nothing less than the salvation of the Earth.

Wounded and bitter, Jagger sought escape in the solitude of the jungle, driven by a need to disappear forever… until a mysterious shifter who calls to his soul and feeds a yearning long forgotten, pulls him from his dark path. A courageous warrior, Skye’s passion is equal to Jagger’s own—but can she trust a man on the edge? A man whose secrets are as devastating as her own?

Each is the other’s sole hope for survival. But a dark and twisted truth is leading them toward the ultimate sacrifice for a love they may never live to claim.

Watch the video trailer here!  His Darkest Embrace or read the first 4 chapters online HERE

Tell me what it is you like about bad boys…and I’ll give one random commentator a copy of my latest book in the jaguar warriors trilogy, His Darkest Embrace.