Update: Jillian’s winner is…Cories! Congrats, Cories! And Jillian, thank you for blogging with me!

Jillian and her favorite potions master

Thanks for inviting me to drop by, Cynthia. I’ve been following along since October 1st and this has been a wicked cool month so far on your blog. Such Fun!

When Cynthia asked me to guest blog today, I initially thought I’d tell some story about my ghost experiences and I may still do so at the end of this post. As I thought about what to say, I decided that since Cynthia writes Paranormal Romances and Romantic Suspense and I write what I like to call Romantic Adventures, I’d tell a little about old Halloween romantic customs. Ones that help determine your true love. These customs date back hundreds of years. I’m a Halloween Hound just like Cynthia and I love the lore as well as the lure of the holiday.

Customs:

1. Girls would put hazel nuts across the front of the fireplace. The girl would spread out a few on the grate, each one symbolizing a certain beau. She would then chant “If you love me, pop and fly; if you don’t burn and die.”

2. Cut an apple down the center to expose the five sided star, eat it by candlelight in front of a mirror and your future spouse will appear in the mirror.

3. Peel an apple in one long strand and toss the peel over your shoulder. The shape it lands in will be the initial of your true love.

4. Place an apple under your pillow and you’ll dream of your true love.

5. Comb your hair in front of a mirror by candlelight and the reflection of your future husband will appear behind you.

Seems like a lot of apple traditions. Wonder if the apple growers gathered together back in those days to start the world’s first advertising program? Sounds like the women would have flocked to the apple market for a chance to find their own true love. Wouldn’t you? And confess, if you’re single, you’ve stopped reading this post and are headed to the farmer’s market right now. You know you are.

As to my own ghost experiences, I have several to choose from but I’ll tell a little about the one where Cynthia and I went to the Pensacola Lighthouse. It was a hot night in July. Very hot. No breeze at all, really. We went down into the basement and I began to get nauseated. I thought it was the heat but I’d been there before on a cold October day and had the same sensation so I wasn’t sure. But then I smelled cigar smoke and knew it was all related to the lighthouse keeper that is rumored to still hang about the place. Cynthia smelled it, too and she actually felt some cold spots (wish I could have found some spook to cool me off- it was dreadfully hot). The people running the hunt had EMF meters that measure electromagnetic fields and it was very active that night. The meter is supposed to spike when there are spirits about. It did. A lot.

I enjoy going to haunted sites and checking them out. It’s a family tradition to do ghost walks in cities we visit. Check one out on your next vacation. It’s tons of fun. Who knows, you could have your own eerie experience.

On another note, my first book is coming out from Siren-Book Strand in January 2011. It’s called Solo Honeymoon. The story is based in London, Italy and New York City and the hero is a shoe designer from Milan (who also happens to be a Count). In celebration of this upcoming release, I’m giving away a shoe charm to one of Cynthia’s commentators here. Leave me a comment about your true love or a ghost encounter you’ve had and we’ll have Cynthia’s own personal goblin (her son) draw a name from the comments.

Visit me at http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/ or on Saturdays on my group blog, the Southern Sizzlers http://southernsizzleromance.wordpress.com/
email: JillianChantal@gmail.com

I always face a dilemma at this time of the year…What costume should I wear? And do I really just have to pick one costume? (My son currently has 3 and we still have several weeks before Halloween arrives–I’m so jealous.)

So for today’s Halloween party time, I thought I’d share some of my costume ideass with you–and hopefully, you’ll share some of your faves with me.  These are all super easy, and pretty much require minimal effort.

10. Black Cat. Come on–it’s easy and sexy. Basic black, baby. There is no going wrong with this one.

9. Witch. Have broom, will fly. You can do a sexy witch, you can do a scary witch, you can do a good witch. I constantly have a supply of witch hats at my house, so this is always my go-to outfit.

8. Vampire. Drink! Drink up! The cool thing about this is that thanks to shows like True Blood (so addicted), you can just wear any clothes you want. The days of having to dress up in Dracula’s cloak are gone. Just wear your normal clothes and flash some fang when the mood suits you.  Adding a little fake blood to your chin would be a good touch.

7. Sookie.  Yes, we’re talking True Blood, so let me just throw this one out there. Put your hair in a ponytail, put on a white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. Bam–you’re Sookie.   Some of us have a natural southern accent (ahem) so that part is easy to cover. For others–just fake it! (Update: For a more authentic Sookie-look, don’t forget the blond hair!)

6. Medusa. What? Were you expecting this one?  You can be a hip, cool Medusa. Again, just wear your street clothes.  Medusa can semi-adapt to modern times.  Normal clothes, but snakey hair.  Go to your local Walmart (or any store that sells toys) and buy some cheap, plastic snakes.  Braid them into your hair–and you’re Medusa.

5. Zombie.  Everyone loves a good zombie, right? Cut up the bottom of some old pants, dirty up your shirt, and put lots of white makeup on your face (and black makeup around your eyes). Start grunting and groaning as you walk after folks…it’s zombie time.

4. Jason from–yeah, all those Friday the 13th movies that I love. Put on a big, old coat, grab some work boots, and don’t forget to snag your favorite hockey mask. Then prepare to terrorize every kid who comes to your door.  Oh, fun.

3. Cousin It. I am such a fan of the Adam’s Family. Grab a hat. Attach as much yarn to it as you can–now, you’re Cousin It.  You’re creepy and you’re kooky.

2. Greek goddess. Sheet, baby–sheet.  Toga yourself and hold your head up like a queen, or, um, goddess.

1. Werewolf. Normal clothes work fine…as long as the full moon isn’t out. If it is, slice up the sleeves of your shirt and buy some of the furry wolf gloves you can get at your friendly costume shop.  The gloves can put you in semi-wolf shift. Then, howl occasionally for fun.

Your turn–share!

Update: The winner is…Kate N. (Yzhabella)! Congrats!

Thanks so much to Cynthia for inviting me to her Halloween blog party.

What does October symbolize to you? I was thinking about that the other day because I have a brand new release and it’s . . . can you guess? A Christmas anthology – The Naughty List. Okay, I love this because I’m in a book with Cynthia Eden and Donna Kauffman! But, hmm, Christmas stories, coming out at the beginning of October? That’s just a little too early for me (actually, it’s about 2 months too early for me!)

For me, October means a lot of things, and Christmas isn’t one of them. LOL. It’s the month when I can no longer fool myself that it’s still summer. The red and gold autumn leaves and the chill in the air won’t let me forget it’s autumn. I’m Canadian, so it’s also the month of Thanksgiving. (We Canadians are so much more sensible about that. We get a long weekend in October, and we get to eat turkey in October then again in December, rather than twice right in a row.)

Of course October is also the month that ends with Halloween. When I was a kid I so looked forward to that special evening. I’m not so much a spooks and goblins girl, but I did love planning a costume and, for one evening of the year, transforming myself into someone else. (Cowgirl was one of my favorites.) It was so much fun joining up with another family for fireworks – and yes, I’m old enough that we had fireworks and even firecrackers. I wasn’t so keen on the things that went bang, but I loved sparklers. Fairy wands!! And of course it was so terrific to be out after dark, trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and collecting sacks of candy.

But for me, the very best part was what happened after those bags were full. I always trick-or-treated with my best friend Anne, and afterwards we’d lug all our loot to the kitchen of one of our houses and empty our bags on the table. Then we’d share. Because, you know, sometimes different things go into each bag and neither of us wanted to come out better than the other. Aw, isn’t that sweet? I can’t believe what nice little girls we were. And then, of course, she liked some treats better than I did, and vice versa, so we’d swap those off. (I still, to this day, don’t understand the point of milk chocolate. I’m sorry, but if you want chocolate, eat the real stuff – the rich, super-dark, exotic, orgasmic . . . Oops, off on a tangent there. Excuse me a minute while I go grab a slice of a Terry’s dark chocolate orange . . .)

So, anyhow, after childhood experiences like those, is it any wonder that, when I began to write fiction, friendship was one of the themes I just had to write about?

What’s your favorite memory of Halloween – be it spooky or sweet? I’ll do a random draw and one person who comments will win a copy of The Naughty List, with a bookplate autographed by Cynthia, Donna, and me. (And, if you’re like me and have trouble thinking about Xmas before Halloween, then don’t even open the package when it arrives, just save it to put under your Xmas tree.)

Susan Lyons/Susan Fox  http://www.susanlyons.ca

A ghoul flies by at sunset in Santa Fe

Cindy and I share a love of Halloween decorations.

In fact, I might have to steal some of the ideas she posted over the weekend. Brainz cupcakes for the win!

Halloween is a special time for all of us who are drawn to the dark and seductive. We’re harvesting the fruits of the summer, storing up and settling in for the winter. The winds change, bringing a chill with them. Sometimes we think we hear the wild yelps of The Great Hunt riding on the currents. The veil between worlds thins and we catch glimpses of things poking their heads in to look around.

It’s an unsettling time of delicious thrills.

Petals and Thorns - a naughty retelling of Beauty and the Beast

So many of our images of Halloween, of All Hallows, of All Saints or Day of the Dead, come from old stories. As a kid I reveled in the most gruesome fairy tales I could find. I loved the old version of The Goose Girl, with the severed horse’s head giving advice. Somehow the Disney versions of the stories just never worked for me after I found out how dark and seductive the old versions were. But I always wanted to know what happened when those massive castle doors boomed closed. After Cinderella married the Prince, what then? As I grew older, I began to spin fantasies about it. Not always about Prince, either. Sure, he’s a great date for the ball and charming goes a long way.

It was the monsters that grabbed my attention.

Like in Beauty and the Beast, with his ferocity and passion. What did he do to his young bride during those long nights, I wondered? Finally I had to write the story for myself. It turns out he was quite beastly – and she loved every moment of it.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who wanted to see past the closed doors. What fairy tales got you spinning fantasies?

Best fantasy gets a free copy of Petals & Thorns! (ebook only)

Hi, everyone! Today I thought I’d share some of my fave how-to videos for Halloween decorations. I like watching videos because then I can usually pull off the project (after 2-3 views, anyway).

First up…brooms and ghosties.  🙂

Next…let’s glow, baby.

And how about some Halloween party decorations?