Halloween First Friday!

Hello GLIAS readers! Fall is on the horizon (according to the calendar it's already here) and with Halloween at the end of the month, we thought we'd take this First Friday of October to celebrate what's going on in our lives--and Halloween!

I asked all of our bloggers to share news and/or something fun about Halloween!

ALEXA BOURNE

There are a lot of things I love about fall. I’m a huge football and soccer fan. My birthday is in October. I’m from New England originally, so I love the changing of the leaves (and really, really miss that!). And of course there’s Halloween.

I used to go out for Halloween with my little cousin and I even taught him what to say at the doors: Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. It was always a happy time, but sometimes it was hard coming up with costumes. I remember one year I went as a character from my favorite movie that year called Xanadu. (1980, if you’re wondering.) Another year I was a witch with an amazing costume handmade for me. And the candy, oh the candy!!!!....uh, sorry. Got lost on a memory of snickers and kit-kats. What was I saying? Oh yeah. Halloween.

In 2013, I will not be going out for Halloween. I’ll probably be writing, but I will have the front porch light on and a bowl of candy I don’t like for kids who might stop by. I’ll be busy working on 2 secret writing projects I hope to share soon and I’ll probably work on edits for one of my recently contracted books. If you go out with friends or wee ones who dress up in adorable costumes, have a great time and stay safe!

LIZBETH SELVIG

Halloween has always been a great holiday in our family. When my kids were little, I loved to sew fairly elaborate costumes for them. The time and expense were always worth it because they provided dress-up play for the whole year—sometimes longer. I got this tradition from my mother who was a genius at creating unique costumes for four kids. Our favorites were the martian heads she made for my brother and me out of construction paper and nut cups, and the convict costumes she made out of drapery fabric and oatmeal containers. Our “jailbird” ID numbers were our address – lol!

I’m working my love of costumes into my current WIP. My hero, David Pitts-Matherson, is a proper English gentleman transplanted to Minnesota. He does one hugely out-of-character thing every year is participate in the re-enactment of a local train robbery, playing one of the bad guys who races alongside a train, Colt 45 blazing. He absolutely loves doing it every single October, and my fictional town, Kennison Falls, loves that they can turn their adopted Englishman into a gunslinger once a year.

The re-enactment in my book is based on one that occurs in Northfield, MN each fall during Defeat of Jesse James Days. In 1876 members of the James-Younger gang tried to rob the First National Bank in downtown Northfield. The robbery failed, two gang members were killed and two seriously wounded. It was the beginning of the end for Jesse James.  I can definitely see David, and his heroine Rio, dressing up in costumes just like these!

You can meet David in my new book, “Rescued by a Stranger,” then stay tuned for his story coming soon!  Happy Halloween and fall everyone. Thanks for all the support of GLIAS, of us, and of our amazing guest authors!

HEATHER SNOW

A Very Busy October for the Snows…

Normally, at this time of year, I’m dragging out the pumpkins, draping the fireplace mantels with garland made from leaves of burnt orange, brilliant reds and bright yellows, and lining my sidewalk with tiny ghosties.

Not this year…at least not yet. As you read this, I’m probably in an airplane winging my way to Atlanta for the Maggie Awards Banquet this Saturday night. I’m thrilled that both Sweet Enemy and Sweet Deception are up for best Published Historical Romance of 2012. Wish me luck!

(And if you’re near Atlanta, come by and see me on Saturday at the Literacy Book Signing! I'll have a limited # of books with me, and will happily sign ones you already have or just sit & chat. Would love to see you there!)

Date: Saturday, October 5

Time: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Location:

Peachtree Corners Room

Atlanta Hilton Northeast

5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.

Norcross, Georgia 30092-3416

770-447-4747

Next weekend, I’m off again, this time to California where both Sweet Enemy and Sweet Deception are up for the Book Buyer’s Best Awards.

Then I’ll have a weekend at home (to put up those ghosties!) before heading off to the Novelist Inc. Conference in Myrtle Beach!

I know, I know, poor me… Travel is such fun and I’m honored to have such great reasons. However, I am a bit sad to be traveling so much in October. Not only do I need to be hard at work finishing up Sweet Alibi, but the Heir just started baseball and his first game was rained out over the weekend which means that now his first game is THIS weekend…and I AM GOING TO MISS IT L L L As talented and wonderful as Mr. Snow is, he’s a terrible videographer, so I’m just going to have to imagine it.

Here’s hoping November is a little more quiet…at least until the holiday rush!!! Just thinking about the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year roller coaster has me exhausted already! How about you?

LARA LACOMBE

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  Who doesn't love putting on a costume and pretending to be someone else for a little while?  Of course, I never really went in for the monster or really scary costumes, and neither did Kelly, the heroine of my upcoming book, DEADLY CONTACT.  Kelly has always been a bit of an academic, and even from a young age, her Halloween costumes reflected her serious nature.  Like the year she went as Marie Curie.  I imagine her as looking something like this...

A good costume for a budding scientist, don't you think?

And as for James?  Well, I'll let you guess his favorite Halloween costume after you read the book.  It will be out next month!

CLOVER AUTREY

I've always loved Halloween. I actually think I have more Halloween decorations than I do for Christmas. There's just something about it. Then again I also go crazy over myth and lore and all things supernatural, and Halloween just brings out the celebration in that as well. Small wonder that all my books have supernatural elements in them, right?

I also love the idea of Dia de los Muerte and would love to head close to the southern border and see an All Souls' Day parade with all the marigolds and sugar candy shaped like skulls. My sister has one of those skeleton dolls in brides clothes that I jokingly remind her to put her food offering out for on November 2nd as gifts for the dead.

So you'd think I enjoy dressing up, but I actually don't. I love looking at all the other costumes, especially creative ones, but I'd rather just stay in my jeans and T-shirt and pass out candy. The last time I did dress up was several years ago as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. If you're going to wear a costume, be a villian. So much more fun.

ANGI MORGAN

Getting Into My Characters?

Many Halloweens ago, I would dress up with my kids. And yes, the year that 101 Dalmatians came out, my girls were crazy about them and puppies. At the time, we didn’t have a fenced yard so there weren’t dogs in the house. But at Halloween… Okay, you can see the picture for yourself. I did walk upright when we went trick or treating.  >>>ROTFL<<<<

I don’t know if dressing up helped me understand one of the main characters in my January release: THE MARINE’S LAST DEFENSE, but it didn’t stop me from wanting a puppy.

Our current house does have a fence and large yard. We began adopting rescue dogs 16 years ago. We adopted Dallas and Texas in May of 2012 (Dallas is the little pup on my left). Texas is celebrating his 2 year old birthday this month and is happy with his new sister, Roxie (who led us to fostering Labs). We lost Dallas to a severe seizure last February. I was writing MARINE when we lost her. I was able to use her quirks and unconditional love to create a wonderful Black Labrador who brought my hero and heroine together.

All our “pups” have a place in my heart and help me with my writing every day. I’m so glad I could create a character modeled after Dallas. She was a great pup–blind in one eye, suffering from seizures and still the most loving, happiest, bravest thing on four paws I’ve ever met. Her bravery brings tears to my eyes each time I think about her.
http://angimorgan.com/

MAUREEN MCGOWAN

I used to be obsessed with Halloween and would take just about any opportunity to dress up in a costume. (A bit of a ham...) But I've been a bit of a Halloween grinch these past few years. There aren't many kids in my neighborhood and in my previous job I needed to work late every month end--including October 31st, so I've taken to not being home on Halloween.

Some years I visit my sister and her kids (but she's 5 hours away). Other years I've hung out with friends and helped them hand out candy. And, yes, still other years I've turned out all the lights except my computer and worked on a deadline!

Here's a photo of my sister and I as zombies a couple of years ago. My sister is the grannie zombie. I did our makeup. :)

This Halloween, one kind of incredible thing for me is realizing that it marks the one year anniversary of the release of DEVIANTS Book One in The Dust Chronicles!  In fact, my publisher sent me Halloween-themed flowers on the day DEVIANTS released.


I'm just finishing up my revisions for Book Three in that trilogy, and it's hard to believe the first book came out almost a year ago... It's been a wild ride.

I think my Spanish publisher did a very Halloween-like cover for the Spanish translated version of COMPLIANCE (Book Two), called LOS EJECUTORES.
















Happy fall, everyone, and an early Happy Halloween!

Are you dressing yourself (or anyone else) up this year?

What's your costume! Please share. :)