October Frights Annual Blog Hop!

Ever since I was a kid, I got a really weird kick out of scaring myself silly.

It started long before I discovered Stephen King (that didn't happen until sixth grade). I was a relentless pursuer of the Bloody Mary legend at day camp--when I was eight years old. To this day, I still can't look into a mirror in a dark room.

In high school, I'd sit in my perfectly peaceful bedroom late at night, imagining all the horrific things that weren't but possibly could be hiding in the shadows downstairs...then have to work up the nerve to go down to the bathroom, all the while straining to hear the things that weren't there (but quite possibly could have been). And then I'd run from them.

On family vacations, I'd drag the husband along on ghost tours--and then go back to the hotel, disappointed that no one ended up possessed. Fifteen dollar for a few stories and the chance to fool around with a K2 meter used to seem like a legit spend of money.

Now, if I don't capture compelling EVPs or end up with demon scratches on my leg, I'm bummed, and I keep the rest of the family up saying things like, "Now, what *would* have been cool is if we got chased by a vengeful spirit and had to run for our lives." Everyone else would put in earplugs and go to sleep, and I'd start to worry I ended up with a spirit attachment who was just biding its time before it made my life a living hell.

King. Poe. Kruger. Halloween. Ghost hunting. Thrill rides. Disturbing movies. Haunted houses. Scary books. All of these glorious things fed an over-active imagination and resulted in a kid who was convinced she really ought to be afraid of the dark.

Ought to be afraid. Never quite made it, but I'm trying.

In fact, I keep digging and prying into the shadows, waiting for the big payoff. It'll come one day, I'm sure, and I will totally lose my poo.

Until then...I run, hoping something will chase.

Giveaway:

Comment below and tell me: what's your favorite way to be scared? I'm looking for new ways to scare myself silly, so tell me what sends you into an adrenaline coma. One commenter will win Frights (a black cat Beanie Boo) and a signed copy of M is for Monster, an A to Z collection of things that belong in the dark.

Click here to enter the group giveaway!
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Now...get hopping!

#OctoberFrights: The Scariest Thing an Author Will Do

Welcome to Day Four of the the annual October Frights Blog Hop, organized by Clarissa Johal.

Each year, all styles of dark writers get together to rattle their cages and talk about what makes them howl. It's October, after all. This is the time of year we can get away with it...

It's a chance to talk about the scary things. So far on this tour, I've visited many of the other blogs and found witches, zombies, lurchers (sounds scary but dang it, if they ain't loveable!) and every dark chunk of human nature you can imagine.

I adore monsters. They don't scare me. They make me grin and say things like, "Aw, that's sweet. Look at those fangs!" It's not my fault. It's probably a psychological defense mechanism.

In fact, if anything scare me, it's psychological horror. The idea that something very real and very scary exists. It worms its way into my head and digs and digs and digs--  

Oooh. That was an actual shiver.

I did something very scary today, something that any author no matter their genre would agree is the scariest part of our life. I hit the "publish" button.

Doesn't sound like a big deal to a lot of people, I know. But it's the build up to the button that makes it a breath-holding moment.

It all started with an email...

Earlier this year, I completed the contract on the third book in one of my trilogies and I asked for my rights back on my series. That was a little scary in itself--this was my first publisher, my first contract. I've been with this press longer than anyone else, and they've been wonderful. However, my ideas and plans for this trilogy were far more complex than a backlist status could muster. I decided to take the reins. Big, scary moment.

The Publishing Feels

The last three months were full of cover designs, formatting for print and ebooks, and the edits--lots of tension when Photoshop or Word decided not to cooperate. As the closer I got to the circled date on my calendar, the more tense and scary things got.

I think I tweaked those files more times in the last 48 hours than I have in 48 days. And when I woke up this morning, and saw that I had no more days to X off on my calendar...

I could almost hear the shrieking violins and the dun-it-dun-it-dun-it and that "Publish Now" button just seemed to pulse under my hovering finger.

What if I made a mistake? What if Kindle doofs up my files and my reviews don't transfer? What if the new covers aren't as great as people assured me they were (and I asked everyone. Even complete strangers. A/B testing should never be reserved for only the nearest and dearest.)

WHAT IF? WHAT IF? WHAT IF?

I ask that question all the time. I'm a spec fic writer so it's kind of an occupational hazard. So, I did the logical thing. I put myself out of misery. I hit the LAUNCH button.

Hmm. That wasn't so bad, I thought, and went to pour a fresh cup of tea, waiting for my pulse to return to normal...

But it's only until the next scene in this psychological thriller...The Reviewers! *shrieking violins*

Tell me, folks...what is the scariest real life thing you do, the thing that leaves you clutching your chest, gasping for breath, amazed you survived?

Leave a comment and one of you will win something grand.

But for now, it's time to get back to work on my Amazon files. I've got book listings to write! Wish us both luck...

If this is your first time joining us, catch up with this list of the links for the week...
Day One: Intro
Day Two: Author Spotlight and Review, AF Stewart
Day Three: Putting the Ick in Magick

Enter my October Frights giveaway here:

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See who else is playing in the dark...

click on the link below to get hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

And don't miss the other giveaways you'll find when you click on the October Giveaways tab up above or click here for a handy shortcut :)