Cate Masters's Blog, page 7

Treats in a hurry

If you need some Halloween treats fast, this recipe will come in handy.

Erzabet Bishop brings plenty of treats to the party

Cate: Today, Erzabet Bishop’s joining the party. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.Erzabet: Hi. I’m Erzabet Bishop and I write all manner of erotic romance.
Cate: Welcome, Erzabet! What do you love most about Halloween?Erzabet: I love the shivery reads and spooky movies.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past?Erzabet: It’s more of a funny one. I dressed up as Elvira one year for my shift at a mall bookstore I worked at. The dress got hooked on the gate and I ended up flashing every single person in the mall space when the gate went up.
Cate: Oh no! I bet you made their day. :) Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?Erzabet: Yes. When I was very young, I lived in a house in Virginia. Something woke me from sleep and I stumbled into the living room and felt like I was surrounded by some kind of presence. It was disconcerting and I remember running to my mother’s room.
Cate: Scary! What frightens you the most?Erzabet: Clowns. *shudders*
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?Erzabet: Yes. It was fun.
Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?Erzabet: I don’t bake nearly as much as I used to. But I do enjoy a pumpkin cupcake at work on occasion.
Cate: Yum. Now a treat for readers... tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.Erzabet: My latest release is Pomegranate, a twisted myth tale about Persephone and her girlfriend Hayden.
Buy LinksAmazon: http://goo.gl/UKX2sY ARe: https://goo.gl/29i1jz Decadent Publishing: http://goo.gl/a2DfDi
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Erzabet:
BlurbWhat if everything you thought you knew was a lie?Crafting spells, running her shop, and hanging with her lover, Hayden, was all Persephone Carraway wanted out of life. The future was filled with endless possibilities as long as it was with the girl of her dreams. But Hayden has a secret and, it turns out, so does Persephone. One night in the Underworld will change things forever… Demi, Persephone’s mother has developed a designer pomegranate, infusing it with her daughter’s blood. A single act of betrayal will craft war with the old gods and the Fae, leaving destruction in its wake. Persephone is drawn into a web of myth and magick where nothing is as it seems, even herself.Myth. Magic. Pomegranates…
ExcerptPersephone took a breath. Her mouth was dry and her skin slick with sweat. She was thirsty. So thirsty. Her eyes wouldn’t focus, and her heart was racing.“You look like you could use this.” A woman in a black mask and unbuttoned tux jacket approached, holding out a bottle of water. The white dress shirt was halfway open, straining against her breasts. Every movement tugged against the soft flesh, hinting at the bounty buried beneath the fabric. Vest unbuttoned over leather pants and kickass boots, she made Persephone’s breath catch in her throat. The woman’s black hair was slicked back into a tight bun, her red lips plump and succulent.Hands shaking, Persephone took the bottle. “Thank you.” What is wrong with me?”“This is your first rave, I take it?”“Yes.” She drank the cool water, each swallow bringing her more clarity. Soon the bottle was drained and dangled empty in her grasp.“It can be a little much when they turn on the purple wave. Here. Sit.” The masked woman led her to a chair. Large and white, it faced an enormous fireplace. Green fire burned within. Persephone fell into the chair, her dress spilling around her. She watched the green fire dance, marveling at the images unfolding. Her mind was still muzzy but she saw...no....“Faces...there are faces,” she gasped, trying to push herself up from the chair.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?Erzabet: I wanted to write a twisted myth and this one is my favorite. I have done a couple of spins on it.
Cate: Very cool. Anything else you’d like to share?Erzabet: I have several new releases coming out and if you would like to enter to win a copy of my books, leave a comment you have signed up. Here is the link:
Newsletter  Wix: http://erzabetwrites.wix.com/erzabetbishop
Follow my Amazon page for additional points toward winning. Leave a comment to let me know.
http://www.amazon.com/Erzabet-Bishop/e/B00AVSDUBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Yes. I have a new holiday box set coming out November 1 and there is a massive giveaway attached.
Put Your Ho Ho’s On
This is a saucy, sassy, fun Christmas Collection, an Anthology of Multi-Genre ErocoThrobbers from Award-Winning NYT, USA Today Bestselling Authors!

~~~~~~~~ Hot and Spicy ~ Cool and Cozy ~ Scorching to the Touch ~~~~~~~~
Buy linksAmazon Buy Links:US:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0DE:  http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0ES:   http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0JP:   http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0BR:   http://www.amazon.com.br/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0CA:   http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0AU:   http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0IN:   http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B016WQ9SEO?*Version*=1&*entries*=0UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016WQ9SEOFR:   https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B016WQ9SEOIT:   https://www.amazon.it/dp/B016WQ9SEONK:   https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B016WQ9SEOMX:   https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B016WQ9SEONook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1122833052?ean=2940152734157
Cate: Readers, Erzabet’s sharing a very cool giveaway.Erzabet:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I also have another giveaway on the blog through Halloween for a chance to win some of my titles!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Connect with me at all of my social places:
The Romance Reviews: http://www.theromancereviews.com/100004193823883Newsletter  Wix: http://erzabetwrites.wix.com/erzabetbishopAre: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Erzabet+Bishop About Me: http://about.me/erzabet.bishop/#Facebook “like” page: https://www.facebook.com/erzabetbishopauthorAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Erzabet-Bishop/e/B00AVSDUBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590718.Erzabet_BishopFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/erzabet.bishopPinterest: http://pinterest.com/erzabetbishop/Review Blog: http://erzabetsenchantments.blogspot.com/Author Database: http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/2690-erzabet-bishopAuthorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/ErzabetBishop
Cate: Thanks for being part of the Halloween fun, Erzabet!

Paxton Summers clones your Halloween fun

Cate: Today, Paxton Summers joins my special Halloween celebration. Paxton, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Paxton: Paxton writes edgy new adult dystopian, paranormal, science fiction and military stories, all with a touch of romance. As a United States Army Veteran and avid fan of all men in uniform, she naturally gravitates toward alpha males in her stories. Her goal in her books, though you may curse her for pulling an all nighter to get to the last page, is to bring you worlds that stay with you long after you've read the final word. She loves cats, iced coffee (even though most think decaf would benefit her) mixed martial arts, and good books she can get lost in. Go ahead, click that buy button. She'd love to have you join her for an adventure.
http://www.paxtonsummers.com
Cate: Very cool. And welcome! What do you love most about Halloween? Paxton: The costumes, the trick-or-treaters and the spooky factor. Love the scary shows this time of year.
Cate: Me too. Except the scary movies, lol. Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Paxton: My mother used to always make our costumes, would spend hours sewing them. We had the coolest costumes, so when I had children of my own, I did the same. My favorites were the tin man and scare crow from the Wizard of Oz and a gold lame dragon.
Cate: Your mom sounds amazing. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Paxton: Unusual, yes. Unexplained? No. I believe in ghosts and spirits so to me they’re not a mystery.
Cate: What frightens you the most? Paxton: Sociopaths. The fact that in your lifetime, an average of 680k murders will take place in the United States, even more scary, you will more than likely walk past at least one of these killers, or worse, have an encounter with one.
Cate: Now you're really scaring me. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Paxton: Yes. My brother has the creepy hobby of photographing haunted sites and likes to drag me along when I’m home. Some of the images we’ve downloaded from the camera after visiting, are downright chilling. Not there when we snapped them.
Cate: What a cool brother. Now for the real treat! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Paxton: My latest release, and first release as Paxton Summers, is called Clone, the Book of Eva. The second book in the series has a tentative release date of February 1st. There will be five books in this series. The first book took over seven years to draft and write, and is probably the most complex story I’ve written. Best place to get it is Amazon, but you can also pick it up at any major retailer like Smash Words.
Kindle Nook Other formats
Cate: Congrats on your series launch! I love those covers. Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Paxton: Here you go.
Blurb: When a world leader’s daughter meets a clone, a doomed love affair begins.
In the year 2087, a great war erupts upon the face of the planet, destroying most of the earth. Mankind turns to cloning to survive. Over one hundred-fifty years later, the planet is divided into two factions. There is a shortage of food and an abundance of illness. Most live on the scraps of the wealthy, who wallow in excess.
This is the world Olivia Braun inherits. Sick from birth, she wakes up from surgery with a new heart, only to discover she is the youngest president of Aeropia, an empire that has created and used clones to maintain their position of power since the bombs dropped, but her rise to power was no accident and the fall won’t be either. Before her transplant, Olivia conspired with a clone to free those Aeropia had enslaved.
Now, enemies lie in wait, hidden among the population. Even friends can no longer be trusted, and Olivia must make a choice that will decide the fate of the free world. Before her tale of corruption, forbidden love and war ends, the mighty will be brought to their knees.
By a clone.
Cate: Love it. Anything else you’d like to share? Paxton: The second book in the series has a tentative release date of Feb 1st, 2016 and hopefully one every four months after, until I’ve released the 5th. And if you love this series, I will say there is potentially a spin-off of the series that takes place during the Great War, which will be mostly of a near future, NA military romance/dystopian flavor, but that would be something I wouldn’t expect to start until I finish releasing this series sometime at the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017. Thank you for having me.
Cate: Glad to have you! You're in luck, readers - Paxton has more goodies for you. Paxton: To celebrate, I’ll give away a $10.00 Gift Certificate to Amazon to one lucky commenter on this post. I will draw a winner on Halloween and announce on the post. Be sure to leave an email so I can contact you if I should pull your name from the hat.
Cate: What a great treat! Thanks for joining the party, Paxton. Happy Halloween!

Sandra Cox has a Ghost for Sale!

Cate: Please welcome Sandra Cox to my special Halloween celebration. Sandra, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Sandra: Hi, everyone. I’m thrilled to be here with Cate and her great group of followers.  About me….I’m afraid there’s nothing titillating or exciting. I’m a vegetarian, an animal lover, FINALLY retired from my day job and I’m a Muay Thai enthusiast.  And I’ve been writing forever. Grin.
Cate: What do you love most about Halloween? Sandra: The spirit of it. Grin. Pun intended. Kids and adults alike get into this holiday with great costumes, goodies, spooky decorations. It’s just a lot of fun.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Sandra: Every year was fun when the kids were young, all good memories.
Cate: Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Sandra: Years ago, I was taking a nap and when I woke up, there was ‘what appeared to be’ a stranger on the other side of the room. Whether it was truly a specter or my imagination, I have no idea. But at the time, it scared the bejesus out of me.
Cate: Yikes! I bet. What frightens you the most? Sandra: Okay, I admit it. I’m afraid of the dark.
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Sandra: I went on a haunted bus tour in Savannah, Georgia. It was all kinds of fun.
Cate: I love them too. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Sandra: Just in time for All Hallows Eve, Ghost For Sale was released the end of September. Here’s the blurb: Caitlin King can’t believe that her shopaholic cousin actuallybought two ghosts off of eBay. But she can’t ignore the truth when she starts seeing sexy Liam O’Reilly, who’s been dead for over a hundred years. He’s a fascinating specter, and the more time Caitlin spends with him, the closer they become—sending them both spiraling into a star-crossed tailspin. No matter how desperately they long for each other, there’s just no future with a guy who’s already stopped breathing. As far as where it can be purchased, thanks for asking Cate.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=978-161650773-2 Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ghost-for-sale/id979049608?mt=11 Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=978-161650773-2&c=books Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/ghost-for-sale Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-for-sale-sandra-cox/1121228433;jsessionid=434DC29AE38F5605DB65079D5D9E1107.prodny_store02-2?ean=9781616507732
Cate: Very cool. Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Sandra:
Excerpt As we reached the car, my breath went out in a whoosh. Arms and legs crossed, Liam leaned against the shiny Corvette. The street lamp limned his high sharp cheekbones and sparked the blue highlights in his hair. Plain black cotton trousers framed long legs. My heart tightened and my bones loosened. He was just so darn pretty, in a manly-man sort of way. His stormy eyes shifted to me. He stared, unsmiling. The ghost was still in a snit. Well fine, I was in a bit of a snit myself. We drove home in silence. I glanced in the rearview mirror. Liam stared straight ahead, his arms crossed, pensive. At least he wasn’t white knuckling the side of the car. How strange this must seem to him. I surfed the satellite radio till I found a channel that played old Irish ballads. A beatific expression came over his face, making my breath catch. How could a man be so good-looking? Maybe it was a ghost thing. His expression changed to one of abject terror. “Watch out,” he shouted at the top of his lungs. I turned the wheel sharply to the right, just missing a little old lady driving a bright red sports car. She laid on her horn and stuck her third digit out the window. Liam stared, his gorgeous mouth open. I think a senior citizen giving me the finger shocked him worse than my driving.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Sandra: Several years ago, when there was still a lot of wacky stuff being sold on eBay, I was half-listening to the news and writing, and I heard one of those quick blurbs that I hadn’t heard before or since, about someone selling a ghost on eBay.  The idea stuck and hense…Ghost For Sale.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Sandra: I’d just like to thank you for having me today. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you and your wonderful followers.
Cate: Thanks for joining the party! Readers, Sandra has a treat for you! Sandra: I’ll be giving out I Love Ghosts buttons to the first five people who shoot me an email @ sandracox1@gmail.com.  On the header please put Cate and Ghosts and your snail addie in the body of the email.
Cate: How fun! Happy Halloween, Sandra!
 

Brynna Curry shares her spooky past and latest release!

Cate: Brynna Curry’s here today! Welcome, Brynna. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Brynna: I’m from a sleepy lake-side town in northwest Alabama. I live deep in the woods with my children and kitty cats for company. I write happy-ever-afters with a paranormal romance or  romantic suspense twist.
Cate: Very cool. :) What do you love most about Halloween? Brynna: Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s the one day a year where anyone can be any crazy insane thing they can dream up. Imagination reigns as king and everyone is young at heart.
Cate: If only every day were like that! Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Brynna: I think my favorite would have to be my first Halloween as a mom. My husband and I took our son L.J. trick or treating to just family members houses so they could see him all dressed up in his ghost outfit. He was seven months old. We were dressed up in 50’s style.
Cate: Aww. Kids always make Halloween more fun! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Brynna: When I was twelve, My father had been in between jobs. He couldn’t find work in where we lived, but had been offered a position as band director in Waynesboro, Tennessee, so we packed up and moved again. We rented this big white farmhouse with an attic. This place was seriously creepy.
About six miles from the center of town, the home was surrounded by pastures and woods and featured a wrap around porch with a big swing shaded by an old magnolia tree. My parents left me to my own devices most of the time and I would often stretch out on the porch-swing with a book and my cat, Panther. It felt like the safest place in the house.
Our landlord told us no one had lived there since her father had died in his study. She kept the door locked to the room and told my parents it was completely off limits. No one was allowed in there, as her father’s things were as he left them. Now to a very curious child that’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. So I discovered one of the blinds had a few slats missing. From the screened in porch, I peeked through the window only to find a room with old furniture, dust and black stains on the floor by the desk. Just a room. Nothing special except every time I looked in that window, something had been moved.
Over the months we lived there, I was always on edge. The attic and parlor were other ‘off limits’ zones, at least for me. I could not be in those rooms. The smell of the air, the heaviness of the atmosphere freaked me out, but only me. It never bothered anyone else, well except for the cat. Even now I get bad vibes thinking about it. She would run across the doorway to the foyer to get in my room and never would venture into that part of the house. We often heard scraping, bumps upstairs that had no explanation. The attic had no floor. So how could something move across it?
Then one night, there were severe thunderstorms. Drenching rain, lightning, and thunder. At exactly 9:04 p.m. (I can clearly remember the time. Strange because I was born at exactly that time of night.) the power flickered then went out. Panther, who always slept at the foot of my bed, started shrieking eerily, a weird mewling sound, and crawled backwards from the end of the bed, never taking her eyes off the window, then flattened herself on my chest, right over my heart. She kept staring out the window at something in the rain. I looked towards the windows and there in the rain stood a man. He had scraggly gray hair, was wearing a black quaker looking hat and a dark coat. It was pouring rain but it seemed to fall around him, not on him. His eyes were startling blue and terrible. Almost neon blue. Even now, I can see his face.
I couldn’t breathe. I was terrified. It seemed as if he were there to hurt me, but could not come through the glass. Panther’s screech seemed to scare him. We sat locked that way for a full minute before the image vanished, the cat calmed and the power flicked back on. There was no one there. The next day I gathered my courage and checked the ground (I was that kind of kid) which was mushy from the rain but there were no footprints…none. Have you ever been so scared you couldn’t scream? Yeah. No one will ever convince me that she wasn’t my protector that night. I don’t know what that thing was. A demon? Ghost? My imagination? Who knows.
Cate: Yikes! What a truly scary story! In general, what frightens you the most? Brynna: Losing someone I love.
Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Brynna: Never. I’ve lived in too many spooky houses for it to be fun. lol
Cate: Sounds like it! lol But now for the real treat! Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Brynna:  My latest release is Claiming Ana. CA is a prequel novella set in the story world of my Triple Star Ranch series. With three additional books planned for this series, CA is more of a prequel and does not resolve the arcing storyline of Sam Murphy’s murder. While that part of the story is a cliffhanger, the whirlwind romance between Ana and Howl is resolved in this book. I’m currently working on book two Tempting Taylor.You can find Claiming Ana here. AMAZON   BARNES & NOBLE   ITUNES   ALL ROMANCE    KENSINGTON
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Brynna: Blurb: “I’ll take you, turn you, until I’m the sun that warms you, the moon that calls to you at night.” – Howl Raven
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…and passion that won’t be denied. The child of a gypsy and fey, small-town veterinarian Dr. Anastasia Brannon has always hidden her magic for fear of ridicule. A red-hot encounter with the new PI in town makes their attraction impossible to deny. Throwing caution to the wind, she indulges her desires but keeps her secrets close.
A man with a shady past and secrets of his own, Howl Raven uses his feral talents and tracking skills to make a living, doing his best to lay low and hide the curse that haunts him every month. So far, so good…until an uncontrollable shift outside the full moon leaves him the victim of a werewolf hunter.
When she finds the enigmatic investigator wounded in the woods near her cabin during a storm, Ana provides medical care on instinct. She may be the only one who can banish the wolf from Howl’s blood, but at what cost?
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme? Brynna: CA was inspired by a drive along a country road on a crisp October night with a full reddish moon overhead. The series is set in a fictional town which mirrors my own.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Brynna:. I love chatting with readers. You can connect with me or read more about Claiming Ana and other books here. Brynna’s Links Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads
Cate: Thanks for joining the party, Brynna! Happy Halloween!

More yummy treats for Halloween

These two recipes might take a little time to whip up, but sound so delicious, it will be worth it!

Glazed Fresh Apple Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup raisins, chopped
1/2 cup soft shortening
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup apples, unpared, finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift flour with baking soda. Mix together shortening, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and egg until blended. Stir in half of the flour, then add nuts, apples and raisins. Mix in apple juice and remaining flour.
Drop dough onto greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes. While cookies are hot, spread thinly with glaze.

Vanilla Glaze
In a small bowl, blend 1 1/2 cups softed confectioners sugar with 1 tbsp. soft butter, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 2 1/2 tbsp. light cream.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookie ingredients
1 1/2 cups (18 oz can) pumpkin
2 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour

Filling ingredients
1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp. cool water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cookies
In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, and molasses. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then blend in the salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour to the wet ingredients and beat for one minute, or until the mixture is well combined.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat for a short time to thoroughly mix. Use a half-cup measure to drop the batter onto greased cookie sheets (or sheets lined with parchment paper). Space them two inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm to the touch. A slight indentation will remain when you press your finger in the center. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling.

Filling
In a small heatproof bowl, combine the gelatin and water. Set aside for the gelatin to soften.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Heat the gelatin and water very gently, either in a larger bowl of hot water, or at low power in the microwave, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. Set aside.
Add half the confectioner's sugar to the butter/cream cheese mixture, and blend well. Add the gelatin and mix well. Add the remaining confectioner's sugar. Mix until well blended.

To Assemble
Spread the flat side of half the cookies with the filling, using two generous tablespoons of filling for each cookie. Top with remaining cookies.
For best storage, wrap each pie individually in plastic wrap.
Makes one dozen whoopie pies of 4" each

Landra Graf shares spooky stories and sweet treats!

Cate: Woot! Landra Graf's arrived at my special Halloween celebration. Landra, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Landra: I enjoy long walks, experimenting in the kitchen and getting lost in books. No really, I write in multiple genres from erotic, contemporary, and paranormal. My love for Supernatural knows no bounds. I've been a faithful watcher since the first season premiere. That's right no late bloomer here. I never got off the band wagon.
Cate: I can understand why! lol What do you love most about Halloween? Landra: Candy? No, I love the spooky movies, sharing traditions with my kids, going to haunted houses, and the ushering in of fall and all things pumpkin, including carving pumpkins.
Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Halloween past? Landra:  I do. Several in fact, but my fondest is of the webshow I hosted, The Beyond Natural, and our features on a couple local haunted houses and historic locations. Completing those episodes was a blast.
Cate: How cool! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain? Landra: I've had a lot of unusual experiences. One of several is waking up to seeing a woman in a hospital gown at the entrance to my bedroom. Once I saw her she refused to leave me alone until I started to pray. That's one of the weirder experiences and I don't ever discount others strange tales.
Cate: *shudders* Scary! I'm intrigued by everyone's tales as well. What frightens you the most? Landra: Zombies, which is hilarious since my latest release features zombies. I'm deathly afraid of the sci-fiction monster.
Cate: Good for you, facing your fears. :) Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own? Landra: I've never been on a ghost tour, but my husband has his own paranormal investigation team and I've been on a few investigations. I've also reviewed tons of footage and audio, which revealed a lot of spooky things to me. It's a pretty interesting experience and I highly recommend it to others.
Cate: Now for the sweet part - any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share? Landra: Love me some pumpkin bread. Here's a great, simple recipe on pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/87749892713389457/ - this one is very similar to my own, but some recipe secrets must be kept quiet. :)
Cate: Yum! Thanks for sharing. Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online. Landra: My latest release is a fairytale re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. It's available now, and is set in a small Iowa town called Charming. There's romance, zombies, and a campy feel.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Landra: Zombies don’t belong in fairy tales….at least not those with a good chance of a happily ever after… Jason Prince, Charming's once-upon-a-time star jock, only attends his Charming high school reunion to find his way into the heart of a certain wallflower who had no date for the prom. Shy, geeky, chemical engineer, Emma Fay has been keeping her love for Jason a secret because she knows Jason and Rose belong together. But, when Rose Briar pricks her finger, fulfilling a prophecy about death and a plague, she throws a wrench into the class reunion that not even the best planning committee can tackle. Can Jason and Emma stop Zombie Beauty Rose before she turns their loved ones into her undead court and sends them forth to spread the infestation to the rest of the world? Or will human flesh become the daily special at diners everywhere? And will there be enough left of Jason and Emma for romance to blossom?
Cate: Fun! What inspired you to write about the theme? Landra: My friend challenged me to re-write a fairy tale with zombies and Sleeping Beauty seemed the logical choice.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share? Landra: This book is a big deal for me, since I conquered a fear of mine to write it. Though it will probably be my last zombie story.
Cate: Oo, readers, you’re in for a double treat! Landra: One lucky commenter will win a $5 dollar Amazon Gift Card and a copy of my latest release, A Rose By Any Other Name.
Cate: Good luck to all! And thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun, Landra.

Get on your Halloween jam!

No holiday's complete with music! These are some cool songs for the season:



Annie Lennox - I Put A Spell On You 
Shivaree - Goodnight Moon  DONOVAN - Season Of The Witch 
Michael Jackson - Thriller  
Bobby Pickett - Monster Mash
3 Hours of Instrumental Horror Music

The last one's for anyone needing some background mood music. I didn't listen to the full three hours, so I can't vouch for how good it may or may not be. Search for "horror music" on YouTube and you can find plenty of others!

What's your favorite song for this season?

Daisy Banks spices up Halloween!

Cate: Daisy Banks is here today! Welcome, Daisy! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.Daisy: I am a writer. I’m interested in history. I love to visit antique fairs and shops when I’m not writing. I have two sons and am very proud of them both.
Cate: Nice! Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?Daisy: Yes, several. I grew up in a family home where unusual events such as things disappearing and then reappearing in strange places were said to be the work of the fairies. I must have been about six when one of my smallest doll’s shoes went missing. I remember being very cross about it. The tiny shoe was gone for weeks, and then one day it was discovered in full view on the arm of a chair. Things like that happened all the time. As I got into my teenage years the odd things continued. My favorite recollection is the light switching itself on for me when my arms were full of a large bundle of clean laundry and I couldn’t reach the switch. No one else was present to put the light on and I have no explanation for how it happened. I also recall seeing two young children staring out of a window in a very large Elizabethan house in a park I visited. Somehow I knew they weren’t what might be described as real. Much later I discovered the sighting of the pair of children is well known to local ghost hunters and the old house has had a sad reputation for many years. A little later in my life when I was on vacation in Devon I was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of a drum. This wasn’t someone doing a spot of band practice but someone walking up the lane by the cottage beating a drum like the sort used to call up support hundreds of years ago. If any of the readers have been to reenactment events they will know the kind of drumming I mean. If you aren’t familiar with reenactments this u tube link will give you an idea of the sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G24_1FbBrbg My husband didn’t wake at the noise and I knew if I looked out the window I’d see nothing, so I simply let it pass and went back to sleep. I do wonder about that lonely drummer though, perhaps there is a story there I might get to write one day. This list is getting rather long and I have not shared all the things I could but I’ll stop here.
Cate: Oh my goodness! That's scary. What frightens you the most?Daisy: I could say I truly don’t like large spiders. I am terrified by them, even if it might sound a bit silly, the fear is very genuine. On a more serious note the thought of serious illness or something bad happening to a family member is something I dread.
Cate: You're not alone, lol. Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?Daisy: A little while ago I went with some friends to a hotel in Dudley, the Station Hotel, which is a known ghost hot spot. A séance was scheduled and a ghost hunt took place that evening, with a walk through the cellars. I couldn’t do that as cellar air always makes my asthma bad. I didn’t mind waiting for the other members of the group and I sat in the lobby with a cup of coffee where I enjoyed the ambience of the place, including the aroma of cigar smoke, which was rather odd as being a public building there is no smoking allowed inside the hotel. I happened to mention the smell to the member of staff who came to take my empty coffee cup and she reassured me everything was fine. The cigar smell was merely one of the regular ghosts making their presence known. So even though I skipped the cellar tour I was gifted the experience of a ghostly visit.
Cate: Very cool. Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?Daisy: I live in the UK and can pretty much guarantee that Halloween night will be cold, damp and misty. There may well be rain too. Therefore I’ve chosen a spicy soup recipe, just the thing to keep people warm if they go out on Halloween night.
Spiced Red Lentil Soup1 onion1 red pepper2 sticks of celery8oz of courgettes/zucchini4oz of red lentils1 tablespoon of oil1 teaspoon each of paprika, and turmericA pinch each of cayenne pepper, cinnamon and turmeric1 can of chopped tomatoesOne and a quarter pints of vegetable stock 1 bay leafA teaspoon of basil.Salt and pepper to taste.
Chop all vegetables finely.Wash lentils.Heat oil and fry the spices in a deep pan. Add the vegetables and lentils to the pan. Stir well so spice mix coats the ingredients. Cook for about 5 minutes.Open can of tomatoes and tip them into a large jug, add enough stock to measure two pints and add this to your pan of vegetables. Sprinkle in the basil and add the bay leaf. Bring the pan to the boil and let the soup simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with some crusty bread. Delicious. After that you’ll be ready for a cold night outside and I expect the children would still have plenty of room for sweeties.
Cate: My mom always loved lentil soup! So for the real goodies... tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.Daisy: I have two new releases with Liquid Silver Books, one currently out is Christmas Carols, a sweet Victorian Historical romance, and my forthcoming release due out on 23rd November is Serving the serpent, a sweet fantasy romance involving fashion conscious dragons and their young servant. However, the story I have chosen to showcase here is the one that appears in the Halloween Special for Sexy to Go. Buy links at the bottom of the page.
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt? Daisy: This is from my story Charity’s Fortune that appears in the Sexy to Go Halloween Special Compilation. Do be aware Sexy to Go is 18+ but I’ve made sure this excerpt suitable for everyone.
Blurb: Halloween is a time the young people of the county can get together without too much attention from their elders. This night the courageous will find out their future. Charity Burbage isn’t brave but she is willing to let Joe Anderson help her discover all she might need to know.
Excerpt“You go first, Kathleen, it must be you for you’re eldest,” Charity said to her sister.“No, it doesn’t go with age, but with name. Matthew told me so. You’re next. I’ll wager they call you by name,” Kathleen spoke loud enough to cause a rash of laughs among the six other girls who stood next to the apple bobbing barrel.“Don’t,” Charity scolded. She glanced at the dim lit hay bales and again wished she’d refused to come to the Anderson’s Halloween party. If Mama knew the goings on here in the barn she’d be furious with the Anderson boys, and the Riley lads, as well as Robert Fisher, and even angrier with all the girls. No doubt about it, Mama would order her and Kathleen to a week of early nights abed after a bread and water supper so they could atone for such an adventure.  “I think we should go home, Kathy,” she said and took her sister’s arm. “All this is wicked sinful.”Kathleen shook her head. “Don’t be a baby. How else are you supposed to find out if you’ll be wed? Or rich? Or an old maid?”“Da has said he will see us both wed well, you know it.”“Piffle. Da’s idea and mine of well wed are two very different things,” Kathleen whispered. “Joe and Matthew are doing the soothsaying using paper symbols and the icy hand. I’m staying for my turn. I want to know.” Kathleen leaned a little closer. Her breath warmed Charity’s ear. “I want Matthew to tell me himself while we are all alone.”Charity gasped. “Dear Lord, all alone? Why Matthew would have to marry you after that.”Kathleen gave a smug smile and a tiny nod. “Exactly.”“You won’t,” she whispered. “Promise me, Kathy, please? Swear you’ll not.”“You little goose. Do you think Matt and I don’t kiss?”A lump settled in Charity’s chest and she couldn’t speak. Her beautiful, angel faced sister had sinned in such a way? She glanced at Kathleen’s perfect profile against the darkness beyond the lamplight. Her sister was a wicked sinner, and yet, somehow she’d got away with it so far. Maybe retribution came later? An agony of curiosity swept through her. “Tell me what happened?” she murmured.“As if I’d tell you anything about what goes on between me and Matthew? You listen to Ma too much and you’ll blab like a toddler if she pushes you to talk. It’s time you did some thinking of your own. They’ll be calling you next.  I wager you my best pink ribbon it will be Joe who calls your name. He’s a hankerin’ for you so Matthew says.”Even Joe’s name made Charity’s stomach roll. Each fear she had melted at the edges as she dwelt on him. Her skin tingled and heaven help her, the thoughts of kissing with him, his mouth on hers, blotted out many of the warnings of sin, but not all.“Don’t look so po-faced,” Kathleen said. “I know well enough you like him above all others. I reckon he knows it too. You’re both of age to wed. If you promise each other, then where’s the harm?”“Charity Burbage.”She craned her head toward the dark curtain the boys had hung up between a pair of towers made by six fat sacks each side. The voice came from within its folds. A deep voice, but she would darn well know it anywhere. That was Joe calling and it was her name he called again.“Charity Burbage.”Kathleen gave her a gentle shove and a smile. “Go on.”All Charity’s thoughts tumbled around. The Anderson men were said to have the second sight. How often had she heard that? They were good men, honest and true to their word. No one in the county said otherwise. They could tell fortunes. They read palms, and any girl would be happy to wed one of them because—she shivered at the memory of grandma’s words. “Anderson men have a way with women. Get yourself an Anderson man and if you can hold him you’ll find you’re a happy wife.” Was Granny right?She stepped over and stood before the curtain and even though her hand shook she moved a little of it aside.“Enter, seeker of the truth.”She recognized Matthew. She knew his voice almost as well as Joe’s. She glanced back over her shoulder and her sister’s gaze met hers.“Go on,” Kathy mouthed. “Go and find your way to happiness.”Swallowing hard Charity stepped through the gap in the curtain into a deeper darkness than that in the rest of the barn. Her breathing cranked up another notch. Here, only one tiny glazed lamp flickered. Three black garbed, hooded shapes stood at the back of a seated one at a table. On her side there was a chair so she could sit opposite the fearsome masked figure.Her knees sagged like she had the ague. She pulled the chair out and sank down on to it.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?Daisy: Memories of Halloween parties in childhood and all the lore and legends I read about soothe saying. When I was a teenager my friends were interested in the prediction games, apple peeling, corn scattering and things like that. We had a lot of fun with apple bobbing and a game where little objects were put in a black bag, each had a meaning in the same way the paper symbols in Charity’s Fortune have a meaning, the one that always intrigued me was why the button meant a bachelor life for a man. I guess it meant he’d have to sew on his own buttons as he’d have no wife to do the task.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?Daisy:  I have a lot going on this side of Christmas. During October I’ve been showcasing different authors each Thursday on my blog as part of the Paranormal Tour organized by Carmen Stefanescu and that continues right through into December.  My newest sweet story Serving the Serpent, published by Liquid Silver Books comes out on the 23rdof November and from the first of November there will lots of posts about dragons on my blog. There will be more about my stories and those of other authors who contribute to the Sexy to Go monthly collections, as there is a Halloween Special as well as the usual monthly compilation. There will be specials for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. In December I’ll be offering a free read on the blog as a part of the Daisy Banks Christmas Cracker. I will have some more exciting news to share in January too.
Many thanks for reading and I’d like to wish you and all the readers a fabulous Halloween.
Find Daisy Banks hereBlog http://daisybanks.wordpress.com/Twitter @DaisyBanks16Facebook http://on.fb.me/18iRC35                  Pinterest http://bit.ly/16sF1XG
Buy linksAmazon      http://amazon.com/author/daisybanksBarnes and Noble   All Romance Ebooks Kobo   iTunes
Daisy Banks is the author of:Serving the Serpent out on November 23rdChristmas CarolsMarked for MagicTo EternityTimelessA Perfect MatchValentine WishesA Gentleman’s FollyYour Heart My SoulFiona’s WishA Matter of Some ScandalDaisy Banks writes a regular monthly story in the Sexy to Go compilations.
Cate: Thanks for sharing in the Halloween fun, Daisy!

Pennslvania Dutch hex signs are more than decorative - they're magic

Driving through the back roads of Pennsylvania, you'll see them on barns, mostly. The hex signs are colorful as a kaleidoscope, but the designs are anything but random. Many of the symbols represent magical talismans specific to whatever they're intended to protect. They originate from a type of magical practice known as pow wowing.

I only learned about pow wow magic this year after reading an article about one of the most haunted houses in Pennsylvania. Located in York, Pa., which is only about an hour from where I live, the house brought pow wowing to the national spotlight in 1928 when the owner, John Blymire, died from a pow wow hex. But not before Blymire murdered the man he believed had cursed him. Blymire set the man on fire, but his body didn't completely burn - superstition says because the Hounds of Hell came to reclaim the man. *shudder* Ever since, the road on which the house sits is called Hex Hollow.

Some still practice pow wowing, but for holistic medicine rather than hexing. Pow wowing uses herbal and spiritual techniques for healing - or not. There's conflicting information about whether Amish and Mennonite use pow wowing, but this article explains its origins.

This Wikipedia post is flagged for incomplete citations, but is still very interesting. It says that in addition to the book above, practitioners always have a Bible on hand, but also a copy of "the Romanus-Buchlein and Egyptian Secrets of Albertus Magnus. Important to some practitioners was the work The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, a magical text attributed to Moses and claimed as an esoteric sequel to the Biblical Five Books of Moses, or Pentateuch."


Years ago, I bought this small welcome sign for my kitchen. It has a Made In China sticker on the back, so I'm pretty sure it's free of any local magic or mysticism, lol.

So if you're driving through Pennsylvania Dutch country and overhear someone mention braucherei or Speilwerk or hexenmeister, stomp on the gas pedal and get out of there fast - or you might be hexed next!