Costume A Literary Giant and Enter My Nook Giveaway at Book Riot!

Me, as a zebra, 2009.

I've never been a big one for costumes. As a writer, I tend to keep my fantasy in my head and on the page. Okay. That's a lie. I costume myself every day.

There's the Laura, Field Trip Mom Turtleneck. The I Feel Icky Because I Ate too Much Cake Fatpants Ensemble. The Freakin' Good Hair Day/I Feel Gorgeous Jeans/Sweater/Boots Outfit. The Hey, Buy My Books! Dress I Paid Too Much For But Love Anyway. The I'm Trying to Look Like My Husband's Mistress, Not His Wife Little Black Dress (including Spanx). The I Don't Give a Damn If I Look Like My Grandma/It's Freezing in Here Flannel Nightgown and Robe Set. Oh, and the Of Course I'm Not a Tourist in NYC Black Trench Coat and Knee-High, Heeled Boots.

When nice folks at Book Riot offered me a chance to do a giveaway on their (amazing) website, I wanted to come up with a Halloween theme that would give contest entrants something fun to do. (I like fun. I live for fun. I hate to be bored, which means I almost never am. Boredom is a lifestyle choice!)

All you have to do to be entered to win one of these--

A Nook Simple Touch GlowLight-- is to think up a clever costume for your favorite literary character or writer. Be wild with Oscar Wilde! Get inventive with Ivy! (If you've read Devil's Oven, you know who she is. ; ) Make Junot Diaz jaunty! Nora Roberts naughty! You get the idea.

Be brief.

Be speedy. Enter before the contest ends at 11:59pm Eastern Friday, October 12.

Be dead clever.

Be at Book Riot, because that's the only place you can enter to win!

(Commenting here will not enter you in the drawing. Sorry. Those are the rules.)

Now off you go to Book Riot. I want you to win that Nook!

A Spooky Start to October: A Buggy Short Story, Book Prizes, and a Sparkly New Ad

You know how I hate to send you away from here, but I've been busy at a couple of other places around town. The good news is that you can win goodies. Books, specifically. My books, very specifically!

The Horror Writers Association is doing an entire month of Halloween blogs. Halloween Haunts kicked off on the 1st and continues through the 31st. October 2nd, I wrote about terrifying a sweet young boy at my daughter Opera Poodle's first Halloween party. (Yes, there are days when I am the worst mother, ever.)  Also on that page, a tidy, first chapter excerpt of DEVIL'S OVEN. Plus, you can win all three of my novels. Such a deal...I hope you'll check it out. It's a very silly story.

You'll  recognize it by this image. I got the pin at Hot Topic. (With an almost-13 year-old, I'm there a lot.)

Thing Two: I can hardly tell you how excited I am to share my latest short story, "When I Make Love to the Bug Man" with you. It's over at PANK magazine. The delightful and talented Court Merrigan invited me to contribute a story to the PANK pulp issue. And this story is definitely pulpy. It's contemporary, but its lineage is definitely in the pulpy confession/true story mags of the past. And, yes, it has bugs in it. Definitely horrific. Please let me know what you think after you've read it.

Link: "When I Make Love to the Bug Man"


Thing Three: One of my favorite writer chicks in the world, J.T. Ellison, has included DEVIL'S OVEN in the monthly drawing she does in connection with her newsletter. If you sign up for her (incredibly interesting, organized and timely) newsletter, you could win signed copies of her spooky thriller THE IMMORTALS and my Appalachian Frankenstein novel, DEVIL'S OVEN.

Definitely a win-win!

Hmmmm. Was there something else?

Oh, yes. I've dipped my toes into the world of book advertising. You just might see this ad as you traipse across the web. I think it's very fun, thanks to JT Lindroos, who also designed the ebook covers of ISABELLA MOON and CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS.

More soon!

Octoberguest! El Pollo Diablo

Happy Halloween!

I find myself a little stunned to realize that it's Halloween already and we've come to the end of Octoberguest!. I've had so much fun this month and am very grateful to all of the wonderful writers who so generously contributed their work to the Handbasket. And I'd also like to thank everyone who took the time to comment on the posts--or to simply read them. Without you all, well, it just isn't any fun!

My last guest, El Pollo Diablo, was my toughest to get. He resides on the "other side," and communication between here and there is complicated. He's been on a hiatus of sorts since I last corresponded with him on Myspace, where he's greatly missed. I'm hoping he'll drop in to comment today on any questions you might have, but his internet connection is sketchy and I can't make any promises...

I'm so excited to have you here, EPD. Welcome!

The Dead Love Halloween by El Pollo Diablo

Being a member of the silent majority, I has a special fondnesses for Halloween. And by silent majority, I means those of us that is dead. And there is a lot of us. Fortunately, spirits does not take up much spaces, so real estate issues is basically non-existent for us. Which is a good thing in this market of bearishness. But I digresses.

I loves Halloween. Halloween is superior to all other holidays. Fouth of Julyings and the Russian May Day paradings is mere child’s play compared to the raw pagan rambunctiousness that is All Hallows’ Eve. No fireworks or orderly rows of ICBMs rolling down Red Square holds candles to joyful children beating the hell out of a skeleton piñata, or tricking old people out of the sweets that they has spent their hard-earned Social Security benefits on.


And Halloween gives you great anecdotes that no other celebratory day can.

I recalls the Halloween of 1819 when Thomas Jefferson went to John Adam’s house dressed as King George III in a straight jacket. Upon Jefferson’s demand of a treat, Adams promptly punched him in the nose, crying “Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis!”

Admiring Adams’ pluck, Jefferson good-naturedly kicked him in the knee then proceeded to present him with several head-buts to the nose.

What a pal.

Now those was the days when Halloween was fun, and politics was civilized.

Indeed the times has changed.

One of the greatest political figures to advocates Halloween was President Dwight Eisenhower. Even back in his early Army days, he was known to be quite the scamp when October 31 would come rollings around. As General George Mosely’s executive officer in the early 1930’s, Eisenhower would often apply shoe polish to eyepieces of binoculars when he was denied his requested treats.

“Take THAT MacArthur!” he was heard to proclaims, as he rode out of sight. “Happy All Hallows Eve, and to all a good night!”

And in his farewell address on January 17, 1961 he spake to all Americans:

“So – in this my last good night to you as your President – I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future, as long as you keep Halloween in your heart and cherish it always.”

Even amongst the dead, it is hard to find a greater advocate for Halloween than Dwight David Eisenhower.

Excepting maybe for Martin Luther. Now, HE loved Halloween so much that he called the Catholic Church out on it.

Thesis 96: Halloween rocks! Dig it.

During his appearance at the Diet of Worms, Luther protested that there must also be a Diet of Brains, and a Diet of Slimy Eyeballs, which was directly responsible for the abundance of cold spaghetti and peeled grapes in modern day recreational haunted housings.

Thanks Marty.

As for us dead peoples, ghosts like me owes Laura Benedict much gratitudes for allowing our love of Halloween to be made known on this most auspicious of days.

Thank you Laura.

I love Halloween.

I miss you, EPD! Thanks so much for coming by--stay safe. I know things are pretty raucous over there today!

[Everyone has today and tomorrow to comment to win books, books, books, and those Godiva and Harry and David giftbaskets! I'll announce the winners on Monday.]

Tomorrow: It's November! After all the excitement of Octoberguest! and Halloween, I expect I'll need a nap...But on Sunday, Kyle Minor will be here. See you then!

Octoberguest! Mario Acevedo

Scary. Wild. Funny. Definitely over-the-top in the best way! That's the only way to describe Mario Acevedo's work. Mario writes the Felix Gomez vampire-detective series for Eos HarperCollins: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Blood Suckers, and his latest novel The Undead Kama Sutra. I knew he'd be perfect to get us ready for the Halloween season here at the Handbasket! Stay tuned this March for his next novel Jailbait Zombie.

This is Mario's busy season, so he wants to make sure that the goodies he's brought to the Handbasket--a signed Advance Reader's Copy of one of his novels and a Devil Duck!--get snapped up this week. Anyone who comments on his post between now and end-of-day Saturday is eligible!


Welcome, Mario!



It’s October and since I write vampire stories, I get swamped with requests for articles. It would be easy enough except for one huge reason. My vampire doesn’t cooperate. He hates Halloween.

You would think that being surrounded by fans in vampire costumes is an ego boost. Not true. To my vampire, seeing all those weirdos in cheesy capes and fake fangs would be like Paul Robeson attending an Amos and Andy show with the actors in black face. It’s not camp, it’s insulting.

What about Santa Claus at Christmas? I asked my vampire. There are thousands of Santa imposters and I’ve yet to hear one peep of protest from the North Pole.

Whole different holiday, my vampire answered. Santa doesn’t mind ‘cause he needs the help. It’s his busiest season what with overtime for the elves, inventory snafus, stuff getting held up in Customs, and he’s still supposed to have kids sit on his lap at the mall? If it was me, of course I’d love a regiment of helpers.

But Halloween ain’t that at all. Sure, these costumed freaks make it easier for me to blend in but I get around anyway. What I resent is going out and being mistaken for a pretend bloodsucker. I didn’t lose my soul for nothing.

What’s with the Goth folks? I’d kill to get my tan back and these pasty-faced wanna-be’s actually cultivate a corpse in a tomb complexion.

And then there’s the fake “blood” punch. Plus the “blood” enchiladas. And the “type-A” marinara sauce. Don’t bring up “Bloody” Mary’s. Since when did we vampires stop drinking real booze? What’s the point of being immortal if you can’t get tight now and again?

One thing that really sticks in my craw are zombies. Really, try getting a zombie out of your craw. They’re all gummy and nasty-tasting. Unfortunately, zombies are all the rage now. Why, I don’t know. They smell like Dumpsters and leave pus on the furniture. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a cocktail party and guests start to haggle over the difference between zombies and vampires. Sure, we’re both undead but the similarities end there. We vampires are cool. We’re good company. We can control our appetites. I don’t know how many dinners I’ve seen ruined by zombies lunging over the table and snacking on the host’s brains. I mean right there. At the table. How rude.

Plus, we vampires are sexy. Everyone knows that. (Except for one particular barrista who won’t return my calls or texts.)

Have an awesome October.
Happy fanging.

Thanks for coming by, Mario!

Stop by tomorrow to meet poet and uber-blogger Michelle Brooks!

(If you comment on Mario's blog, you'll also be eligible for the end-of-month prizes: $100 Godiva and Harry&David giftbaskets and more books!)

Happy Halloween!

P and I were saying this morning how much we looked forward to Halloween when we were kids. I loved the unbridled, wanton happiness of it, the unabashed drive to gather every scrap of chocolate I could, and the opportunity to be someone other than the child I was the other 364 days of the year. My favorite costume was Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie." I think I wore it for 2 years in a row.

What was your favorite costume? (Here's a cool Jack-O-Lantern video to watch while you're thinking!)