No Place Like Halloweeeeeeeeen….

Posted by Jeanne Adams Oct 31 2008, 4:30 am in Candy, Carl Reiner, Halloween, Jeanne Adams, Runaway Pumpkin

By Jeanne Adams

The holiday season begins at my house on October first. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday and always has been. Given that, I get to start in September these days, which is when I put up the Halloween decorations. Every room gets something, even the half-bath.

For one month, I’m worse than those little old ladies you see with 4000 Santas out all year long.

From September 30th on, I get to read Halloween books to my kids without any remorse (I do it all year long, by the way, I just get to do it guilt-free for the months of September and October) and we get at least one new one every year.

We start planning the outdoor decorations in September and begin issuing the invites for the annual Ad(d)ams Family Halloween Party – a wickedly fun event where the adults get to dress up and say BOO! Of course, if you insist on coming sans costume, you have to bring something to eat. I get about half and half every year. Grins. We had a Cavalier, a Catholic Schoolgirl, an Elfin Warrior and a Karate Master this year along with assorted other characters. It was great fun!

But back to the books…The favorite new book this year is one by Carl Reiner, you know him from all the way back on the Dick Van Dyke show and from his later work in Oceans Eleven. The book is called Tell Me a Scary Story…But Not Too Scary. It’s marvelous! I’ve read it to my youngest about six times per night for the past four or five nights. We’ve even read it during the day sometimes too. Bwah-ha-ha!!!

Past favorites have included The ABC’s of Halloween, The Runaway Pumpkin, and A Very Brave Witch. You’ve never heard anything funnier than a four year old yelling, as you read, “RUNAWAY PUMPKIN!!”

Then there’s the costumes for the kids. We discuss this at length from Labor Day on. This year we have a Football Player (Miami Dolphins, for some unknowable reason) and IronMan.

For the Halloween party, my darling hubby and I were Biker Trailer Trash. There were people who arrived at my door who did not recognize me. I guess I’m glad about that, since I pulled off the trailer trash thing pretty well!

I put the picture down below. What do you think?

And then there’s the pumpkins. Gosh I love carving pumpkins. What is not to love about those fabulous orange canvases? There doesn’t seem to be anything you can’t carve into a pumpkin. From ghosts to vultures to bad-ass bikers, you can create a pumpkin tribute. One of my “Bucket List” items is to get to the famous Keene, NH Pumpkin Festival. It’s one of the world’s largest pumpkin festivals. This year’s count was 22, 596 carved pumpkins. Check it out at http://www.pumpkinfestival.org/

The other fun thing is the Life Is Good Pumpkin Festivals. Wow are they delightful! Life is Good partners with a local charity to set up twelve festivals scattered in various parts of the country and the classic Life Is Good style t-shirts are in full swing.

There’s always a specially designed Festival shirt. Really cool! http://www.lifeisgood.com/festivals/ They also have cool Halloween gear if you want style without costume! http://www.lifeisgood.com/category/search-by-interest/fall-halloween.aspx

And oh…the candy. Considering we’ve had our Halloween party already and there’s still cake, pie, brownies and we’re making cupcakes today (Halloween), I probably should be doing at least three hours on the exercise bike per day for the next ten weeks.

Then again, I also bought five bags of candy. I’ll give ‘em out too. Really. I will. *VEG*

I always buy the candy I like, don’t you? This is just in case I don’t give it all away to the mini-goblins then I’ll have good stuff around. I hate to have leftovers of candy that I won’t eat. *shudder* Now that’s scary. Besides, it hurts my Scotch soul to throw anything away, especially candy!

(By the way, the picture at the left is our pumpkin effort this year…)

As to candy, my favorites are malted milk balls, tootsie roll pops and tootsie rolls. Jeez, they make me drool. I’ve got to stay away from the blinking things until tomorrow night. Cripes. It’s like they call to me.

….Jeanne….we’re heeeeeerrrrreeeeee….we’re deliiiiiciousssssss….

Scary. Verrrrry Scary.

So, are you dressing up this Halloween? What about your kids, if you have any?

When you shed that “normal” face of yours, whose face are you going to assume?

What about candy? What’s your favorite? Mars Bars? Snickers? Tootsie Rolls? What kind of candy do you despise?

75 Comments

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

Posted by Jo Robertson Oct 30 2008, 4:01 am in Uncategorized

by Jo Robertson I recently took a train trip (see Amtrak Zephyr, left) to Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, home of Notre Dame. The ride took fifty-two hours and went through some interesting and beautiful country in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana. My husband was thrilled because we traveled through a small town called Helper, Utah, named after the small trains that “helped” the larger ones make it up the mountain. Helper Junior High, which Boyd attended decades ago, still sits on the hill with the same name blazoned across the front. To the right is the
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80 Comments

Sold!

Posted by Susan Sey Oct 29 2008, 4:05 am in first sale, Money Honey, Susan Sey

by Susan Sey So I’ve been sitting on this news for so long it almost doesn’t feel like news anymore, but since my agent is currently in possession of a contract with my name on it (and since I am currently in possession of my first ever revision letter) I’m going to go ahead & spill it: I sold. Seriously. I sold a book. TWO books, one of which isn’t even written yet. I can’t tell you what kind of cold pit of terror that little fact opens up inside me. But there it is. I sold my Golden Heart
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WINNER!!

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Oct 29 2008, 2:39 am in Bandit Booty, prizes, TOUCHED BY LOVE, Tracy Garrett

by Suzanne WelshThe winner of TOUCHED BY LOVE by our guest blogger Tracy Garrett is LOUISA CORNELL!! Congrats Louisa! Email me at swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com with your snail mail addy and I’ll see that Tracy mails you your copy!

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Classics remade

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Oct 28 2008, 4:46 am in classic literature, Dickens, Little House on the Prarie, Nancy Drew, Suzanne Welsh

by Suzanne Welsh I’m currently reading a book in the Scoundrel Of St. James series by Lorraine Heath. (Who will be joining us in December as a guest in the lair again.) The series is an interesting concept where the street kids of the book Oliver Twist have grown up and shows us what their lives might be like now. Cool idea for a series of books. Cool for me because I loved Dickens when I was in middle and high school. Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and of course The Christmas Carol. I’m secretly hoping to see Dickens
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33 Comments

Tracy Garret: Spurs, Boots and Good Men

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Oct 27 2008, 4:01 am in Appaloosa, Clint Eastwood, cowboys, John Wayne, Suzanne Welsh, Tracy Garrett, westerns

by Suzanne Welsh Tracy Garrett loves a good man, especially one wearing boots and spurs. In fact, she loves those strong heroes so much, she writes about them in her historical western romances. So naturally while sitting on her balcony overlooking the autumn changes around The Lake of the Ozarks, our conversation turns to her newest book, TOUCHED BY LOVE. Tracy, TOUCHED BY LOVE is your second Historical Western romance. Can you tell us a little bit about it?I’ll let the back cover blurb do the talking: A TEXAS PROMISE? Jaret Walker is a loner, a gun for hire with
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91 Comments

Finding the Inner Goddess

Posted by Nancy Northcott Oct 26 2008, 4:30 am in Greek goddesses, statues, travel

by Nancy Believe it or not, I got the idea for this blog in New York City. We recently spent a long weekend there, and one of the places we visited was the remodeled hall of Greek statuary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you’ve ever been to the Metropolitan, you know spending a few days there would be easy, if not for having to eat, sleep, and leave at closing time. As a child, I loved the book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, about two children who take up residence–temporarily–in the museum. So I’m
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In the Cave

Posted by Kate Carlisle Oct 25 2008, 4:15 am in Balboa, Kate Carlisle, The Cave

We writers talk a lot about going into the CAVE. That’s where you disappear to do little else but work like a maniac until the book is finished. You don’t socialize, you don’t have fun, you don’t blog, you don’t answer email, you don’t do laundry or clean your house or shop or talk to anyone. It’s like you’re hibernating. Because you ARE. You’re in THE CAVE. That’s where I am, right now. But it’s my day to blog and for just a minute, I’m thinking about other places I’d rather be. KJ talked about her adventures traveling in the
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41 Comments

Kingdom of Jordan: An Undiscovered Jewel

Posted by Guest Oct 24 2008, 3:59 am in Uncategorized

By KJ Howe I just returned from a trip to Jordan in the Middle East. It felt like walking into another world, one that echoes deep historical and biblical significance as well as a fascinating modern culture. The trip kicked off in the capital Amman one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world. Built on seven hills, you can visit the ancient Citadel, including the al-Qasr, “the palace,” which dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period. Corinthian columns mark the site of the Byzantine basilica which is thought to date from the sixth or seventh century AD. After
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29 Comments

Bandit Booty Galore!

Posted by Christina Brooke Oct 24 2008, 3:55 am in Bandit Booty, Christine Wells, Denise Rossetti, The Dangerous Duke, The Flame and the Shadow

CONGRATULATIONS to Helen, who wins a signed ARC of DENISE ROSSETTI’S fabulous upcoming release, THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW!! Email Denise via her website with your snail mail details and collect your prize! Christine Wells also has some tardy prizes to announce: From her Happy Cake blog, ArkieRN wins chocolate for her sad scarf story. Woohoo! From The Thinking Woman’s Spy, Limecello wins a signed copy of THE DANGEROUS DUKE and RebekaH and Dina win the Dangerous stationery! Please contact Christine via the contact page on her website to claim your prize!

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