Halloween and Bookplates!

It's October! My favorite month of the year! I'm about 30 minutes from some of the most scenic mountain drives in the world, and the fall colors are stunning! The weather is perfect, and since Halloween is my favorite holiday, there isn't a better time of year!

I usually spend the month eating way more candy than I should, and watching super scary movies that make me not want to go to the basement alone. One of my favorites is the original Halloween movie. I don't think there's a scarier crazy serial killer than Michael Myers. The knife, no talking, and the way he just tilts his head... *shivers* I also love the spooky factor of Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp. Since I love Halloween so much, we have a few traditions:

We always carve pumpkins.

And we attempt to dress up our dog. He never gets as excited about this as I do. I think the bat costume is super cute.

Halloween is a REALLY popular holiday in Utah. We actually have some of the best haunted houses in the nation, though I've only been to one. It was a harrowing experience during college in the Park City Haunted Mine that involved a crazy (no really, he might have actually been insane) man dressed as the Albino from The Princess Bride. He followed me around the mine for 45 minutes petting my hair. I know you think I'm kidding. I'm not. Luckily, my boyfriend/now husband was there to rescue me just in time to take me to the cage with the chainsaw guy, who might have been even more insane than the Princess Bride dude.

I vowed to never go to a haunted house again, but then while I was in London, I made the mistake of not doing research about the London Dungeon before going inside. Once there, I realized I was in over my head and tried to escape. I was ushered back inside by a 7 foot tall revenant who gave me a horrific smile and suggested I enjoy my time in the dungeon. After that traumatic event, I had the sense to avoid the Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds.

This year, October coincides with me writing the first draft of book 2 in the Emblem of Eternity series! Halloween and Easter are the two best times of year to write because they're the two best times of year for candy...trust me, I'm an author, so I know. There's no better motivation to finish a chapter than fresh mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

So, I want to know some of your Halloween traditions? And it comes with a prize! Comment before October 17th and three random people will get a signed bookmark and, since I just got them and love all three designs, you'll also get a signed bookplate that's personalized just for you. You can check out the bookplates below. Also, be sure to note what happens when you try to take a photo at midnight with horrible lighting. Oh well, at least it gives you an idea of how they look. :)


Feel free to share this post with your friends too! Happy haunting!