Happy Halloween Reading List!

 

(Image: pixabay.com free CC license)

The Reading Lists I share here are always popular, and I've come across so many great books, that I decided to add another short list of 13 Books, Magazines & Anthologies just for Halloween. New, older, and "classic" books. Hope you find something spooky to read!

* See the previous October Reading Lists: Halloween, Fantasy, Mystery Reading List and the Horror, Zombie, Mystery Reading List

Monsters, Werewolves, Ghosts, Oh My!

* For other great recommendations, check out the Books of Horror group on Facebook!

Behind the Shadows II - Twenty-two creepy tales sure to curl your toes! Includes my Twilight-Zoneish story, "Blink!" (* Get e-book options here.)

Bestiary of Blood: Modern Tales & Dark Fables - Spooky, scary tales from 37 writers, including 18 Stoker Award winners! Dark tales, death and life feeding each other in an endless cycle... 

Black Cat Weekly Magazine - Three Halloween issues so far with solve-it-yourself mysteries, short stories, and a novel. (See issues #162-164.)

 

Children of Salem: Love Amid the Witch Trials, Robert W. Walker - Intrigue when Jere Wakely is summoned back to Salem - and the book opens with him being asked to impersonate a person of the cloth during the infamous Salem Witch trials... Suspense, romance, intrigue... (And a whopping 622 pages!)

Dracula Beyond Stoker, Fiction Journal - Journal dedicated to Bram Stoker's Dracula - Unique journal with themed short stories (like Dracula's Brides, etc.) and more. Issue 5 pictured features stories on Arthur, Quincey, and Jack.

Dr. Cushing's Chamber of Horrors, Stephen D. Sullivan - Despite a lifetime of traveling with their father to collect strange artifacts, twins Topaz and Opal Cushing have never fully believed in monsters or the supernatural. Oh, sure, they share an eerie psychic connection, and their tarot card readings often come true, but… Werewolves? Vampires? Living mummies? None of those could be real. Those legends are just for rubes. Right?

 

Ghost Stories, Ron Ripley - (Free at time of posting.) This first collection offers eight spine-chilling tales.

The Bone Shroud, Jean Rabe - Winner of the 2019 Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project, adult fiction category. Irem Madigan’s wedding trip to Rome turns into a desperate search for historical relics, and a struggle to stay ahead of a killer. Irem, an archivist at the Chicago Field Museum, flies to Italy to be the “best man” in her brother’s wedding. He’s marrying an archaeologist who lures Irem into a centuries-old mystery. Unfortunately, there are other players in the game, and some of them are playing deadly. Can she survive and uncover the ancient secrets?

The Graveyard Apartment, Mariko Koike - Originally published in 1986 in Japan, the novel is a suspenseful tale of a young couple who believe they found the perfect apartment... But as others move out, they're left... with something in the basement...

 

The Halloween Store and Other Tales of All Hallow's Eve, Ronald Kelly - Seven horrific tales and two essays: When you first enter The Halloween Store, things seem normal. Fun and frightful decorations, ghastly costumes and masks of the season, and bags of candy galore. Then, as you travel farther into its shadowy depths, things begin to change. The air smells of damp autumn leaves and candle-scorched pumpkin. The shelves of All Hallows’ Eve fare grow darker and more disturbing. Strange and unsettling things of Halloweens past and present lurk amid the cobwebs and dust…

The Haunting of Dr. Bowen: A Mystery Set in Lizzie Borden's Fall River, C.A. Verstraete - My novella folllows Lizzie's doctor and neighbor after the horrific murders. Was he haunted by recent events, and the city's history of bad blood dating back to Colonial times? Part mystery, part love story...

The Putnams of Salem:  A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials, Greg Houle -Young girls begin accusing people of being witches. At the center of the maelstrom is one family, headed by the well-respected Thomas Putnam, whose daughter Ann happens to be one of the accusing girls. Survival, betrayal, and the binding ties of a family's darkest secrets converge as we uncover the haunting secrets that bind the Putnams' legacy.

When the Lights Go Out - Inkslingers' Halloween Anthology - (Free at time of posting.) Twenty-five eerie tales ... read with the lights out.... if you dare.

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Read fr*e Horror online - Weird Horror Magazine! (Click Read Box.)

BONUS READS:

* Get Some Gory Horror Giveaways! Ends Oct. 31

* Something Scary for Halloween Reading: Ends. Nov. 1

News! Can't wait to read this! A colossal selection of short stories based on Stephen King's classic apocalyptic book, The Stand, is now up for pre-order. (But it doesn't release until next year, 8/25.)

 The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand,  editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, with an introduction by Stephen King. 

The anthology includes 34 stories in four sections. Get all the details, links, and any updates on Brian Keene's website.

Halloween Reading: Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter & Others

 

Want something scary for Halloween reading? 

Several scary books, including Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, are featured in the Publishers Weekly's Booklife Indie Spotlight for October! 

See my website for details on the book!

Welcome to the October Frights Blog Hop

  Welcome to the annual October Frights Blog Hop. 

This will be a shortened version here this year, just enough to whet your appetite. ha! For more info, see host AF Stewart's blog.

See the participants list below. Check out their blogs and see what they have to offer, maybe even some giveaways!

* Check out the Book Fair!

Here's my schedule: 

Oct. 10 (today) Welcome-  see participating blogs below

Fri, Oct. 11 - Horror-Zombie-Halloween Reading List

Sat, Oct.12 - Talking Dracula and a treat! (If you didn't hear it, follow links to the online interview with Dacre Stoker, great-grandnephew of Dracula author Bram Stoker. Very interesting!)

Sun, Oct.13 - Mystery-Crime-Halloween Reading List at the other blog (Candid Canine.)

Here are the October Frights Blogs:

Be Afraid of the Dark

Frighten Me
Reading Fiction Blog - Paula Cappa
GirlZombieAuthors
M'Habla's!
Carmilla Voiez British Horror Author
Minnesota (Horror) Nice
Hawk's Happenings
Rob Read - Author

Halloween Horror: Behind the Shadows II!

 

Happy Friday the 13th! 

Today is release day for the anthology, Behind the Shadows II, containing my eerie, Twilight-Zone-ish story, "Blink!"

 In "Blink!", Tommy wakes to a new world and wonders why no one else "sees" what is going on but him.  A little weird and even funny at times!

* Get the ebook: various outlets

* Paperback, ebook - Barnes & Noble

* Paperback  - Amazon US

Halloween Stories, Horror Events Coming!

Oak Grove Cemetery, SD Sullivan

 I know, it's been a while!

But it's time to gear up for Halloween and more spooky fun!! Some ghoul stuff coming up soon!

So far:

* My favorite eerie story, Sweet Dreams, will be appearing in 31 Days of Horror on the Creepy Podcast! Can't wait to hear this and the other stories! Stay tuned for the schedule! See the FB page.  See episodes on their website. 

* October Frights! Oct. 10-15.  Annual creepy-fest! Freebie stories and more from various authors. See the giveaways here. See the FB group. 

* Back to the beginning: I'm joining up again with an event I participated in when I first entered the zombie book world. Winter of Zombie will offer all kinds of events with 12 authors from Jan. 1-31, 2024. Join the FB group for details. I'll share more here as I get it. 

I'll be adding new information and other events, plus I'm working on some new creepy reading lists, too, so stay tuned!

A Shadow of Love #ghost story

 

Normally I try not to feature a book more than once, except in Reading Lists, but since the blog tour mentioned it, I'll share the book,  A Shadow of Love, again. * Read my review below and follow the directions for your chance to win a copy.

About the Book:

When Annabelle flees her abusive husband and moves into an 1860's farmhouse, she soon learns that she is not alone; she shares her home with Christian, the ghost of a poet who killed himself in 1917. Christian, wanting nothing but solitude, tries to scare Annabelle away, but once they come together while she is dreaming, they fall in love. The clock is ticking for Christian, for moments after his hanging his fiance magically cursed his spirit to be stuck on earth for one hundred years, and his time is almost up.  

With Annabelle's ex threatening her and the spirit she has fallen in love with on the verge of disappearing, Annabelle becomes obsessed with staying with Christian, and will do anything to be with him. Being in love with a ghost is bad enough, but for Annabelle, discovering that her true love will be crossing over at any moment pushes her over the edge of reckless behavior.

* Buy A Shadow of Love on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list. 

Review: With an opening line that says, "Lillian watched at the edge of the tree line as Christian hanged himself," you have to keep reading, right? The story was a bit slow in momentum at first but once the nightmares stared for Annabelle, the action keeps you intrigued. Who can resist a handsome ghost anyway? 😉4 stars. 

* Enter to win a copy: Contact me at my website contact page. Tell me: would you want to meet a ghost? Who and why? Be sure to enter your email so I can contact you.  Continental US entries only. * Entries end noon central 10/28/22.

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About the Author:

   Amy S. Cutler, author of A Shadow of Love earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Most recently she was published in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work and featured in the Tales to Terrify Podcast, among others. Her writing focus is suspense, horror, science fiction, and ghost stories. She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 * Follow the rest of the blog tour: *

 October 29th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion

Visit Linda's blog for an in-depth interview with author Amy S. Cutler about her book A Shadow of Love.

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com

 October 31st @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog

Visit Anthony's blog for Amy S. Cutler's guest post about finding a publisher.

http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

 November 1st @ Choices

Join Madeline as she features a guest post by Amy S. Cutler about the first draft process.

http://www.madelinesharples.com/

 November 2nd @ Jessica Belmont's Blog

Jessica reviews Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love.

https://jessicabelmont.com

 November 3rd @ Write Advice

Read Amy's guest post about how she found the idea for Shadow of Love and turned it into a story.

https://writeradvice.com/

 November 4th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog

Read Anthony's review of A Shadow of Love by Amy S. Cutler. A paranormal book you don't want to miss!

http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

A Shadow of Love Blog Tour #ghost story

 

Today I welcome Amy S. Cutler, author of the spooky A Shadow of Love. Read more about her view of why ghost stories are popular below. 

About the Book:

When Annabelle flees her abusive husband and moves into an 1860's farmhouse, she soon learns that she is not alone; she shares her home with Christian, the ghost of a poet who killed himself in 1917. Christian, wanting nothing but solitude, tries to scare Annabelle away, but once they come together while she is dreaming, they fall in love. The clock is ticking for Christian, for moments after his hanging his fiance magically cursed his spirit to be stuck on earth for one hundred years, and his time is almost up.  

With Annabelle's ex threatening her and the spirit she has fallen in love with on the verge of disappearing, Annabelle becomes obsessed with staying with Christian, and will do anything to be with him. Being in love with a ghost is bad enough, but for Annabelle, discovering that her true love will be crossing over at any moment pushes her over the edge of reckless behavior.

* Buy A Shadow of Love on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list. 

 *******

(images: pixabay.com)

Why are ghost stories so popular?

By Amy S Cutler

 A good ghost story is like being put under the best sort of spell. You are transported to a world where you know the answer to the top question that so many of us have: What happens when we die? When swept away in a story, we can be delighted to discover the answer, and in the pages of a book we can find solace in knowing that if there is an afterlife for our beloved characters, then there is an afterlife for all of us.

I have always loved ghost stories, and horror in general, although ghost stories certainly do not have to be scary. Part of the reason that I like the horror genre so much is that I love the adrenaline rush that being scared gives, along with the safety of knowing that I can shut the book or turn off the TV if I need a break.

Ghost stories are different. They give me comfort, and if that comfort only lasts while I’m reading, I’ll still take it because taking a break from the question of what’s next is a sort of meditation. It relaxes me, stills my unease. I frequently ponder the purpose of my life – what is my life purpose? Am I fulfilling it? Does it even matter? It is often while reading or watching a ghost story when I find myself letting my guard down, throwing away my analytical thinking, and getting to the bottom of these questions. Ghost stories allow people to open their minds, and that is where our answers lie.

Of course, many ghost stories are scary, as that is so often the point in the telling of them. But even then, there is comfort in the idea of ghosts as a possibility. Naturally some people may not want to know these answers, and are not so thrilled with the idea that ghosts could exist outside of the pages of a book. I happen to know quite a few people who say that they do not believe in ghosts and do not want ghosts to exist, yet they still love a good ghost story. I like to think that they are getting some comfort, too, in knowing that it’s just fiction (or rather, they think it’s just fiction, wink wink).

To tell the truth, there are some ghost stories that have scared the daylights out of me, stories like The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Hell House by Richard Matheson, and Pet Sematary by Stephen King. 

Naturally I don’t want those stories to be true, and don’t want an afterlife where it is I who is the terrifying one. I may not want that reality, but I do know that life cannot be wrapped up in a pretty bow, or box, just because it’s what I want to believe. I still enjoy these stories, even if I am not fantasizing about them being true, and I still get a glimmer of hope that there is something out there besides … nothing.

One can probably guess that October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite day, since ghost story lovers like myself are free to express to the world how enthralled we are with the afterlife.  It is my hope that people get something more out of the Halloween month than just scary tales and KitKats – something deeper, something that brings us all closer to the answers we seek.

About the Author:

   Amy S. Cutler, author of A Shadow of Love earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Most recently she was published in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work and featured in the Tales to Terrify Podcast, among others. Her writing focus is suspense, horror, science fiction, and ghost stories. She can be contacted through AmysHippieHut.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 * Follow the rest of the blog tour: *

October 25th @ Four Moon Reviews

Join Samantha as she reviews Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love. You can also win a copy of the book too!

https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/

 October 27th @ Girl Zombie Authors

Come by Chris' blog again and read a review of Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love. You can also enter to win a copy of the book too!

https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/

 October 29th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion

Visit Linda's blog for an in-depth interview with author Amy S. Cutler about her book A Shadow of Love.

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com

 October 31st @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog

Visit Anthony's blog for Amy S. Cutler's guest post about finding a publisher.

http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

 November 1st @ Choices

Join Madeline as she features a guest post by Amy S. Cutler about the first draft process.

http://www.madelinesharples.com/

 November 2nd @ Jessica Belmont's Blog

Jessica reviews Amy S. Cutler's book A Shadow of Love.

https://jessicabelmont.com

 November 3rd @ Write Advice

Read Amy's guest post about how she found the idea for Shadow of Love and turned it into a story.

https://writeradvice.com/

 November 4th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog

Read Anthony's review of A Shadow of Love by Amy S. Cutler. A paranormal book you don't want to miss!

http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

#Halloween #Horror Reading List 2

READ SOMETHING SPOOKY!! 

There are sooo many good new horror offerings that I can't keep up! Turn the lights off and get reading! haaa!

* A gift for you through Halloween! Get some great creepy Halloween reads free here.

* Don't forget to visit the October Frights Blog Hop participants here and below:  

Always Another Chapter - Be Afraid of the Dark - Hawk’s Happenings
Carmilla Voiez Dark Reads and Intersectional Feminism - GirlZombieAuthors
Frighten Me - Brain Matter – The Official Blog of JG Faherty - Angela Yuriko Smith - James P. Nettles

HALLOWEEN HORROR RECOMMENDED READS

Anthologies

 

Horror Quickies, Vol. 1, Steve Hudgins - Short flashes of horror. Over 30 Tales of Terror • The seance was just fun and games until they asked the spirits to give them a sign that they were there. • A young woman hears her mother talking in the basement. The problem is, her mother is not at home. • Strange tales emerge from those who made the mistake of traveling through the eerie town of Allensburg. • The hospital is abandoned. So, why is there a patient standing in the corridor? • A house sitter fears she may not be alone in the house. (*First of 5-book set was free at time of posting.)

Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings,  Gaby Triana, Editor. Stories by Jonathan Maberry, Gwedolyn Kiste, Tim Waggoner, Lisa Morton and others. Nineteen spooky ghost tales that you'll want to read while under the covers (and the lights on!)  

Monsters in the Weird West : A Collection of Gunslinging Adventures, KC Grifant - Kindle Vella. Read issues 1-3 free. In the Weird West, unflappable sharpshooter Melinda and her easygoing partner Lance hunt a menagerie of monsters. From cannibalistic gremlins to psychic bugs, there's nothing this gunslinging duo can't handle--or so they think.

Tavern of Terror, Vol. 2 - Scare Street assorted authors - (New! Sale, 99 cts) An artist struggles to hold on to her soul as she feverishly completes a deadly masterpiece. The death of a movie producer unleashes an ancient reel of film with a dark secret worth killing for. And a woman gets the scare of her life as strange intruders break into her home...Welcome back to Hannigan’s, the tavern of a thousand tales. In this cozy neighborhood pub, everyone has a story to tell. But those stories don’t always have a happy ending.

As you sip your drink and listen to another nightmarish tale, you slowly realize the crowd around you has changed...It’s closing time. And it looks like the last drink is on you…

 Audiobooks: Zombie

 

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, C.A. Verstraete - One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy, and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become...zombies? 

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Nekropolis 1 -Meet Matt Richter. Private Eye. Zombie., Tim Waggoner -  (Half-off sale to 10/18)

This is fun. Includes sound effects. Be sure to listen to the sample at the link above! Centuries ago, when Earth's Darkfolk -- vampires, werewolves, witches and other creatures -- were threatened by humanity, they departed our planet's dimension and journeyed to a shadowy realm, where they built the great city of Nekropolis. Matt Richter is an Earth cop who came through a portal to Nekropolis on a case, died, and was resurrected as a zombie. Unable to return home, he works as a private investigator on the very mean streets of this shadowy, dark city. And in this first case, Richter must help a delectable half-vampire named Devona recover a legendary artifact known as the Dawnstone, before it’s used to destroy Nekropolis itself. That is, if he can survive the variety of horrors that infest the city.

Audiobook - History/Monsters

Children of Salem, Robert W. Walker - A spy working for religious organizations, Jere Wakely is summoned to Salem Village Parish, where it has become obvious to church authorities that there is serious trouble. He is reluctant to return to his hometown for many reasons, not the least being that his heart is broken, and he's worried about running into his former lover, Serena Nurse. 

During his investigation, he has no expectation that their love will be rekindled. But their renewed passion parallels a greater fire - one of terror amid the infamous Salem Witch Trials. A witch hunt in this important election year of 1692 is backdrop to a romance filled with intrigue and mystery; the history is accurate, and the truth is disturbing yet fascinating. 

GHOSTS

The Haunting of Dr. Bowen, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden's Fall River - 

Limited Time Halloween Sale (99 cts!)

Dr. Seabury Bowen—physician to the infamous Lizzie Borden—swears he’s being stalked by spirits, though his beloved wife thinks it’s merely his imagination. But the retired doctor insists that neither greed nor anger provoked the recent sensational axe murders in Fall River. Rather, he believes the city is poisoned by bad blood and a thirst for revenge dating back to the Indian and Colonial wars.

Now, two years after the Borden murders, Dr. Bowen is determined to uncover the mysteries stirring up the city’s ancient, bloodthirsty specters. Can he discover who, or what, is shattering the peace before Fall River runs red? Or will he be the next victim?

Horror 

A Head Full of Ghosts, Paul Tremblay -  2015 Bram Stoker Award Winning Novel. 

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry, who recalls long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television. 

Creature Feature: A Horrid Comedy - Steven Paul Leiva

 (Sale 99 cts!)* ​

THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENING IN PLACIDVILLE!

It is 1962. Kathy Anderson, a serious actress who took her training at the Actors Studio in New

 York, is stuck playing Vivacia, the Vampire Woman on Vivacia’s House of Horrors for a loca

l

 Chicago TV station. Finally fed up showing old monster movies to creature feature fans, she

 quits and heads to

 New York and the fame and footlights of Broadway.She stops off to visit her parents and old

 friends in Placidville, the all-Ameican, middle-class, blissfully normal Midwest small town she

 grew up in.But she finds things are strange in Placidville.

* ​Deals on books with Deadly Thoughts, Murderous Plots- Oct. 18-Nov. 18

Dr. Cushing's Chamber of Horrors, Stephen D. Sullivan  - Despite a lifetime of traveling with their father to collect strange artifacts, twins Topaz and Opal Cushing have never fully believed in monsters or the supernatural. Werewolves? Vampires? Living mummies? None of those could be real. Those legends are just for rubes. Right? Since the girls’ father has been away, though, strange things have been happening in the family’s little exhibit—and in the waxworks studio that shares their dilapidated Victorian mansion on the outskirts of London

Fun Halloween Read! California's Haight Ashbury district is full of magic - and all kinds of monsters. And there's a law firm who'll rep these "other-than-humans" when they need help....  Check out some of their most unusual cases in  The Love Haight Case Files Book 1 - Jean Rabe and Donald J. Bingle.  

Horror Deals - Freebies:

* A gift for you through Halloween! Get some great creepy Halloween reads free here.

* Looking for something new and spooky to read? 

See the October Frights Authors Books Showcase here. 

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HALLOWEEN BOOK DEALS! 

* Get some Spooky Halloween Tales - Oct. 11-Nov. 13  

* 

Deals on books with Deadly Thoughts, Murderous Plots- Oct. 18-Nov. 18

* 

In Kindle Unlimited? Get some free spooky mysteries & more, Oct. 30- Dec.2:

*

Interested in books with alternative storylines? 

Check out these Altered History book deals, Oct. 31-Dec. 2.

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