Welcome to the fun! We have some serious awesome coming
your way! It’s the Diverse Reader No Tricks Just Treats Giveaway!
Halloween is pretty much my favorite holiday and if I
could I’d give you all candy to celebrate. But, it’s not possible. So, I asked
a bunch of amazing authors to get in on the fun and boy did they ever. Authors
answered questions, shared tales, and had a lot of fun. Each one has an awesome
giveaway and you will be able to enter there! There are over 40 prizes up for
grabs. So enough chit chatting from me let’s see what these spoooooooooooooky
authors have for you. It’s a long post so get comfy.
This is broken down into 2 posts! It was just too long to post as one and there were just so many authors who wanted to be a part of it!
STAY TUNED TOMORROW FOR PART TWO
What’s your favorite Halloween or scary
story and why?
To this day, I'm still spooked every time I read Pet Sematary by Stephen King
To this day, I'm still spooked every time I read Pet Sematary by Stephen King
(or
watch the movie). There's something terribly disturbing to me about dying and
being brought back to life... somehow changed. It's not so much zombies,
as corpses that are reanimated by some malignant evil from the "other
side".
Ugh. :) Not that I don't enjoy being creeped out, of course.
Ugh. :) Not that I don't enjoy being creeped out, of course.
What’s your favorite thing about Halloween?
Dressing up! I still do it to give out candy to the kids in my neighbourhood.
My friends and I dabbled a lot in horror makeup when we were in high school and
I'm pretty good at it. I always manage to scare the kids a little.
What’s your best Halloween memory?
The best one... hmm... I've got a lot of great
Halloween memories, but I think my last year of trick or treating as a kid was
the best. My brother and I did our whole neighbourhood and then we walked allll
the way to where the rich people lived and kept trick or treating there. We had
so much candy by the end of it, my dad had to come pick us up. Heh.
Tell us the best costume you ever wore for Halloween?
Oh that's a tough one. I was zombie James Dean one year when I was a kid (replete with broken glass in face and steering wheel in hand). That was pretty awesome.
I did a pretty great Spock a few years back. Hm... I mostly do zombies/scarecrows/skeletons. :)
Bio:
Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to start writing.
Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a ridiculous, spotty pit bull named Murphy.
Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to start writing.
Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a ridiculous, spotty pit bull named Murphy.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeyDeckard
What’s your best Halloween memory?
Oh, boy, lol. The best one? It’s
got to be running out of sweets for the neighbourhood kids and having my
husband standing there at the door, ice lollies in one hand — a box of frozen
Fish Fingers in the other. His reply to two five year olds? “Healthy eating with fish and saving your
souls, or an ice lolly and an eternity with the devil because of the sugar
content…?”
We weren’t surprised when they took ice lollies! The frozen Fish Fingers
we got to keep.
Author: Jack L. Pyke
Author
Website: http://www.jacklpyke.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackl_pyke
Bio: Jack blames
her dark writing influences on living close to one of England’s finest forests.
Having grown up hearing a history of kidnappings, murders, strange sightings,
and sexual exploits her neck of the woods is renowned for, Jack takes that into
her writing, having also learned that human coping strategies for intense
situations can sometimes make the best of people have disastrously bad moments.
Redeeming those flaws is Jack’s drive, and if that drive just happens to lead
to sexual tension between two or more guys in a D/s relationship, Jack’s the
first to let nature take its course.
Giveaway:
$5.00 Amazon
gift card (or UK £5 Amazon gift card, depending on location).
What
is my favorite thing about Halloween?
Hands
down: jack-o-lanterns.
What
a ridiculous tradition, carving a face into a root vegetable, and sticking a
candle inside. At the same time, what a delightful expression of our friendly
(and sometimes real) terrors. My favorite Halloween tradition is to walk around
my neighborhood on Halloween night—usually after my 100+ trick-or-treaters
retired to their homes to begin their week-long sugar high. Around 10pm, I wear
a flannel jacket and gloves, bundled for a long night walk. Usually, the Jacks
(shall we just call them Jacks for short?) remain lit on peoples’ front stoop.
On this last chilly day of October, I like looking to see who participated this
year.
You
can always tell who carved from the 12-and-under crowd, those lopsided smiles
and uneven eye-holes attempting a child’s version of good cheer. Their parents’
pumpkins sit nearby, the traditional toothy grin and triangle eyes. When I see
these uninspired Jacks, I always suspect the parents aren’t interested in
carving Jacks themselves, but they do because they adore their kids and want to
create an amazing Halloween memory the kids can carry for a lifetime.
I
like being impressed by the vegetable artists who carve intricate webs into the
pumpkin. Halloween mansions. Detailed Jacks of Deadpool or Frankenstein, other
celebrities less terrifying. Or more terrifying—I expect to see some Hillary
Clinton and Donald Trump Jacks this year. These same artists would never devote
hours to carving a butternut squash in November. That’s just weird. But on this
particular night, they want the entire neighborhood to know they spent hours
carving into the orange skin, a masterpiece that they will throw away in three
days. Or one. Art is relative.
There
aren’t many things people seem to agree on, not anymore. We announce our
politics through yard signs, yelling our beliefs to neighbors we don’t make
time to visit. We find “our people” online, and while I think that’s cool, I
mourn the idea that as neighborhoods, we don’t really have much in common. But
on Halloween, we agree on this: Jack-o-lanterns. We carve. We stick a candle in
this hollowed veggie, and announce to the world, “Tonight…let’s be spooky
together.”
Author
bio:
Edmond
Manning likes thinking spooky thoughts. He has not decided what kind of
Jack-o-lantern to carve this year, but he is partial to wide, crooked grins
that make the pumpkin look dangerously insane.
Author
links:
Giveaway:
1
electronic copy of Come Back To Me
1
paperback copy of Come Back To Me (with candy surprises)
The
Best Costume I Ever Wore for Halloween?
Well, here’s the most scandalous costume I ever wore for Halloween.
It consisted of two items:
And
That was it! This was about twenty years ago in New
Orleans, where such attire is not only allowed, but encouraged. Oh, I think
that Halloween night lasted until about 6 a.m.
I wish I was still that young! And still in that same
shape. But it’s a fun memory. Thanks, Diverse Reader, for reminding me.
Rick R. Reed is all about
exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic
settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the
paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love.
He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint."
Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."
He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). He is also a Rainbow Award Winner for both Caregiver and Raining Men. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint."
Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."
STALK
RICK
GIVEAWAY
One of my most terrifying novels, plus a great gay
romance all-in-one! I offer an ebook copy of my demonic haunted house story, A
DEMON INSIDE to one lucky winner!
What's
your best Halloween memory?
That would have to be the time my little brother, who is
eight years younger than me, spent hours and hours dressing up as our idols,
KISS. I know, I'm dating myself terribly. Even though he was generally a pain
in my backside, this memory stands out because we spent the entire evening
together, no squabbles, no bickering, and no name calling. Just a couple of
kids in heavy make-up and faux leather clothes pretending to be a cat and a
demon god. Best. Halloween. Ever.
Bio:
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans,
yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New
York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She
shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of
assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.
When not writing spicy
romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills
of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online
on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.
Author Links:
Website: http://vlloceyauthor.com/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/vllocey
Pinterest-http://www.pinterest.com/vllocey/
Giveaway:
Audiobook copy of first book in her Lake Erie Shifter Series
What’s your favorite Halloween or scary story and why?
Like books, I can't pick just one Halloween/scary story
as a favorite. I do, however, have a few that are my go-to choices this time of
year. I have a lot of categories for this, because Halloween is my
holiday. Most of these are movies, but I'm throwing in some books, too.
Fluffy: Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, Stardust (this one doesn't
so much have a Halloween feel, but I'm including it because witches and because
I totally ship Captain Shakespeare and his first mate.)
Interesting but not scary: The Craft, The Witches of
Eastwick, Beautiful Creatures, The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Scary: Poltergeist (original), The Exorcist, Paranormal
Activity (ish, this one has its issues but it sticks out in my mind from the
first time I watched it), Sinister (almost couldn't finish it, and this one
takes a strong stomach), The Conjuring (clap, clap).
So scary I will never watch again: The Ring (I slept with
the light on that night, and I am never that affected. I ignore the
existence of this movie).
Books: The Stand and IT by Stephen King
(and in fact, most Stephen King books could make this list, but I won't
bombard), Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son, so
apparently that shit's genetic), The Silence of the Lambs and Red
Dragon by Thomas Harris, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray
Bradbury, all of Edgar Allen Poe but particularly The Tell Tale Heart,
and World War Z by Max Brooks. I've left off reading much
horror the last few years, so these are pretty dated, but they've stuck with
me, years later.
Bio: It began with a Halloween themed
short story assignment from a second grade teacher, and from then on, AJ Rose
fell head over heels in love with writing. Time has seen the beginning and end
of many things, college and graduation, a finance career, and a marriage, and
through it all, writing has been her first love. Now, AJ is also head over
heels for her wife, fellow author Kate Aaron, who gets it, the twitchy fingers
when word counts are low too many consecutive days, the thousand-yard stare
when an idea turns AJ's vision inward, and the jitters when the word-babies go
out to meet the world. Nothing could stop the tall tales about imaginary people
that refused to be ignored. With a life full of this much passion, it's no
wonder AJ chose romance. The voices in her head are mostly of the male
persuasion, so m/m romance was about the only option. But don't be surprised if
the occasional ghost still pops up.
AJ's work can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, Page Foundry, and 24Symbols. AJ tweets as @_AJRose, blogs at http://ajrosewrites.wordpress.com, and is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aj.rose.5473 where there is more information about future titles.
Giveaway: I will give an
ebook copy of each, Reaping Havoc and Reaping Fate, to three winners. That's
right, both books to three people.
HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN
Jack was so looking forward to this. It would be the best he’d ever
done; so much better than Brady’s. This year it would be Jack's turn to
win the $50. He’d seen Brady’s pumpkin on the way home from school. Brady
and his mom were just setting it on the porch. A witch flying over the moon had
been carved on the face. Jack was certain Brady’s mother had helped. It
was cheating. Jack intended to do his all on his own, with maybe only a little
help from his mom. He laughed.
He had all the tools laid out on the table: saws and
chisels and knives and a metal scoop, and a few other bits and pieces he wasn’t
yet sure he’d need. Back in the garage, he’d already taken the top off with a
big saw, so he could get at the flesh inside. Now it was just a matter of
scooping out as much as he could. His dad was going to be so proud he’d managed
this all on his own without cutting himself.
It took a lot of time and it was smelly and messy. He
was wearing an apron but the stuff still flicked everywhere. He’d be wiping
gunk off the walls for weeks. Jack put in a lot of effort, making the outer
layer as thin as possible so that when he put in the little candle, the light
would shine through all the more. He scraped in a downward motion round the
sides and then hacked in circles trying to get the inside nice and smooth.
Every now and again, he tipped away the loose bits.
Finally it was time to do the cutting. He started with
the eyes. Triangles. Bit traditional, but Jack liked the shape. He had
difficulty getting the edges straight but it looked great when he'd finished.
The nose was easy. Just a ragged hole. It was the mouth where he intended to
have fun. The mouth had always given him the most trouble, but not today. He’d
gone for something quite intricate; zigzag lips and inside, a set of gappy,
jagged teeth. He could hardly wait to put in the light.
In her excitement, Jack dropped the first match. It
hit the wet flesh and went out with a hiss. The second one worked fine. He
carefully put the top back on and stepped back. Brilliant. Brady would wet
himself when he saw it. Jack picked it up carefully because he was a bit
worried the bottom half would fall off. He’d been over-enthusiastic with the
mouth. He took it outside and set it down by the top step. His dad should be
home soon. Jack hoped he’d be pleased mom wasn’t lying drunk in bed as usual,
with her mouth shouting abuse.
Instead, his father would find her
waiting for him on the porch. Silent at last.
Bio: Barbara Elsborg lives
in Kent in the south of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having
confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it
was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put
paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully
selling cyanide.
After dragging up two
rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful
husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an
affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.
Her books feature
quirky heroines and bad boys, sometimes together and sometimes the boys on
their own, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to
write.
My links
Giveaway: My giveaway can be any book from my backlist.
What’s your favorite thing about Halloween?
I'm an Aussie and we don't really celebrate Halloween,
something that horrifies most Americans! :) However, trick or treating has been
around for ever and seems to be getting bigger. I think it's because the kids
have cottoned on that it's a way to get lots of lollies and chocolates. Duh!
When I had my own kids, we moved into the suburbs of Sydney. We live in a small
suburb surrounded by National Park with no through traffic. In fact, my suburb
was rated one of the top 10 for safety in Sydney. However, I was amazed at the
level of support provided by the community to ensure a safe and happy Halloween
experience for all the kids. To avoid the kids being disappointed (by
unprepared homes), everyone who is happy to have door-knockers, places a
balloon on their letterbox. It's wonderful to watch the joy on the little kid's
faces when they get their 'loot'.
Bio
Nic Starr lives in Australia where she
tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands
of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but
she wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!
When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family–an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters–and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.
You can find Nic on Facebook, Twitter and her blog. She’d love it if you stopped by to say hi.
Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before eventually realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told!
When not writing or reading, she loves to spend time with her family–an understanding husband and two beautiful daughters–and is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.
You can find Nic on Facebook, Twitter and her blog. She’d love it if you stopped by to say hi.
Social
Media Links
Giveaway
My prize is an eBook copy of my latest release. Storming
Love:Tsunami - Sebastian & Owen, will be released on 7th
October.
My favorite scary story is child ghost who used to play
with the children in the house--I've heard a lot of variations of this, and
it's by turns sweet and terrifying at once. I even wrote a variation of
it in a recent work!
Bio:
Amy Lane has two kids in college, two
gradeschoolers in soccer, two cats, and two Chi-who-whats at large. She lives
in a crumbling crapmansion with most of the children and a bemused spouse. She
also has too damned much yarn, a penchant for action adventure movies, and a
need to know that somewhere in all the pain is a story of Wuv, Twu Wuv, which
she continues to believe in to this day! She writes fantasy, urban fantasy, and
m/m romance--and if you accidentally make eye contact, she'll bore you to tears
with why those three genres go together. She'll also tell you that sacrifices,
large and small, are worth the urge to write.
Website: www.greenshill.com
Twitter: @amymaclane
FB Group: Amy Lane Anonymous
Giveaway:
Giving away any book in the Candy Man series ;-)
What’s your favorite Halloween or
scary story and why?
“The Shining” of course. Why? Because it reminds me of
being at our Inn in the dead of the winter with no one else around for miles
and miles.
What’s your favorite thing about
Halloween?
Decorating dressing up to scare the neighbors and kiddies
at Trick or Treat.
What’s your best Halloween memory?
Oh that’s an easy one. About twelve years ago I made my
husband Kell dress up like Dracula and hide in the bushes. I sat on the stoop
with an ice chest of beer and looked absolutely bored. When the kids came
nothing happened and when the adult neighbors came for a libation, Kell jumped
out of the bushes and scared the crap out of them.
Tell us the best costume you ever
wore for Halloween?
Believe it or not, Kell and I went to a costume party
each wearing a sweatshirt with a large “P” bedazzled on the front and we
blacked out one eye. No one knew what we were. Can you guess? If you guessed
“Black Eyed Peas” you are so right. J
Scotty Cade Bio and Buy Links
Scotty Cade left
Corporate America and twenty-five years of Marketing and Public Relations
behind to buy an Inn & Restaurant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with
his partner of over twenty years. He
started writing stories as soon as he could read, but just five years ago for
publication. When not at the Inn, you
can find him on the bow of his boat writing gay romance novels with his
Shetland sheepdog Mavis at his side.
Being from the south and a lover of commitment and fidelity, all of his
characters find their way to long healthy relationships, however long it takes
them to get there. He believes that in
the end, the boy should always get the boy.
Buy
Links:
Giveaway: I would like to give away an ebook of
“Veiled Loyalties,” the second in the Bissonet & Cruz series. It takes
place over Halloween and there is a very cool scene while carving pumpkins.
Tell
us the best costume you ever wore for Halloween?
I actually went as a dragon when I was six or seven. It could have been a lizard outfit, or maybe even a frog but I insisted on wings and a horn. Much candy was had that year.
I actually went as a dragon when I was six or seven. It could have been a lizard outfit, or maybe even a frog but I insisted on wings and a horn. Much candy was had that year.
About
Rhys Ford
Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and was a 2016 LAMBDA finalist with her novel, Murder and Mayhem. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and DSP Publications.
She’s also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of
something personal and really, who doesn’t mention their cats, dog and cars in
a bio? She shares the house with Yoshi, a grumpy tuxedo cat and Tam, a diabetic
black pygmy panther, as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is
also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering
make-believe people
Rhys’
Blog: www.rhysford.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford
Rhys
Ford’s books can found at Dreamspinner Press
(http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com), DSP Publications
(https://www.dsppublications.com/) and all major online book stores.
Giveaway
I will giveaway an ebook of Black Dog Blues and Mad Lizard Mambo (both books in the series)
I will giveaway an ebook of Black Dog Blues and Mad Lizard Mambo (both books in the series)
First off, in the UK we don't celebrate Halloween as much
as the US does, but that doesn't mean that we haven't begun to appropriate the
occasion.
My son obviously wasn't into Halloween, but my daughter did trick and treating when she was little, and now at University she dressed up last year (as Harley Quinn with her boyfriend as The Joker).
So to answer the question what’s your best Halloween memory?
Briony in her princess dress with her other little friends going around houses when they were little, no more than maybe 6 years old. So cute.
Bio etc:
My son obviously wasn't into Halloween, but my daughter did trick and treating when she was little, and now at University she dressed up last year (as Harley Quinn with her boyfriend as The Joker).
So to answer the question what’s your best Halloween memory?
Briony in her princess dress with her other little friends going around houses when they were little, no more than maybe 6 years old. So cute.
Bio etc:
RJ's goal is to write stories with a heart of
romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of
a happily ever after.
RJ
Scott is the bestselling gay romance author of over ninety MM romance books.
She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire,
princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing
books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London
and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either reading or writing.
RJ
also writes MF romance under the name Rozenn Scott.
The
last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn't like it one little
bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She
is always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please
contact via the following links below:
The question we chose to answer is, "What is your favorite thing
about Halloween?"
To answer the question properly, I think you need a
little background. I've got two kids who are in high school, so Halloween is
still A Thing around Chez Rancourt, and Irene's day job turns into a 24/7
operation the month of October. She runs and on-line costume shop, and
basically disappears from the internet - unless you want to dress as one of the
Suicide Squad for a party. Then, she's your girl.
To make things easy, I asked her the question, and here's
her response:
Candy!
And,
well except in my case - lol - it's no pressure. As an adult you sort of have
the option of participating or not, so if you're into it you can just relax and
have fun.
And really,
she nailed it. Because yes, CANDY, but also, Halloween is optional. Compared
to, say, Christmas, which has so much baggage it's a wonder Santa can get his
sleigh in the air. My kids are mostly too old to trick-or-treat, but they still
like to dress up, which is fun, and I love giving out candy to the few neighbor
kids who come around. Halloween itself often turns into a quiet, at-home date
night for me and the husband, which is also nice. We could get dressed up and
go to parties if we wanted to, but if we don't, it's okay.
There's also
a cultural memory attached to that time of year. Whether you celebrate
Halloween, Samhain, All Souls, or Dio de los Muertos, it's a time to
acknowledge the change in the season. I don't go to Mass anymore, but I do give
a passing nod to my loved ones who are no longer here. In the end, maybe that's
my favorite part about Halloween.
And I get to
eat candy!!
Happy
Halloween!
About Irene Preston
Irene Preston has to write romances, after all
she is living one. As a starving college
student, she met her dream man who whisked her away on a romantic honeymoon
across Europe. Today they live in the
beautiful hill country outside of Austin, Texas where Dream Man is still
working hard to make sure she never has to take off her rose-colored glasses.
Where to find Irene
About Liv Rancourt
I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire … or sometimes demon … I lean more towards funny than angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at home or at work. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog’s cuteness is legendary, and we share the homestead with three ferrets. Who steal things. Because they’re brats.
I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire … or sometimes demon … I lean more towards funny than angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at home or at work. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog’s cuteness is legendary, and we share the homestead with three ferrets. Who steal things. Because they’re brats.
Where
to find Liv
Giveaway: we'll offer a $5 Amazon gift card plus an ARC
of Bonfire (our holiday novella - Vespers 1.5) when it's
available on 11/6.
My best Halloween costume? Easy. The year I was a table.
I made it myself, using an old window screen for the base. After choosing a
pretty sheet as my tablecloth, I glued paper plates and napkins on it. I had
already cut a large hold in the center of the screen. Decorating my hair with fake pink and purple
flowers, I made my head the centerpiece.
The only problem with
the costume was it bobbed when I walked. I had to hold the window screen to
keep it from chafing at my neck. A table was a creative costume, as it turned
out, but not a practical one. By the end of the night, I lost several of my
pink flowers in the darkness of the street. Although it was not perfect, I
still got immense satisfaction from making a homemade costume that year.
Happy Halloween!
Links:
Twitter: @SkylarMCates
Biography:
Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is quite happy to drink some coffee,
curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Skylar dreams about spending
her days writing her novels, walking along the beach, and making more time for
her good friends. On a shoestring budget, Skylar has traveled all over in her
early years. Although, lately, the laundry room is the farthest place she has
visited, Skylar still loves to chat with people from all around the globe.
Giveaway: One
e-copy of Daring the Wolf
I'd
have to go with this "What’s your favorite Halloween or
scary story and why?" since Halloween is not celebrated here in
South Africa.
Scary
Story....? Not much can scare me, it takes a substantial amount of creepy to
give me goosebumps and even then it does not come easily.
But
what is more terrifying than finding out a scary story is actually true?
Going
on a vacation only to return with an unwelcomed guest making happy inside your
brain?
A
31-year-old woman began suffering from severe headaches and vision problems,
before she figured she should see a doctor. Well, apparently there was nothing
wrong with her brain. The terrifying: the translucent jelly-like sacs living in
her brain tissue. Each one containing a baby tapeworm.
Buttttttt!
There's more, ready for the chill factor?
The
doctor speculated that she must have picked up the parasites during a trip to
Mexico... The only problem was, she hadn't been to Mexico for two years. Say
hello to your little wiggly Neighbor having sex inside your brain!
So
that scratching noise inside the plaster, is it really the body trapped inside
the wall or the bugs in your brain... or maybe it the serial killer that's been
living in your attic for the last several weeks waiting for just the right time
to kill you?
Bio:
Wulf
Francú Godgluck hails from South Africa. His work is not for the faint-hearted!
In his books, you'll find... all the beasties with their nasty claws and teeth,
and some you didn't even know existed. But the monsters aren't all real. Some
live inside us. Who knows what he will make you discover about yourself,
lurking in your heart, behind the closed walls of the deep, black recesses
where no light penetrates? Wulf will steal your heart and never give it back.
More than likely, he'll pin it to the wall with a bobby pin and sit there
sipping his tea while you writhe and squeal on the floor... STILL sure you want
to read a Wulf Godgluck book? Proceed at your own peril.
Contact
& Media Info
Giveaway: I'll be gladly giving away four
copies of Neon White Season one.
My
favorite Halloween memory: there was a house on our
street owned by two sisters who kept about 35 cats. Their name was The Wolf
sisters. Every Halloween they would make the kids in the neighborhood homemade
popcorn balls, brownies and give us tons of candy. Their house was the only
house my mother would let us eat non-wrapped candy from because we knew them.
After they gave us the candy and food, they'd let a few of us in at a time to
pet and play with some of the cats. Their house was a very old Victorian and I
remember it was very dark and had tons of cats in cages.
Author
Bio:
I have always been a romantic at heart. I
believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the
corner, My characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing
comes easy and that includes love.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
Links:
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/FeliceNewsletter
Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/felicebooks
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/felicestevensauthor/
Felice’s Fierce Fans: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449289332021166/
M/M DAILY GRIND: https://www.facebook.com/groups/941204085967883/
Twitter:
@Felicestevens1
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/felicestevens/
Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/felicestevens
Giveaway:
I'll do a choice of my backlist and a $5 Amazon GC
Tell us the best costume you ever wore for Halloween?
My husband and I went to a 40th Birthday Surprise
Halloween Party for a friend of ours... We had watched a rerun of SNL a week or
so before the party, so I came up with our costumes. We went as the "Dick
in a Box" dudes... #BestCostumeEver! We each wore 80's style track suits,
white wife beaters, gold chains, huge sunglasses, fake sideburns, and I wore a
mullet wig... And obviously we each had big boxes wrapped with xmas wrapping
tied to our waists... It was epic! We won best costume. There were pictures...
But I fear blackmail, so I will not share. . .
Author Bio:
Luna David is a wife, a mother of twins, and now,
an author. When she’s not begging her little ones to stop--throwing things,
hitting each other, pulling the cat’s tail, having meltdowns, screaming, eating
stuff off the floor, yelling at each other, playing with their food, running
into the street, and destroying the house--you’ll most likely find her
writing.
She loves anything book, coffee or dark chocolate related and can’t think of a better way to pass the time than to combine all three. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t addicted to reading or creating her own stories, if only in her head. It wasn’t until recently that she began to believe she could actually put those stories to paper.
She is blessed enough to have wonderfully supportive family and friends and she counts herself lucky every day that she gets to not only be a stay at home mom to her kids, but to also pursue her dream of becoming a published author.
She loves anything book, coffee or dark chocolate related and can’t think of a better way to pass the time than to combine all three. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t addicted to reading or creating her own stories, if only in her head. It wasn’t until recently that she began to believe she could actually put those stories to paper.
She is blessed enough to have wonderfully supportive family and friends and she counts herself lucky every day that she gets to not only be a stay at home mom to her kids, but to also pursue her dream of becoming a published author.
Links:
Giveaway:
Book 1 and 2 of her Custos Security Series
My favorite scary stories are shorts.
And by shorts, I mean the ones no more than a sentence or two. There’s always
something to be said about less is more, and when it comes to wrapping a reader
up in fear and uncertainty—always give them just
enough to let their imagination run
wild. What could-be, is far scarier than actually seeing, in my opinion. Here
are two from Reddit that I love and get a good shiver from every time.
“In all of the time that I've lived alone in this
house, I swear to God I've closed more doors than I've opened.”
-EvilSteveDave
-EvilSteveDave
“Don't be scared of the monsters, just look for
them. Look to your left, to your right, under your bed, behind your dresser, in
your closet but never look up, she hates being seen.”
-AnarchistWaffles
-AnarchistWaffles
Nightmare fuel, am I right?
C.S.
xo
About C.S.
C.S. Poe is an author of gay mystery,
romance, and paranormal books.
She is a reluctant mover and has called
many places home in her lifetime. C.S. has lived in New York City, Key West,
and Ibaraki, Japan, to name a few. She misses the cleanliness, convenience, and
limited edition gachapon of Japan, but she was never very good at riding bikes
to get around.
She has an affinity for all things cute
and colorful, and a major weakness for toys. C.S. is an avid fan of coffee,
reading, and cats. She’s rescued three cats, including one found in a drain
pipe in Japan who flew back to the States with her. Zak, Milo, and Kasper do
their best on a daily basis to sidetrack her from work.
Giveaway: One
e-book copy of The Mystery of Nevermore
(Snow & Winter Book One)
Thanks for letting me play, Meredith! Halloween is one of my favorite times of the
year. I love ghost stories, trick or treating, and dressing up. I had two
questions I wanted to answer and couldn’t decide, so I did both...
What’s your favorite Halloween or scary story and
why?
This
time of year, anything by Edgar Allen Poe fits. I loved the Pit And The
Pendulum and the infamous Raven, but at Halloween, the best is the Tell Tale
Heart. That one has a certain rhythm to it that always creeps me out and the
surprise at the end makes me jump, even when I expect it. Scary, creepy horror
at its finest. Telling scary stories has always been a fun thing to do,
especially around a campfire in the deep, dark woods. I think I loved it more
as an adult, introducing it to my kids...and scaring the crap out of them.
Tell us the best costume you ever wore for
Halloween?
Halloween
has always been a fun time of the year. My parents were always into it and they
even got married on November 1st - so it’s always a great
celebration. The year I remember most as a kid was the year my best friend and
I had a dragon costume. We had two cardboard boxes strung together, one for the
head and one for the tail, which we attached on either side, complete with
painted scales. The ones we made ourselves were always the best.
Author Bio and Links:
From
deep in the swamps of Tampa, Lynn Michaels lurks. You can hear her maniacal
laughter echoing through the night as she tortures her characters. She’ll use
her magic powers, her goblet of wine, and her wicked pen (aka laptop) to bring
them back to life, both contemporary and paranormal. Want to read more from
Lynn’s web of tales, get to know her sexy ghouls and goblins? For a hauntingly
good MM Romance read find Lynn at these spooky links:
LIKE on Facebook: Facebook
Sign up for email notifications: https://rubiconwriting.com/lynn-michaels/
Follow on Amazon: Amazon
Latest Release: Releases
Giveaway:
For this awesome give-a-way... I have a swag pack to giveaway. Perfect for
Halloween a bag full of goodies...
My
Favourite Costume
Marge
Simpson. To this day, I don’t know what possessed me to run out and buy three
bags of cotton balls and a squeeze bottle of blue poster paint and then spent
an afternoon turning the cotton balls blue. When they were dry, I glued them to
a large sheet of poster paper. Then I rolled it up and flattened the top to
make Marge’s hair. I didn’t have a strapless green dress so I wore a yellow
sundress. Marge on holiday. I did have the pearls. Not as big and special as
Marge’s, though. I don’t often dress up for Halloween, but I loved making
this costume and wearing it because Marge Simpson is totally my hero.
About Kelly
If
aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read
over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious
books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what
bibliophiles do.
Kelly
is the author of a number of novels, novellas and short stories, including
the Chaos Station series, co-written
with Jenn Burke. A lot of what she writes is speculative in nature, but
sometimes it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because
life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy
ever after is all the adventure we need.
Tell us the best costume
you ever wore for Halloween?
I got to be a pumpkin. I can’t remember how old I was, maybe 12 or 13yrs old and I was so excited from the moment the idea was in my head, while my mum made it for me, and the whole time I wore it. Even if the cushion I had to shove up the costume kept me from doing a few things as easily as I would have normally. I remember that without the pillow I could fit myself into it so that I was truly a pumpkin.
Author
Bio: I'll show you mine, if you'll
show me yours... da da da da dum, author of LGBT+ romance
Serious
I wanna know
Full
links:
Website: http://www.bronwynheeley.com/
Newsletter:
https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/t2o0w6
FB: https://www.facebook.com/bronwyn.heeley.5
FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/beeheeley
FB Group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/1554526621464220/
Twitter: @BronwynHeeley /
http://www.twitter.com/bronwynheeley
Google+: http://plus.google.com/111764061256840145439
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7731616.Bronwyn_Heeley
GIVEAWAY: a e-copy of Taking A Stand by Bronwyn Heeley in ebup, mobi or PDF
What’s
your best Halloween memory?
I went to graduate school in Lincoln, Nebraska. The
weather there can be wildly variable in late October. Some years it can be
quite warm, some years it rains... and one year we had a blizzard. That was in
1991, and the storm was a big one. Nebraska tends to be dry and doesn't get the
amount of snowfall seen in places like Minneapolis, but we did receive several
inches of ice and snow that day. The temperatures were miserably cold as well.
The mayor of Lincoln cancelled Halloween--which I hadn't
realized lay within his mayoral powers.
We were all stuck at home, of course, with nothing much
to do. This was long before the Age of Netflix. Naturally, we ate all the candy
we'd bought.
The city rescheduled Halloween several days later, when
the weather was more temperate. We all had to go out and buy more candy, which
made the stores very happy.
I moved to California a couple of years later and have
been there ever since. Our Halloweens are nearly always balmy, and the prospect
of snowflakes is dim. We get approximately ten thousand kids at our door that
evening, usually running out of our Costco-sized bags of treats. So if I
want any candy for myself, I have to steal it from my daughters.
Bio:
Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m
romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is
eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and
historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in
modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers,
maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they
often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.
After having migrated back and forth across the western
two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home.
She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a
university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane,
or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as
well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.
Links:
Website: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/
Twitter: @KFieldingWrites
Giveaway:
An audiobook copy of my fantasy novella Treasure. On Audible
Halloween is a recent US
import to the UK. On my estate the little (and not so little) kids visit the
houses that are decorated. Some houses really get into the spirit of things and
go all out with the decorations. I manage one or two pumpkins, but I do have
plenty of sweeties in a huge bowl.
As my kids reached teenage
years I thought I was past the Halloween era. Then I met Carol. My friend comes
over every year to indulge her inner child and love of everything Halloween.
She dresses up in full wig, long dresses and make-up, and goes trick or
treating, then sits outside to scare the children and hand out the sweets. My
daughter bowed out of trick or treating several years ago, but my son and
Carol, and dressed-up doggies, go out. Me – I’m slightly bemused by the whole
thing, but no child goes without a treat.
For me, Halloween is about
meeting neighbours and having fun. It’s like a snow day or a sunny afternoon.
People are outside, talking to each other, and they are happy.
Also chocolate. I love
chocolate.
About the Author
Sue Brown is owned by her
dogs and two teenagers. When she isn't following their orders, she can be found
plotting at her laptop.
Sue discovered M/M romance at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favourite television series. The series is long gone but the kissing was tender and Sue had a lightbulb moment.
Since then she has written many stories hoping to recreate that tender moment she saw on screen. Sue has high hopes that one day she will provide a lightbulb moment for someone else.
Sue discovered M/M romance at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favourite television series. The series is long gone but the kissing was tender and Sue had a lightbulb moment.
Since then she has written many stories hoping to recreate that tender moment she saw on screen. Sue has high hopes that one day she will provide a lightbulb moment for someone else.
Her website can be found at
http://www.suebrownstories.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/suebrownstories
Email: sue@suebrownstories.com
Giveaway:
Ebook of Morning My Angel
2 x ebook of back catalogue
My favorite thing about Halloween is the decorations. I
love seeing all the amazing things people come up with in order to celebrate,
titillate, scare, or just amuse. We haven’t bothered to do anything since we
moved into our house, because for the last twenty years we haven’t had a single
person stop by to trick or treat. Kinda depressing, really. I’ve seen some
things on Youtube that would be absolutely insane (plus the costs are, too).
Author
Bio:
Parker
Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No
happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come
with melding lives together.
Website: Parker Williams
E-mail: Parker Williams
Facebook: Parker Williams
Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor
Giveaway: 2
backlist ebooks
What’s
your best Halloween memory?
When I was about 5 my mom bought a huge pack
of potato chips that had dozens of smaller bags of chips in them, along with a
lot of sweets that we were supposed to give away to trick or treaters. However,
my sister and I ended up scoffing most of it when my mom left for work and we were
sick all night. My mom ended up cleaning up our sick all Halloween long, and we
hardly had any candy left for the other kids in our neighborhood. It's a great
memory because we laugh about it today!
Bio:
Louis is a MM romance writer who steadfastly believes
that happy endings aren't only meant for books. Author of Twice the Hands To
Hold, Quillon's Covert and other books, you can expect unconventional twists
and turns in all his stories.
Connect
with Louis in the following ways:
Giveaway: I'd
like to offer two copies of Twice The Hands To Hold and The Weight of Dust in
any digital format the readers want :-))
Winners are selected at random and will
MASSIVE GIVEAWAY!
PART ONE
PART ONE
Lots of gifts up for grabs!
OVER 40 prizes WOW!
Enter the rafflecopter below to enter.
Contest will end on October 20th!
Winners are selected at random and will
have 48 hours to respond to the email.
Thank you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What a fabulous post and giveaway! Thank you and thanks to all the participating authors too!
ReplyDeleteThis is an AMAZING giveaway! Just wow! Thanks for Diverse Reader as well as the participating authors!
ReplyDeleteOOps slip of a pronoun in my story. I thought I'd changed them all but I missed one. Darn it. I'll be in trouble now....
ReplyDeletenah because clearly I didn't see it either
DeleteOh good, I can blame you! LOL
DeleteOh wow!! October is the best, fall break for the kids, my mom's birthday and of course my absolutely favorite holiday, Halloween. I remember once time taking all the kids trick or treating and we came to this one house where the guy was handing out treats as a clown. But the kids wanted to be tricked to he sent his little mini teacup shihtzu dressed as a spider out the door. Omg was that hilarious! Never seen or heard the kids shriek like that before lmao
ReplyDeleteSoo many typos and wrong words used....:S
DeleteHa ha to the story - not the typos cos I stand need to talk!
DeleteGreat giveway and so many wonderful prizes and I loved all the Halloween posts.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post xx
ReplyDeleteWow! What great fun. thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me be part of the fun! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat giveaways and fun interviews. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun event. Thank you for sharing =)
ReplyDelete