A.J. Maguire

Tag: AJMaguire

  • Creation Phase

    In answer to everyone who has ever looked at me and said; “I just don’t see how you do it.”

    It never starts with a blank page so let’s go ahead and toss that myth out the window. The blank page comes later, and it never stays blank for long because the moment pen meets paper or fingers meet keyboard things start to happen.

    There is a second as the writer’s brain gropes for the correct words where the undisturbed white of pen or screen is daunting, but eventually that right word, phrase, character or situation snaps into being and the story begins. Unless, of course, said writer gives up and walks away.

    Maybe they walk away for a day, maybe forever.

    It seems important to note that the one who comes back, the one who braves the glaring white of the unmarred page, is the real writer. The one who never comes back … well … Enough said there.

    But none of that really matters because this isn’t where the story starts.

    The story started ages ago with a flicker of an idea, a foggy dream barely remembered, or the name of a character who simply will not go away. That’s the beginning of the creation process, the start of a new, grand tale. It could be months or years before the story is physically written, but it is constantly being cultivated in the back of the mind.

    Notebooks or 3×5 cards or little documents are made with character thoughts, plot suggestions, and mental images that capture the mood of the story. These are all compiled, stored away for the moment when we finally find ourselves ready to take the plunge and begin writing.

    Maybe there’s an outline. Maybe there’s just a character with a problem.

    The creation phase for any book is beautiful and fragile and unpredictable. Most of us bemoan the drafts that come after, the editing and the synopsis and the querying and everything that has become synonymous with novel-writing, but the beginnings of a new story …

    That we seem to treasure.

  • Self-Publishing Journal Entry #4 (I think?) — AKA, “DANGIT, HYDRA!”

    Dear Diary,

    I spent New Years Eve sick on my couch. I did not have the joy of watching the infamous “potato drop” in my home town. I could not smell the glorious turkey breast as it was cooking in my crockpot (Thank you to my Grandmother and to my Aunt Debbie for passing along that recipe, it was good even though I couldn’t taste everything.) And in my NyQuil induced haze I decided it would be a perfect moment to get some final tweaks done to Tapped before my January 13th deadline …

    The Big Orange Beast warned me not to do this. He meowed and jumped onto the back of my chair andIMG_0238 bopped my head a few times and I, still in a medicated stupor, did not pay him any mind. I imagine he would be snickering at me but he’s too annoyed that the child has a friend over and is currently hiding under my desk.

    I know because he keeps chewing on my toes.

    After many a night pondering and working and trying things out I opted to use CreateSpace to help launch Tapped into the world. It was very easy to use.

    Too easy to use.

    I went through the Proof Copy, understanding that this was the phase my publishers would have called the “Galley Proof” but not understanding that once I approved said copy it would be IMMEDIATELY published to the CreateSpace store and … several hours later … to Amazon.

    I was 99% certain I had given a publication date of January 13th earlier in the process but it seems I missed something. I’m blaming the NyQuil on that one.

    After much scrambling and panicking and trying to figure out how to take down the novels suddenly out for sale I finally decided to roll with it.

    So this is me mimicking Marvel after the Avenger’s trailer was released … “Dangit, Hydra!”

    Tapped is on Amazon. You can find it in two different paperback sizes, the 6×9 (which is cheaper and Scornedlarger) or the 5.2×8 (which is two bucks more and smaller because I wanted something purse-size because I am totally the book-in-the-purse type … when I carry a purse.)

    And, of course, you can find it for Kindle.

    I recognize that this has the potential to hurt sales. Everything I’ve read about publishing and such says that the week before the book goes up (which should have been next week) I’m supposed to be running about cheerfully telling people about the upcoming release and building all the happy-vibes so that people will buy it and stuff.

    “Dangit, Hydra!”

    Now I’m on to Battle Plan Bravo.

    Why no, I did not have a plan B in place for this. But I’m like MacGyver and can figure a way through almost anything if I have a paperclip and a gum wrapper. (I really don’t care if I just dated myself either. MacGyver was totally my hero growing up and I maintain that he’s swoon-able.)

    Excuse me while I go make Battle Plan Bravo for next week. In the meantime, my very first ever self-published novel is up for sale. I’m sure I made every mistake known to the publishing world in it and apologize in advance.

  • Bring it on 2015!

    I am dubbing 2014 as a success in spite of the avocado fiasco and am seriously excited to see what I can accomplish in 2015. I’ve already got a couple of things planned but today we’re filling out the writing schedule for the whole year … which I’ll admit is like my favorite part of the holiday season.

    This is mostly for me but if you’re brave enough to peek into my writer’s brain then … welcome to the mayhem!

    This is like my personal pep-talk and I’ll reference it throughout the year just to keep myself revved up and ready to write and … well, attack life with fervor. Because really, if we’re not deliberately living then we’re missing out.

    So! Here’s what I want to do in 2015 …

    1) Publish Tapped (Scheduled: January 13, 2015)

    As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’ve decided to try my hand at the self-published market. I’ve learned quite a bit from the two small presses that have published me over the last couple years and while I adore them both, the Tapped series requires just a little more freedom.

    2) Edit Persona (Scheduled: January – March)

    Starting January 2nd I will begin implementing edits from my editor(s) for Persona. (Thank you Michael Keenan.) This edit requires a major overhaul of the ending. As soon as it is done it will go back in to said editor so I have a hard deadline of April 1st.

    3) Residual Haunting Wrap-Up (Scheduled: January – March)

    Back in October I started serializing Residual Haunting at Wattpad and its own Story Blog. We’re currently on chapter 12 and there are 13 more to go. Needless to say, the serialization will continue after the New Year. I chose not to post anything over the holiday break due to people being away with their families and such.

    4) Edit Usurper (Scheduled: April – June)

    Trenna fans can stop hounding me. As soon as this edit is complete it will go in to the publisher (Wings ePress) who has first rights to all things Dyngannon.

    5) NEW CONTENT WRITING (Scheduled: April – June)

    My brain is funny sometimes. I can work on 2 projects at a time so long as one is being edited and one is being created. That’s why you see the first three months of 2015 I am editing Persona and finishing Residual Haunting. I have several novels on the back burner that are just waiting to be written so I get to pick from the following;

    Dead Weight (sequel to Tapped) / Alex Huntley (Civil War) / Warpath (4th Trenna book) / Primal (Dragons)

    6) Query Goals (Scheduled: August – December)

    Given the professionalism of my editor I know that by July 2015 I will have Persona back in my hot little hands. I’ve carved out the months of July and August to go through those edits again. It’s a shorter time frame because there should be less work involved (meaning no major over-hauls and such) but once it’s done I will begin querying the book out.

    7) NEW CONTENT WRITING (Scheduled: July – September)

    Obviously whichever one I manage to do in April-June is off the list here, but the choices are the same. Dead Weight (sequel to Tapped) / Alex Huntley (Civil War) / Warpath (4th Trenna book) / Primal (Dragons)

    8) Edit Residual Haunting (Scheduled: October – December)

    By the time October rolls around I should be ready to pick up Residual Haunting again and start editing the crap out of it.

    9) Participate in National Novel Writing Month (Scheduled: November … and probably December)

    Because I just can’t seem to get enough of this program I’ll be trying my hand at this competition again. Depending on what I’ve managed to get finished earlier in the year I will likely pick from my list of 4 back-burner novels. If I’ve written Dead Weight then I know there’s a third Tapped novel (Inmate) that should be added to this list as well. And I have an Aliens vs. Vampires novel buzzing in the back of my brain too.

    10) Poetry Reading and All Things Not Writing

    I want to read a poem a week. I like poetry, I just really suck at writing it. So! I’ll read it instead. One a week through 2015.

    Also in 2015 I want to learn at least 6 new martial art forms/kata (trust me, I have the means to do this.)

    I want to read 12 new books from authors I haven’t read before. If you know a book you think I should try please let me know. This is a book a month and I know I read tons more than that so this should be easy.

    I want to climb mountains with my kid and generally enjoy the adventure that is being a parent. (AKA – we’re going to go find some fun.)

    And that’s it. That’s my 10(+) for the year of 2015. I can do this. I know I can do this. Bring it on!

  • Happy Holidays – Round Robin

    The assignment for this month’s Round Robin Blog Hop was to give something special to our readers writing-wise. And after much deliberation I opted to take a piece of Usurper and post it up here. I’ve given snippets and such before, but nothing of this length and it is designed for all the Trenna fans out there.

    Fans of the Sedition series have been stuck waiting for Usurper’s release (which will definitely be in 2015 once I’ve gotten the edits complete) so I decided this was the best gift I could give.

    Thank you to everyone who has braved the inner workings of my rather fantastical mind and read my books. You’re all awesome. Happy Holidays, however you celebrate them.

    Usurper 

    “I kissed Evaliana.” Troy let the statement fall between them and tried not to cringe.

    The memory of the heated kiss intruded on him, his body suddenly torn between an aching desire to go find the woman again and the anticipation of violence from the man before him. He fully expected Kaden Dyngannon to fight him over the infraction; one did not kiss Evaliana without her brother taking offense, so Troy had prepared himself for this moment.

    Under normal circumstances Troy would have argued that who Liana decided to kiss was her own business, the young woman was far too independent to appreciate the protective nature of her older brother. But because Kaden was his closest and dearest friend, Troy had felt the need to confess.

    That and he wanted to do it again.

    His fingers could still feel the slight curve of her waist and his mind was suddenly overwhelmed with the taste of her.

    “Oh?” Kaden tossed an empty net onto the deck of the ship. “Did she kiss you back?”

    The question brought Troy back to the moment. “I beg pardon?”

    Kaden chuckled and started spreading the net out, inspecting for holes and the like without looking up at him. “I asked if she kissed you back.”

    “You’re not going to hit me?”

    “Not unless you want me to.” Kaden laughed, brighter this time and Troy started to relax.

    Cautiously, still puzzled at the lack of violence, Troy began to help with tending the net. Their little fishing boat swayed under the light rock of ocean waves, but both men were accustomed to the constant movement. Metallic silver streaks meshed into the otherwise black hair prominent in his friend, a trait that might have looked abnormal were it not for Kaden’s long, pointed ears. Troy kept Kaden in his peripheral vision as his fingers started searching the net for weak spots, but Kaden’s lean, tall form was relaxed, his thin mouth quirked up into a half-smile.

    “You’ve throttled every other man who’s gotten close to Liana before.” Troy found a thin bit of rope and reached for the mending kit beside them.

    “Bah. They were all dogs. And most of them wanted far more than a kiss.”

    “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more.”

    Kaden stopped what he was doing to look at him, “Just how much more?”

    And there was the violence he’d been expecting, sudden and fierce, held under tight control. Troy met his friend’s deep green eyes and fought down his momentary terror. He wasn’t afraid to fight Kaden – he might even win if he tried hard enough – but the repercussions could be devastating. Boyhood friends, damn close to brothers were it not for the difference in races; Kaden was undeniably Eldur and Troy was Human. Regardless, they had a bond. A bond that went deep and could never be replaced.

    “Gods honest truth, Kaden, I’d marry the woman if she’d let me.”

    All at once Kaden relaxed and gave him a charismatic grin. “I thought so.”

    “You’ve been expecting this?”

    Kaden nodded and continued his inspection. The man couldn’t simply hold a conversation, he had to keep moving, to divide his focus, which normally didn’t bother Troy but today they were talking about Liana and hopefully a long courtship leading to a possible marriage. Now that he thought about it, this particular conversation probably shouldn’t have been done on the deck of the Bitter Croften with a bucket full of fish guts an arm’s length away.

    “The two of you have been dancing around this romance for years now,” Kaden stood and stretched. “A little advice, though?”

    Troy finished with the net and followed his friend to his feet, “Of course.”

    “Mother won’t mind the kissing but don’t mention it to Da.” Kaden smirked and squinted up at a low-flying gull. “Liana’s his gem and all, you know? He won’t like it.”

    Troy glanced out at the harbor where Nelek Dyngannon was headed their direction. “Do you think he’ll hit me?”

    With a laugh and a wink, Kaden scooped up the mended net and tossed it onto the growing pile near the center mast. “He might.”

    The older Eldur man paused his progression over the harbor to make some laughing conversation with a fellow fisherman. For a moment Troy was transfixed by the blatant differences between Eldur and Human. Nelek Dyngannon was over twice Troy’s age – a ripe twenty-three years – but the blessing of Eldur longevity seemed to tease around Nelek’s person. He was a well-formed man, trimmed with the daily sword practices he demanded of his children; which on most days included Troy.

    More often than not, Nelek wore some form of hat or bandana to cover his long, pointed ears. Troy had come to understand it as a matter of safety rather than shame. Many of the Humans on Vakeshmeer Island were friendly with the Dyngannon family in spite of the fact that they were Eldur, but there were a select few who were not. Hiding their ears put the Humans at ease, which lessened the chance of confrontation. At present, Troy noted the beige swatch of cloth tied around Nelek’s head and frowned.

    It seemed unfair that the Eldur would need to hide at all.

    Evaliana rarely did so. Troy had to fight back another memory as the girl’s father approached. There was something distinctly wrong in thinking about her mouth; sweet and warm and supple under his own, when Nelek was so close. Troy had lived among the Eldur long enough to know that they couldn’t read minds, but both Kaden and Nelek were all too keen on interpreting facial expressions.

    “Hello, boys,” Nelek stopped just short of the boat and inspected the deck. “Are we ready for tomorrow?”

    “Ready and clear, Pops,” Kaden made a limber jump from the boat to the harbor.

    “Excellent.” Nelek paused to consider Troy, one dark eyebrow quirking upward. “You look like I just caught you with your hand in the honey pot, Troy’vest Mavon.”

    Kaden’s laugh bellowed over the harbor, which made Troy squirm all the more. Nelek glanced between them and Troy could see further suspicion climbing into the man’s face. Before another question could be raised, Troy leapt from the boat and to the harbor. A hard knot of fear clenched in Troy’s gut for a disconcerting moment, but another form jogged up to them and Nelek was distracted.

    “Oy, glad I caught ye.” The familiar, grungy presence of Sessmess Kuhl, Harbormaster, managed to help Troy relax, “Thought as ye might like to know that some newcomer’s asking about yer boy.”

    “Newcomer?” Nelek frowned.

    “Cesper Villant brought in a boat load of visitors from the mainland.” Sessmess nodded his balding head toward the Big Hearth Tavern and Inn. The building commanded the western side of Harbor Street, its girth expanding out in a massive circle. “Rumor has it there’s just one asking. Male. One of those sorts as you wouldn’t let near your daughter at midday in public, ye know?”

    “Human?”

    “Aye, but I cannot be sure on his companion. She’s a pretty one but her hood’s stayed up since her arrival.” Sessmess shuddered and wiped the sweat off the back of his neck, “Wouldn’t be surprised if she were Eldur, though. There’s something queer about her.”

    “Thank you, Master Kuhl.” Nelek slipped a few coins to the Harbormaster, who grinned his semi-toothless appreciation before moving off.

    Troy ran his tongue over his teeth, involuntarily checking to make sure they were still in place. It was rude to think it but, good gods; he prayed he kept his teeth longer than that poor soul. Watching Sessmess’s retreating back, Troy suppressed a shiver and tried to wrap his mind around the information. When he looked back to Nelek and Kaden, the father and son had identical, grim expressions and Troy caught on to the trouble.

    “You don’t think this could be that Blood Mage, do you?”

    Kaden looked to his father and shrugged.

    Nelek squinted at the Inn, his mouth making a firm, straight line across his face. “No, this couldn’t be Noffi.”

    “How do you know?”

    “Because Noffi was gods-awful ugly,” Nelek smirked at him. “Not a soul alive would have called her pretty. Her teeth alone could frighten children.”

    “What is wrong with her teeth?” Kaden perked with interest.

    Nelek motioned to his mouth, “They’re pointed.”

    “What? All of them?” Troy wrinkled his nose in distaste.

    “Hurt like hell when she bit you, too.”

    “Ugh. Why did she bite you?” Troy gave the Inn a furtive glance.

    “Blood Magic,” Nelek gripped Kaden’s shoulder. “Eldur have to bleed in order for a mage to be useful.”

    “That’s disgusting.”

    “Shall we go see who they are?” Nelek grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “Hate to have them come all this way for nothing.”

    —-

    The Blog Hop Continues!

    Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com/
    Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
    Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
    Rachael Kosnski http://the-doodling-booktease.tumblr.com/
    Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
    Helena Fairfax  http://helenafairfax.com/
    Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
    A.J. Maguire  https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
    Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
    Kay Sisk http://kaysisk.blogspot.com
    Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
    Lynn Crain  http://www.awriterinvienna.blogspot.com
    Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/

    Connie Vines connievines.blogspot.com

  • Book Cover Reveal – Tapped

    So the artist that I normally bat my eyelashes at for cover art is currently closed to commissions. Which is fine, he’s super talented and has a lot of his own stuff to do. (That’s Chris Howard, author and artist for the Saltwater Witch stuff, which if you haven’t read you really should read because the art is gorgeous and the story is compelling and … yeah … you can find him here.)

    Of course, this left me hunting frantically for a cover for Tapped since I put the release date at January 13, 2015. Hard to release a book without a cover. I mean, I could do it, but nobody would buy it and … well, I would hate myself forever.

    (FYI – a smart, sassy agent lady let me know that speculative fiction is best sold around the August/September mark but I’ve already made this deadline public so I’m sticking to it. I figure by the time August rolls around I can put the book on a cheap sale or something.)

    Now then …

    I searched and searched and searched for a cover for this book. Given my tight budget (single parent, working full-time, avocado-induced emergency room bills) I knew I had to go for a pre-made cover if I could. And let me tell you, there are LOTS of sites out there.

    Furthermore, there are some sites out there that recycle covers or something like that, so it’s important to research the artist too. So if you’re self-publishing or thinking about self-publishing, try to keep that in mind and make sure you’re paying attention.

    I found Rocking Book Covers and really liked the style and feel of the art so I hunted through its pages and found my cover! It’s simple and eye-catching and the artist had the work done very, very quickly.

    And so … here is the official cover for Tapped …

    Scorned

  • Self-Publishing Journal Entry #3

    Dear Diary,

    Scrivener hates me.

    I find this quite sad because I really like Scrivener and its little note-card preview and clean setup. And really, I’ve done nothing to deserve its hatred. We only just met a month or so ago.

    How do I know it hates me?

    Because it refuses to be rid of the subtitles in my work. I’ve tried seven different times now and it always brings up a subtitle after the word “Chapter” … even if the area is left blank. Even if I click on the “please don’t do this crap” button that it told me to click on in the instructions.

    The manuscript looks very nice apart from that. It just has “Chapter One” and then “Untitled” right underneath it.

    Orange Beast
    Orange Beast

    The Big Orange Beast has declared that Scrivener is on strike until I bring home soft food again. After all, he did not agree to this diet and he has every right to soft food regardless of the fact that he is beginning to look like a lumpy potato.

    He is also quite displeased that I left for Thanksgiving. He did not rage-vomit on my floor while I was gone though, so I believe he is accepting the fact that I like to visit my mother every couple of months.

    I’ve decided that all of my editing must be done by the end of this week. My Beta Readers have all checked in (for the most part) and I know what needs doing. In fact, I managed to get most of their comments already implemented into the book, now I just need to tweak wording and make sure everything flows right.

    I’ve also decided that Tapped is going to be YA, which is terribly frightening. The age is right. The main character is right. I was just being stubborn about the whole idea due to … you know … never having written YA before.

    What can I say? I’m living dangerously. First time self-publishing, first time writing YA. It’s an adventure.

    Which reminds me, I really ought to pin down a cover for this thing.

  • Tossing in the Towel – NaNoWriMo 2014

    Illness struck my house last week. It started while my son was having a sleepover, the poor kid suddenly had a fever and I had to separate the boys during the sleeping portion of said sleepover to keep our guest from catching it. (Didn’t work, our guest has been sick the last couple days too.)

    Being the mother that I am I spent all night watching my son’s fever spike and level and spike and level until finally Sunday morning we were able to run out and get some more Tylenol. By Sunday evening I was sick as well. And for several days Hazen and I stayed home, nursing our illnesses with frequent naps and intermittent bouts playing Star Wars.

    And soup.

    Lots of potato soup.

    My NaNo project was left aside.

    While I could possibly rush through the next two weeks to get to 50,000 words before the end of November I know that they would be 50,000 really horrible words. Rough drafts are notoriously bad, but the abomination that would sprout from such a rush would require the entire work be thrown away and restarted in December.

    Which would be a complete waste of my time.

    So!

    I am formally throwing in the towel for NaNoWriMo 2014.

    I wish everyone the best of luck who is continuing to plug away at their NaNo novels. You’re all awesome. You can do this. Keep moving forward!

  • Handwriting vs. Typing Debate #1

    My first book was written almost completely on 3×5 cards that I stored in my cargo pockets while serving in the Army. I kept them in a Ziploc bag since … you know … Army stuff. Field exercises in Hawaii were murder on paper. If you’ve never been to Hawaii then let me tell you, they have this red dirt that can stain anything.

    I mean it.

    I took the advice of a more experienced soldier and purchased an extra uniform for the sole purpose of rolling around in reddish mud.

    Now then … I don’t recommend using 3×5 cards to write your whole novel on for several reasons.

    #1) Unless you’re in a situation where you absolutely must store your work in your cargo pocket, why would you want to?

    #2) 3×5 cards with numbers on them are still a pain in the batoosh to keep in order. Should you be crazy enough to do this, find an organization style very, very quickly.

    #3) 3×5 cards are easier to lose than full pages of paper. Again … some sort of filing system is absolutely necessary here.

    All that said, I do still use 3×5 cards. I just don’t write the whole stinking novel on them. I write blips, lines, descriptions, plot points, or anything that catches my attention that I think could be useful. The actual writing of the novel normally takes place in a notebook.

    I love the feel of pen on paper. Something about it just calls to me, sets my creative mind to wandering, and helps me focus on the novel at hand. And this was all well and good for my first several novels.

    However … looking at a series like Tapped, which at this juncture is approximately 7 books long with offshoots for novellas and short stories, it has become increasingly apparent that I need to adapt my writing techniques. The problem isn’t so much writing on the notebooks, but the editing process that comes after.

    You see, after I’ve transferred everything onto the computer and done at least 3 passes at the novel, I inevitably print the whole thing out and find myself handwriting EVERYWHERE.

    No, really. Everywhere. Margins, napkins, between lines, no place is safe.296311_500604823329356_837081728_n

    So in essence I’m handwriting the novel twice.

    This takes time.

    Trenna fans will agree with me here in saying it takes too much time. (I’m so very sorry. But I do promise Usurper will be out next year.)

    This is what inspired the Residual Haunting challenge. For those of you just joining us, Residual Haunting is the serialized novel I have been posting up on Wattpad and its own story blog. It has been written completely on the computer, which accounts for a slight lack of description but a very stylized flow to the narrative.

    Since I am over midway through the book now I figured I would do a bit of a Pro vs. Con update on this experiment.

    Pro — Character voices flow better.

    Con — I had to go back in and write descriptions of the characters.

    Pro — Timing for writing the rough draft has been cut in half.

    Con — Character depth is missing. Who are these people and what do they want? (Aside from not being eaten by the monster roaming the museum.)

    Conclusion — The rough draft will be rougher than normal when this is done. I will have to go in and add graphic detail to make the setting come alive. I will have to slow down and use the 1″ picture frame (thank you, Ann Lamont) on each of the characters. We will have to see at the end of the editing process if this actually saves time in the long run.

    Now, these are my experiences. Someone else will likely have different results. But as writers it is our duty to experiment and learn different ways to approach the craft. It’s the only way we’ll grow.

  • Halloween and Doctor Who

    I don’t do Trick-or-Treating. I did when I was a kid but I remember all to well having to let my mother go through the candy to make sure nobody had done anything particularly nasty that year. We’ve all heard the horror stories and the urban legends and all things awful that could be done to unsuspecting children on All Hallows Eve and, regardless of whether or not they are real, I just can’t seem to let my son do this.

    Which is sad, I know. I love Halloween and I love watching my son pick a costume and I make sure he has every opportunity to wear said costume throughout the month of October (and often the rest of the year.)

    But as a single parent who lives in an apartment complex full of college students I draw the line at trick-or-treating.

    Over the last six years my son and I have made our own traditions for this special night. We both dress up, we make a special dinner, and we try to construct a haunted ginger bread house. Mostly we just eat the pieces but for about 20 seconds the thing manages to stand upright.

    We watched Scooby-Doo last year but this year we’ve both decided to watch Doctor Who.

    We’ve been catching up on the new season since Monday and the episode called “Listen” scared the skittles out of us both. Totally appropriate for Halloween, wouldn’t you say?

    I mean, there was one part where some thing was sitting on this kid’s bed, hiding under a blanket. It was so terribly creepy that my son hid his face. I was little better, clutching him to my side and wondering just how far Moffat was going to take this particular story-line.

    In any case, I’m sure there are people out there who will say I’m robbing my son of a grand experience by barring him from trick-or-treating. To you I would say, let’s agree to disagree. There are plenty of other things my son and I can do to celebrate that don’t include driving down unfamiliar streets hunting for the houses with their lights on.

    We went to the corn maze twice this month. We have pumpkins to carve. We have cupcakes to bake and a haunted ginger bread house to construct. And we have Doctor Who to watch.

  • Scary Moments Round Robin Tour!

    bannerfans_962234We’d lost the light midway down the mountain. My brother and I were still very new to camping at this point so we hadn’t realized that watching a sunset from the mountaintop wasn’t exactly the brightest idea. So we found ourselves half running down loose shale and steep inclines with only one small pen-light between us.

    I remember thinking how quickly night came in the mountains. No sooner had we stopped gazing in wonder at this magnificent sunset on the top of the mountain than darkness had swooped in. I twisted my ankle over a dozen times and, in the interest of expedience, we both decided we should just cut across the mountain toward camp rather than go back the way we had come.

    Very bad idea.

    Our stepfather eventually noticed our small little light up on the mountain and managed to shout to get our attention. It’s amazing how a voice can carry through the mountains. It’s nothing like in a town where buildings and populace seem to swallow up sound, out there is space enough for someone to bellow and have it carry for miles.

    “STOP!” Our stepfather’s disembodied voice froze us in our tracks.

    He started up his four-wheeler and shined the headlight onto the ridge line, instructing us to follow the light. My brother and I did as we were told and, after quite a bit of hiking, finally reached the bottom of the mountain.

    The next morning he showed us where he saw our light, which was about five feet away from a cliff face.

    My brother and I had been going so fast there was no way we would have seen that cliff in time to stop.

    I might not have been frightened at the time, but I certainly had chills that morning.

    Check out what my fellow authors have to say about their scary moments!

    Heidi M. http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/
    Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
    Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
    A.J. Maguire  https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)
    Rachael Kosnski http://the-doodling-booktease.tumblr.com/
    Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
    Geeta Kakade http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
    Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
    Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
    Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
    Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com/
    Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/