Read This Halloween Tale If You Dare! HAPPY HALLOWEEN to My Readers.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The ghouls, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves are free, roaming the night and searching for poor mortals to devour and possess. In honor of my favorite scary night, enjoy this horror story of mine that had been published once. See what happens to one old man on Halloween. Beware though: it is copyrighted to me and so can not be taken off here and put on any other website. But do send the link to friends though so they can come here and read it too.


READ IT IF YOU DARE!





Give Me Something Good To Eat

By

Pamela K. Kinney




“Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!”
Halloween time again, when all those damn kids knock on his door and asked, no, demanded, candy, money, and other assorted treats. But he’d be double-damned if he’d break down and give the little hellions anything. In his opinion, these days the only thing the brats deserved was nothing. Nothing at all.
The knocking at his door escalated, becoming a persistent pounding. Jonas Perkins flung open the door and found two small children, maybe five or six, standing on his porch. One dressed as a witch, the other a Power Ranger. Their loud, obnoxious father, Pete Quarters from next door, had been the one who pounded on the door. He inched closer so that Jonas and he stood practically nose to nose.
“Hey, Perkins!” said Quarters. “Didn’t you hear Jenny and Parker knock? It’s Halloween, you know.””
Jonas snorted and glared at Quarters from under his bushy eyebrows. “Yeah, I heard. But I decided not to give out candy to any kids this year. I thought the Dental Association would have one less idiot handing out sugar products and causing cavities. Felt it was my civic duty.”
Quarters’ piggish eyes narrowed. “Are you going highbrow on me, Perkins? It’s Halloween and I’m sure that my kids’ dentist won’t mind them having some candy. I should know, as he gave them a couple Snickers bars each when we stopped at his place, so why should he care if you give them something?”
“Well, I didn’t get any candy so I am not giving them, or any other little monster, anything tonight. And that’s that. So no one better play a trick on me either, or I’ll call the cops. Understand?”
Jonas slammed the door shut on Quarters and his kids, locking it.
“Stupid idiots and their brats,” he muttered, as he stalked into the living room and thumped down in his favorite chair in front of the television set. Picking up the remote, he surfed through endless channel after channel, but could only find monster movies, how to make Halloween treats on the Cooking Channel and the history of Halloween on the History Channel.
With a click, he turned the TV off and tossed the remote onto the end table with disgust.
“Nothing but Halloween crap on tonight.”
And nothing but Halloween crap to his thinking as the door bell kept ringing and he answered it. Kids dressed in costumes of all types, from vampires and werewolves to ghosts, super heroes, and silly princesses stood with their bags held up, the light spilling onto their masked or made up faces. Their parents waited just outside the reach of the porch light, hidden in the shadows of the night. He screamed at the little monsters, making them run and their mothers or fathers curse him, but he’d just slammed the doors on them all. After a while he sat in the darkened living room, ignoring the persistent bell. Finally, the door bell quit ringing and he relaxed in his chair.
He jumped up when instead of the bell ringing a loud knocking sounded at his door. At first he felt a flash of anger and wasn’t going to answer the door, but when he spied something on a table near him a nasty grin shaped his lips. He picked up a horn that he kept to bugle at birds in the spring that tried to get the grass seed that he seeded his front lawn with. Now, with his fingers curled around the horn, he strolled to the door.
“I’ll give you treat!” he yelled as he flung open the door with a laugh.
His fingers pressed the button on the horn and a loud high-pitched sound screamed out of it. He stopped, as he faced a trick-or-treater about his height. With another press of the button, he shut off the horn.
Dumbfounded at first, his face took on a dark, angry glower. “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating, you stupid nitwit?” he snarled.
The costumed figure just stood there, silent. Jonas’ gaze took in the costume and how well done it was. Tall and gaunt, threadbare iron gray pants hung loosely from its hips and it also wore a shirt rotted away in places, leaving dirt crusted holes. Dust covered most of the clothing and the large shoes on the feet looked like those that a clown would wear.
The skin gleam the same pale, chalky color as the crescent moon that hung in the night sky above. Long hands ended in long black nails, sharp like claws, and they grasped an extra large bag, like the kind that held grain or seed in the grain stores. But it was the make up job that impressed him the most. The flesh masked over the skull like a second skin. Not a speck of color touched its lips or cheeks, except a light gray color.
And the eyes! They dominated the features, like large black holes, with no consciousness peeping out of them.
Must be FX contact lenses, thought Jonas.
The lips parted in a dark smile, revealing a mouthful of cannibal-sharp fangs.
Jonas shivered, but not from the cool autumn breeze that drifted in from the outside. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to shut this door now. And no tricks, because you’re not getting any damn treats from me.”
He slammed the door shut on the figure’s face.
In a turnabout he found himself eye to eye with the strange trick-or-treater from outside. It stood there, blocking Jonas from the living room. Not one peep did it utter.
“What the hell?“ Jonas retreated back a couple of steps. “How did you get inside?”
The figure silently held up its opened bag.
Suddenly angry, Jonas snarled. “You want a treat, do you? Well, I’ll give you a treat. A treat like the smack from this horn I’m still gripping.”
He raised the horn up and brought it down. With no warning, the trick-or-treater grabbed the arm holding the horn and with a twist, broke it. The horn dropped to the floor, making a loud clatter. The trick-or-treater kicked it to the side.
Pain lanced through Jonas’ arm and he cradled it. Fear flitted across his face as he stared at the other.
“Oh, dear God,” he said. “What do you want?”
The other spoke for the first time. “You.”
It grabbed him quickly, not giving him time to escape, and after snapping a few bones to bend the body easier, shoved a dying Jonas into the bag.

****
The ghoul gave a nasty cackle and flung open the door, stepping outside into the cool night air. The pungent odors from candle-lit Jack-O-Lanterns on door steps and half-eaten candies thrown to the ground from costumed children wafted to its nostrils. But it didn’t think of those things, only of the meal it would enjoy tonight in its home in the mausoleum. Nowadays, Halloween made it so easy to hunt humans. They just thought of it as another costumed trick-or-treater.
It left the door open and skipped down the street to its home in the town cemetery. It sang, swinging the heavily loaded bag at its side.
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, and give me something good to eat!”

A POEM OF WARNING

It’s coming,

Like a terrible thing

It’s scary,

Dark, and with a toothy grin.

So you better beware,

Have everything ready

Decorate appropriately,

For the end is near.

Just remember one thing,

It only comes but once a year

Halloween, costumed in orange and black,

A mask upon its gruesome face

Ringing your doorbell with persistence,

Innocent child or demonic being

Just feed it candy, just to be safe.

Trick or Treat.

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg—Trick or Treat!

The custom of 'trick or treat' probably has several origins. One is an old Irish peasant practice going door to door to collect money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of St. Columbus Kill. Trick-or-treating also came from the late medieval practice of "souling," when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), to receive soul cakes in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It was also used also in exchange for promises of prosperity or protection against bad luck. It is with this custom the concept of the fairies came to be incorporated as people used to go door to door begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the house owner could gain the blessings of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed. People would also wear masks when they went out this particular night as they believed that the hideous masks could frighten off the demons who roamed. The pagan festival of Samhain came at a time of year when the weather was turning chilly and the cold, envious ghosts outside were constantly trying to trick mortals into letting them in by the fire. People who went out after dark often wore these masks to keep from being recognized and be thought of as one of the spirits.
Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, states that in parts of Count Waterford: 'Hallow E'en is called oidhche na h-aimlise, "The night of mischief or con". It was a custom which survives still in places--for the "boys" to assemble in gangs, and, headed by a few horn-blowers who were always selected for their strength of lungs, they would visit all the farmers' houses in the district and levy a sort of blackmail, in good humour, and as cheerfully given. They afterward met at some point of rendezvous, and in merry revelry celebrated the festival of Samhain in their own way. When the distant winding of the horns was heard, the bean a' tigh--woman of the house--got prepared for their reception, and also for the money or builn (white bread) to be handed to them through the half-opened door. There was always a race amongst them to get possession of the latch. Whoever heard the wild scurry of their rush through a farm-yard to the kitchen-door--will not question the propriety of the word aimilis [mischief] applied to their proceedings. The leader of the band chanted a sort of recitative in Gaelic, intoning it with a strong nasal twang to conceal his identity, in which the good-wife was called upon to do honor to Samhain..." There is little primary documentation of masking or costuming on Halloween — in Ireland, the UK, or America — before 1900. The earliest known reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking North America occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston Ontario, near the border of upstate New York, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising on Halloween between 6 and 7 p.m., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. Another reference appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920.
Halloween’s modern trick or treating (primarily children going door-to-door, begging for candy) began fairly recently in the US, as a blend of several ancient and modern influences. In 19th Century America, rural immigrants from Ireland and Scotland kept gender-specific Halloween customs from their homelands: girls stayed indoors and did divination games, while the boys roamed outdoors engaging in almost equally ritualized pranks, which their elders "blamed" on the spirits being abroad that night. Its entry into urban world can probably traced back in mid-19th Century New York, where children called "ragamuffins" would dress in costumes and beg for pennies from adults on Thanksgiving Day. Things got nastier with increased urbanization and poverty in the 1930's. Adults began casting about for ways to control the previously harmless but now increasingly expensive and dangerous vandalism of the "boys." Towns and cities began organizing "safe" Halloween events and householders began giving out bribes to the neighborhood kids as a way to distract them away from their previous anarchy. The ragamuffins disappeared or switched their date to Halloween.
The term "trick or treat," finally appears in print around 1939. Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines, Jack and Jill and Children's Activities, and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs "The Baby Snooks Show" in 1946 and "The Jack Benny Show" and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in 1948. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon "Trick or Treat", Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show, and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating.
Pranks became even nastier in the 1980's, with widespread poverty existing side-by-side with obscene greed. Unfortunately, even bored kids in a violence saturated culture slip all too easily from harmless "decoration" of their neighbors' houses with shaving cream and toilet paper to serious vandalism and assaults. Blaming either Neopagans or Halloween for this is rather like blaming patriots or the Fourth of July for the many firecracker injuries that happen every year (and which are also combated by publicly sponsored events). Given this hazardous backdrop town councils, school boards and parents in the 1930's invented this custom as it is being celebrated today to keep their kids out of trouble.
As far as the custom across the Atlantic goes, by the mid- 20th century in Ireland and Britain, the smaller children would dress up and parade to the neighbors' houses, do little performances, then ask for a reward. American kids seem to remember this with their chants of "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg," and other classic tunes done for no reason other than because "it's traditional." Today's "Trick or Treat" has become more careful, with parents taking their children to malls or to school or church carnivals. There are still children trick or treating in their neighborhoods, just not as much. There are emergency wards open to x-ray the candy, making sure it is safe for the kids to eat. Some parents keep their children home, rent a scary movie, and with popcorn, candy and more, and have a sort of family evening. When your doorbell rings, be careful and wear your mask, for it might not be a child trick or treating, instead, it may be a ghost or demon trying to get into your home. If they get in, then you won't be getting a treat, but a trick instead!

A Week to Be Scared-HALLOWEEN

Today, I will start on a week of celebrating Halloween. Today is about it's history.

The roots of Halloween stretch back thousands of years. Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired by traditions, from one generation to another. As this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions.

Digging into its history helps separate fact from fantasy. 'Trick or Treat' may be innocent fun children do on Halloween and we may all dress in cool costumes for parties and Halloween carnivals, but think about the frightening stories of ghosts, witches, monsters, fairies, evil, and animal sacrifices lurking behind it. Are these stories a myth or is there a blend of some reality?

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas. In old English, the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify.'

The American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof--the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).

Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them.

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

Upcoming Book Signings from October 25 Through Halloween

Saturday, October 25th, I'll be signing HAUNTED RICHMOND, VIRGINIA at the Barnes an Noble at Libbie Place—5501 West Broad Street Richmond, VA 23230 804-282-0781--2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Then I will be signing copies of HAUNTED RICHMOND, VIRGINIA and hopefully, the feline shapeshifter anthology, SHIFTING DESIRES, that my erotic werelion paranormal romance, Beast Magic, is included in at Barnes and Noble—11640 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA, 23233 804-360-0103—6:00-8:00pm.

Monday, October 27th from 6:30PM to 9:30PM I will be giving a workshop at The Aquarian Bookshop in Carytown, on what you need to become a paranormal investigator and after that is done, I will be signing copies of HAUNTED RICHMOND, VIRGINIA that I am bringing with me and have left. The workshop is $10 and you must call the Aquarian Bookshop and reserved a spot in it, plus pay them. The book is $14.95, seperate from the class fee and that is paid to me. I take cash or checks only.

On Thursday, October 30th I will have a book signing at Barnes and Noble at VCU Noon to 2:00PM for HAUNTED RICHMOND, VIRGINIA and hopefully, SHIFTING DESIRES, if they can get the anthology in in time. The address is 1111 W. Broad Street Richmond, Virginia. The bookstore's phone number is 804-828-1678.

I will be signing copies of my book, HAUNTED RICHMOND, VIRGINIA at CHOP SUEY BOOKS in Carytown in Richmond, Virginia on Halloween, October 31st, from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. The bookstore's address is 2913 West Cary Street Richmond, Va. 23221 and their phone number is 804-422-8066 for further information.

Whichever bookstore you choose, come get a copy of my book that is selling fast and instead of tricks, you'll get a treat. Then read it if you dare!

New Review for HAUNTED RICHMOND and Where I Am Signing It This Weekend

I got a new review for HAUNTED RICHMOND by SableLit Reviews.
Here is what the reviewer said:
Like haunted stories told around a campfire or underneath a tent with a flashlight, I found Haunted Richmond enjoyable for its intermingling of history with the supernatural. Kinney even intertwined her own paranormal experiences in the book giving hope to ghost hunters everywhere that maybe they could visit Richmond and experience the supernatural power of its residence who have long since passed but have yet to leave.
Read the rest of the review at http://www.sablelitreviews.com/haunted-richmond .

And this is where I’ll be signing this upcoming weekend:

October 17th: Barnes and Noble—The Creeks at Virginia Center 9850 Brook Rd. Glen Allen, VA 23059 804-264-6850—October 17, 2008—6:00pm to 8:00pm

October 18th: Barnes and Noble—Chesterfield Towne Center—11500 Midlothian Turnpike Space 440, Richmond, VA 23235—804-794-4216—October 18, 2008—11am to 1:00pm

October 18th: Waldens Bookstore in Virginia Center Commons Mall—10101 Brook Road Glen Allen, VA. 23059 804-262-9479--October 18, 2008—2:00pm to 5:00pm

October 19th: Barnes and Noble—4600 Commonwealth Center Parkway Midlothian, VA. 23112 804-744-5483—October 19, 2008—2:00pm to 4:00pm

My Radio Interview is Friday, Oct. 17th at 12 Noon EASTERN

The WRIR radio DJ taped me about HAUNTED RICHMOND today and said the interview will be out this Friday, October 17th at Noon on WRIR 97.3FM, Richmond, Virginia's Independent Radio Station. Their website is http://www.wrir.org/ . Those not in the area, you can listen to it by downloading from http://wrir.org/x/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4287 Primary Stream .

Scary Movies to Watch in Honor of Halloween

It's that time of year again. No, not the election--that's next month.

I'm talking about Halloween. Time when we buy or check out of the library some scary books to read. When we want to go see a scary film at theater or rent or buy a DVD of one. I am going to give out some pretty good films, some better than others. I don't have all out there--some are dumb (I am sorry, but I thought Cabin Fever was dumb), others I haven't seen. I only saw Nightmare on Elm Street one or two times and don't care to see the Friday the 13th films. I had to show my son that there were way better horror films out there than those ones that were what I call slash and dash films. I won't put Saw up here--haven't seen them, don't plan to.

I will put them in sections, under the particular titles of what kind of horror films they are. It's up to you to decide what you want to see or google on the Internet and see what the plot is if you never seen the one that interests you. And please do leave a comment, telling what you like in scary movies for others to read.

GHOST FILMS

The Haunting (1963) This is based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and both the film and the book are ones I would advise to get.

The Uninvited (1944)
The Innocents (1961)
The Others (2001)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
Don't Look Now (1973)
The Shining (1980)
Ghost Story (1981)
Poltergeist (1982)
The Changling (1980)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
Phantasm (1979)

The Grudge (2004)

Ringu (1998)

WEREWOLF

The Wolf Man (1941)

American Werewolf in London (1981)

The Howling (1981)

Bad Moon (1996)
Underworld (2003)
Wolf (1994)
Silver Bullet (1985)
The Undying Monster (1942)
Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
The Company of Wolves (1984)

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Ginger Snaps II-Unleashed (2004)

Brotherhood Of The Wolf (2001)
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Cursed (2005)

Wolfen ( 1981)--I would advise trying to find the novel, The Wolfen by Whitley Streiber as the movie is not the book's plot. The movie is goodl, just I was expecting the book, as the werewolves in it were way different than shapeshifters)

Cat People (1942 and 1982)--not werewolves, but werepanthers. The 1982 version is very erotic and did what the other suggested. Both are good)

VAMPIRES

Dracula (1931) (Bela Lugosi)
Dracula (1979) (Frank Langella)

Christopher Lee as Dracula: Horror of Dracula, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave.
Nosferatu (1922)

Lost Boys (1987)

Interview with a Vampire (1994)
30 Days of Night (2007)
Near Dark (1987)

SCARY SCI-FI FILMS

Alien ( 1979) Aliens (1986) I suggested the seond one as after being scared out of your mind by the first one, the second is more a roller coaster ride and yes, will scare you, but also is a great Space Marines fight the bad alien creatures film)

The Thing (1982) (so close to the short story it was based off of--"Who Goes There?"

The Terminator (1984)

Event Horizon (1997)

War of the Worlds (1953)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

MONSTERS

Them! (1954)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Frankenstein (1931)

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Tremors (1990)

Descent (2007)

Monster Squad (1987)

The Fly (1958)

The Monster Club (1980)

Mad Monster Party (1968)--(not scary, but I like it)

DINOSAURS

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Gojira (1954)-Japaese version is the best Godzilla film.

The Giant Behemoth (1959)

Gorgo (1961)

Valley of Gwangi (1969)
Jurassic Park ( 1993 )

ZOMBIES/GHOULS

White Zombie (1932)

Night of the Living Dead ( 1968)

28 Days Later (2002)

ALL OTHERS

Hellraiser (1987)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Halloween (1978)
Evil Dead (1982) Evil Dead II (1987)

The Omen (1976)
The Hitcher (1986)
The Birds (1963)

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

Psycho (1960)
Carrie (1976)

Scream (1996)
Seven (1995)

Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

The Haunted Palace (1963)

The Raven (1963)

The Comedy of Terrors (1963)

Masque of the Red Death (1964)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Van Helsing (2004)

Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstien (1948)--Comedy--but has all monsters and I like it.

Nightmare before Christmas (1993)--I like this too--went out and got it on Blu Ray.

Now get out there and watch some scary movies!

Radio Interview Tuesday, october 14th with WRIR Richmond's Independent Radio Station

I have a radio interview Tuesday, October 14th at 10AM Eastern with WRIR 97.3FM, Richmond, Virginia's Independent Radio Station. Their website is http://www.wrir.org/ . FROM WHAT I found those not in the area can listen by downloading from http://wrir.org/x/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4287 Primary Stream.

Edgar Allan Poe Died October 7th

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who

Today, October 7th, is the day Edgar Allan Poe died. Born January 19, 1809, he was an American poet, short-story writer, editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. He died October 7, 1849, at the still very young age of 40. There is a mystery of why he died, with many theories ranging from alcohol to brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and others. It was after a visit he paid to Norfolk and Richmond to do lectures, that he was found in Baltimore in delirious, in great distress and in need of medical assistance. Poe was taken to a hospital. It was there that he died and not in a ditch as one of many myths told about him was reported. He was buried in the yard of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland.

2009 is Poe's 200th Bicentennial and there will be many places celebrating it. Virginia's Poe's Bicentennial celebrations can be found at http://www.poe200th.com/ ,with a blog being used to post updates on events at http://www.poe200th.com/blog/ . For Baltimore, Maryland's: http://poecelebration.tripod.com/ . For government events in Pennsylvania: http://www.nps.gov/edal/poe-2009-bicentennial-events.htm.

Tonight, pour yourself a glass of wine, open a book of Poe's works to "The Raven" and read it in reverence to the man who brought us so many forms of literature. Then sit back and reflect on his life. Lift the glass of wine to him, and offer him a toast and a thank you.

To you, Poe: "Nevermore!"

Monster Fest Was a Success!

From the picutres you can see me with my table when the convention first started, to those in costume (even the family that scares together, stays together one), author Elizabeth Massie raising a scary toast, and the paranormal investigators and me at the Ghost Hunting 101 panel. The last photo, from me on, is me, Melissa Kepley from CPRI, George Stewart from 757Ghosthunters and Jackie Tomlin from CVPI. If anyone knows the names of the family in costume are, please let me know. I plan to add all photos from the mini horror convention to my website.

I did well with selling books and signing them. The neatest thing was when Mark A. Mihalko came by to give me a copy of the issue of Haunted Times Magazine the review of my book, HAUNTED RICHMOND will be in--Vol. 3/ Issue 3/Winter 2009. That was so cool. If you like to get this issue or even get a subscription to the magazine, the website is HAUNTED TIMES MAGAZINE The direct link is SUBSCRIPTION .You can see the cover of the issue the review is in with my pictures above.

It was nice to be on a panel with Elizabeth Blue again, and to do the Ghost Hunting 101 panel which was well attended.

All in all, it was a nice day, with good friends and new ones, and all for price of FREE! Hope to see you there next year.

Here is the review:

Haunted Richmond

A Review by Heaton Rotheray – Haunted Times Magazine

When I thought of Richmond, Virginia, thoughts of the Confederacy, the Civil War and Edgar Allen Poe started to dance through my mind; a visit would be a historians dream. Yet, after reading Pamela Kinney’s Haunted Richmond, I realized this trip could even more interesting than I originally imagined.

Throughout this well-crafted maze of the supernatural, you will find tales of unknown complete with historical perspectives on the people and places involved, such as the Governors Mansion. Not only do you get the chilling stories of things that go bump in the night, you receive an idea on how the lasting impression of the spirit world came to life inside.

This book is necessary for history and paranormal fans, opening the doorway to another time and place. Full of small elements of reality and unfamiliar facts, the eerie tone of the book pulls you in to a different world, creating a pathway into future exploration and discovery. This riveting book should not be missed.

Haunted RichmondAuthor: Pamela KinneyPublisher: Schiffer PublishingISBN-13: 978-076432712414.95

Author Shobhan Bantwal's Virtual Blog Tour Stop for The Forbidden Daughter

Summary of The Forbidden Daughter –
When a young widow refuses to comply with her in-laws' dictate to abort her unborn child, will her rebellion turn out to be the greatest mistake of her life, or a blessing in disguise? This is the story of one mother’s valiant fight to protect her daughters in a society that often frowns on female children, and the only man who will help her in her battle when the stakes become impossibly high.

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is woven around the hot-button social issue of vanishing girl children in contemporary India, where gender-based abortions and female infanticide continue to be practiced in some areas despite laws to ban the practices.

About Shobhan Bantwal –
Shobhan Bantwal is the author of THE DOWRY BRIDE and THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER. Both novels are set in India and released by Kensington Publishing Corp. Shobhan’s short story titled WHERE THE LOTUS GROWS is scheduled for publication in an anthology in spring 2009 and the proceeds will be donated by the publisher, Freya’s Bower, to a battered women’s shelter.
As a freelance writer, Shobhan frequently writes columns for India Abroad. Since 2002, Shobhan’s articles and short stories have also appeared in a variety of other publications including The Writer magazine, Little India, U.S. 1, Desi Journal, India Currents, Overseas Indian, New Woman India, Kanara Saraswat and Sulekha. Her short stories have won honors and awards in fiction contests sponsored by Writer’s Digest, New York Stories and New Woman magazines.



Prologue for The Forbidden Daughter
Oh, Lord, I beg of you.I fall at your feet time and again.In my next incarnation, don't give me a daughter; Give me hell instead . . .
Folk Song from the State of Uttar Pradesh, India
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Your child will come at the harvest full moon,” the old man said.
Jolted out of her dark, melancholic thoughts, Isha Tilak looked up, and stared in astonishment at the man who had uttered the startling words. He was obviously addressing her, because there was no one else in the immediate vicinity.
His strange remark captured her attention, thrusting aside her private musings.
“It is called Kojagari Purnima. It is the night when Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and abundance, descends from her heavenly abode to bless her devotees,” he added, stroking his luxuriant salt-and-pepper beard that more than compensated for the total absence of hair on his large, misshapen head.
He was supposedly a sadhu—a sage or holy man. He was certainly dressed for the part in his faded saffron robe—typical garb for Hindu holy men. Perhaps because she continued to wear a baffled look, he smiled. The simple motion transformed and softened his austere face, creating deeper furrows in his gaunt cheeks. “Yours will be a female child who will bring light and abundance to the people around her.”
She shook herself out of her stunned silence. It took her a moment to comprehend his words. Then natural curiosity took over, prompting her to goad him, test him. “How do you know my child will be a girl?”
He ignored her question. Instead he said, “Your daughter comes as a gift from Lakshmi, so she will enjoy prosperity and many comforts in her life, and, being generous, she will share them with others.”
“But my in-laws think she’s a curse,” Isha informed him, the bitterness in her voice hard to conceal and the despondency in her tear-swollen eyes a testimony to her despair. “In fact, they have forbidden me to have this child.”
“I know,” he said, with a thoughtful nod. “I am also aware that there is something which some evil doctors use to eliminate female children before they are born. It is one of the many scourges of kaliyug. Modern society.”

The Challenge of Writing Ethnic Fiction
By Shobhan Bantwal

Writing fiction is hard enough, but writing ethnic fiction for an audience that knows little to nothing about certain cultures is even more difficult. I realized that very quickly when I started to write stories woven around my Indian culture. Having great story ideas is one thing, and translating them into interesting stories is another.

Having been born and raised in India, I take certain things associated with Indian culture for granted, such as the customs, religious beliefs, food, the accepted ways of social interaction, and even the philosophy. But incorporating all of those elements into a full-length novel and making it into a story that is intriguing enough to keep readers turning the pages has been a challenge—albeit an enjoyable challenge.

Not many American readers and moviegoers know a lot about Indian culture. It is not because they are ignorant; it is because Indian writers and moviemakers have not been effective in portraying the true face of India to American audiences. The real India lies somewhere between the glitz and glamour of Bollywood movies and the poverty and despair of somber literary novels and documentaries.

Creating exotic backdrops and dramatic storylines goes only so far in stirring readers’ interest. Along with that the characters need to be credible, with a balance of good and evil, handsome and ugly. They need to capture not just the minds but also the hearts of readers. To top it all, they need to do all of the above within the first few pages, or else a writer has lost a valuable reader.

Needless to say, I have to put a lot of thought into writing my two books, THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER and THE DOWRY BRIDE, so the final products are something a wide variety of audiences will not only read but enjoy.

For more information about Shobhan Bantwal’s virtual tour, visit – http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/09/forbidden-daughter-by-shobhan-bantwal.html

The Forbidden Daughter can be ordered at: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Daughter-Shobhan-Bantwal/dp/0758220308

You can visit Shobhan Bantwal at her website – www.shobhanbantwal.com

Something Bad, Something Good--Happy October 1st To Everybody

Well, I joined Curves new exercise program to work harder and when they took my blood pressure it was up. I have been dizzy the past month and thought like that one week back in January, but maybe not. I have never had high blood pressure (unless ill with bad flu or pnuemonia, but that was to be expected), so wil go to the doctor's. Not happy, as as my hubby takes blood pressure pills, but I hoped I would never have to, too. I know I have been anxious in my private life these days, worried alot. Wish me luck.And I will be at Monster Fest this Saturday, for those who will wonder. Only being stuck in a hospital would keep me away.I do have some good news--a local radio station contacted me to do an interview on October 14th at their station in Richmond. It's WRIR Richmond's Independent Station. Their website is http://www.wrir.org/