HERE BE NEWS for March 9, 2020

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Monday, March 2 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Wednesday, March 4 -
"THE PLEASURES OF REREADING" - Do you reread books? Author Nicole Luiken reveals six of her own reasons for sitting down with a story she's already read. What are yours? 

Thursday, March 5 -
“WHEN FICTION BECOMES FACT: Wait…Am I haunted now?” – Angela Campbell is the author of psychic detective novels and paranormal romances. What does it mean when ghostly occurrences start happening to the WRITER?  

Did you remember to turn your clocks ahead?

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When fiction becomes fact: Wait…Am I haunted now?

Sorry for the long lapse in blogging, again. I have repeatedly tried to crawl my way out of the murky depths of grief and depression for the past two years, only to get dragged back under every now and then. Boy, am I messy each time I reach the shore after flailing about for a while. Sorry about that.

Approximately six months ago I decided to start being social on social media again – but only twitter since Facebook overwhelms me, y’all. Not even kidding about the anxiety it induces in me, but I digress. The writing community on twitter is fantastic. In general, I think of twitter as a cesspool for humanity, except for 98% of the creatives on there, who are all very supportive of one another. Anyway.

I’ve been mostly tweeting about cats (I rescue them), podcasts (I listen to them), and my ghost.

Wait, what?

That’s right. I said ghost. Let me point out that I've always been transparent about my love for all things spooky. I've blogged here before, years and years ago, about my lifelong experiences with the paranormal, including my readings with supposed psychics, ghost-hunting with my niece, and the shared experiences I've had with a friend who grew up in a truly scary haunted house which prompted me to contact Ed and Lorraine Warren of "The Conjuring" fame many years ago to help her (that's a whole 'nother story, y'all).

I think I've half-heartedly blogged about my new possibly haunted house before, but since moving into my home almost 2 years ago, I’ve experienced some strange things that have led me to believe I might be sharing it with a spirit or two. I know not everyone believes in ghosts, and it might seem awfully gimmicky if a lady who includes haunted houses, psychics, and ghosts in her books suddenly starts proclaiming she’s haunted, but I’m being 100% sincere when I share the oddities I experience in my home here and on twitter. To be honest, I'm posting them on twitter so I will have a journal and timestamp for some of them — you know, in case I need to seek professional help in the form of a priest or witch doctor or psychiatrist or whatever.

Am I haunted? To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe I’m really that mentally ill. I am made up of part Mulder, part Scully, so I want to believe but can’t get past my own skepticism sometimes. I always try to reason away the things that happen, but folks, things are happening more and more now. I also have been dealing with some strange health problems over the past year. I am always sick, feel drained, and while the doctors have diagnosed me with a couple of autoimmune diseases in recent months, the treatments haven’t worked all that well. I’m still always sick and I hate it. It was in the back of my mind but I didn’t want to voice the idea aloud, so of course, my friend did it for me. “What if your health problems are related to Carol?” she said. Carol is what she named my ghost, by the way.

Here is a highlight of some of the tweets I’ve posted about my, ahem, ghostly roommate since I last mentioned it on this blog. If you click on some of these, they open the thread that explains more, but I didn't want to put ALL of my haunted tweets here!

I have not been home 5 minutes and I am hearing crazy noises in my house. It’s not the cats so it must be the ghost. Plus, I kept getting alerts for my backyard Ring and all I saw was this weird blue fog hanging around the window of the room where most of the activity happens. pic.twitter.com/8FxNAgFwDr

— Angela Campbell 🐶🐱 (@AngelaCampbel) February 29, 2020

My possible ghost is being active today. I was cleaning my bathroom when PJ my cat started making chattering sounds. I looked and she was stretched out and pawing at the air. Then the shower curtain made a sound as if someone pushed it hard. I checked. No other cats/people there. pic.twitter.com/DCZv2PbsYc

— Angela Campbell 🐶🐱 (@AngelaCampbel) February 22, 2020

The thing about having cats & living in a possibly haunted house is that you never know if the strange sounds that wake you up at night are cat or ghost.

Can cats knock and minutes later say “hey” in a little kids voice? No?

Maybe this time it was the ghost.#yesiamscared

— Angela Campbell 🐶🐱 (@AngelaCampbel) February 7, 2020

Just had another weird experience that I think was thanks to my #ghost “Carol.” I pretty much have insomnia now, which really sucks. I haven’t slept in 24 hours. I was sitting on the sofa with my cat Dusti watching TV a few minutes ago. Suddenly, there was a crash.

— Angela Campbell 🐶🐱 (@AngelaCampbel) October 27, 2019

I bought a set of cameras to check in on my cats while I work. I get an alert anytime motion activates one. I just got this one, which I think might be my #ghost, Carol, or an orb anyway. Or maybe it’s just dust. Who knows. I was right here & saw nothing. #haunted? #hauntedhouse? pic.twitter.com/Zz9Oi4Dh8P

— Angela Campbell 🐶🐱 (@AngelaCampbel) October 7, 2019

Maybe I should start a hashtag to keep track of these better. Any suggestions? If I start having #DearDavid-type experiences, you’d better believe I am moving as soon as I can figure out how to so please don't suggest #DearCarol to me. Thank you.

I also wish I could say my possible ghost adventures have inspired me to start writing more, but I’m still struggling there. Basically, I hate everything I write and have written, but I’m not giving up. I’ll get back to finishing my next book or screenplay….someday. In the meantime, I’ll continue to pop in and blog here whenever I can, as long as they don't kick me off for being that weird lady who has 14 cats and thinks she's haunted. In the meantime, feel free to send me cat gifs, chocolate, and money as encouragement.

Happy early St. Patrick’s Day, everyone.

***

Angela Campbell is the author of the psychic detective series, a paranormal romantic suspense series featuring ghosts, sexy psychics, haunted houses, serial killers ... and cats and dogs. Learn more about her books at www.angelacampbellonline.com.

SCARY MOVIES 4 - The Ones Where We Rooted for the Monster! + A GIVEAWAY

These movies fall into two distinct categories. Either we felt the script was so bad or the characters so dumb that we wanted the creature to pleeease eat them all and put us out of our misery --- or we found ourselves sympathizing with the bad guy and wanting him to escape, win, or find love!
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MAUREEN – “Bram Stoker's Dracula. To me, It's a love story.” ~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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ANGELA – “As a horror movie fangirl, I would be remiss if I didn't throw things back to the classic Universal Monsters here. "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein" are brilliant works of art that make viewers ask, "Who really is the monster - us or him?" I would say we are. Boris Karloff is perfect in the role, and there are some iconic scenes from both movies most people recognize for a reason.

"By the end of the movie, I'm cheering for Frankenstein's monster to escape the angry pitchfork-carrying townspeople because, doggone it, he's not really the bad guy!" ~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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LINDA - "GODZILLA!" ~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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JODY - "King Kong, of course! He’s everyone’s hero! I did watch King Kong - Skull Island with my kids since it had Loki, I mean Tom Hiddleston, in it, and they 'stan' Loki, and we all rooted for King Kong together." ~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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NICOLE - "For me, this would be Cabin in the Woods. Because Bradley Whitford's character was trying to save in the world even as what he was doing meant very bad things for the main characters. And I found the way he cheered for his personal favourite monster (the seashell) rather endearing. Maybe it's because I liked him so much as Josh on The West Wing... ~ Nicole Luiken, nicoleluiken.com 
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PG - "Creature From the Black Lagoon. Another of the movies I used to watch with my grandmother late at night. The monster was clearly the hero, as far as I was concerned. The poor thing." ~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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Dani - "I think the best movie monsters make us feel empathy for them. Every version of King Kong ever made breaks my heart. I was so glad when the Skull Island movie finally allowed the great ape to survive and live free! 

"My family will tell you that I'm a lot less soft-hearted when it comes to the human characters in some horror movies. When you see this many things going horribly, dangerously wrong in your new house (eg. "The Amityville Horror" and "Poltergeist"), why would you STAY THERE? Worse, why make your KIDS stay there?

"Of course, if characters made only sensible decisions, it would be really tough to create a full-length movie, LOL." ~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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CINDY - "This to me is any horror film where the characters a) split up or b) run back into the damn house. As the old Eddie Murphy sketch lampooning Amityville Horror said, "Nice house. Too bad we can't stay." And OMG, Death Becomes Her. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" ~ Cindy Spencer Pape, www.cindyspencerpape.com
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SHAWNA - "There was a version of Dracula--I think it was the one that came out in 1979, because when I saw it it was on network television and I want to say it was maybe four or five years later. I was probably in my early teens, just starting to develop a strong appreciation for the opposite sex. 

"The Dracula in the movie was darkly romantic and seductive, and his Lucy seemed rather more willing than not. I remember rooting for them to escape together. That movie might well be responsible for my predilection for well-dressed, dark, and dangerous (at least in my fantasy life!" ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

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SCARY MOVIES 3 - The Ones We Wish We Hadn't Seen! + A GIVEAWAY

Some are dumb. Some are frightening. And some are disturbing enough to leave a mark...

DANI - "So much for being an adult --- I slept with the light on for three nights in a row after watching "28 DAYS LATER" in 2003!" 
~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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ANGELA – “I love horror movies, so this is hard for me -- I even get enjoyment out of the bad ones! I mentioned last week that John Carpenter's “HALLOWEEN” (1978) is one of my all-time favorite movies and that I have only been able to watch the Rob Zombie remakes once, so I am picking the Rob Zombie "HALLOWEEN" and "HALLOWEEN 2" as movies I wish I had never seen. 

"They tried too hard to take the mystery out of why Michael Myers was a psycho, and plus, they really honed in a "white trash" stereotype that was no fun to watch. I know those versions have their fans, but I think half of the fear that came from the original film was the not knowing why Michael Myers ran around killing people. Know what I mean?" 
~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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LINDA - "Oh, there are several. At the head of the list is “THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE”, followed closely by “THE EXORCIST”." 
~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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JODY - "I could have lived without seeing "I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE" as well as "FACES OF DEATH" (more hijinks at my fancy neighbor’s house who had cable TV!) "FACES OF DEATH" wasn’t a movie, per se, so much as a collection of blood and death real-life videos in the 80s before YouTube existed. "I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE", of course, is more horrific violence against women, and I don’t care if she gets even, I just don’t ever need to SEE that." 
~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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MAUREEN – “NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. I live on Elm Street- Enough said. I slept with the light on for at least a week after this. Also "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY". I watched until the end to make sure that it was a movie and not real, lol!” 
~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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PG - "Oh, there's no contest. I didn't even actually see this one, but Clockwork Orange is my go-to for movies (and books) that are too disturbing to sit through." 
~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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SHAWNA - "I didn't even have to see the movie. . .the trailer was enough. It came out when I was about 10. I think it was called Silent Screams. There was something about a thing--demon, ghost, I have no idea--coming out of a mirror at night if you looked into it, or got too close. As you can tell, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details after all these years. Still, to this day I never look directly into a dark mirror if I can help it." ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com
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CINDY - "Anything involving snakes. It's a ridiculous phobia for someone who studied herpetology in grad school, but the friend sitting next to me for Raiders of the Lost Ark went home with bruises on his arm. Even the trailers for Snakes on a Plane were too much." ~ Cindy Spencer Paper, www.cindyspencerpape.com
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

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SCARY MOVIES 2 - The Ones We Love to Watch Again and Again! + A GIVEAWAY

We might have seen them a dozen times or more. We might even own our own copy. But when these flicks appear on the TV, resistance is futile...
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JODY - "The only scary movie I’ve watched more than once is TREMORS and I will watch Kevin Bacon in all of his 6 graboid degrees any time that movie is on! It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, especially the acting role Reba McIntyre, yes that Reba, has in the movie. I haven’t shown my kids yet because they do NOT like scary movies, but now I’m feeling the urge for a re-watch." 
~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com
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LINDA - "Is it wrong to love a zombie Christmas movie? My fave is “Anna and the Apocalypse”. And it’s a musical!" 
~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com
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DANI - "When my kids were teenagers, Halloween was a whole season at our house! Punctuated by every Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode ever made, there was a looong list of movies to be watched, including famous franchises like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. 

"But I have some personal favorites of my own that I never get tired of. One of my top favs is CONSTANTINE featuring Keanu Reeves as the demon hunter, John Constantine." 
~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com
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ANGELA - "John Carpenter's “Halloween” (1978) is one of my all-time favorite movies, so of course, I have to watch it every October (although I watch it other times of the year too if I'm in the mood). I even binge the sequels, including the ones that are terrible, although I have only been able to watch the Rob Zombie remakes once. Same with the 2018 film. I just did not like those. The original, though, is one my entire family used to watch every Halloween (yeah, we were weird). 

"For me, it’s part nostalgia to watch it, but also, it still manages to give me the creeps a little bit. And Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode is the perfect Final Girl role model -- you know, in case you ever come face to face with a maniac serial killer." 
~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com
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PG - "I'm not sure this counts as a "scary" movie, but it's weird, bloody and violent and yet I've watched it several times--although not anytime recently. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is just...strange. It's almost comedic. I'm not sure if it's a genuinely bad movie, or if it's "badness" is a work of genius." 
~ PG Forte, pgforte.com
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MAUREEN – “I can't pass up The Shining, Constantine or The Silence of the Lambs and other oldies-but-goodies if I see that they're on.” 
~ Maureen Bonatch, maureenbonatch.com
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SHAWNA - "I rarely have time to re-watch movies, but I've seen Crimson Peak three times and plan to watch it again this Halloween. Not only does it boast Tom Hiddleston in period clothing (though this would be reason enough) but it is a beautiful example of the gothic horror genre, with just the slightest hint of steampunk." ~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com

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CINDY - "I'm actually not a big fan of horror, though I love suspense and paranormal. My favorite has to be Rocky Horror Picture Show just for the sheer cult classicism of it all. Oh--and I almost forgot Nightmare before Christmas." ~ Cindy Spencer Paper, www.cindyspencerpape.com 
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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have winners! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within a couple of days.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

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HERE BE NEWS FOR October 7, 2019

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Monday, September 30 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Tuesday, October 1 -
“THE GIDDINESS OF A NEW PROJECT” – What do writers do after they finish a manuscript? They get lots of New Shiny Ideas of course! Author Nicole Luiken reveals her project plans on Here Be Magic. 

Wednesday, October 2 -
“AHHH, OCTOBER IS HERE AGAIN” – Halloween is author Angela Campbell’s favorite season, and she’s discovered some great podcasts to help you get into the “spirit” of things! 

Friday, October 4 - 
"SCARY MOVIES 1 - The Ones That Terrified Us as Kids!" - The Here Be Magic gang got talking about horror movies - both the fun and the frightening. Of course we had to share, so we've come up with a four-part "Scary Movies" series for October PLUS A GIVEAWAY. Welcome to our first installment! 

Saturday, October 5 -
This week's Bring It Back(list) feature is “BLOOD TENDERLY”, a paranormal horror romance by Linda Mooney writing as Gail Smith. And the ebook’s on sale! Scroll below for all the details.

BLOOD TENDERLY
A paranormal horror romance 
by Linda Mooney 
writing as Gail Smith

Word Count:  11K
Available in ebook, paperback or audiobook

With the cold weather quickly setting in, Lark is trying to ensure she has what she needs to make it through another bone-chilling winter in the cabin in the woods, but something has decided to pay her a visit. The question is, who? Or better yet, what?

There is a human invading his sanctuary, and he is determined to get rid of her. Humans in the past have left of their own accord, but not without a threat from him. However, this one is proving difficult. But she’ll go. One way or another, he will make her.

The thing is demanding that Lark leave, but she has nowhere to go. No one who cares.  So she's determined to stand her ground.

After all, what does she have to lose, besides her life?

During the month of October, get this ebook for 99 cents! (Available at this price only on Amazon and Linda's website. Note: Click BUY EBOOK to get the Nook or PDF version.)

Excerpt and Buy Links

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With Halloween on the way, the Here Be Magic gang got talking about horror movies - both the fun and the frightening. Of course we had to share, so we've come up with a four-part "Scary Movies" series for October! 

Check out our first installment (and enter the contest) at
https://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2019/10/scary-movies-1-ones-that-terrified-us.html 

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SCARY MOVIES 1 - The Ones That Terrified Us as Kids! + A GIVEAWAY

With Halloween on the way, the Here Be Magic gang got talking about horror movies - both the fun and the frightening. Of course we had to share, so we've come up with a four-part "Scary Movies" series for October. Welcome to our first installment!

And since it's not Halloween without treats, be sure to enter our month-long giveaway at the end of this post!

LINDA - "I didn’t get to watch scary movies at home when I was young, but when my family would go to my grandparents’ house, on Saturday afternoons, a local TV station would show those old-timey black and white movies from the 50s. My first horror movie was “Dracula” with Bela Lugosi, and it terrified me. I even remember it to this day, especially the scene where the camera moved into a close-up of his mesmerizing eyes." 

~ Linda Mooney, lindamooney.com

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DANI - "When you're little, a movie doesn't have to be from the horror genre to scare the bejeebers out of you. My husband was traumatized by the Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz" when he was three! 

As for me, I had nightmares for years from the disembodied face in the magic mirror in Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". To this day, I have an aversion to masks. 

When I was eight or nine, TV airings of old movies like Invaders from Mars (1953) and Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) scared me silly!" 

~ Dani Harper, daniharper.com

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MAUREEN - “I can't remember anything about the movie but "This House Possessed" always comes up in my memory as one that scared me. That, and the move, "Magic". I used to want a ventriloquist doll until that - now I'm freaked out by them!” 

~ Maureen Bonatch, www.maureenbonatch.com 

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ANGELA – “I was the youngest child with three older brothers, so I received an early education in horror movies at a ridiculously young age. The brother I was closest to was 18 years older than me, and he had his own place. Some weekends, I would spend the night with him, and we would rent and watch movies. He loved zombie movies, but they terrified me. The original “Dawn of the Dead” traumatized me to no end. 

"There was one movie called “Mortuary” (1983) that I could not finish.  I started crying, made him turn it off, and begged him to let me sleep on the floor of his room. All I remember is a creepy dude in a black robe with a zombie-like white face kept popping out of the dark and killing people in horrifying ways. 

"While I’ve gotten over my fear of zombie movies, my brother still teases me about that one movie that terrified me. “What was it called?” he always asks. “Mortuary,” I grumble. While I’m sure if I watched it today I would probably laugh at how utterly cheesy it is, but that terrified 10-year-old girl who still lives inside me won’t allow me to watch it. Nope. Not gonna happen.” 

~ Angela Campbell, www.angelacampbellonline.com

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JODY - "I don’t remember many scary movies from when I was small but I remember as a young teenager SOMEHOW stumbling across a movie called INCUBUS – probably thanks to one of my fancy friends who had cable TV. It horrified me! Was pretty much sexual violence against women from beginning to end with this sort of sick perverse overlay of horror and one of those creepy open endings. DO NOT RECOMMEND." 

~ Jody Wallace, jodywallace.com 

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CINDY - "The song Pink Elephants on Parade from Dumbo scared the crap out of me as a little kid!" 

~ Cindy Spencer Pape, www.cindyspencerpape.com

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NICOLE - "Okay, this was a TV show, not a movie. The science fiction show Space 1999 used to scare me as a kid. If something really tense was happening, I couldn't bear to watch so I'd run down the hallway. But then I had to find out what happened so I'd run back. 

"The funny thing is, one of my kids does a similar thing. If she reaches a tense part of a book, she gets up to pace." 

~ Nicole Luiken, nicoleluiken.com 

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SHAWNA - "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version) thoroughly freaked me out when I was about 5. My aunt who was babysitting had to turn it off after the little girl blew up like a blueberry balloon and floated off, so I never did see all the kids getting restored at the end. 

"I was 21 before my then-husband got me to sit down and watch it through, and at that point I thoroughly enjoyed it." 

~ Shawna Reppert, www.shawna-reppert.com

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UPDATE - The contest is over and we have WINNERS! 

1. BEVERLY wins an ebook from Jody Wallace - Catalyst: Cat Ship (Obsidian Rim Book 8) 

2. LOUISE wins her choice of one ebook from Dani Harper

3. GLENDA wins a deluxe canvas tote bag from Dani Harper

4. SHERRY wins her choice of one ebook from Linda Mooney

5. MARTHA wins her choice of one Audiobook from Linda Mooney

6. ANNE wins the grand prize, a $35 Amazon Gift eCard from all the authors at HERE BE MAGIC

We have the contact information for everyone and winners will receive emails within the first week of November.

THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our Scary Movie blogs. We had a lot of fun putting them together!

.........................

Ahhh, October is here again

I am one of those people.

You know, those people who can’t wait for summer to end because it means fall has arrived. The type of person who starts putting up Halloween decorations before October and who fills their free days with outings to fall festivals and haunted houses. Not to mention, I spend many evenings alternating between binging horror movies and watching some autumn-themed Hallmark movies.

October is my favorite month.

This year I have discovered another way to enjoy fall — podcasts. I listen to podcasts during my day job, and I have discovered some great ones I want to share today. If you have time and enjoy podcasts, these are some of the best ones to help get you in the October spirit!

SOMETHING SCARY
"Do you wanna hear something scary?" Sapphire and Markeia entertain us every week as they share  the creepiest ghost stories, urban legends, and folktales. This well-produced podcast shares reader-submitted scary stories, and they are told in fun and frightening ways. Seriously, this one is a favorite of mine. Go check it out.

THE BLACK TAPES
If you were a fan of “The X-Files,” you will love this fictional podcast. The description from Wikipedia sums it up pretty well: Journalist Alex Reagan "narrates a nonfiction-styled fictional story over multiple episodes, using a format that has been compared to Serial. The story begins as a biography of paranormal investigator Dr. Richard Strand (voiced by Christian Sloan), an "evangelical skeptic" on a mission to debunk all claims of the supernatural. Reagan becomes interested in his collection of unsolved cases, which she begins calling his "Black Tapes,"and the podcast evolves into an exploration of these cases, paranormal culture, and the mysterious life of Dr. Strand.“ This podcast  from a few years ago is complete and you can binge all three seasons in a day.

GUIDE TO THE UNKNOWN
"A podcast about mysteries, the paranormal, urban legends and folklore. But ya know, keeping it light with humor, too." Brother and sister hosts delve into unknown subjects, such as Stonehenge, Bigfoot, and crop circles, by sharing little-known facts - and having a good-humored old time in the process. This one is more educational/conversational, butI’ve learned a lot of fun facts about legends since I started listening.

***

Angela Campbell is the author of a paranormal suspense series from Harper Collins. Learn more at www.AngelaCampbellOnline.com

HERE BE NEWS for Sept 9, 2019

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Monday, September 2 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Tuesday, September 3 -
"GOAL RESET" - Summer can be a tough time to get things done but the onset of fall is a chance to start over! Author Nicole Luiken is setting brand new goals. What are yours?

Wednesday, September 4 -
"GETTING BACK TO ONLINE" - Author Angela Campbell returns after a deliberate break from social media. Find out what she learned on Here Be Magic.

Saturday, September 8 -
This week's Bring It Back(list) feature is “TALL, TALL TREES”, a fantasy romance by Linda Mooney - and it's on sale! Scroll below for all the details.

VEILS
Book 1
Sci-Fi/Paranormal/Contemporary Fantasy Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count: 36.9K
$2.99 ebook

After three tours of duty, and serving the last four years overseas, Griffin Strong is looking forward to finally returning home and living out his life without bombings and bloodshed. After a 300-mile drive home, a quick trip through the car wash ends in another reality. An eerie, fog-covered reality where he is all alone…or so he thought.  

With no electricity, cars that don’t function, and guns that won’t fire, Griff has to find protection for himself, but protection against what exactly? What the hell even happened? Survival instincts kicking in, he stocks up on whatever he can carry, and sets out on his own.

Griff soon learns that he’s not completely alone, although life of any form is rare to come across, but whom can he trust?

When the subway in Manhattan dumps Natalia Westfall in a snow-covered, deserted town far from New York, she’s left alone, frozen, and desperate. Hope lies in a uniformed military man, but will he want to be weighed down by a sick, weak female like her? Griff takes a chance, and it doesn’t take him long to learn she’s anything but weak.

Facing thirst, starvation, acid rain, enemies, and extreme temps--what will get them first? The odds are stacked against them, and all they can count on is each other.

Warning! Contains a red raincoat, a handy dandy trowel, first dibs, Boom!, strained coffee, an antique car, an implausible but possible theory, a rain of sand, and two strangers finding themselves thrust into a situation where their lives depend on trusting each other.

Excerpt and Buy links

TALL, TALL TREES
Fantasy Romance
by Linda Mooney

Word Count: 23.3K

$0.99 e / $6.99 p

SALE - From September 1st-30th, you can get the ebook for just 99 cents! (Available at this price only on Amazon and my website. Note: Click BUY EBOOK to get the Nook or PDF version.)

If fighting the animosity between their two tribes isn't enough, Oron and Pellera must battle monstrous creatures and the deadly growler to save their lives and their love. But when an old medicine woman warns them of a looming apocalyptic disaster, the couple realize the only way they'll survive is to make the hazardous climb to the tops of the tall, tall trees.

Excerpt and Buy Links 

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HERE BE NEWS for May 13, 2019

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In Case You Missed It:

Monday, May 6 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Wednesday, May 8 -
“WRITING: 2 TIPS FOR GOING WITH THE FLOW” – We all experience slumps in our creativity. Author Angela Campbell has suggestions on how to recover your writing mojo. 

That's all folks!  Short and sweet! 

Writing: 2 tips for going with the flow

I recently changed day jobs. After a 20-plus-year career in print journalism, I got out of the funny papers and accepted a job as a technical writer for a large company. I've been blessed in that my love of writing has always provided me with a steady paycheck in one way or another. Technical writing is ... well, not very creative. I have an almost hour commute both ways, but the truth is, I wanted a not-very-creative outlet for my day job to help me find my creative writing mojo again. As much as I loved writing human interest pieces for a magazine, I was also doing the job of about five people and getting paid almost half of what I should have been. I was so tired, I never felt like pulling out the computer and writing fiction when I got home, and I had to do a lot of freelance writing to supplement my income just to pay the bills. I was drained. My writing mojo was gone, y'all. Stolen by a pesky little thing called life.

The good news is, it's starting to come back. If you're struggling to find words to fill a page and writing has become something you dread, here's a couple of tricks that have helped me get past it. So, I thought I'd share.

Get Back to Reading (or Listening)

I have listened to an entire seven-book series on audiobook during my commute for my new day job, and it was awesome. I still don't have enough free time to cuddle up on the couch with a real book, but the point is, read, read, read. Read in the genre you want to write in, and read in genres new to you. Not only will this awaken your creativity, but it keeps you current on writing trends. It also helps you become a better writer. It just does.

Work on Your Craft

I write a lot, and I write for different mediums. Journalism writing is different from fiction writing (hold the jokes, please). Technical writing is different from fiction writing. I've always loved movies and, once upon a time, wanted to be a screenwriter. So a couple of years ago, I started taking online screenwriting classes. I mention this because I've found the tricks and lessons I've learned through screenwriting apply wonderfully to novel writing. I used to be a pantser, not a plotter, but screenwriting requires careful structuring of your story. I highly recommend a book called "Save The Cat!" by Blake Snyder, which is widely used by novice screenwriters to learn the beats your story needs to hit and when to keep someone's interest. Jessica Brody also adapted the concepts into "Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need." I feel my writing has gotten much stronger. We'll see. I'm working on a few different projects at once, so it's taking me forever to finish one. But I'm writing, y'all.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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Angela Campbell is the author of the psychic detectives series from Harper Collins. Visit www.angelacampbellonline.com to learn more about her books.