Welcome to my Halloween Haunted House

The hunter's moon skitters across the midnight black sky. From the deepest thicket of the forest, a werewolf howls. Bats screech as they soar from their caves and swarm toward the haunted house on the hill, wings flapping in flight. The wind swooshes through the willowy pines, sounding like the wise old whispers of the Paiute Indians buried thousands of feet below in the windblown sand. Thunder rolls across the starless sky, followed by a streak of lightning that casts an eerie glow on the tombstones in the graveyard. The ghosts float about, chilling laughter echoing through the hollow.

Welcome to my Halloween blog! For the entire month of October, authors will celebrate the spirit of Halloween by telling ghost stories, reading chilling excerpts and so mmuch more. And as always, the sexy and charasmatic Oliver will creak open the door to the haunted house to serve up witch's brew, munchies and maybe even cast a bewitching spell on you. And the organ when not playing the funeral dirge will play your favorite blood curtling song. And don't be put off or frightened by the screams you hear from behind the walls or the chains of the shhackled inmates. Wicked laughter exploes through cyber space. It's. just guests that didn't care for my books or the books of my guests.

So come back each day for a Trick or Treat. And to start the holiday off in the true spirit of the witching hour, here is an excerpt from my little house of horrors,
Her Biggest Fan
the book I have just sold to the Crimson Line of The Wild Rose Press. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. And I'll be sure and keep you posted as to its release date and show off the book cover once it reaches fruition. Until then....funeral dirge plays in the background...
Here is a scene from Her Biggest Fan. Enjoy!

From the grand ballroom, the soft floating of piano keys drifted, louder and louder, faster and faster, reaching a spiking crescendo that shook the chandelier. And then all was quiet as the manor settled from the riveting climax that rattled the windows.
An eerie twine hummed through the corridor. Shocked by the scaling spike of piano keys, Tess’s knees wobbled. Floundering, she leaned against the wall for support.
She gasped for breath, her heartbeat escalating. In barely more than a whisper, she called out.
“Daddy?”

Her mind raced. Could her dad be alive? Did he stage his own death? Tears stung her eyes. She had to find out. But still, she proceeded with caution. She sensed evil from deep in her soul.
Camouflaged in the dim lighting, Tess scaled along the walls of the barrel corridor, blending into the dark wood paneling.

Inching her way a bit deeper, she crept, her heart pounding. Beads of sweat trickled down her spine. A door banged, sounding like shutters smacking the house. Then she felt a rush of cool air coming from the grand ballroom, dank with the smell of rain and something else. Burning candles.

Fear clutched her from deep within. As she got closer, the scent of jasmine grew stronger. The sweet smell permeated the air. It was as if her father were still alive, entertaining in the grand ballroom. Just as Tess reached the arched column to the massive hall, a bolt of thunder exploded in the sky, followed by an illuminating flash of lightning. Then all went dark.
Tess stood at the entrance, polarized. Goose bumps prickled her flesh. When the icy instrumental of Moonlight Sonata started all over again, she took a step back and gasped. Peering into the massive hall, she stared in disbelief.

On either side of the mahogany bar, standing candelabras gleamed, long white tapers flickering in the dark. Open terrace doors banged in the wind, bringing in the pouring rain. The air carried the mingled scent of jasmine and stale tobacco. Pleated silk drapes billowed out like wings.
Rain puddled the cherry wood floor that once sparkled beneath the mirrored ceiling and crystal chandelier. The ghostly sound of piano keys escalated as Moonlight Sonata played on the old Victrola. And in the center of the room, looking for all the world like guests of honor at a grand masquerade, two wax gargoyles danced cheek to cheek, costumed in feather masks as bizarre as the setting.