Oliver Presents Sharon Donovan

From the cemetery looming high above the haunted mansion, Bloody Mary’s screams echo through the parlor. Organ music plays louder and louder as the image of Bloody Mary appears in the mirror. Sharon and Count Oliver sit on the blood-red settee, casually sipping on Bloody Mary cocktails.  The candles flicker, the raven screeches thirteen times and Count Oliver makes the introduction.

Good Evening! The lovely Sharon Donovan has a chilling tale on this most enchanted night. My dear, let us begin with a toast.

The glasses clink.

Who was Bloody Mary?

According to legend, some say Mary Worth was a woman who was horribly disfigured in a car crash. Others believe she was a witch that was burned at the stake and has risen from the grave to seek revenge. Still others say she is the devil incarnate coming to claim your soul.

Over the years, Bloody Mary’s spirit remains a mystery. The legend claims that the evil woman can be summoned by standing in front of a mirror in a dark room lit by one candle and chanting her name thirteen times. When her spirit appears in the mirror, beware! She may claw your eyes out, draw you into the mirror never to be seen again or kill you.

Loosely based on the legend of Bloody Mary, the 1992 horror film Candyman was released. By reciting his name in the mirror five times, his spirit would appear and kill you with his hooked hand.

I remember playing with myths and legends as a child. A few weeks before Halloween, my brother, sister and I were at a friend’s house playing games in her basement. We decided to conduct a séance. Quite honestly, I don’t recall who we tried to bring back. But I’ll never forget what happened. The four of us were sitting around a candle-lit card table in the dark holding hands beneath a window. After chanting the deceased’s name several times, there was a loud knocking on the window. We all screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Our friend leaned down and hurriedly blew out the candle. To our horror, she caught her hair on fire!  Fortunately, no one was hurt but
we never called upon the spirits again.

Have a spooky tale to share?  The Count and I are hungry to hear them!

HALLOWEEN CONTEST

For a chance to win an autographed copy of MASK OF THE BETRAYER: Send your spookiest tale to me by Hallow’s Eve!

Sharonad@comcast.net

Sharon Donovan lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her family. Prior to the loss of her vision, she was a legal secretary for the Court of Common Pleas where she prepared cases for judges in Domestic Relations. Painting was her passion. When she could no longer paint, she began attending creative writing classes and memoir workshops. After a long and winding road, a new dream arose. Today, instead of painting her pictures on canvas, Sharon paints her pictures with words.

Sharon writes stories of inspiration and suspense. She has certificates in business and medical transcription. Echo of a Raven, a narrative non-fiction about her struggles with diabetic retinopathy, received a CTRR award for outstanding writing, and The Claddagh Ring is a 2009 CAPA nominee for best inspirational of the year. Mask of the Betrayer was voted book of the week at LASR and its video by Triad Productions was a second place winner at You Gotta Read. Other books by Sharon Donovan are Touched by an Angel, Lasting Love, Her Biggest Fan and Charade of Hearts. You can visit Sharon at

http://www.sharonadonovan.com

All my books are available on my website

www.sharonadonovan.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

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