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Halloween Screams Sneak Peak

10/9/2017

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After an eventful weekend, (thanks Hurricane Nate) I'm happy to report that all are well here at Seven Sisters Farm. No hens, roosters, biddies, ducks, ducklings, goats or pigs were harmed. The Siberian Husky, Chihuahua and angry parakeet are doing well too. I won't lie, it was a frog-strangler and the winds were incredible but we've seen much worse. Nate was nothing compared to Irma and Harvey yet we feel incredibly blessed to have survived such an ordeal relatively unscathed. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and the well wishes.

As promised last week, I'm sharing a snippet from my new title, Halloween Horror: A Halloween Short Story Collection. In it there are nine original, new stories and one of my favorite but classic stories, Being With Beau. The excerpt below is from the story Maarta's Baby and it's a real scream.
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Maarta had never actually seen a goblin but fancied she’d heard one near her mother’s house when she was a small child. Looking out the window now, into the darkness, she wondered if anything looked back. The moon illuminated the fresh blanket of snow that covered the ground around the cottage. It smelled cold and fresh. For a second, she believed she could see a shadow—yes, there! Just there at the edge of the wood! She stared hard and avoided speaking but didn’t see anything else.

“We must build up the fire, Enid.”

“I am warm, mother.”

“We need more light, daughter. We must build the fire.” An unmistakable chill swept over her soul. The urgency grew by the second.

“Mother, we need more wood, and it’s hot in here.” As if he agreed, the baby began to cry again.
“Can’t you stop crying for once, Kristof? If you don’t stop, I’m going to give you to the goblins!” Enid’s little mouth fell open, and as if he understood his mother, the boy quieted and cried softly. A shudder went through Maarta’s body, and her ears began to buzz.

“Mother, don’t say that. Come sit with me and tell me another story. A happy story—please!”

Another wolf howled, this one very near to the house. The hair on Maarta’s arms rose, and she clutched her daughter’s hand as they stepped away from the window. She didn’t want to go outside, especially if there were wolves about, but they needed the wood if they were to keep the light bright through the night. One basket was all she needed. She prayed that Conrad had cut and stacked it already. Maarta leaned over the crib and stared down into the face of her unhappy son. “Be quiet, now, Kristof. I will feed you when I return. I must go out and gather wood. Be good for your sister.”

“Mother, do not leave me here by myself. What if the goblins come?”

She smiled at the child, happy to see that she took the stories seriously. “Then give them what they want, Enid.” The girl whimpered at her answer, and Maarta squatted down in front of her and hugged her. “Hush now. Are you a baby like Kristof? I will be just outside. I will hear the goblins if they come, I promise you, and I have your father’s ax to protect us. Now go, care for your brother.”

The boy wailed loudly again as if he too protested. Maarta covered her thin body with a coat of furs, wrapped her boots and left the cabin.

Just a few minutes away, that’s all I need. Just a few minutes!

The snow crunched underfoot, but her feet were warm in her deerskin boots. She walked to the white clump of wood, which she recognized as the woodpile. Unfortunately, Conrad had not cut the wood, so she would have to do it.

So like him to think of nothing but himself.

If she ever doubted his unfaithfulness, she didn’t anymore. A man who loved his family would never leave them without wood on a cold night. He might as well have sentenced them to death.

The baby howled in the cabin behind her, but all else was silence. Maarta felt the sensation that she was being watched. There was no time to waste! As she chopped wood with her stiff fingers, tears rolled down her cheeks. She had done this—there was no one to blame but herself. Maarta had married a man who did not respect her or her people or her ways. That would change now. She would go home, home to her parents if need be, as soon as she could. She would have to prepare—in secret, of course—but she thought she would remember the way.

Then she heard rustling in the wood and heavy clumps of snow hitting the ground. Yes, there it was again! Rustling and a strange snorting sound! It didn’t sound like a wolf or a bear. Maarta listened carefully and imagined she heard talking, two men talking. No, it must have been three or more, talking in low tones in a language she did not recognize. Foreigners here! She hunkered behind the woodpile and waited, the ax in her hand. Wolves howled, their shrill calls piercing the chilly air. The sounds of breathing were all around her, and whispers—so many whispers! Their voices demanded something of Maarta, but all she could do was fall to her knees and whimper.

And she heard another sound. Kristof’s cries echoed through the woods, and she heard the voices getting louder. Oh no! Are they near the house? Enid will be terrified!

Grabbing her wood and stuffing it in the basket, she began to run toward the cottage with all her might. The cold stung her lungs and her legs felt like stones, but she pressed on. She had to get inside and latch the door. The thick latched wood would keep strangers out. And she had the ax. As she ran, Enid’s name on her lips, she tripped and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Pain shot through her head, and her eyes refused to open.

And then she slipped away, into blackness. As she moved in and out of consciousness, she heard the voices again, and the screams of a child. Was that Enid? The footsteps circled her, the wolves howled, and the deep grumbling of voices filled her ears.

Then she heard nothing.
 
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All the Summer Roses and Everything Else

9/25/2017

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My completely overworked but extremely talented editor, Lady K, we'll call her, completed All the Summer Roses (Book 2 in the Return to Seven Sisters series) and kindly made it available for pre order. Release date is October 15th so you'll get a double dose of me next month because Halloween Screams comes out on October 30th. I love that!

Speaking of which, I have to confess, I've discovered that short stories are a completely different animal than the novellas and novels I typically write. To be effective, they have to be succinct and you know me. I do like to tell a story, and a backstory...and a flashback. LOL But I am excited about this set of stories. It took me a couple of days to write each one and I think each story is something special. Naturally. I fell in love with one particular story so much that I plan on making it into a novel next year. More about that later.
I had such a great response to the idea I posted on my Facebook page (if you're not there, please check it out) that I'm moving ahead with my Lost Camelot trilogy. Queen Guinevere as a vampire? Holy smokes! Of course, there will be lots of glimpses into the past and a battle for the men she loves, Arthur and Lancelot. Here's the description I posted on FB.

King Arthur is dead and the dream of Camelot has ended. Guinevere thought her life was over, that she would spend the rest of her days in a convent or hidden away in Avalon but she couldn't have been more wrong. Cursed by Morgan LeFay, Queen Guinevere is banished from Avalon and must face the ages alone, hiding in the shadows as a vampire. Through the centuries, she's watched Arthur and Lancelot return over and over again but her love for them both has kept her away. Until now. Morgan LeFay has returned with an ominous threat and once again Guinevere is forced to make an impossible choice but one she cannot avoid. Supernatural forces are arrayed against the once powerful queen but can she overcome them and settle an ancient score?
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But, it won't be available until February. I plan on releasing her on Valentine's Day! I can't wait to tell this story and I hope you love it.

For all my ghost story lovers, I'm not leaving my ghosts behind. I'll always have a spooky tale to share with you.

All my best, Monica Leigh Bullock
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The Low Down on Fall Releases

9/9/2017

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 I can't believe we're in September now. I love the month, I mean, I have a milestone birthday and a milestone anniversary this month but geesh. It was just January. Time flies as they say.

As many of you know, I lost my brother last month. He was an amazing person one of those rare gentle souls that leave us all too quickly. To say I will miss him is a horrible understatement. Understandably, I took some time off and as a result have shifted some book releases around. I know you're okay with that, many of you have written me, sent cards and I am so grateful. Thank you for all the little kindnesses you sent our way.
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The next scheduled release is A Haunting at Dixie House (Gulf Coast Paranormal #5) and I'm entirely in love with the ghost of Vita. The majority of the ghosts in this book are set in the 1920s and it was so much fun weaving in Prohibition and old Mobile history. That book is up for preorder and releases on September 15th! (Two days after my anniversary!)
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You can Pre Order now!
Believe it or not, I'm already writing the next one, The Ghost lights of Forrest Field but it's not up yet.

I've sent All the Summer Roses (Return to Seven Sisters Book #2) to my fabulous editor. She's working on that and I hope to have it ready for release in late September, early October. It's a continuation of Carrie Jo's story and I hope you enjoy it. After the loss we all suffered in the last Idlewood book, I know it's been a shaky transition.
Hopefully, you'll be happy to hear that Carrie Jo will head back to Idlewood to help Rachel solve one last mystery concerning Angus. That one will be titled Christmas at Idlewood and I'm not sure about the release date on that. And I'm outlining Beyond Seven Sisters, that's the continuation of Muncie and Calpurnia's story. I'm dying to know what happens next! Just like all of you.

And in case that wasn't enough, I'm writing this!
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My first ever short story collection, this one has a Halloween horror theme! Called Halloween Screams: A Halloween Horror Short Story Collection, it is available for preorder and will release on October 30th, just in time for Halloween. One story in particular, Maarta's Baby is a particular favorite of mine. These are all my stories and they are all original. Hopefully, they'll scare a few of you.

I think that's it for now. Excuse any typos as I'm writing this on the fly. Hugs to all of you. I'll share more details as I progress through my writing to-do list.

Bye, y'all!

Monica Leigh Bullock
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