Scare me - I LOVE IT!! by Peggy Jaeger

There are really only two things I love about Halloween: the candy and the scary movies.

The candy doesn't need an explanation, I mean, come on: Candy corn, Peppermint Patties?
Paleeze!

The fact that I like scary movies – and the scarier the better - is one of the top 10 things you need to know about me that I have listed on my blog bio. And when I say scary, I’m not talking about all the blood and gore crap and the torture porn that passes as scary these days. Movies like Saw, versions 1-10,000,000 and the Texas Chain Saw massacre franchise. Those movies are meant to shock you, not really scare you.

When I say scary I mean those movies that make you drop down into your seat at the movie theater, pull your legs up to your chest, make you heart pound, your ears ring, and make you cover your eyes with fingers you can peek through because you just know something’s gonna happen. You know it; you feel it; you sense it. Your adrenaline goes haywire; your hormones kick in with either a flight or fight or paralyze reaction; a scream gets lodged in the back of your throat, or alternately, pierces the air around you like an air raid warning. Your lips tingle, your toes wiggle and you can’t keep still in your seat.

I love those reactions!!

When I was a kid and my parents worked late into the evening, I was usually alone in our apartment. Back then there was a station on regular TV ( no cable back then, kids!) called CREATURE FEATURES that played nightly. I watched that damn channel every single night, alone in our apartment, a blanket pulled up over me and every single light in the house on full blast. My mother could never understand why our electric bills were so high.

My scary movie watching wasn’t only relegated to old black and white movies of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s though, with Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney. Every weekend I took my meager allowance money and went to the actual movies, which cost $0.75 for a Saturday matinee.  Lord, I loved those days and those movies. Nothing really compares nowadays for plot, star power, or scare factor for me.

Some of my favorite scary movies of all time, the ones I can watch over and over again and really enjoy, run the gamut from sublimely scary to ridiculously uproarious.

In the scary scary group, I’ve got:

Halloween (the first one only. The rest were just dumb)

The Exorcist (I went to church every day for two months after seeing this the first time! – I was 11)

Scream (One of the best beginnings of any scary movie out there! The rest of the franchise wasn't scary.)

In the fun and funny group, I’ve got:

Practical Magic ( love Sandra Bullock!)

Young Frankenstein (I-gor not ee-gor)

Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein ( I went my pants every single time when Costello tries to tell Abbot about Dracula!)

It’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown ( Because it’s Charlie Brown)

Hocus Pocus ( Bette Midler is a superstar and Kathy Najimi flying on a Hoover is side splitting).

So, want to be my BFF? Go to a scary movie with me and watch the whole thing. Heehee

Because it’s October, the Gems are doing something a little different in the giveaway department this month:

OCTOBER 2019 PROMOTION

No Tricks—Just Treats

Every Day is Treat Day in October. To be entered in the random drawing for an ecopy of FIRST IMPRESSIONS, leave a comment and tell me what your NUMBER 1 SCARIEST MOVIE ever was, with your email address written out (not as a hot link). The deadline for doing this is 2 days from now. I’ll draw the winners name on 10/29/19 and notify the winner by email and by leaving a comment on this post.

First Impressions

By the way, in case you wonder why Authors give away books, it’s simple. We give away books to introduce new Readers to our writing. The best way to thank an Author who gives you a book is to post a review of the book. Just a few sentences saying why you liked the book is all that is needed! Do this, and we’ll adore you!

Click here to enter our No Tricks—Just Treats Rafflecopter today for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards. Enter often and tell your friends! (You can also click Monthly Giveaways on the Menu Bar of the blog to see details of the current month’s Rafflecopter and to enter it.)

SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES!!!

Until next time ~ Peg

Come Plan With Me by Laura Hunsaker

A couple of years ago I was having trouble writing. I wasn't making words happen, and I needed something to keep me accountable. I had so many blogger friends showing off their adorable planners all over Instagram, and I finally just took the plunge. I used coupons at Michael's and free printables online and next thing I knew, I'd set up a writing planner.

I stared with just basic word counts, but it was boring. This was supposed to be fun! An incentive to help me want to hit my goal! So I poked around the internet and found some cute ideas I tweaked to fit my needs. My favorite is where I made a page where I fill in tetris pieces if I hit my word goal. It was so fun and cute and it made writing feel less like work and more like fun. I've started a new one now, and I'm incorporating more of my daily activities into it so I can fill it up faster.

This is my basic weekly planner spread. It's a bunch of blank pages (kind of like my latest work in progress!) My usual method of having post its all over the place with ideas for my story isn't the most organized, so I try to keep anything I'd scribble on a post it in here. I keep things like what music I write to, any plot ideas, and my word count.

This is what it looks like after I've gotten the stickers out.

As you can see the stickers add some color and personality. I don't go wild, although if you look up planners online you will find some amazing works of art that I'd be too afraid to write in!

I try to keep all of my writing tasks and blog tasks in this planner. I've learned some tips and tricks along the way, and color coding certain tasks helps me the most. I can quickly scan the pages to see which things need my attention most.

I even keep track of what I read!

I'd love to hear if you're a planner addict or if you prefer some other method?
Don't forget to enter the No Tricks, Just Treats Rafflecopter contest HERE.

But wait, there's more!


To be eligible for the Random Draw Giveaway for my latest book DARK PAST leave a comment with your email address. I'll randomly pick winners in 24 hours. This is an ebook so it's open internationally. One attempt will be given to contact the winner. Good luck!

Authors give away books to introduce new Readers to their work. The best way to thank the Author is to post a review of the book. Just a few sentences saying why you liked the book is all that is needed!

The small town was supposed to be safe...

Kate Landry is tired of running. Thinking she's safe, she settles in the small logging town of Chester, California to manage a cafe. She may be keeping a low profile, but she's hoping to return to a normal life.
When FBI agent Kyle Donovan visits to Chester to stay with a friend, and to recover from his latest case, he never expects to meet sexy barista Kate.

But someone is following Kate...
Kyle worries he brought trouble to her door, while Kate worries her dark past is coming after her.
With danger lurking around every corner, her safe haven isn't as safe as she'd thought. Kate will finally have to trust someone enough to tell him her secrets. Secrets that may just get them killed... 

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