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Sunday, October 29, 2017

#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR MAUREEN BONATCH ON #HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Maureen Bonatch writes paranormal romance and fantasy. While writing, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter with her feisty Shih Tzu keeping her in line. Learn more about Maureen and her books at her website. 

My Favorite Halloween Costumes
When I was a kid, I thought Halloween was all about the candy—that, and the terrifying movies and shows dominating the airtime for the month of October. Even though I was afraid to watch any of the scary shows, the previews were enough to fill me with fright. Try growing up at the height of the Nightmare o Elm Street movies when you lived, yep—on Elm Street. Throw in a graveyard at the top of your road and you’ve got a month of sleepless nights. I’d breathe a sigh of relief when November rolled around and bombarded the screen with happy Christmas stories.

But before I rushed through the Halloween holiday, there was still one thing I enjoyed almost as much as the candy, and that was dressing up.

Halloween Costumes Back in the Day
As a shy kid, dressing up gave me a boost of confidence to face down the creatures of the night and march right up to a house and demand candy. After a few years of being a ghost, or a hobo (smear dirt on your face or black makeup, tie your hair in a bandanna and another on a stick and —presto! Hobo costume!) I finally got my first cherished store bought Halloween costume. The I Dream of Jeannie costume complete with a plastic, uncomfortable mask and a paper-thin outfit you usually tore when you tried to pull it over your clothes—and I absolutely loved it. I should’ve known then that I was destined to write paranormal and fantasy.

Funny how nowadays people are impressed with a handmade costume, but back in the day, we all wanted something store bought.

Halloween Costumes Today
As the years went by I found myself navigating toward ‘standard girl costumes’ like sexy cat, belly dancer, sexy devil, Elvira etc., until the year I dressed up like a zombie. The freedom of not worrying how my makeup and hair looked (it was supposed to be a mess) and the ability to eat candy as an adult and not worry about fitting into my tight costume was awesome. Plus once I realized I’d truly embraced the joy of dressing up for the fun of it, and was a scary creature myself, I lost more of my fear of what goes bump in the night.

I still dress up every year but it’s usually to hand out candy—except for the pieces I keep for myself.

Evil Speaks Softly
They were never supposed to meet. Fame came easy for Liv by following in the footsteps of the female writers in her family. The cycle repeated for decades…until Liv changed the story. Her villain doesn’t like the revision—and he isn’t a fictional character. In his story, the bad guy always wins.

They were never supposed to find love. Liv never questioned her demanding nocturnal muse, or the strange incidents in her old, family home until she met Gage. His job was to watch her from afar, not reveal the truth about the curse and the stories of the dead.

They’ve broken all the rules. Together they unravel secrets as they strive to stop the cycle. Liv’s ability to find love, and protect her loved ones, hangs on the fickle whims of the dead—and they’ve got nothing to lose.


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3 comments:

Maureen said...

Thanks so much for having me today!

Angela Adams said...

I enjoy Halloween...mostly for the excitement plastered all over the little faces in my neighborhood. Happy Halloween, Maureen!

Maureen said...

Thanks Angela- Happy Halloween to you, too! I love seeing all the kids costumes. It's so fun!