Author Fright Festival

Happy Halloween!!

WinterHaven is so excited to bring to you our first Author Fright Festival! For this event, we reached out to some of our favorite authors and asked them if they would participate in a fun Halloween Q&A. Let me just say WOW! The response was amazing!!

Wait until you see the fantastic lineup of over 50 authors who graciously participated in this spooktacular event! Soooo, put on your Halloween costumes, bring out the candy and get ready to enjoy the fun as our favorite authors share with us some fun and freaky Halloween facts about themselves. One word... HILARIOUS!!

 Don’t forget to check out the Ghoultastic Giveaway we have for this event.

Ann Aguirre
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
Hannibal Lecter. Because he's such a clever monster -- and he could exist. *shivers*
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
I love caramel apples with a ridiculous passion. Nom.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
Not gonna lie, in 8th grade, I was a pretty amazing bumblebee. Bzzz.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Definitely graveyards. Haunted mansions usually are limited to noise and cold spots, the occasional brush against your shoulder. But in a graveyard there are corpses and bones. Under the right (or wrong) circumstances, that can be very bad indeed...
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away? 

Run away. This is even funnier because I used to be a clown. As hinted above, I have light coulophobia myself, which means I was traumatized every time I looked in the mirror. If you can suggest anything less cool than a college student driving in a bright orange Plymouth Horizon to a gas station grand opening in full clown regalia, including red nose and frizzy yellow wig, I’d love to hear about it. Worst college job ever, and I say that, having worked in a nursing home, changing bed pans. That was better than being a clown. Seriously. As photographic evidence, I submit to you exhibit A. Oh wait, it was even worse than I remembered. See the skates in my hand? (I’m the sad one with the yellow wig).I was a roller-skating clown. You should all buy my books right now in pity. I’ll wait 
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Josephine Angelini

What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
I don’t know if he’s the scariest character ever, but Leck from Kristen Cashore’s Graceling trilogy has been the one creeping me out the most lately. Freaky-deaky.
Hug a Zombie or a Vampire?
Vampire, hands down. I’d even hug the bat version of Dracula from Coppola’s movie over a zombie. You know, the one where he’s hanging upside-down from Mina’s bedroom ceiling? Double yuck, but still better than a zombie. I have issues with zombies, as in, ever since I was a little girl I’ve had
nightmares about being chased by zombies.
Which is scarier? Book or Movie?
I’d have to say movie. There really is something about movies that is way scarier than books. Not that I don’t usually prefer books over movies—I do. But when it comes to fear, there’s nothing that can top the combination of the image and the music and knowing that the guy is right around
the corner and he’s about to jump out and stab Jamie Lee Curtis. Films scare me way more than books. I’m sure Jamie Lee would agree.
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Heather Anastasiu
What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth (actually that whole series!)
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
Gotta be Voldemort, hands down.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire, but only because zombies FREAK ME THE CRAP OUT.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary movie because you can't beat those creepy soundtracks. Not to mention some of the visuals from The Ring still give me the shivers!
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Laura Bickle
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
When I was five through ten, I think I was Wonder Woman every year. It was one of those plastic costumes with the mask that came in the box. My poor mom had to buy me a new one every year because I played the old one to death.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Fun! I remember reading somewhere that walking into a spider web is good luck!
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Guilty on both counts.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Gah! Run away!
When I was a really little girl, my grandmother gave me a pair of slippers with plastic clown heads on them. They terrified the daylights out of me, staring at me from the floor near my bed.  I couldn’t sleep – I was a shrieking, teary mess.
My mom, thinking she needed to get those clown slippers out of my sight, shoved them under my bed.
And all I could think after that was that the clowns were under my bed. Who knows what terrible things they were doing in total darkness? Eeek!
What’s your costume going to be this year?
I think I’m going to be She-Ra. Because I really want some shiny gold boots and my own sword!
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Anne Greenwood Brown

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
A big bowl full of peanuts and candy corn mixed together.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I was a can of Campbell's Soup (tomato). Great costume, but I couldn't sit down all night. Or run. Which was a problem when the cops showed up, not that we were doing anything wrong...
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary movie. I can't watch them at all. A book you can close for a few seconds and catch your breath.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
White? There are white pumpkins? Now THAT'S scary!
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Probably something involving a cardboard box. It never fails.
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Bethany Crandell

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
My favorite costume turned out to be a total disaster. I was in sixth grade and had just moved to San Diego from Denver where Sea Galley was a well-known, fast food restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, San Diegans were not familiar with the restaurant or their catchy commercial jingle “We’ve got Crab Legs, Sea Galley, We’ve got Crab Legs, Sea Galley…” complete with human dancing crab legs. (Think Rockettes in bad costumes) Anyway, my brilliant idea of wearing a white top, white shorts, and bright orange tights stuffed with foam pieces (representing a…crab leg!) didn’t go over very well. I was taunted. I cried. And the foam was gone by third period.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire! (So long as his last name is Salvatore) Zombie’s are always losing limbs—I’m not big on clean up.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
Either is fine, so long as I don’t have to carve it. (Again, not big on clean up).
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
*shudders* Have you seen IT?! You don’t stick around to kick—you run, Forrest! RUN!
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Melissa de la Cruz
What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
I don't read scary books anymore. But I would say when I was 14 and read Salem's Lot by Stephen King I had to keep checking out my window to make sure there wasn't a vampire floating there.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I went as Jackie Kennedy one year and my best friend was Andy Warhol. We looked pretty cool. I had the pink suit and hat and everything. And gloves!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampires obviously!
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Pass them out - too fun to see the little kids in costumes!
What’s your costume going to be this year?
My husband and I thought it would be HILARIOUS to go as 50 shades of Grey. He's going to wear a suit with an unloosened tie and I'm going to wear jeans a t-shirt and handcuffs. Easy! And trendy!
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Jordan Dane
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Hug isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Gank, blast, or stake might be more my style. So I’m thinking that getting my neck sucked on until I die is a better way to go than having a dead guy crack open my cranium and have a chewfest on my brain. I may not use it much now, but you never know.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
For me or the spider? Think about it. You’re a little spider, all snug in your webby home (waiting for take-out home delivery) and a giant beast rips it all apart, screaming like a big baby. (That would be me.)
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Both. One for them, two for me. Two for them, four for me. Doing the math is good exercise and keep the calories down. Try it.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
I am a total choco-holic. Major. I give out whole chocolate bars. None of those little bite-sized pieces. Kids come by my house more than once & by the busload. They think I don’t notice.
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Laura Ellen
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat? 
It is a toss up between caramels and candy corn. I love them both :)
What’s the funniest Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced? 
We had a big giant Mummy that we put in my daughter's loft bed while she was at school. She didn't notice him snuggling under her covers until that night after she'd turned her light off and climbed up . . . she was not happy!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Oh hands down a vampire; everyone knows they are way sexier than zombies, right?
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky? 
FREAKY! If I even feel something that I think is a cobweb I scream.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie? 
Definitely a scary book. My imagination is so much more vivid than any movie I've ever watched.
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Kate Avery Ellison
What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
The last really spooky book I read was The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson! It has a ghost serial killer in it, and I got seriously creeped out.
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Soooooooooooo fun, but so freaky. Fun-freaky!
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
Last year I was Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica. I put a lot of effort and thought into it, and I was really proud of what I made.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
This year I’m hosting what I call a “Fancyween Party.” It’s almost like a masquerade, so people can come in costumes or they can just get really dressed up in a fun way. I’m wearing this really sleek red dress that makes me feel like a movie star. I might pair it with some elbow-length gloves and some really sparkly jewelry.
Pumpkins… is it a fruit or vegetable?  Guesses only please...no googling =P
I think it’s a fruit. But I have NO IDEA.
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Elizabeth Fama

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Mounds Mounds Mounds! I can't buy them for Trick-or-Treaters, because I wind up eating them all.
What’s the funniest Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced?
On my block, a neighbor gives out candy to the kids, and Single Malt Scotch (in plastic cups) to the grown-ups.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I can't tell you about it, I have to show you. I helped make them but didn't wear them. (That's my daughter and son in the photo.)
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
This happens to me every day in the late summer and fall, because spiders make their webs across the path to our alley. NOT FUN.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary movie, because you can't control the pace at which you consume it!
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Beth Fantaskey

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
My sister and I made a dragon out of a big cardboard box. It was really cool - but she's three years older than me, so I got stuck being the "butt" end. I had to spend the whole night trudging around, bent over, in utter darkness.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
A vampire, definitely. I don't like it when I hug someone and parts fall off.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Those sugar-crusted marshmallow pumpkins and bats from the company that makes "Peeps." But they have to sit out for a day and get just slightly stale-ified. Yum!

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Tara Fuller

Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
I'm going to go with haunted mansion. I have visited both places and totally believe in ghosts. The haunted house was way creepier.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire. I've read about way to many sexy vampires. Could be fun, right?
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Oh my God, freaky! I hate spiders. I have been known to destroy small villages of unsuspecting insects over walking into a spider web. *shudders*
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Movie. And it takes a super scary movie to freak me out. I really get freaked out by the "this is based on true events" type stories like The Strangers. That movie had me scared to death for months!
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run away! I have an irrational fear of clowns. Probably had something to do with being exposed to movies like "It" and "Killer Clown from Outer Space" at a very  young age.
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Rose Garcia

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
My hubs and I go to a neighborhood Halloween party every year. My neighbor always has a theme and everyone goes all out on costumes. A few years back the theme was “Your Favorite Alcoholic Drink.” I knew there’d be plenty of Flaming Dr. Peppers and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and the last thing I wanted to do was dress as something obvious. Eventually I came up with the brilliant idea of dressing up as Blue Moon beer! My hubs and I dressed like the Blue Man group: blue paint, black long sleeves and long pants, blue bald caps. Then we glued blue prosthetic butt cheeks to our rears. It was hilarious!!!!!!
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion.
Definitely haunted mansion. By the time people are buried, their souls or ghosts or whatever have already left the body, which means they are usually stuck in the place where they died. (Assuming they didn’t go into the light!) And how many people “die” at a cemetery? None. People die in houses/mansions all the time. So definitely, haunted mansion!
Which is scarier—book or movie?
Definitely book! A movie takes your imagination away. A book, on the other, let’s your mind run free! After all, the scariest things are things unseen, things lurking in your own mind, things that take over your logic and reason. That’s also why I don’t read scary books. My mind can’t take it! Plus, I’m a scaredy-cat! LOL
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Jeannine Garsee
What’s the funniest Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced?
Once I heard a tapping on my second-floor bedroom window--and a horrible, ghoulish face leered in at me. Once I stopped screaming, I realized my brother had fastened am ugly mask to a very a long pole, and banged it against my window. I ran downstairs and chased him halfway around the block. Never caught him, thought. I still owe him for that one.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Ugh, neither--that's GROSS! I hate spiders. I have nightmares about them!
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Freaky AND fun! Especially when Leatherface chases you down with his chainsaw. The smell of the gasoline clogs my nostrils for days after.
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Again, BOTH (because I find things that are freaky are almost always fun). I was totally traumatized as a nine-year-old when my family visited a horror wax museum. I had nightmares for weeks and I swear it took me years to recover. But now I'm completely drawn to the macabre, whether it's real (true crime stories) or make-believe. No matter how many times I go through a haunted house, I'm never desensitized--I shriek every five seconds (and haunted MAZES are the BEST!)
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary movie. At least with a book you can put it down if your skin starts crawling and you need to take a break. With movies, you're trapped--especially in the theater when there's no "pause" button around.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Blue hospital scrubs. And it won't exactly be a "costume" because I'll be working that night--on a psychiatric ward. :) Yes, it's true. With my luck it'll be a full moon, too.
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Hilary Weisman Graham

Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Freaky! Though once, at a Halloween party, my friend and I made up our own haunted tour of my friend's old VW Jetta, which had been lying abandoned in his driveway for years. We called it "Spooky Car."
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Collect. And/or steal from my son's collection. ;)
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Okay, so this actually happened. While camping at Yellowstone this summer, I was awoken by a howling pack of wolves nearby. 20 minutes later, I heard them take down an elk, which was simultaneously terrifying and amazing!
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Tessa Gratton
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
caramel apples! I associate apples with Halloween so strongly, and the last of the bees flying after all the apple juice.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
Robin Hood. I loved the boots I wore that I borrowed from my mom. They were knee-high brown leather boots with wooden platforms she had in the 70s. < 3 BUT when I was very little, I dressed up like Wicket the Ewok from "Return of the Jedi" every day for a solid year.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansions, mostly because I love graveyards. I find them creepy and peaceful and magical. Whereas you could be TRAPPED in a haunted mansion. To die.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Owl, because it has to be super quiet to hear it, and that means you're outside in the dark... alone.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
There are white pumpkins? MIND BLOWN.
What is your costume going to be this year?
I'm thinking of going as a Dementor.
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Bethany Griffin 
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
A few years ago I got my hair cut really short, so that year I dressed as Harry Potter. It was awesome!
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
My favorite Halloween Treat is those little things of mini M&M's I take those out of my kids bags and eat all of them!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Um, I'd much rather hug a vampire. Preferably Lestat. Or Louis. Or...Lestat. Zombies seem like they might fall apart if you hug them?
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
As for books or movies, I like books better, but scary movies are harder for me because the images stay with me more? Scary books you can ease into sort of.  
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Lia Habel

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Actually, it didn't go in the freezer -- I read it in middle school, and that thing went in a plastic bag that was tossed out on the lawn overnight. I wasn't going to sleep with it in my house! It's still the scariest book I've ever read, and I usually respond to scary with, "HOW CUTE!"
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted mansion, probably. I generally find graveyards very peaceful, beautiful places -- like sculpture gardens. And I'm usually not scared by creatures or ghosts. But haunted house "jump" scares, like people leaping out from behind walls or doors slamming -- those get me every time, and make me feel like a total loser.
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
I'm one of those suckers who puts a whole bowl of candy out on the front porch. My cats freak out when people ring the bell or knock, so I try to keep kids from doing that while at the same time offering something. I've only had a few instances where cheaters emptied the whole bowl, and then I just fill it up again. I'm always like, "FOOL! I BOUGHT TWENTY BAGS OF THIS STUFF! YOU CAN'T HURT ME!"
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
I prefer "set them on fire." Clowns and drowning are my only two major fears. I actually just went to a haunted house with a bunch of friends, and in most of the rooms we were laughing and shrieking and having fun -- but the room with the demented clown? Heads down, keep walking, do not engage. THAT was the thing that got us!
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Rachel Harris

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I’ve run the range from Miss America (thanks to a recycled prom dress) to a vampire
chica (sadly I’m so pale that it didn’t require much makeup), but my favorite has to
be my costume circa 1998. Picture eight-year-old Rachel in a zebra-print skirt, fish net
stockings, an even tackier shirt, half of my hair pulled up and to the side in that silly style
we all used to rock, with different strips being dyed green, pink, and yellow. I called
myself a Punk Rocker….what I really was what a fashion disaster. Even so, that is still the
costume I think of first when I think of Halloween.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansion. I’m from New Orleans where we would take class field trips in
elementary school to the aboveground graveyards. We’re a weird bunch in Nawlins.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Uh, vampire definitely. Zombies freak me the heck out! And if said vampire happens to
look like Edward Cullen or Damon Salvatore, then all the better.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Psycho theme music all the way!! I’m very attuned to music in movies and whatnot, and
the right music always sets the mood….if it’s psycho or freaky, you best be believing that
I’m about to crawl out of my skin.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary book, hands down. Movies are visual, yes, so that can stay with you. But books
go into so much detail. I completely lose myself in the magic authors weave in a good
story, and normally that’s a good thing, because normally I read happy books. Or at
least non-scary books—I’m a total scaredy-cat. But recently I did read a horror book and
my goodness, I couldn’t stop reading, and I definitely couldn’t go to sleep. My husband
found me in the morning with every light on and I was thisclose to turning on cartoons!!
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Kelly Hashway

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Laffy Taffy. I'm addicted to it.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansion. I love graveyards. :) 

Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Zombie. Zombies are slow. A Vampire would kill me in seconds.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary book. My mind creates much scarier images than movies.
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April Henry

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?  
I once threw away a book about John Wayne Gacy, a real-serial killer. Ugh.  Sometimes I see photos of real things when I'm doing research that I wish I could unsee. 
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?  
Stephen King has a real knack for creating spooky beings that invite you to come play with them.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Graveyard, even though I grew up across the street from one. It's an historic cemetery full of listing headstones and holes in the ground where ground squirrels live.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire, of course
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?  
With my curly hair, it's a real mess. Plus I'm always afraid the spider is hiding in my hair.
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?  
When my 17 yo was younger, I used to steal from her stash.  (Shh... don't tell!)
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?  
Music.  Because you know something bad is going to happen for sure.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
If I'm alone in the house, book.  In a big theater with everyone gasping, movie.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?  
Did you ever read that Stephen King Book, It?  I'm with him.
Pumpkins… is it a fruit or vegetable?  Guesses only please...no googling =P
Pretty sure they are a fruit.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
I'm not sure.  Store-bought costumes are usually boring.  I once made my husband an asparagus costume that was pretty cool.
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P.J. Hoover

Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
I adore the idea of a completely spooky, creepy house, but there is something about all the dead bodies in a graveyard that makes it totally the spookiest! Back in college, I decided I was going to walk in this scary graveyard at midnight on Halloween, and when I got there, I was terrified! It was sheer peer pressure that got me in there long enough to get a picture taken. In the picture, I am completely freaked. So graveyard it is!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Zombies just sick me out. It's all the gaping jaws and drool that really gets to me. So though vampires are not the least bit appealing either, at least they won't drool all over me during the hug. I can just imagine wiping all that zombie yuck off me. It kind of makes me sick to think about. Plus, if I had to spend eternity as a zombie or a vampire, I'd go with vampire any day of the week.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
I've been making chainmail for the Renaissance Faire, and given all the time I've spent on it, it's going to double as my Halloween costume! The best part is that Austin Comic Con is right around Halloween, so I get to wear it there, too!
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Anita Howard
What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
IT, by Stephen King. I HATE clowns. But clown-popsicles, well, that’s a whole different story. ;)
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Freeze them. (See answer to previous question.)
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
The best ones are both. Case in point: Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. One second I’m chuckling, the next I’m gasping in fright (both take place during the mirror section of the ride).
Pumpkins… is it a fruit or vegetable? Guesses only please...no googling =P
Did you say no googling, or no giggling? It’s a vegetable! From the rutabaga family… right? Right? *crosses fingers* Pfffft. Kidding. I know it’s a squash. I’m a Texas girl. We’re all about the crops
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Chloe Jacobs

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Honestly, I read it when I was eleven and nothing has been able to scare me like that since. There’s something about zombie toddlers that's just too freaky for words …
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
I LOVE candy corn. As long as it’s fresh and soft. Oh great…now I’m going to be craving that all day. *Aside* Anyone got some candy to share?
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire. Dude. Did you really have to ask? Zombies will get that black slobbery rotting crap ALL OVER YOU when they go to bite your face off. At least vampires have some class while they’re sucking you dry.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Since spiders are quite possibly the MOST scary thing in my entire universe…you figure it out.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
To me, movies are scarier in the immediacy of the moment because it’s right in your face and you can’t turn the tv off or the rest of the family gives you dirty looks…but the book scare stays with you longer. The scare from a book will haunt you. You’ll be imagining it in your mind even after you put the book down and walk away. That’s the one that wakes you up at night drenched in your own sweat.
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Robin LaFever
What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD. Absolutely terrifying.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Graveyard!
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky! ::shudders just thinking about it::
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Since owl hoots and wolf howls are two of my favorite sounds ever, I'm going to have to go with Psycho theme music. (Although I've never seen the movie--too much of a chicken!)
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run away--while screaming.
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Claire Legrand
What is the spookiest book character you've ever come across?
Mr. Dark, aka, the Illustrated Man, from Ray Bradbury's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. That scene in the library when he's chasing Will and Jim? Eek! *shivers*
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume.
I recently dressed up as Mrs. Cavendish for a book event, and it was pretty much the best thing ever. I got to combine stylish vintage fashion with lots and lots of fake cockroaches--on my tights, in my hair, on my necklace. It was AWESOME. Stylish *and* gross!
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
The Psycho music is way overplayed at this point. I would have to say a wolf howling. Such a lonesome, eerie sound, full of ominous possibility!
Clowns...hug 'em, kick 'em, or run away?
Kick 'em, hard, and THEN run away. FAST.
Pumpkins... orange or white? 
Thinking about white pumpkins reminds me of the Bunnicula books by James and Deborah Howe. Remember that one, about the little vampire bunny who would suck all the juices out of vegetables? Man, I LOVE those books. So spooky and hilarious. So, short answer, white pumpkins all the way!
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Marie Lu 

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Z. Danielewski. I get chills just thinking back on it!
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Psycho theme music! (Although seriously, the sound that freaks me out the most is that terrifying nuclear bomb threat alarm. Holy crap.)
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
I have to admit, scary movies do give me nightmares. I'm a very visual
person. *shudders*
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Reese's peanut butter cups!
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Jamie Manning

Tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween costume?
I absolutely love Halloween—and dressing up in costume only makes it better! My all-time
favorite was the year I dressed as a Titanic victim. I went to a local florist shop and got one of
those green Styrofoam wreaths they use for funeral arrangements, brought it home and spray-
painted it white, attached rope around the rim, and wrote RMS TITANIC in black on the front.
I bought a used suit from a local thrift store and ripped it up a bit, then took melted wax and
painted on “ice”—which I also added to my hair! I used purple and blue makeup for my face,
neck and hands, so I would look like a corpse. It was awesome!
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Oh, haunted mansion, definitely! I actually kind of like traipsing through graveyards/cemeteries.
I love the old feel of a graveyard, the history there, you know? Haunted houses just freak me
out!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Absolutely a vampire! I’m a vampire freak, lemme tell ya (I mean, hello, my first trilogy is
about vampires!). Though I love anything zombie (books, movies, TV shows), I don’t think I’d
much enjoy actually having to touch one, lol. And vampires (well, the modern-day ones) are sexy
and hot and alluring—much more conducive to touchy-feely, no?
Clowns...hug 'em, kick 'em, or run away?
Um, is there a “leave the planet” option? Cause if there is, that’s my answer. Yes, clowns
freak. Me. OUT.
Pumpkin… is it a fruit or vegetable?
Neither—it’s an institution.
Come on, what’s Halloween without pumpkins, right? Funny ones, scary ones, realistic celebrity-look-a-like ones—they’re all winners. (And p.s. Only orange, thank you very much! )
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Jonathan Maberry

What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
The Collector in John Connolly’s THE UNQUIET is one of the all-time creepiest characters. Is he human? Is he supernatural? What the heck IS he? Connolly must have dug down into a very dark place to create that character.
What’s the funniest Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced?
One Halloween when I was having a costume party I drove to the train station to pick up friends who needed a ride to my place. They didn’t know I was coming in costume. I was dressed as a drive-by shooting victim with a gaping bullet wound above my left eye.  Before I left I put very realistic bullet-hole decals on the car door and windshield. As I approached my friends, I slumped back in the seat and let the car roll to a slow, awkward stop. They saw the bullet holes and the blood and were convinced I’d actually been shot. They screamed and ran to call the cops.  I narrowly avoided having police respond to my own murder!
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
I love haunted hayrides.  I always wanted to design my own, and in my novel, GHOST ROAD BLUES, you can see what kind of hayride I would put together. As far as I’m concerned, the ideal haunted hayride requires that you take out insurance beforehand and need CPR afterward.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Clowns are evil. Even nice clowns are evil (they’re just pretending to be good.)  When the zombie apocalypse comes we should feed all clowns to the living dead.  On the other hand, if the zombies ARE clowns, then we are soooo screwed.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
White pumpkins are the devil’s playthings. They’re ghost pumpkins. They’re unnatural, albino, mutant gourds and they want to take over the earth. I believe clowns are responsible for white pumpkins.
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Lish McBride

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I was a cat for about 9 years running. Okay, maybe it was five years, but for some reason when I was little I just kept going as a cat. First it was just the tights, black leotard and black mask with whiskers set up, but then my stepmom made me a cool cat costume with fur and a hooked tail and the next year my mom made me a Garfield costume. Homemade costumes are the best. Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Most of the ones I've gone to locally are lame. However, I lived in New Orleans for a few years, and they really get into theirs. Some were pretty creepy. The last one I went to, people kept jumping out and grabbing me and wouldn't let go until my some of my friends pulled me away. This was bad because I'd just had my arm tattooed and the haunted house people kept grabbing that arm. Ouch.
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
I love passing out candy because I never really got to do it until a few years ago. I grew up in the woods. No one Trick o' Treated out there. I had to walk a mile up a dirt road just to get to my bus stop--no way anyone was coming to our house for candy. And I continue to pick houses in areas that kids don't come to. So usually I go to my friend's house on Halloween and help her hand out candy. Her house gets hit pretty hard and we take turns--one of us hands out candy while the other escorts the kiddos around to the other houses. So much fun. (Halloween is my favorite.)
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Book. No way a movie could compare with the creepy things my brain can come up with. I once read the Stephen King short story called, "The Boogey Man" and I slept with my lights on for a week. Seriously, that story is maybe three pages and I don't think you ever see the monster. Scared the pants off me. Movies just can't compare.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run away. Quickly. I will cross the street to avoid a clown. I'm not even exaggerating. They freak me out. I used to think I was weird, but then I found out that Coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) is actually one of the most common fears. My Pop Up Book of Phobias (yes, I have a pop up book of phobias) says that the fear of clowns stems from an inconsistent childhood. Kids are told to avoid strangers and then are often left with the creepiest strangers of all--clowns. I don't know if that's true or not. I just know that between Poltergeist, IT, Attack of the Killer Clowns from Outer Space, and my dad explaining to me at a fair once who Pogo the Clown was, well, yeah, I cross the street. And I wish for mace. I am less fearful of clowns at those Cirque du Soleil things, though.What’s your costume going to be this year?
I don't know! I'm still trying to decide. I was thinking about maybe going as a character from Sisters Red, but then thought it might freak out some of the kids at my work. Then I thought about going as The Bowler from Mystery Men, but I haven't decided yet. I'm open for suggestions!
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Katie McGarry

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Kit Kats
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Haunted Mansion Which freaks you out the most?
I’m absolutely terrified of cemeteries.
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Fun!
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Freaky
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run away screaming 
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Claire Merle

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I grew up in England where Halloween costumes had to be scary. My favourite was one I made when I was about nine by cutting up paper bones and sticking them onto a black polo-neck and leggings.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
I’ve never come across a sexy Zombie, but I wouldn’t mind getting close to Brad Pitt in ‘Interview with the Vampire’.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Psycho theme music.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Hide! When I was really little my parents took me and my 18 month old sister to a circus. Climbing up to our seats, she fell through the wooden steps and I thought the clowns had swallowed her up.
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Marissa Meyer

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
It's not exactly a "scary" book, but ASHFALL by Mike Mullin is the last book that gave me actual nightmares. *shudders* I also love the creepy parts of Kendare Blake's ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES. They're the best kind of scary!
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
When I was a teenager, my friends and I dressed up as the Sailor Scouts. I was Sailor Moon and we also had Mercury, Saturn, and... I think, Jupiter? Good times. I'm still happy to strike the pose. "In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" Ahem.
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Around here we have haunted corn mazes. I've been through one and there were people hiding in the corn who would jump out with real chainsaws. I left that corn maze screaming and running for my life.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
I'm still working on that one. My big brother and his wife have a new baby and I suggested they should be Mario, Luigi, and a one-up mushroom. Maybe I'll try to crowd in on their party and do Princess Toadstool. My husband could be Bowser! :D
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E.C. Myers

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I haven’t made many Halloween costumes, but my favorite was one from the Japanese film Battle Royale. I made an “exploding” collar from a couple of headbands and a blinking LED, and I wore a gakuren school boy uniform jacket.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky! Even one strand of spider web brushing against my face weirds me out, and I may have been traumatized by the scene where Frodo got trapped in Shelob’s lair in The Two Towers.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
*shudders* Kick ‘em—hard—then run away. Far, far away.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
They come in white?! What the hell? *googles* That’s just wrong. They’re like some kind of ghost pumpkins. The only way I want to encounter one of those is in pie. (Mmmm... pie.)
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Like I said, I don’t make many costumes. If I have any reason to dress up this year, I’ll be wearing one of the face masks from the immersive theater experience Sleep No More and dressing all in black.
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Lea Nolan

Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Mansions. The bad guy could be hiding under a dusty bed, in a closet, or behind the secret bookcase that leads to the evil lair in the basement. Graveyards don’t have evil lairs.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Candy corn. Best use of high fructose corn syrup ever.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Screechy Psycho theme music! Perfectly conveys the sound of a knife slashing you in the shower. Or at least that’s what it sounds like in my head.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Kick them. Preferably down a very long staircase.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Same as every year: A $5 orange Halloween T-shirt with a black silk screened witch from K-mart—you know, the kind all the holiday-loving moms are sporting—and a long, not-so-luxurious day glo orange wig with choppy bangs. My kids love it!
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Kathleen Peacock 

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
One year, in college, I went to a party as Bunnicula from the children’s book of the same name (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/281235.Bunnicula). No one at the party had heard of the book, but I still think it was an inspired choice.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted mansion. Definitely. I actually love graveyards and don’t find them frightening at all. When I was in college, I lived across the street from a historic cemetery and used to cut through it to get to class. Even now, when I have free time, I love grabbing my camera and heading to the older cemeteries in the area.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire. Years of books, TV shows, and movies have conditioned me to believe that they are all ridiculously good looking, emo, and ready to fall in love with me.Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary book. Movies scare me while I’m watching them, but books linger in the back of my head far longer.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run away.
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Marianne de Pierres

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Red snakes.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
My son had a zombie mask that the eye used to fall out of when you pumped it up.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansion. So many places you can see into. At least you can run in a graveyard.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire most definitely. Can’t stand zombies!
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Fun
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Freaky
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Pass them out.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Psycho music.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Movie. Easier to close the book than get the images out of your mind
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Rebekah Purdy

Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Hmmm… is this a sparkly vampire or more like Dracula? LOL—Okay, okay, I’d hug a Vampire—I mean have you guys not seen Damon Salvatore the holy hotness himself ? *drools*! Besides, zombies eat brains and are decomposing and well I kinda of don’t want to get chewed on.Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Definitely freaky—I’m SO SO SO scared of spiders. Just the thought of them makes me squirm. Clingy webs, possible ninja spiders in wait (faints with fear).
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Oooo, I’d have to say book every time. Books allow for your imagination to run wild, picturing each scary, gruesome image.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Run. Like. Hell. LOL—The movies It and Poltergeist ruined clowns for me…needless to say no circuses for me (smiles).
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Laurisa Reyes 

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
I cannot resist good old-fashioned candy corn by the handfuls!
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Movies! The scariest movie I ever saw was The Ring. I had nightmares for months!
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
I have 5 kids, so by the time I dress them up I'm so done. My annual costume is an orange T-shirt that says "I Don't Do Costumes."
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
My daughter is terrified of clowns. So I'd say Run Away!!!!
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Amy Rolland 

What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia. When I was growing up, my mother would allow me to listen to the book-on-tape version of the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe once I was in bed. I never wanted to be awake for the scene when the White Witch kills Aslan on the stone table surrounded by her monsters and minions. (It was a crafty play by my mother because surely the tape would need to be flipped since that scene is so far into the novel…) My fears were reborn when I was old enough to read The Magician’s Nephew. Jadis, the White Witch, made frequent appearances in my childhood nightmares.
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Please don’t judge me, but I actually love yellow Starburst candies. (I know… who actually likes those??) After trick-or-treating, I always collected them from my friends. There are benefits to having odd tastes.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
Monkey costume. Second grade. I was obsessed with monkeys as a child. I actually slept with a stuffed monkey until I was about ten. True story. (And no, Planet of the Apes was not my answer to question number one… I never read it for fear that it might butcher my fascination with monkeys.) It was a fabulous costume. I had the cute ears, the button nose, the curly tail, and because I was a gymnast, I was actually allowed to do cartwheels and back handsprings in the middle of the road that night!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Zombie. A vampire could bite, but since a zombie is technically deteriorating, I could bust out one of the moves I learned from years of watching Buffy and knock off its head.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky... however, there's a pesky little critter that has taken up residence outside my front door. He must have a wicked sense of humor because each night he spins a new masterpiece for me to walk through it in the morning. It's a healthier alternative to coffee. Excessive flailing and flapping never fails to wake me up.
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Angela Scott

Hug a zombie or a vampire? Which do you prefer?
I write about zombies so...I would definitely hug a vampire. I bet you weren't expecting that, huh? Zombies are DISGUSTING. Smelly, gross, yucky body parts missing, and all covered in body fluids and guts. Vampires are SEXY (at least the modern day ones). Heck ya, hug a vampire--they sparkle :)
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Ever since watching Stephen King's IT as a kid (ya, my dad thought it was HILARIOUS to let us kids watch scary movies) I hate clowns. HATE. THEM. Grown men dressed in bright colored makeup, tooting horns, and smashing pies in their faces...not right. I would run away. I'm a chicken like that.
Pumpkins… orange or white?
Orange. White pumpkins look ill.
Pumpkins… is it a fruit or vegetable?  Guesses only please...no googling =P
It has seeds...so my guess is that it is a fruit. But then again...it grows on vines in a garden...so it must be a vegetable. But grapes grow on vines...so it must be a fruit. Ya, a fruit. Or a vegetable. But most likely a fruit.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
Psycho theme music. (I just listened to it to make sure...about peed my pants. Brought back memories of watching that show).
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Scary movie. Scary books I can set to the side and take a breather if need be. Movies I will I must continue to the end. The quicker the better.
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Victoria Scott

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Candy corn pumpkins. Those things are bomb!
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted mansion for sure! What if the doors locked and I couldn't get out? Ahhhhh!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
I'm going to go with vampire, even though it probably means being bitten. Personally, I'd rather be drank from than eaten on.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
OMG! Horrible! Awful! The absolute worst thing that can happen. Ever.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Kick 'em, then run away, then maybe go back and kick 'em again just to be safe. Don't want to take any chances here.
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Meagan Spooner

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
UNWIND, by Neal Shusterman. It's not scary like ghosts and goblins scary, or serial killer scary, or even monster popping out and going "BOO" scary. It's truly disturbing. I loved it, but I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to reread it, simply because there were a few key scenes that were so terrifying... if you've read the book, you know what I mean. Augh. Shudder.What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Reese's peanut butter cups and snickers were always my favorite things to get while trick-or-treating. But in terms of fall treats in general, I adore caramel apples with every fiber of my being. SO DELICIOUS.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansion, definitely. Mostly because I'm assuming it's the cheesy kind, either a graveyard decorated to be spooky or a house decorated to be haunted. Graveyards, to me, seem more mournful and pensive than scary. We had a graveyard on our college grounds from the 1800s, and it was a favorite place of mine to go for walks in the evening. Not because it was scary, but just because it was quiet and grave. (Ba-dum-tsh.)
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
I think a vampire would probably smell better. And if I'm gonna get bitten, I'd rather turn into a vampire than a zombie!
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
No. NO NO NO. No. No! *hyperventilates* I freak out just thinking about that sensation. No. Nooooooo.
No.
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Jessica Spotswood

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
I didn't literally put it in the freezer, but Ilsa J. Bick's ASHES had me terrified. I was reading it at night in bed and I was scared to go to the bathroom!
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Reese's peanut butter cups! I can't buy them for trick or treaters until Halloween itself, or they'd all be gone before anyone rang the bell.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
Freshman year of college, we raided the drama department's costume shop, and I found this amazing pink tulle gown and went as Pretty in Pink. I have never really outgrown playing dress-up. In fact, I've been thinking about dying my hair pink lately and - bonus - then I could wear all pink and a Mockingjay pin and be Effie Trinket for Halloween! Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky! *shudders* If we go home late at night, I make my husband go up the front porch steps first, just in case! 
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Stephanie Thomas

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Candy Corn, especially the kind with chocolate in it. They always make me feel yucky when I’m done eating them, but they are oh-so-good while I am eating them!
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
One year, I was a giant M&M. I was a junior in high school, and we had a French exchange student who wanted to go trick-or-treating because she never did before. So, to help her out, we all ran out to the store Halloween day, picked up some left-behind costumes, and went out trick-or-treating. People didn’t want to give us candy, because we were too old to be out trick-or-treating, but when we explained about the exchange student, they understood.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansions, for sure. I think both of them are pretty neat, but I’ve been in actual haunted houses before, and I always feel like someone is watching me, or something’s not quite right when I’m there.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Freaky. This is funny because I have this spider which is about the size of a quarter, and it keeps building its web outside my back door. The webs are always huge and beautiful, but…I don’t want to walk in it. So, I make my husband destroy the web with a broom, but we never kill the spider. Every week, the spider builds a new web to mock me. Let’s just say, I’m not Gwen Stefani (bonus points if you get this reference).
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Freaky. I hate them. I also hate haunted houses and scary movies. I’m a wimp.
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Sara Walsh 

Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume
My husband's gorilla costume cracks me up every time. I'm not sure what that says about me.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted Mansion.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire. A zombie would be too squishy... and stinky!
Freakiest sound... owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music.
Wolf howling.
Clowns... hug 'em, kick 'em, or run away?
Kick 'em, and then run away!
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Kate Walton
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
Randall Flagg from Stephen King’s THE STAND. Believe it or not, I read that book twice, and it’s close to 1,000 pages!
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Reeces cups are perfect in every way, especially that extra thick ring of chocolate at the bottom circumference of the circle. Mmmm.
Walking into Spider Webs-fun or freaky?
FREAKY because I always wonder where the spider is? I hate spiders.
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Melissa West

What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Candy corn. :) Though, I'm a Halloween candy addict.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted mansion, but I'm not stepping foot in either!!
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire! Zombies scare me to death! :)
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
None of those. For me, the freakiest sound is a wind chime at night. *shudders*
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Movie for sure! They incorporate sound, and nothing is scarier than freaky music. :)
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Paula Weston

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
I didn't put it in the freezer, but The Passage (by Justin Cronin) seriously messed with my head. Those vampires were sooo not sexy. Brilliant book though.
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
I devoured Stephen King books as a teenager, and the freaky vampire in Salem's Lot gave me nightmares for weeks. I'm not sure if that book would still scare me, but I'm not going to pick it up to find out.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Haunted mansion - you're trapped indoors and there are way too many things than can be used against you. At least with a graveyard you might be able to run away from whatever crawls out of the ground.
Hug a Zombie or Vampire? Which do you prefer?
Vampire: there's half a chance it might one of those sexy, non-monster types (not counting the above-mentioned blood suckers from The Passage, of course). No chance of that happening with a zombie. Plus, bits fall off zombies. And they smell.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Definitely book. What we conjure in our imaginations is usually so much scarier than filmmakers can create. Except for that very disturbing scene in the house at the end of the Blair Witch Project. That still gives me chills.
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K.J. Wignall

What’s the last book you put in the freezer because it was so scary?
Never quite done that, but last year's "Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver certainly unsettled my dreams slightly.
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
I'll probably think of a new answer in 10 minutes, but my first thought was the faceless apparition in the short story "The Signalman" my CharlesDickens.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion? Which freaks you out the most?
Neither really. I like graveyards, and I once lived in a 13th century castle and didn't mind the things that went bump in the night.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
I'm tall, so it's just annoying. Ten people can walk down a path ahead of me but I'm still the one who gets a cobweb in my face.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Tough call. I think they're different types of fear. At the Edinburgh Festival this year I was talking about "Dracula" with the author Will Hill, and specifically the section on the fog-bound sailing ship, with people slowly dying and they don't know why. I've seen some scary movies ("The Shining" - hello?), but nothing that ever quite gets under your skin the way Bram Stoker does there.
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Jennifer Shaw Wolf

What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
My favorite lately is Anna Dressed in Blood, but I’m going to have to go with the dementors in Harry
Potter—rotting corpses cloaked in black who make you remember your worst memories and can suck out your soul, how do you beat that?
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Candy corn hands down, it’s too sweet, waxy, disgusting and I’m totally addicted to it. I start thinking
about it as soon as my kids go back to school.
What’s the funniest Halloween prank you’ve pulled or experienced?
My dad loved Halloween. One year he put on a wig, an old sheet, and wore his sheetrock stilts to walk around the neighborhood while we made spooky noises over the CB radio in his pick-up. He almost gave one of the neighbors a heart attack when she answered the door and he was standing there. She tried to slam the door in his face and he stuck his stilt in the door. She screamed so loud her husband came running out of the shower with just a towel on. Definitely one of my best Halloween memories.
Tell us about your all time favorite Halloween costume?
When I was in high school we did a haunted house for a band fundraiser. It was in an old building that had a department store window. I got to be the spooky mannequin in the front of the window. I had a long white dress, white veil, and bloody make-up. My brother was with me, dressed in a half-skeleton, rotting flesh mask, and ripped clothes. I loved it because people in line for the haunted house spent a lot of time trying to figure out if we were real or not.
Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Fun to watch because very few things make someone lose their cool as much as walking into an invisible web. Freaky when it happens to me, there’s always that; “Where is the spider? Is it in my hair?”question that follow an encounter with a spider web.
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Trisha Wolfe
What’s your favorite Halloween candy or treat?
Anything and everything that contains chocolate.
Tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween costume?
My son’s first Halloween costume. He was Alex for A Clockwork Orange. He had the hat, cane, and eye makeup…everything. Yes, other parents shook their heads at me.
Graveyard or Haunted Mansion?
Every year our family goes to Halloween Horror Nights. So Haunted Mansion!
Walking into Spider Webs –fun or freaky?
Freaky!
Haunted hayrides… fun or freaky?
Freaky
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
Awesome
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
Gone
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
My hubs has a wolf howl for his ring tone (go figure why) and it drives me crazy.
Which is scarier...scary book or scary movie?
Book.
Clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?
Get away from me!
Pumpkins… orange or white?
Orange, of course.
Pumpkins… is it a fruit or vegetable?
It’s gross.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Hmm…haven’t decided yet ;)
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Lani Woodland

Walking into Spider Webs – fun or freaky?
Walking into a spiderweb is creepy! When I was in cross country in high school, we'd run through orange groves. Spiders love to spin their webs between trees. You'd be running along and then not see the spider web until it was too late. Then, you'd end up hot, sweaty and covered in webs. Being sweaty means being sticky, and that makes them almost impossible to get off. The worst was when you'd see a spider still on that web right before running into it. Just remembering that makes me shudder!
Tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween costume?
My all time favorite Halloween costume was when my family dressed up as the Peter Pan characters. My husband was Captain Hook, I was Wendy, my son was Peter Pan and my little girl was Tinker Bell. That was a lot of fun! :)
Haunted mansions…. fun or freaky?
I am a utter wimp at haunted houses. I can go through them, but I'm scared the whole time.
Halloween candy… collect them or pass them out?
I usually pass out candy on Halloween and then go trick-or-treating with my kids. After we're done, I go through their candy and take a few pieces. I never take their favorites though. Unless they offer.
Freakiest sound...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme music?
I think the Psycho music is so much scarier than an owl hooting or a wolf howling. Music expresses emotion in such a real way. It can bring back memories, evoke a mood. When I hear that music, I remember that scene in the movie. Of course, the score has been used in so many parodies that it's not as scary as it once was, but still. . .
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A HUGE thank you to all of our authors that so graciously participated in this event with their responses to our Halloween Qz. It was such fun getting them in and reading their spookalicious responses! Thank you!

Well that's not all!

We had a great time hosting our first Winterhaven Hauntings Month, and we hope you enjoyed the spooky reviews, ghoutastic give-aways and Authors Fright Festival. To end with a bang, we're offering one lucky follower a choice of any FOUR books from our participating Author Fright Festival gang above (shipped from The Book Depository), a signed ARC of Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway, A copy of Rob Zombie's Halloween DVD donated by Jamie Manning,  an eBook copy of Final Life by Rose Garcia, a wonderful SWAG pack donated by a few of our wonderful authors as well as Frankenstein by Mary Shelley & Soulless by Gail Carriger (both donated by A.G. Howard)!  Let me tell you the SWAG alone is making me squee!!  All you have to do is comment on any of the questions we shared with our authors with your own response.

Have fun and Happy Halloween!!

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