Happy Halloween!!
WinterHaven Books is so excited to host our second 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. What an amazing response!! A huge thank you to our participating authors. Not only did they have some fun facts to share, but many graciously offered to add some treats to the Halloween giveaway goodie bag we have for today.
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. What an amazing response!! A huge thank you to our participating authors. Not only did they have some fun facts to share, but many graciously offered to add some treats to the Halloween giveaway goodie bag we have for today.
Wait until you see the fantastic lineup of over 19 authors who graciously participated in this spooktacular event! Soooo, put on your Halloween costumes, bring out the candy and get ready to enjoy the festivities 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.
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
If you had to dance the Monster Mash, what fictional character would you pick as your dance partner?
Josephine Angelini Social Media Links
What freaks you out more...a scary book or scary movie?
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Christina Lauren Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. To be honest, I haven't actually read this book. I can't get more than a few pages into it before freaking out. I just have this zombie thing. I'm not okay around zombies. I'm going to keep trying, though, because Carrie is awesome.
If you had to dance the Monster Mash, what fictional character would you pick as your dance partner?
Probably the Wolf Man. I bet he's a hoot on the dance floor. In fact, out of all of those guys, I bet the Wolf Man has the best sense of humor.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
Dracula. Both undead, and both technically in the zombie arena because of that, but I'm going to get past that for a moment. I picked Dracula because he dresses nicer, and he has a much more relaxed attitude towards fire. You can't bring Frankenstein anywhere there's going to be candles, so that narrows the whole fancy dining experience way down, and I really like going out to nice dinners.
Josephine Angelini Social Media Links
What freaks you out more...a scary book or scary movie?
I love to read and watch horror. It's really what I grew up on. But not even the most frightening or disturbing books have given me nightmares, so I guess...movies. I couldn't sleep for almost an hour after watching IT FOLLOWS. I kept thinking something was coming to follow me. But perhaps the best are scary movies about scary books. Like THE BABADOOK.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, which fictional character would you want by your side?
Buffy. I don't even have to think about it. She takes pretty good care of her sidekicks usually, and the fight would be fun to watch. And quippy. I would of course trust Cas Lowood to take me through a graveyard as well, but I'd probably mess him up, since I'd be on his back piggy-style, shouting, "You can't let me die! I MADE you!"
Orange pumpkins or white pumpkins?
That depends. Can you make pies out of either one? I mean, white are cool, but orange is classic. Seriously, do they taste the same? Can you even eat the white ones? What is the purpose of white pumpkins if you can't eat them? I want a white pumpkin pie. Or a savory white pumpkin casserole. I must know!
Kendare Blake Social Media Links
Kendare Blake Social Media Links
Website | Goodreads | Twitter
Girl of Nightmares
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
Girl of Nightmares
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy -- hands down. I mean, that basement scene!! I needed smelling salts after reading it.
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
The woman in Room 237 of the Overlook Hotel, from Stephen King's The Shining.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
Ryan Dean West from Winger by Andrew Smith. Because, being a rugby player, he could tackle the baddies, and he's so funny I'd be laughing too much to be scared anyway.
Jennifer Donnelly Social Media Links
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
That honor would have to go to Pennywise the clown in Stephen King’s IT. I swear, I had nightmares about that clown for YEARS after I read that book.
If you had to change one of your fictional main characters into a zombie, vampire, ghost or mummy, which would you pick?
I would turn Callie Westfall, Ivy’s sister, into a vampire. I think that sort of fits Callie’s personality—sucking the life out of everyone around her for her own benefit.
Orange pumpkins or white pumpkins? Which do you prefer?
For carving, I prefer orange. For decorating around the house I prefer the tiny white ones.
Amy Engel Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Honestly, I don’t think anything ever scared me as much as when I was a kid and read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. I can remember finishing the book, throwing it across the room, and then burying it in pillows because it terrified me so bad. Even the illustrations are, like, instant nightmare fuel!
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Treat! I have a serious sweet tooth, although I’m trying to limit my sugar intake to just weekends, which means by 5PM on Friday I’m a nervous wreck.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
Gotta go with Dracula. Style, class, crazy-terrifying…
Kendall Kulper Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Lauren says: This is a hard one because I scare pretty easily, unfortunately, but I also love scary books. I am going to say the scariest was probably Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Hill has no qualms about going there – whether it’s with the darkness of a character, or the degree of detail in a scene. And the mood of HSB is just unreal, the pacing. You feel the fear like a slowly approaching storm and you know there isn’t anything you can do to stop it. A close second would be the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I didn’t think it was terrifying in the way that HSB was, but I think partly that was because I was completely wrapped up in the descriptions—they were so detailed and visceral, I often read paragraphs three or four times before moving on.
Christina says: I just recently reread The Shining and forgot how amazing it was, but I think I might go with I Am Legend or The Woman in Black. Both are terrifying beyond belief, but it’s the details that make them so scary. I was sitting outside in 100 degree heat and had goose bumps while reading. It’s the descriptions that make them so terrifying, the mood that’s set with just a few perfectly chosen words. A bump from somewhere in the house when you’re supposed to be alone, a chair that’s been moved, the way you can only see a few feet beyond the fog but you just KNOW that something is on the other side.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
Lauren says: I’m going with Buffy, hands down. She knows graveyards better than anyone and would probably distract me with humor.
Christina says: I’m going with Wolverine. He could kick butt and distract me with his muscles.
If you had to change one of your fictional main characters into a zombie, vampire, ghost or mummy, which would you pick?
Lauren says: I mean, we already turned Colin and Lucy into ghosts, so I’m going to go with turning Bennett Ryan into a vampire, just for a little bit of ironic humor.
Christina says: I’d say changing Ansel from Sweet Filthy boy into a vampire. All that charm AND superhuman powers? We’d all be screwed.
Christina Lauren Social Media Links
Website | Goodreads | Twitter
The House
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Rosemary's Baby. That chapter in her bedroom when she gets impregnated and she's not sure what's real and what's not real! ARRGGHH! It's so creepy.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
Dracula. I think I've seen just about every Dracula movie ever made. Nasferatu is one of my all-time favorites.
Kim Liggett Social Media Links
What’s your costume going to be this year?
The House
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?Rosemary's Baby. That chapter in her bedroom when she gets impregnated and she's not sure what's real and what's not real! ARRGGHH! It's so creepy.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
Dracula. I think I've seen just about every Dracula movie ever made. Nasferatu is one of my all-time favorites.
If you had to change one of your fictional main characters into a zombie, vampire, ghost or mummy, which would you pick?
Thomas. Ash & Rhys's dad. He was originally one of these things, but my editor had me change it. Still mourning the loss.
Kim Liggett Social Media Links
What’s your costume going to be this year?
I'm gonna go old school this year and dress up as Wednesday Addams!
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
Hands down, that would have to be Harold the scarecrow, whose story was featured in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. When I first read the line about Harold stretching out a bloody skin to dry in the sun, I was completely freaked out.
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
As a long time candy addict, this one is all too easy—TREAT!
Amy Lukavics Social Media Links
Website | Goodreads | Twitter
Daughters Unto Devils
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Marcy Beller Paul Social Media Links
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Kate Karyus Quinn Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Romina Russell Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Kim Savage Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Jessica Warman Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Carly Anne West Social Media Links
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Daughters Unto Devils
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
The Stand, by Stephen King, because it's very plausible.
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
A scary book, because my own imagination provides the visuals - and it's knows EXACTLY how to freak me out.
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Treat. I've got a wicked sweet tooth.
Mindy McGinnis Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
That’s easy: The Shining by Stephen King. I read it when I was in seventh grade. Back then there wasn’t a big YA section in every bookstore. I’d gone straight from the Babysitter’s Club to adult fiction. I got so scared during the scene in the hotel room bathroom that I shut the book and threw it across the room.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
Karou from The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. There would be plenty of teeth in the graveyard for her to make a necklace for resurrection, so we’d end up with an army.
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Book. My brain is a much scarier place than anything I’ve ever seen on a screen.
Marcy Beller Paul Social Media Links
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Oh a movie for sure! It's all about that creepy music that ratchets up the tension and just lets all the scares get all the way under your skin.
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Treats! Luckily I have two small children who go Trick or Treating and I make sure to help myself to a bit of their candy. My favorite are Skittles, Starbursts, Twix bars, and Kit Kats. Okay, who am I kidding? They're ALL my favorites. :)
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
Oh Dracula all the way. There's just something about vampires - I can't get enough of them.
Kate Karyus Quinn Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
The Goosebumps series by RL Stine! I devoured those books when I was in elementary school, and there were some nights when I’d have to leave my bedside lamp on to fall asleep….
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
Dumbledore. In fact, I wish I could carry a pocket-Dumbledore around with me everywhere….
If you had to change one of your fictional main characters into a zombie, vampire, ghost or mummy, which would you pick?
Oooh! I would totally change Rho, the MC of ZODIAC, into a mummy—that way, her official title as Mother of House Cancer would be “Holy Mummy Rhoma Grace”!! LOL
Romina Russell Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Silence of the Lambs. It’s not the gore that gets me, it’s the insanely well-crafted psychological suspense. The scariest novels are the ones that fill me with a relentless sense of dread.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
So easy! Nobody “Bod” Owens from Nell Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. Bod can call for help in Night-gaunt to keep the baddies away.
If you had to change one of your fictional main characters into a zombie, vampire, ghost or mummy, which would you pick?
I’d turn Liv’s mother Deborah Lapin into a vampire. Because she’s already got the life-blood draining thing down pat.Kim Savage Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
There have been a few--but one of them is Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls. It's beautiful and moving and extremely unsettling. There are parts toward the end where I was so creeped out, I didn't even want to read it at night. (But of course I did!) It's fantastic and everyone should pick it up.
What is the spookiest book character you’ve ever come across?
In keeping with my first answer, one of them would be Ruby from Imaginary Girls. She's so incredibly driven, no matter the cost. I wouldn't ever want to cross her.
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
I don't think I'd ever be able to choose between the two. Books and movies are totally unique in how they freak a person out and that's the nicest thing about them. It depends on what I'm in the mood for. :)
Courtney Summers Social Media Links
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Tricks! Halloween is one of the few times of year when some shenanigans are expected. And I love, love, love pranks. Just this morning, I figured out my best friend's voicemail pin and changed her outgoing message to something incredibly inappropriate.
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris. I can usually shake off any heebie-jeebies from a book pretty easily, but not this one. I think I was 16 or 17 when I read it at boarding school. I ended up crawling into bed with my roommate. She ridiculed me mercilessly for it.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
That's a tough one. Ordinarily I am drawn to hulking, oafish men, so you'd think Frankenstein's monster would be my obvious choice. But I find the idea of his body being an amalgamation of corpse parts to be a little off-putting. I'd like to play with some kittens with Frankenstein's monster. But then I'm leaving. I don't care much for Dracula's body type, but he's mysterious and sexy, so I think I'd prefer his company in the long run.
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?
Stephen King's The Shining. I read it in broad daylight in a room full of people, and it still terrified me.
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Both have the ability to completely mess with my head. I think each medium compliments the other so beautifully, too.
Dracula or Frankenstein? Who’s your favorite?
I always felt like Frankenstein got a bad wrap. I mean, he had every right to have a chip on his shoulder. Plus I love how Mary Shelley's story makes us think about humanity.
What’s your costume going to be this year?
Exhausted mother. Wait, no, neurotic writer. Hang on ...
Carly Anne West Social Media Links
What freaks you out more… a scary book or scary movie?
Definitely a scary book. Good writing makes it easy to visualise the action for yourself and our own imagination knows what freaks us out the most. Plus, reading is more experiential - you feel like you’re participating in the story - which can tend to create more of a physical response than watching a movie.
If you had to tour a graveyard or haunted mansion, what fictional character would you want by your side?
I’d want Ez, from my Rephaim series. She’s an awesome fighter, but also calm and level-headed: exactly what you need in a spooky environment! (Or, if I wanted someone totally unpredictable but effective in dangerous situations, I’d go with Ronan from The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater).
If you had to dance the Monster Mash, what fictional character would you pick as your dance partner?
I’d want someone who wouldn’t totally show me up, and who knows how to have a laugh. So, again, I’m going with one of the Rephaim characters: Jude!
Paula Weston Social Media Links
What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?Sarah Waters's The Little Stranger ended up being the scariest, simply because I read it late at night during a cross-country plane trip when I was dead tired. It's a creepy ghost tale set in a deteriorating Downton Abbey-style mansion, and after reading one of the spookier scenes, my exhausted eyes thought they saw a dark creature moving down the aisle of the airplane. I promptly shut the book and tried to get some sleep.
Trick or Treat? Which do you prefer?
Treats, definitely. I'm not a fan of tricking people, or being tricked, but I'm all about the Halloween desserts!
Orange pumpkins or white pumpkins? Which do you prefer?
We actually carve both types at my house. We humans have the orange pumpkins, and we always get our American Eskimo dogs white ones to match their fur. My daughter sometimes carves random squashes, just to be different.
Cat Winters Social Media Links
Website | Goodreads | Twitter
The Uninvited
We would like to thank all of the authors that participated in our Author Fright Fest! You guys are amazing!! We really and truly love doing this feature and will definitely be do it again next year!
Giveaway time!!
To close out our Hauntings month we are giving away an epic prize pack! One lucky follower will receive....
1. A hardcover copy of The Bargaining by Carly Anne West & SWAG
2. Shadows & Haze by Paula Weston
3. Cat Winters SWAG
4. Vampire Combat Field Guide by Roger Ma
4. One book of their choosing published by one of our participating authors
(preorders are okay. All books will be ordered through Amazon or TBD)
5. Prize pack which includes three mystery creeptastic books
To enter fill out the form below.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Uninvited
We would like to thank all of the authors that participated in our Author Fright Fest! You guys are amazing!! We really and truly love doing this feature and will definitely be do it again next year!
Giveaway time!!
To close out our Hauntings month we are giving away an epic prize pack! One lucky follower will receive....
1. A hardcover copy of The Bargaining by Carly Anne West & SWAG
2. Shadows & Haze by Paula Weston
3. Cat Winters SWAG
4. Vampire Combat Field Guide by Roger Ma
4. One book of their choosing published by one of our participating authors
(preorders are okay. All books will be ordered through Amazon or TBD)
5. Prize pack which includes three mystery creeptastic books
To enter fill out the form below.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
