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Snail Mail Horror Writers Association P.O. Box #14387 Columbus, OH 43214 All inquiries must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope for response. General E-mail For any HWA-related question. If you don't know where else to ask, ask here: admin@horror.org. Please note: due to increasing levels of spam throughout the Internet, any emails with a blank subject line will be deleted unread. Essential Volunteers Volunteer CoordinatorLila Denning (volunteers@horror.org) Member Newsletter CoordinatorKathy Ptacek (admin@horror.org) General Technical Support If you need technical assistance with any of our websites, please contact Angel Leigh McCoy at webmaster@horror.org.
Halloween Haunts: Hallowe’en in a Suburb and in a Library by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

Halloween Haunts: Hallowe’en in a Suburb and in a Library by Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.

  I have spent much of my adult life chasing my drug of choice: the feeling of October in the New England of my childhood. The day gets darker earlier, the air becomes a little crisp like an apple, and, as Ray Bradbury put it, “everything is smoky smelling and the sky orange and ash gray at twilight.”  There is no feeling quite like it and it lasts for a whole month.  My little hometown of Cheshire, Connecticut (“The bedding plant capital of New England!” is its claim to fame) would become the setting of a Stephen King short story…
Halloween Haunts: Where Have All The Children Gone? by Kenneth W. Cain

Halloween Haunts: Where Have All The Children Gone? by Kenneth W. Cain

  This last Halloween was the first for my family in our new house. While my wife and I anxiously waited for children to show up at our door in search of treats, not a single one appeared. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as we live atop a steep hill without any sidewalks. We’re also close to a community that provides far easier means of obtaining candy. As such, we aren’t expecting any kids this year, either. That’s a gloomy premonition, as we both find ourselves missing the costumed children, the excitement of the holiday, and the joy it…
Halloween Haunts: How to Plan a Hallowedding by Joanna Parypinski

Halloween Haunts: How to Plan a Hallowedding by Joanna Parypinski

I knew I’d made the right choice of mate when I suggested to my fiancée that we have a Halloween wedding, and he agreed. While the internet is rife with ideas for Halloween weddings, it’s still considered a non-traditional theme. That’s perfect for me because I find many traditions revolting, particularly those with bigoted origins (like a father “giving away” his daughter because she is an object that must be passed from one man to another). But as soon as we decided on a Halloween wedding, there came the question: how does one actually pull this off? Traditional weddings come…
Halloween Haunts: The Power of a Mask George Wilhite

Halloween Haunts: The Power of a Mask George Wilhite

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, or at least a tie with Christmas. You can’t beat the latter for spending time with family and friends, the gift exchanges, the way it brings out cheer even in years of tragedy and pain. But, as I’m sure is true for many of my peers who have become horror writers, my personal affinity has leaned towards October 31. My father and I spent many late nights watching Creature Features, a late Saturday night show in the California Bay Area. Bob Wilkins hosted two old movies, some classic, some cult or schlock, and…
Halloween Haunts: Your Story Idea is Stupid by David B. Riley

Halloween Haunts: Your Story Idea is Stupid by David B. Riley

“A mirror that drips blood? Really?”  That was the response an  editor of an anthology of horror stories gave me  after she read and rejected my submission. Let’s go back a few years. I once worked at a haunted hotel.  The employees knew it was haunted.  Few of the guests did.  The company that owned the place didn’t seem to want any more publicity about it.  For that reason I will refrain from mentioning the property, save from the fact it is in Wyoming. Back then I worked a lot of night shifts–We had a night porter, two security guards,…
Halloween Haunts: Halloween Costumes by Paul Stansfield

Halloween Haunts: Halloween Costumes by Paul Stansfield

Today, I thought I’d discuss costumes, mostly some highlights (and lowlights) from my personal history. I’ll start with one of my first costumes, as a skeleton, when I was four years old.  From a very young age I loved skeletons, so it was an obvious choice.  (The fighting skeletons from the Jason and the Argonauts movie made a huge impression on me, to cite one example.)  My mother deserves the lion’s share of the credit, of course, as she dyed a pair of my pajamas black, and then painstakingly cut out “bones” from a white sheet and sewed these on the…
Halloween Haunts: Nightmare On My Street by Edward P. Cardillo

Halloween Haunts: Nightmare On My Street by Edward P. Cardillo

  Halloween is my Christmas, as my wife explains it to her friends. Every October I open up the garage, drudge out the life-sized witch, Headless Horseman, and Grim Reaper; ransack my man cave in the basement for skulls, bats, and animated creepy crawlies (which reside there year round); and carve exactly three pumpkins. My son gets in on the fun, and although it takes a half a day to set up my trademark graveyard, complete with lighting and eerie music effects, it is a labor of love. My neighborhood is ideal for trick-or-treating. It’s low traffic, away from major…
Halloween Haunts: Tricks, Treats, and Terrors by Christopher W. Clark

Halloween Haunts: Tricks, Treats, and Terrors by Christopher W. Clark

It is always this time of year when I can feel something in me start to shift, slightly.  It’s an easing, a relaxing—it feels in many ways like the last few miles driven on a long road trip, when you know home is just around the corner.  As the air starts to cool and crispen, and the leaves flare into ever deeper fires of color, and nights linger a little longer than they did in the long summer months, when I start to see skulls and pumpkins and hollow-eyed latex masks fill the shelves of every store like strange totems—it’s…
Halloween Haunts: Masks by Micky Neilson

Halloween Haunts: Masks by Micky Neilson

Early on in my life I didn't really get to participate in Halloween. I grew up with a schizophrenic father who had taken me from home at 10 months old. We spent much of my childhood on the run from authorities, usually broke or close to it. The only time I ever went trick or treating while I was with my dad was somewhere around age 9 or 10—he wrapped me up in toilet paper and sent me out as the mummy. By the time I turned 13 dad was arrested and I went into foster care. After that, among…
Halloween Haunts: Never a Night Off by Lincoln Cole

Halloween Haunts: Never a Night Off by Lincoln Cole

Halloween is the best time of the year for enjoying the scarier parts of life. People who normally are prudish and uptight about horror will discard their preconceived notions for one night and just allow themselves to enjoy life. It is the one night of the year where everyone is allowed to throw on a costume and pretend to be someone else… Never a Night Off “Did you see where he went?” Dominick asked, stepping up alongside his friend and glancing out over the crowd. The Halloween party at The Rusty Nail was in full swing and everyone was wearing…
Halloween Haunts: Honoring the Dead by Heddy Johannesen

Halloween Haunts: Honoring the Dead by Heddy Johannesen

  Samhain is a time to honor those who are still in spirit.  During Samhain, practice divination with the dead. The veil between the world of the living and the dead is thin. The dead like to be remembered. They continue to care about you after death. Perform prayers and leave offerings to show your devotion. Offerings could be something they loved in life such as a particular song, favorite aftershave or a rose. It tells them you remember them as they were in life and that they are loved. To honor those who have passed before you, keep a…
Halloween Haunts: Edinburgh Terror by Denise A. Agnew

Halloween Haunts: Edinburgh Terror by Denise A. Agnew

While I’ve been published in the romance genre for many years, this year I’ve turned my attention more toward the horror genre. I was thrilled to hear HWA was doing this Halloween blog event and knew I had to contribute. All my life I’ve been interested in the paranormal, and I’ve had a few strange things happen to me from the time I was a child that I might classify as strange and/or paranormal. I’m a skeptical believer. I am also an empath with some clairvoyant/clairsentient abilities, so I frequently pick up people’s feelings. I’m also a paranormal investigator. I’m…
Halloween Haunts: Be A Better Writer With JAWS by Tom Leveen

Halloween Haunts: Be A Better Writer With JAWS by Tom Leveen

Let’s assume for the moment that Jaws is, in fact, a horror movie. Cool, thanks. Now: So what aspect of the Father of the Summer Blockbuster might we study for writing tips? There are many to choose from in this A+ of a film, but I’m choosing two that probably slipped by unnoticed: One set of three lines, and character backstory. Police Chief Martin Brody, father of two boys and happily married to Ellen, came to Amity from New York City where he was a police officer. A dangerous job, to be sure. Almost from the beginning, the family seems to wonder…
Halloween Haunts: A Guide to Finding Horror in Star Trek by Kevin David Anderson

Halloween Haunts: A Guide to Finding Horror in Star Trek by Kevin David Anderson

As a fan and writer of horror, I tend to look for and find the horror in everything. From romantic comedies to presidential debates, I can somehow see the terror, the dread, and the worse case scenario in all stories, real or imagined. But when it comes to my favorite science fiction franchise, Star Trek, the search for horror, both dark and scary, is never difficult. Not the dystopian horror of 1984 or The Hunger Games, but good old fashion B-movie creature feature Halloween horror; vampires, zombies, shape shifters, body snatchers, and even serial killers can all be found in…
Halloween Haunts: A Día de Muertos Primer by Vanta M. Black

Halloween Haunts: A Día de Muertos Primer by Vanta M. Black

Día de Muertos is more widely-celebrated each year. Chances are you’ve heard of it, and may have even attended a festival. The beautiful art and costumes that surround this holiday are hard to ignore. Though Día de Muertos falls close to Halloween—our favorite time of the year by the way—its origins are diverse. Primarily a Mexican celebration, other cultures and countries observe the occasion, too. To prime you on the history and customs, let’s look at the beginnings of Día de Muertos, how it is celebrated, and the traditions associated with it. History of Día de Muertos In Mexico Día de…
Halloween Haunts: Staying at the Monster House by John Palisano

Halloween Haunts: Staying at the Monster House by John Palisano

A wonderful connection between songwriting, filmmaking and writing. After several years in semi-retirement, this late summer I put on my filmmaking hat in order to help my favorite holiday: Halloween. My longtime partner Fawn spent the past year recording a new record of original Halloween songs and needed me to help her shoot not one but two music videos. Wow. It’d been so long since I’d been in the mindset to take on such a huge shoot, from concept, to shooting, to editing, to post-production and distribution. For her first music video, "Monster House," we broke out her green screen…
Halloween Haunts: Hanging on to Halloween by Chad Lutzke

Halloween Haunts: Hanging on to Halloween by Chad Lutzke

  For those of us born with horror in our blood, I believe the love of Halloween comes in two phases.  In our younger years, Halloween is a little less about frights and more about candy and being able to parade around after dark dressed as our favorite creatures--an excuse to break our otherwise strict curfews, our curious little minds entertained by the taboo that is nightlife in the neighborhood--like our parents preached:  “No good thing can ever come from staying out at night.” But while the aesthetic of the holiday is pleasing to both the horror-loving youngster and our…
Halloween Haunts: A Scream on Burke’s Circle by Marlena Frank

Halloween Haunts: A Scream on Burke’s Circle by Marlena Frank

It’s difficult to convey just how much I love Halloween. We spend hours each September (cause decorations always go up early around here) putting up our wall clings, making sure the front door is suitably creepy, and getting the lighting on our fireplace mantel just right. For us, it’s an aesthetic more than just a holiday. But unlike most horror fans, I was terrified of horror movies as a kid. Most of the time I just tried to avoid them because I got too anxious. It took a long time for me to be desensitized to the gore I saw…
Halloween Haunts: Do People Still Bob for Apples? by Peter Sutton

Halloween Haunts: Do People Still Bob for Apples? by Peter Sutton

When I was a child, before the commercialisation and Americanisation of Halloween, apple bobbing was always a part of the Halloween celebration. I also remember that we used to carve turnips rather than pumpkins. Ah Britain in the 70’s , truly a different country. The increasing popularity of Halloween in the Uk from the 80’s onwards was probably mostly due to Bonfire Night celebrations becoming less family and community oriented due to safety concerns. Bobbing for apples, for those not in the know, involves filling a bucket with water, adding floating apples, tying the arms behind the back and forcing…