NANCY GIDEON'S HAUNTED OPEN HOUSE BLOG HOP!









Welcome! And thank you, Nancy Gideon, for allowing me to be part of your Halloween blog hop again. It's always loads of fun!




This year I want to share with you some Halloween memories, and one of my scariest moments.

When we were growing up, one of my favorite Halloween memories was going across the street to the Snyder's house. I don't know what Mr. Snyder did for a living, but he must have been doing pretty well because he had a ton of kids and a huge house.




On Halloween the Snyder's invited neighbors in for Dunkin' Donuts. When you stepped into their foyer, it was open all the way to the top of the house. In front of you was a wide staircase with a balcony/hallway at the top. You could go left or right to the bedrooms. Off the foyer to the right was their dining room where the donuts were, and Mrs. Snyder would have a huge crystal punch bowl full of apple cider. They would have to corral their crazy boxer, Sugar (after Sugar Ray Robinson). Sugar must have had some traumatic puppyhood incidents because he barked at bricks. I'm talking, he would go nuts if you set a brick down in front of him. Anyway, I always thought it was neat that they opened their house up and gave everybody donuts and cider.




I also remember trick or treating about halfway down the block at this ranch-style home. The people asked you to step in to their front room, which was ringed with chairs. They had an adult party and all the trick or treaters had to step into the center of the room and perform. Talk about pressure! I always had some corny, over-used joke to say like, "What has four wheels and flies?" or "What's black and white and red all over?" or some other classic.




But my scariest memory was when I was in high school. Me and my little sis came home late. I don't remember why, but when our mom heard us opening the front door she woke up from a nightmare and started screaming. Always calm under pressure, I told my sister to run for help (this was before the advent of cell phones) and I rushed inside. After things settled down we realized that my mom had scratched the heck out of my stepdad in her panic. That one got our hearts beating for sure.




The only other times I can remember being truly scared is on amusement park rides and when I've seen a mouse. I lead a dull life.




Anyway, thank you for stopping by! Be sure to

enter my giveaway of an e-copy of THE HEART TEACHES BEST. A murder case can be pretty scary...




He’s the cop.

Cooper Sullivan is the cop in charge of investigating a murder outside of a Los Angeles night club. The famous romance author, Sydney Essex, has been found strangled in the parking lot. When the young officer returns to the scene of the crime the night after the murder, he gets involved in a fight in order to protect a woman, who he realizes afterward, is the victim’s sister. Soon he finds himself torn by his attraction to the irresistible blond teacher, and his need to maintain a professional distance.

She’s the teacher.

Laney Essex is distraught over her sister’s death, so the high school English teacher returns to the bar where the crime occurred to find answers. To her dismay, she is only left with more questions, many centered on her developing relationship with Cooper Sullivan. Is the pull she’s feeling towards him reciprocated, or is the handsome detective only showing her professional courtesy, or, perhaps, even pity?

But he’s the one teaching her lessons of the heart.

When Laney receives a threatening phone call from Sydney’s murderer, it quickly becomes evident that the man who killed her sister is after her, too. Can Cooper figure out who the killer is before it’s too late? And if he does solve the case, will it just be another file stamped “CLOSED” in red and locked away in a drawer, or will the sparks that have been flying between the two finally ignite?











And be sure to follow the blog hop below!



















13 comments:

  1. What has 4 wheels and flies? A Garbage Truck I think the other was what is black, white and red? A book
    Redrabbitt (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Right you are, my friend! (The answer to the second one was a newspaper, in the day, but book works, too). I think another one of my favorites was--what does Frankenstein eat for lunch? Halloweenies! Clearly I was hysterical! Thanks for stopping in, Kathy! And good luck winning prizes!

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  2. Love those corny, old jokes, ladies. Your mom screaming had to be terrifying, MJ.

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    1. I got my love for corny jokes and puns from my daddy! And yes, walking in and hearing your mom screaming in terror was truly scary. Thanks for stopping in, Diane!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your Halloween scaries! :)

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    1. Thanks for reading them! I appreciate you stopping in, Hywela!

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  4. You had me at Dunkin Donuts...;)

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    1. No doubt, Maureen! But nowadays I'm more of a Krispy Kreme girl. Have a very happy Halloween!

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    1. I needed to give you some creepy crawlies for the holiday! Hope you enjoy it! The weather here is supposed to be cruddy, but we're going to a drinking emporium to listen to a band, so shouldn't bother us much. Thank you for taking the time to participate in the blog hop, Barbara!

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  6. Aren't past Halloween memories the best?! Lucky you to have a neighbor that gave away Dunkin' Donuts! Thanks for sharing your stories & the giveaway! :)

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    1. Thanks for joining us, Sandra! And may you have a wonderful Halloween. It's rainy here, but that just creates atmosphere, right? For the first time ever, I'm not going to be giving out treats. I bought my candy, but then decided to go out to see a band with my daughter who just turned twenty-one. I thought it would be neat to be out with her as a legal adult. Luckily, she was thrilled with the idea! If you are giving out treats, I hope you receive a lot of cute and polite trick-or-treaters. I'm giving my candy to the neighbors to hand out.

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  7. And the winner is...(drum roll, please)...Kathy Watts! Congratulations, Kathy! The entry that won was the one you gained for tweeting about the giveaway, so I thank you for that.

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