A Haunted Garden Halloween Hop

*note: This post was scheduled to go up yesterday and for whatever reason, didn't. So...I apologize for the delay if you came on earlier.

Welcome to my little corner of the web. Thanks for stopping by on my leg of this awesome blog hop full of my talented fellow authors of The Wild Rose Press! At the end of my post, I will link to five other blogs. Every blog will offer a prize to one lucky commenter. Here, one lucky commenter will win a
 

$10 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press

 

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My most vivid Halloween memory

Remember when you were a kid and Halloween was the most anticipated and exciting holiday? My siblings and I would count down the days and minutes until it was time to head out into the neighborhood and knock on doors. One year, however, I was sick with the flu. I had a high fever and was too sick to go trick-or-treating. I was heartbroken, of course. But my sister (author Laurie London), graciously offered to take my bag with her and collect candy for me. I figured that was better than nothing, and really--isn't the candy the best part of Halloween anyway? LOL.

So off my siblings went along with my dad and his big flashlight. All went well--the neighbors were very sweet and generous when Laurie would show them my bag and tell them my sad story...Until she went next door to the Anderson house. Old Mrs. Anderson wasn't a very nice woman. My dad had referred to her on more than one occasion as a "Battle Axe". I had no idea what that meant, but figured it wasn't a positive thing. (UrbanDictionary.com defines battle axe as "a fierce, unpleasant older woman with strong opinions.") 

 

My biggest memory of her was that she would lay on her roof on tin foil in her bathing suit in the summer to get a tan. She was a large, unattractive woman. Not a pretty sight.

But I digress.

When Laurie and my other siblings knocked on Mrs. Anderson's door, she told my story. My dad stood in the background, nodding his head in agreement. But old Mrs. Anderson (she probably wasn't even old, but I was a kid. All adults were "old.") wouldn't give her an extra candy bar for me. Said she didn't believe Laurie, and that Laurie was just being greedy and asking for more candy for herself.

Can you believe that?

Anyway, after that, Mrs. Anderson became known amongst the neighbor kids as "Fat Anderson." I remember my brother and I climbing on our jungle gym and seeing her in her backyard next door. We'd jump off the top of the gym and scream at the top of our lungs, "Fat Anderson!"

We never trick or treated at her house again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Five more blogs on the tour! Check them out for a chance to win more great prizes.

http://tarahscott.tarahscott.com/
http://thewildrosepress.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-haunted-garden-halloween-hop.html
http://twrpblackrose.blogspot.com/
http://twrphistoricalroseline.blogspot.com/
http://veldabrotherton.wordpress.com

Friday Firsts with Sandra Dailey

The first five sentences of... THE CHIEF'S PROPOSAL

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Ginny Dearing wiped blood from above her left eye. “I’ve had a car accident. I’m on the county road between I-75 and Three Trees, Georgia. My car is stuck in a ditch and my doors are blocked.”

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Amazon|The Wild Rose Press

Available now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT SANDRA

1. Who was your first love?

I’ve been in love many times. I truly believe that’s possible. My first, however, was Ricky. He lived next door and we were five years old. I was excited when he proposed marriage. My heart was soon broken when I found out that he’d made the same proposal to my twin sister. Believe it or not, this has happened a few times in our lives.

2. Tell me about your first date (ever).

I was twelve years old the first time I went out with my steady boyfriend John. That may seem young, but we were driven by his dad, went to the skating rink, where his mom worked, and accompanied by his three younger brothers. No kisses but lots of handholding.

3. What was your first date with your significant other?

My husband Lee and my first date was a play-date, literally. We were each single parents of two preschoolers. His daughter was 4 and his son was 2. My daughter was 3 and my son was 2. Lee cooked a fried chicken dinner for all of us. I was impressed by his tidy housekeeping, capable parenting skills, and sweet disposition. That was thirty-two years ago.

More about Sandra:

I live in a small town outside of Gainesville, Florida, with my husband. Our combined four children are all grown and live in Florida as well. They’ve given us seven beautiful granddaughters, no grandsons, which hardly seems fair. I love to read, write, play games and watch football.

Sandra's Website|Facebook|Blog

FRIDAY FIRSTS with author Calisa Rhose

The First Five Sentences of... HOME

Everything looks the same, even after three years.

The thought dragged through Sam Callahan’s mind like a stick through thick mud as he meandered along Center Street in front of the Five and-Dime. Across the street was the Mercantile and, next to it, the Cold-and-Ready Soda Shop bursting with teens filling up on ice cream and soda. He remembered when he’d been one of those kids. Popular, full of life, with high hopes. The drugstore was still between the antique store and Henderson’s Hardware.

Genre: Vintage Historical Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|The Wild Rose Press

Available Now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CALISA

1. What’s the first thing you notice on an attractive member of the opposite sex?

Hair, or the lack of if that’s his ‘style,’ or his eyes. Usually the eyes. But ultimately my gaze will generally take flight and soak in those biceps. I’m a sucker for muscular arms. Not overly muscled to the point of grotesque though, oh no.

2. If you had a free afternoon, what’s the first thing you’d do?

That’s a hard one because I’m pretty much tied down caring for FIL these days. I’m afraid I’d be like a wired kid in a candy store trying to do too many things at once until I end up napping like a baby from exhaustion. LOL. What I’d like to do after all that is take in a matinee. I haven’t done that in ages.

3. If you could live your life over again, what’s the first thing you’d do differently or change?

That one’s easy. I’d spend hours just talking with my parents and gramma about family and my heritage and stuff like that that I didn’t think to ask about before they passed away, but is now too late to do.

More about Calisa: Small-town country girl Calisa Rhose lives in a semi-remote area of Oklahoma with her husband, five dogs, one cat and one horse. All of her three daughters and their families live within throwing distance. She’s a member of RWA and the local chapter OKRWA. She intends to nurture and continue to grow as an author with the help of her family and supporters.

You can find Calisa on the web on her website/blog, Facebook (Calisa Rhose) and Twitter (@Calisa_Rhose)