Happy Halloween, friends and fiends!
I’ve been celebrating this most festive of days by catching up on my October reading (I was really wowed by Wendy Lynn Newton’s “Bedtime Story” in this month’s edition of Enchanted Conversation) and watching WWE’s newest horror character The Fiend claim victory at Crown Jewel. (Finally!)
A decent start, all in all, but now darkness is setting in, and I’m looking forward to settling down for a night of shock rock and horror movies. (Suggestions welcome).
But I haven’t forgotten you, dearest readers. For your literary pleasure, I thought I’d do a run-down on all of the Halloween tales I have floating around out there, as well as some updates on recent spooky happenings.
Read on…if you dare.
Scary poems to recite in the dark
I have two scary movie-inspired poems in the Halloween issue of Pussy Magic: “Mayfair Witch,” about seeing Rob Zombie’s underrated slasher epic 31 at my favourite Ottawa indie theatre, and “Frankenstein’s Bride Woulda Come Crawling Back.”
You can download the issue (for free) here.
I also have five eerie poems (“For Sale By Owner,” “survive a horror movie in five words,” “Pet Sematary 2” “Cemetery Way,” and “The Last Poem”) set to appear in the Halloween issue of Truly U Review.
Brace yourselves, they should be up soon.
Where terror convenes
Last weekend, I took myself on vacation to Niagara Falls to check out Rue Morgue’s Frightmare in the Falls horror convention.
With appearances by Bill Moseley and other members of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre clan; punk rocker Marky Ramone; Friday the 13th alums including prolific Jason performer Kane Hodder and the first ever-Jason, Ari Lehman; and wicked displays by FX companies and vile vendors, it was truly an event to die for.
Read my run-down here (with photos!) here.
Rock-n-roll Halloween
Last Friday, Ottawa’s 27 Club hosted a rock-n-roll Halloween party featuring indie rockers No Hits and Winona Forever, headlined by Toronto surf punks Goodbye Honolulu.
Creative costumes were rocked by all, and the show was appropriately followed by the venue’s regular indie pop dance party (“The Killers vs The Cure” themed).
Read my review here.
Some more literary treats
If you haven’t had a chance to check them out already, Enchanted Conversation’s October issue (The Thirteenth Hour) features thirteen beautifully macabre stories.
My contribution, “The Turnip and the Trick” is an old-fashioned trick-or-treat tale with no shortage of ghoulish goblins, and can be found here.
And if you’re looking for more Halloween-y reads, my festive short story “How to Carve a Jack-o-Lantern” can be found in Horror Tree’s 2018 Halloween special.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter, my creepy tale, “Don’t Scare Her” appeared in the Halloween issue of (the sadly defunct) Lonesome October Lit.
Something wicked this way comes…
The ninth issue of Unfading Daydream, which includes my dark fairy tale “A Night of Truths and Lies” will be released soon. With a theme of “Possession,” there’s bound to be some chilling stuff inside, so you won’t want to miss it.
How are you spending your Halloween night? Tell me in the comments!
Musings by Madison 