{"id":1979,"date":"2016-10-27T12:12:07","date_gmt":"2016-10-27T12:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tamaragranthambooks.com\/?p=1979"},"modified":"2016-10-27T12:12:07","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T12:12:07","slug":"halloween-spotlight-multi-author-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/halloween-spotlight-multi-author-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween Spotlight: Multi-Author Event!"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of a co-author blogging event headed up by the awesome Kendra Saunders<\/a> (Author of Dating an Alien Pop Star<\/em>), I get to post about my favorite Halloween movie. This is a no-brainer for me because it goes way back to my childhood. What’s my favorite Halloween movie??? Drum roll…<\/p>\n

Garfield’s Halloween!<\/p>\n

\"garfield-halloween\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I must admit I was pretty terrified of the movie about 3\/4 of the way through it. Those ghost pirates truly terrified me. They’re a little less scary nowadays, except I think part of me must still be\u00a0a little frightened. When I was pregnant with my fourth baby, I started having terrifying nightmares. They\u00a0got so bad that I started getting numb toward fear just because I experienced the emotion so much.<\/p>\n

One of the more memorable dreams involved ghost pirates. In the dream, I remember being at a friend’s house when he happened to mention that his house was haunted by ghost pirates. Since his girlfriend had recently moved out, the hauntings had gotten really bad. I started to leave the house when the ghost pirates came in and tried to kill me.<\/p>\n

In case you’re wondering, in Garfield’s Halloween, Garfield and Odie find a lost island where they unearth some treasure, but are then attacked by ghost pirates. They narrowly escape and the movie ends with the mystery of the ghost pirates never being solved–it’s one of those “you know, ghosts might actually be real,” kind of endings.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to after I woke up from my own ghost pirate dream–the moment I woke up from the dream, I experienced paralyzing fear–that kind of fear that makes it impossible for you to move. Afterwards, I thought, wouldn’t this be great in a book<\/em>? So, guess what I did next? I\u00a0put it in my book. At the time, I was writing Dreamthief<\/em>. I sat down at my computer and rewrote a scene I had been working on for awhile. I’ve been told by readers that I succeeded in scaring them, but I’ll let you be the judge.<\/p>\n

This scene comes toward the beginning of the book. Olive Kennedy, a therapist to people who’ve gone to Faythander (Fairy World) and come back with no memories, has just discovered her seven year old godson is in a strange magical coma, and she’s going to use her powers to figure out what’s causing it. Now that you know the background behind how I wrote it, here’s the scene…<\/p>\n

\"Hooded<\/a>Closing my eyes, I summoned the symbols I would need for the dreamcasting. Going into someone\u2019s mind was never a walk in the park. I could get lost in there if I weren\u2019t careful, and I wouldn\u2019t have anyone to pull me out. Coupled with the strange dark magic I felt, I knew this might very well be the stupidest thing I\u2019d ever done. But I needed more information, and Jeremiah\u2019s mind was the best place to find it.<\/p>\n

\"Dreamcatcher<\/a><\/p>\n

Holding the dream catcher, I focused on the dream symbol. Magic symbols were unique from person to person. That\u2019s why it was so hard for people to learn real magic\u2014no one could teach it to them. A person had to discover every symbol, every magic word, on their own.<\/p>\n

I clenched the dream catcher in one hand and let my other hand rest on the warm skin of Jeremiah\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing, and then let my mind wander through the dream catcher and into Jeremiah\u2019s consciousness.<\/p>\n

The scent of rain filled the air. A chill wind gusted as the room disappeared.<\/p>\n

I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n

An open field covered in gray ash surrounded me. Large boulders with ancient carvings sat haphazardly on the open plain. I spotted a jagged mountain range in the distance and realized I\u2019d seen those peaks before. I was in Faythander\u2014but why had I come here?<\/p>\n

A hand grabbed mine. Jeremiah stood beside me. I knew I\u2019d made it inside his mind\u2014into his dream\u2014but how could he be dreaming about this place if he\u2019d never been here?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou came,\u201d he said and smiled. Short, cropped curls covered his scalp. He\u2019d always been on the chubby side\u2014baby fat, I guess\u2014and his large, chocolate-brown eyes sparkled when he got excited. They lit up when he looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t visit sooner,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay. Are you going to take me bowling again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou liked it that much?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you loved it, then I don\u2019t have a choice, do I? But I\u2019ve got to figure out what\u2019s wrong with you first.\u201d<\/p>\n

His face darkened. I felt his fingers tighten around mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you afraid of something?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s scaring you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head in a quick motion, his fingers cutting off my circulation. I knelt to be eye level with him. \u201cWhy can\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears formed in his eyes. \u201cPlease don\u2019t make me talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hugged him to my chest. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m only trying to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wind picked up around us, blustering with a wail that rose in pitch.<\/p>\n

He sniffled with his nose buried in my shoulder. Tears moistened my sleeve. I hugged his tiny body to mine, praying I could find a way to get him out of this place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been here in awhile,\u201d he whispered after a few sobs.<\/p>\n

I pulled away. It?<\/em> \u201cCan you tell me what it looks like?\u201d<\/p>\n

He cried. Fat tears streamed down his cheeks.<\/p>\n

What had him so spooked? I knew I didn\u2019t have much time. \u201cCan you tell me anything about what\u2019s been scaring you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, no\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I pulled him back to my chest as his body shook with sobs. I needed more information. Anything he could tell me would help, but I didn\u2019t dare ask him again. If he told me anything, it would have to be because he wanted to.<\/p>\n

His body went rigid. I felt an iciness behind me, a feeling that crept up my spine and chilled me to the bone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDreamthief,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I rounded slowly. All the irrational fears I\u2019d experienced as a kid came rushing back. Fear grabbed hold and wouldn\u2019t let me make the tiniest of movements. It wouldn\u2019t let me breathe. I stared in horror as a humanoid form materialized in the mist. Chills spread through my body as if I\u2019d been submerged in ice water. The image in my bathroom mirror, in my dreams as a child, formed in front of us. A tattered black cloak, a face like a human skull, as tall as two men\u2014I knew who this was.<\/p>\n

Charon<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why I\u2019d always been afraid of the mythological figure. I\u2019d had a nightmare as a child, that I\u2019d been wandering the river Styx and had fallen into the water. Charon had rescued me. And then he\u2019d told me he hadn\u2019t saved me, that I was dead, and he\u2019d taken everyone I loved away from me. Death. Charon would later symbolize death. When I\u2019d woken, it had taken me a long time to shake off that kind of fear. I didn\u2019t know if I ever had. Even now, as an adult, I still feared that nightmare.<\/p>\n

An emotionless chill seeped from his empty eye sockets. He would come for me. He would come for everyone I loved.<\/p>\n

I tried to scream, but the fear wouldn\u2019t let me. I managed a gasp, which I must\u2019ve made outside the dream because the spell began to fade. I tried to hold on, but the magic pulled me away as if I\u2019d been sucked into a whirlpool.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah\u2019s fingers tightened. \u201cOlive?\u201d His eyes grew wide as I faded. \u201cOlive!\u201d<\/p>\n

I tried to hold on. The world spun around me. Jeremiah\u2019s hand broke free from mine.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t leave me!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

I tried to scream that I would be back, but the fear held me. It wouldn\u2019t relent. Jeremiah\u2019s screams echoed in my ears, and the paralyzing terror stayed with me as I woke.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t move, even as my godson\u2019s bedroom came into focus. My hand was still pressed to his forehead. I focused on breathing, and the fear retreated a tiny bit, giving me the strength to move my hand. A clammy sweat covered my body. I focused on taking deep, calming breaths.<\/p>\n

That kind of fear was something I\u2019d never experienced. When people say paralyzed with fear, <\/em>it\u2019s not just a euphemism. It\u2019s a real thing.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah was still in that place. I couldn\u2019t stand being there for five minutes, and he was still in there. The thought almost drove me mad. Pressing my eyes closed, I listened to the drumbeat of my heart echo through my ears. I couldn\u2019t help him as long as I focused on his fears\u2014or on mine\u2014so I concentrated on the one thing I had control over.<\/p>\n

I would get him out. I had no idea how, but I would get him out.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed reading the snippet, why not read the book? The eBook is free and you can find it\u00a0on Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The other books in the series are ALL\u00a0on sale for $2.99 for this week only! You can only get this amazing price this week and then the price goes up to $4.99, so why not grab t\"fairy-world-md-series\"<\/a>hem now?\u00a0You can find them\u00a0here:<\/p>\n

Spellweaver, Book Two, on Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bloodthorn, Book Three, on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Silverwitch, Book Four, on Amazon<\/a>, (pre-order)<\/p>\n

Goblinwraith, Book Five Novella, on Amazon<\/a>, (pre-order)<\/p>\n

Thanks for stopping by my blog and let me know if my scene succeeded in spooking you…<\/p>\n

Live long and dream on!<\/p>\n

-Tamara<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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