Guest Post - Gayle Trent/Amanda Lee

I am thrilled that Gayle Trent is here today! She is talking about Haunted Houses! Do you love them or do you hate them?
Thank you so much for being here today Gayle. I am on the fence about Haunted Houses. I like looking at them from pictures but to go in one and get scared, I don't think I would be up for that.

Haunted Houses? Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em?

Once when I was in high school (you know, a couple of years ago), I went with two friends to a haunted house set up inside the local mall. A vampire came out of a coffin standing against the wall, and he grabbed me. I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed over and over. When I opened my eyes, not only had the vampire gone back into his coffin, my friends had disappeared too! Gee, thanks, Rhonda and Susan!

In the latest book in the embroidery mystery series, The Stitching Hour, Marcy learns that a haunted house called the Horror Emporium is going into the space next to her shop for the month of October. Marcy isn’t exactly thrilled. She’s worried about how having screaming teens beside her shop will affect her evening classes. Still, she’s welcoming to the eccentric proprietors of the Horror Emporium, Claude and Priscilla Atwood. And, when she and some of the other Main Street shop owners get a sneak peek at the haunted house, Marcy is surprised at how good it actually is. One of the Horror Emporium’s feature attractions is called the Lair of the Serpent, and it’s guaranteed to make even the bravest visitor get goosebumps.

Since The Stitching Hour is a mystery, there is, of course, a murder that occurs. A waitress from MacKenzies’ Mochas is found dying on the street outside the Horror Emporium after the initial run-through. And, too bad for Marcy, there’s a Seven-Year Stitch key ring lying beneath her body. Back to the question I asked you in the title of this post—do you love haunted houses or hate them? I’m fine with haunted houses, and I think they can be fun. I don’t think I’d ever want to visit a haunted corn maze. If something or someone is chasing me, I want to be able to find my way out! Also, I don’t think I’d ever attend one of those haunted attractions where patrons are asked to sign a waiver. Nor would I want to be a performer in a haunted attraction. I don’t want to get punched out by a frightened adult! Or child, for that matter.

So please leave a comment below by October 18th on whether or not you like haunted houses, or what you do like about them if you’re in the pro category, for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of The Stitching Hour. International readers will be entered to win a digital copy of The Stitching Hour. Good luck!

Gayle Trent/Amanda Lee
http://www.gayletrent.com
IN HER BLOOD, January 2015, Devine Destinies (writing as G.V. Trent)
WICKED STITCH, April, 2015, NAL/Penguin
KILLER WEDDING CAKE, June, 2015, Grace Abraham
STITCHING HOUR, November, 2015, NAL/Penguin