Click on the Creepmas tree to take you to more creepy posts on the blog tour...Hurry! There are Prizes!
It’s the 24th…the last night of Creepfest…the night before Christmas…
and in creeps a green elf…
She bears the names of 2 winners …
tales of Creepmas to spin was their task…
Their houses visited by the Ghost of Creepmas Past…
what horrors did he foretell, what terrors did he awaken…
The Ghost of Creepmas Past took you to the dark place of your Nightmares…
Tim C Ward
…this was his trip back in time courtesy of the Ghost of Creepmas Past…
He took me back to a time when my ears stuck out and my mom covered them with my shaggy hair. My brother and I had only one present that year, a long electronic train set. We shouted at the top of our joy when we entered the living room–me in my dino pjs and he in his ninja turtles. I pushed him aside; he hit his head on the corner of the couch and cried. I took a seat at the controls near the train station, flicked the switch, pressed the red button. Nothing happened. My mom looked at me, hiding most of her face behind the hall. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t work.” Tears burned as if they were lava trails burning my sorrow into permanent scars down my cheeks. The salty taste creeping over my lips drove nails through my heart. This was the worst Christmas ever. The blood dripping down my brother’s nose and the shade of purple coloring his squinted face were too much to bear. I went to hug him but fell right through his form. I looked up at the Ghost of Christmas. “Take me away. I’m going to be sick”
Ash Krafton
…this was her trip back in time courtesy of the Ghost of Creepmas Past…
I could never sleep on Christmas Eve. I’d lie in bed, listening to my baby sister snoring, straining to hear what was going on down the hall.
Every noise would make me sit up. Was that a sleigh bell? Were those hooves tapping on the roof? The wearier I got, the more frequent the noises became.
A creek from the closet. Did Santa come out of the wrong side of the chimney and fall into my closet? Would he find my Barbies and decide I didn’t need any more toys? Would he find where I hid Sissy’s squeaky baby doll? I *hated* that thing and hid it so she wouldn’t annoy me with it. Baby toys were stupid but if Santa found it, he wouldn’t understand. He’d just bump me onto the naughty list.
The night wore on. I heard breathing outside my window. Was that a reindeer? Why did it growl? Did they eat children? Did they only eat the naughty ones?
Dawn came. I jumped out of the bed and ran to my mom’s room. “Merry Christmas!” I shrieked, relieved the ordeal was over.
“Back to bed,” mom mumbled. “Today’s not Christmas. It’s Christmas Eve.”
Congratulations to both Tim and Ash…I loved both flash pieces…
Click on the Creepmas tree to take you to more creepy posts on the blog tour...Hurry! There are Prizes!
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap….
Hold that thought…
Nope….wrong 12 days…
You have just arrived on the 12th day of CREEPFEST…
Yes! Readers I am afraid we have reached the last day of Creepfest…
(Moans and groans ensue…)
Wait this means you have 1 day to creep to all the wicked minds on this hop…
Click on the Christmas tree above and it will take you to a world of Creepfest…
Don’t go too far…because coming up I will be announcing the 2 winners of my reader challenge…Watch this space
“Twas the last night of Creepfest
when all through the Bloggosphere
creatures were stirring, children knew to fear
the voodoo dolls were pinned with scare
In dread that soon Patti Larsen would creep in there…
Run…she’s coming…scaring children is what she does best…”
Patti: “I love fairy tale villains. I really do. In fact, part of me wishes they could win, now and then…
My favorite of all? The Big Bad Wolf. The poor guy, I mean really. He’s the Wile E Coyote of the story realm, isn’t he? First it was those stupid pigs. Come on, people–pigs are FOOD. He was just doing what comes naturally. And he was hungry. Hell, I had pork for dinner last night. Does that qualify me in the BBW category?
Then there was that stupid little girl in the red hood. Talk about an idiot. Everyone knows going out in the woods alone with a basket full of food makes you a target. Sheesh. Grow up, kid. And the Wolf, well, he knew the Huntsman was on his trail, right? It’s not his fault Granny died of a heart attack when he tried to hide in her house. That little brat of hers told her own story, though, didn’t she? Made BBW look, well, big and bad.
And what about the boy who cried wolf? Trying to get BBW into trouble like that? Kids have no sense these days, nasty little bullies. He had to know it would just add to BBW’s already degraded reputation.
Yup, poor Biggie. He’s had it rough. But I aim to change all that. My upcoming novel, Red, tells the story as it really happened, as he partners up with Riding Hood to destroy the Huntsman, the real culprit of the story. Maybe then folks will start showing BBW a little respect.”
About the Author: Patti Larsen is a middle grade, young adult and adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller series, The Hunted, is available now. Books one and two of The Hayle Coven series, Family Magic and Witch hunt are also out now, with the sequels, Demon Child and The Wild, due in December of this year. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats.
Thanks Patti…Red sounds Amazing…I know we all look forward to its release. Don’t keep us waiting too long. Thank you for that first little glimpse on this last night of Creepfest…It has been a pleasure hopping with you this Creepfest! Wishing you a happy last night of Creepfest and a Merry Scary Christmas… 🙂
Click on the Creepmas tree to take you to more creepy posts on the blog tour...Hurry! There are Prizes!
It’s eleven days in…almost the end but not yet…there are still plenty of tales to read, interviews to follow and giveaways to enter…so if you have been one of the naughty ones this blog hop and not entered yet…click on the Christmas tree above and get hopping…There is still time! Hurry!
Today I have the pleasure of Ruth Barrett on the blog…Ruth specializes in ghostly tales…
The fat man blinked hard as he returned to consciousness. His head roared with pain and a heavy, drugged sensation. He tried to lift his arm to rub his bleary eyes, but found himself immobilized.
What the hell…?
With difficulty, he peered down the length of his rotund body. He was naked. His bulging stomach strained against what looked to be yards of Saran Wrap pinning him down onto a table. Confusion turned to terror as his twinkling blue eyes darted about the room. Beneath sheets of plastic meticulously taped in place, he recognized his own North Pole stables. His breathing quickened in visible white puffs in the chill air as he went over the last moments he recalled: slipping down a chimney in Miami, bending over his gift sack… then a sharp prickle in the side of his neck.
The fat man’s gaze landed on a display of photographs: dozens of reindeer who had served him well, only to be served as venison when they grew too old.
A man’s voice spoke low in his ear:
“Greetings, Santa. I am your Ghost of Christmas Past.”
Santa gasped as a blade deftly sliced a thin cut on his cheek…
[Note to bloghoppers-Aside: So just a reminder…Ruth’s Flash Fiction is the eighth entry into the Creepfest Challenge…Let me know what you think of it and check back here tomorrow for the seventh offering as you are going to help pick the winning Creepfest author at the end of the tour. Please let me know, in your comment below (or rate it at the top with stars), how you rate this eighth entry, in the challenge, by the imaginative Ruth Barrett out of 5 stars (5 = Brilliant).]
Ruth Barrett
Ruth Barrett is the author of Base Spirits: In 1605, Sir Walter Calverley’s murderous rampage leaves a family shattered. The killer suffers a torturous execution… but is it truly the end? A noble Yorkshire house stands forever tarnished by blood and possessed by anguished spirits.
Some crimes are so horrific, they reverberate through the centuries.
As an unhappy modern couple vacation in the guesthouse at Calverley Old Hall, playwright Clara, and her scholar husband, Scott, unwittingly awaken a dark history. Clara is trapped and forced back in time to bear witness to a family’s bloody saga. Overtaken by the malevolent echoes, Scott is pushed over the edge from possessive husband to wholly possessed…
Inspired by a true-life drama in Shakespeare’s day, this is itself a play within a play: a supernatural thriller with a historical core.
Also available as a paperback through Fanfare Books fanfare@cyg.net or Callan Books jcallan@orc.ca I will personally inscribe them upon request before shipping.
Ruth, you had me at “Dark Passenger”…Loved this festive spin on “The Dark Passenger”… Great story. Looking forward to tucking into your book, Base Spirits over the festive season. Happy Creepfest & Merry Christmas Ruth! 🙂
Don’t forget to enter my #Creepfest Reader Challenge….This is the last day to enter…Tomorrow I post the results and the winners…Hurry you could still be a WINNER!
Question: The Ghost of Creepmas (Creepfest’s Christmas) Past is making a house call and this week he is visiting your house. He takes you back through time to your worst Christmas Nightmare. (This can be real or imagined.) Tell me about it in 200 words (max) in the comments section.
…then complete the following tasks set by the Creepfest Grinch to be eligible for the prize
after all this is done: tweet that you have been visited by#GhostofCreepmasPast and tag me @AuthorKimKoning
Also make sure that you are hopping to the other blogs in this #Creepfest Blog Tour
These 5 tasks will make your entry eligible for the prize….
I will choose a winner and a runner-up on the 24th.
The winner will win an ebook copy of Tales for Canterbury + $10 Amazon voucher
The runner-up will win a $10 Amazon voucher.
For more info on Tales for Canterbury (which includes my debut short story “The Ring of Fire), click below…
A fantastic anthology of 34 talented authors including: Neil Gaiman, Jeff Vandermeer, Jay Lake, Sean Williams along with others. (Includes my debut short story - a YA dystopian "The Ring of Fire)
Click on the Creepmas tree to take you to more creepy posts on the blog tour...Hurry! There are Prizes!
We’re behind the EIGHT-ball today, eight days into #Creepfest and the fun is still not over…
Have you been hopping to the other blogs on the tour…click on the tree above to get the full tour list…
You do not want to miss out…these are chances at early Christmas gifts that you won’t just be able to get in a shop…they have each been specially chosen for you by the #Creepfest authors…there are books, there is swag…hop to it…there is still time…
Talking of which…I need some more entries for my contest…you can own a collection of 34 short stories by authors far and wide…including tales by Neil Gaiman, Jeff VanderMeer, Jay Lake…
+ my debut dystopian tale: “The Ring of Fire” + Amazon Gift Vouchers…
HURRY…there are only 4 days left of the tour…4 days left to hop to all the blogs and grab as many contest entries as your hot,greedy little hands can hold…Hurry..Hurry…The clock is ticking….
Today I have some bone-rattling and spine-chilling Creepmas poetry to share with you offered up for sacrifice by the deceptively innocent Marissa Farrar…
#Creepfest Author’s Flash Fiction Challenge
1.) Re-imagine Santa’s visit to drop off gifts by putting a #Creepfest spin on it. Max words: 200
Christmas Eve, I’m woken by the sound of moans,
And in the distance comes the rattle of bones.
Outside I come to stand and stare,
For what monstrosity should I find there?
Not bells but strung skulls are what I hear,
The elves who didn’t work so hard this year.
The reindeer snort, huffing hot air in plumes,
Eyes glow red as they paw with cloven hooves.
Santa’s not fat or jolly – those were lies,
He’s a skeleton with black holes as eyes.
Nightmares in his sack contain little cheer,
He’s here to deliver Creepfest this year.
[Note to bloghoppers-Aside: So just a reminder…Marissa’s Flash Fiction is the seventh entry into the Creepfest Challenge…Let me know what you think of it and check back here tomorrow for the seventh offering as you are going to help pick the winning Creepfest author at the end of the tour. Please let me know, in your comment below (or rate it at the top with stars), how you rate this seventh entry, in the challenge, by the deceptively innocent Marissa Farrar out of 5 stars (5 = Brilliant).]
2.) On Santa’s list this year, would you be naughty or nice? Tell me three ways you got on to either the naughty or the nice list.
I think I’d have to be on the nice list. While I certainly have my vices, I do try to be good! Okay, so three ways I’ve been nice… 1.) I’ve helped out a number of my author friends with new covers for their eBooks and by writing reviews. 2.) I regularly have a house full of children because I’m often helping out fellow mums by looking after their kids. 3.) Hmm… I can’t think of a third! Perhaps I should be on the naughty list after all! 3.) Who is your favourite villain in a classic fairy-tale and why?
It has to be the Snow Queen from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, ‘The Snow Queen’. It’s so haunting and eerie. I just love the beauty and sorrow of the story.
4.) If you were a character in “The Christmas Carol”…who would you be and why?
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. I’m terrible about always looking ahead. Sometimes I have to remind myself to appreciate what I have here and now.
5.) What gift would you leave under the tree if you were the Christmas Grinch?
It would have to be the gift my uncle gave my mother one year – a carrier bag with his company’s name on the front. I kid you not…
Caught in a violent and abusive relationship, Serenity thinks there is no escape.
Upon meeting a stranger, Sebastian, she is shown the possibility of a different future.
Only Sebastian has a dark secret; he is a vampire.
As Serenity’s life takes a terrifying turn, she finds herself drawn into a world she never knew existed; one of murder, love and immortality. She is forced to confront her own weaknesses to save both her own life and that of the vampire she has come to love. But in the end all that matters is; can she find the strength to be Alone?
Book two in the ‘Serenity’ series, ‘Buried’ is also now available to buy from your favourite eBook store!
Thank you Marissa for that very chilling poetic twist on Creepmas…I think I hear moans even now as I write this…better bolt the doors tonight! Happy Creepfest and Merry Christmas Marissa! 🙂
The Reader Challenge
~13/12 – 23/12~
I am going to ask you a question and you are going to answer it in the comments. Only 1 entry per person is allowed. However, to be eligible you need to:
after all this is done: tweet that you have been visited by#GhostofCreepmasPast and tag me @AuthorKimKoning
Also make sure that you are hopping to the other blogs in this #Creepfest Blog Tour
These 5 tasks will make your entry eligible for the prize.
~~~~~~
So drumroll…Here is the question challenge.
Question: The Ghost of Creepmas (Creepfest’s Christmas) Past is making a house call and this week he is visiting your house. He takes you back through time to your worst Christmas Nightmare. (This can be real or imagined.) Tell me about it in 200 words (max).
~~~~~~
I will choose a winner and a runner-up on the 24th. The winner will win an ebook copy of Tales for Canterbury + $10 Amazon voucherThe runner-up will win a $10 Amazon voucher.For more info on Tales for Canterbury (which includes my debut short story “The Ring of Fire), click below…
A fantastic anthology of 34 talented authors including: Neil Gaiman, Jeff Vandermeer, Jay Lake, Sean Williams along with others. (Includes my debut short story - a YA dystopian "The Ring of Fire)
Kim Koning 