I am so very pleased today to have my good friend and fellow author E. Ayers with me at Jenna’s Journal to tell us about her inspiration for her brand new Halloween story A Skeleton at Her Door.
Hi, Jenna, thanks for inviting me here.
My newest novella, A Skeleton at Her Door, does have a bit of truth behind it. Many years ago, before cell phones, when my daughters were tweens, I was in charge of a huge Halloween bash for our neighborhood. Luckily, we had some wonderful creative people involved, and it was a huge success. But a few days before this big event, there was a knock at my door. I opened it to this fabulous skeleton. Where did he get that costume? I have no idea. Amazing!
I knew my neighbor was going to be a skeleton in this big upcoming event so I assumed, dragged him inside, and called my girls downstairs to come see this guy. Every muscle in this guy’s body showed and he had some muscles. My girls scurry down the steps, and the youngest, who was maybe ten at the time, sat on those steps and stared at this guy as if she were dissecting him in science class.
The guy is not saying a word. The makeup job on him was first class. His lips and a portion of his cheeks had been carefully painted to look like teeth, and it didn’t take much to figure out that he was afraid to talk for fear of messing up this facial artwork. My oldest, who was about thirteen, walked around him. I thought she was admiring the costume. That’s about the moment when my youngest says, “Mom, that not Bob Smith. Bob has blue eyes and this guy has brown eyes.”
Panic sets in! Who did I just drag into my house? I’m alone with my two “little” girls and hubby isn’t even due home for another hour. The guy rolls his palms up and shrugs. I offered him pen and paper. With gloved hands he writes a note. He had the address transposed. I told him the correct address. He waved, and left. I kept telling myself that 99% of people in this world are good, decent, honest people.
My youngest daughter glibly comments, “He looked good, real good!”
The oldest looked at me, blew out a breath through pursed lips, and fanned her face. “He was hot.”
At thirteen, she was not supposed to know about hot! Guess my little girls weren’t so little anymore. But that incident stuck with me.
So what would happen if a man in a skeleton costume had the wrong address today? And what if that wrong address belonged to a single mom? It’s called A Skeleton at Her Door.
AMAZON http://tinyurl.com/3v99xjw
B&N http://tinyurl.com/3zk5eya
and other major stores
Thank you so much for being my guest today, E. I can’t wait to read about this “skeleton ” and what he does for this single mom.
And anyone who wants a chance to win a copy of A Skeleton at Her Door, just leave a comment below and include your name and email address. It’s the easiest Treat you’ll get this Halloween!
I’ll be continuing the Halloween festivities the rest of this week with a look at my
favorite scary books, my favorite scary movies, and on Halloween I’ll tell you a spooky story that’s true. I know, because it happened to me! ‘Til then, Happy Haunting!
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
E. Ayers,
Neither your nor Jenna’s stories can be as scary as living in a house with a real GHOST can they
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My story was scary for me, Lindsay, but is funny to most people. Living in a house with a real ghost would be pretty scary.
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Actually, I do/did live with a real ghost. I’m not joking and we don’t get along. He’s so annoying! A lot of the houses around me are haunted. I’m not comfortable with ghosts but most seem to be uninterested in us. It’s really weird. I think when I decide to sell my house I’ll list my ghost as a known defect in the disclosure statement or maybe I should list him as property asset. LOL House for Sale/Ghost for Free
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Isn’t it funny how life gives us such plot fodder? My daughter-in-law gave me an idea today when she commented on the name of a pet grooming place here in my town…which is a play on words with the town’s name…and she said…”Wouldn’t that make a cute story…and you could have a huge dog with a fantastic personality that keeps getting the owner in trouble.” Yes, my mind started whirling and guess what? Yes, there will be a big, ugly dog in my future. (g)
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Oh, now, that sounds like a fun read, and knowing you, it will be a very good one. Thanks so much for stopping by Jenna’s blog.
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I love it! Did you ever find out why he was dressed up from your neighbor. The book sounds fantastic!
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Hi Linda,
I never found out anything about him other than he was a casual date. But considering it was a few days before Halloween, I’ll assume they were going someplace. No one gets that “dressed” to go have pizza.
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So that’s how you came up with the plot for A Skeleton at Her Door! lol.. Can’t wait to read it, E! 🙂
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Lisa, I think you’ll like this one. Anyone who has children will like it, especially if they have teens, almost teens, or had teens. Kids have a way of effecting a relationship for better or worse. And the adults…well, they had their own issues. LOL
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Hey E, cute story. That’s definitely the kind of thing that inspires a story for a writer. There are so many things that happen in life we can use. This is one of the cutest things I’ve heard.
Jane
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Oh, Jane! When it was over, I wasn’t certain which was worse realizing that the girls actually paid that much attention to the opposite sex at that age, or that I’d dragged a complete stranger into my home. Oh, he was definitely built and my little girls were aware of that fact! LOL What makes it really funny is that they don’t remember the incident.
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Sounds like a fantastic story! And I love the story behind the story:)
lisankumar(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Thanks, Lisa. I think there are bits from real life in most things that I write. But sometimes real life is too big and no one would believe it. LOL
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Great story behind a story! 🙂 This sounds like a terrific book.
I’d love to be in the running for a copy.
me@reginaduke.com
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Thanks, Regina, and waving a big hello. Thanks for stopping by Jenna’s blog. I keep wondering if I’ll wind up getting an email from some guy saying – yeah, that was me. It wouldn’t surprise me. This world keeps getting smaller and smaller. LOL
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I am probably weird, but that story cracked me up! ROTF, kind. I mean it could have been dangerous, but it turned out harmlessly and gave you a great story. I’m sure you A Skeleton at the Door is just fun!
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Thanks so much for stopping by. You are such an excellent writer. I always feel honored when you tell me how much you love my stories.
E
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This story sounds fantastic! I’d love a copy.
Here’s my email: brenda_dyer212@hotmail.com
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Thanks, Brenda. Sometimes we have to take things that happen and laugh. Kids aren’t perfect nor are parents. I hope you enjoy it.
E.
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Great blog, Elizabeth. Can’t wait to read the story
xxx
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Hi Jenny, It’s a quick read. It’ll take about an hour so it’s perfect for bedtime.
E.
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Geat blog, Elizabeth. Quite chilling. Looking forward very much to reading the story.
xxxx
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Oh E., my Friday Night Chat Buddy — That story sounds delicious! I would love to read it. Congratulations on the release! Hope I win. If not, I’ll buy it.
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Hi Casea, We do seem to bump into each other frequently. LOL Maybe someday we’ll figure out if were close enough to meet for lunch. Wouldn’t that be fun!
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If you’d like a copy of A Skeleton at Her Door, just leave a comment and send your email addy to Jenna or to me e.ayers@ayersbook.com and put Jenna in the subject line. It’s a sweet romance with a bit of spice. Grab your copy, a warm blanket, and a cup of hot cider because you’re in for a treat.
This is my Halloween gift to all of Jenna’s blog readers!
E.
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Okay, that story sent a chill down my spine.
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The true ones always do. Where’s your email address? Or do you already have a copy of Skeleton? I bet it’s right up your alley! Thanks for coming by, Lindsay.
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lindsay at lindsaydowns dot com
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Hi, Lindsay, thanks for stopping by. The real chill was realizing that my little girls weren’t so little.
And stop back because I know Jenna intends to tell a scary story. I might share one. Let’s just say I live in a really old house and … LOL
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