Terror lurking with each curve of the pen

It’s a big month for those who crave the creepiness of ghosties, ghoulies, and long-legged beasties! Without a doubt, fans of fear look forward to October more than any other time of the year. I’m sure most of you can guess from my last book that I do enjoy a little walk on the darker side of life.

Last year, around this time, I shared some tips for helping kids to get into the Halloween spirit by writing their own ghostly scary stories. Since I always love encouraging children to grow creatively, I thought I’d do the same again this time around!

First on the list is a short video from the History Channel on the origins of the holiday. It’s accompanied by some very different writing prompts, for a little older age group and it encourages them to write more in the non-fiction vein. Check it out here. 

The second site I found is for just about anyone who wants to indulge in some frightful fun, and it’s just great! Figment’s Fright ‘N Write has a great interactive site that provides you with three creepy images to incorporate into a story. And even better is the fact that you can send in your entries to their competition. You have until October 31^st to enter and trust me, they’ve got some fabulous images to stir your dark imaginings.

Happy writing everyone, and I’d love to see what you create!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

That’s a quote from Pablo Picasso, but I read a great quote on twitter the other day (I visit it sometimes, but I’m not on there, yet!) that I wanted to share with you all.

” Writers get paid for what other people get scolded for: daydreaming. We’re supposed to wander.” –Richard Walter. I can’t find the original source for this, but it was too good to share, regardless of whether he said it!

It reminds me of what a privilege it is to be a writer. It’s true, really. We often hear a lot of talk these days about ‘gratitude’ and I’ve realized how very grateful I am to be able to share my thoughts and ideas with you all through the written word. But it also occurred to me that the opportunity for expression shouldn’t be considered a privilege, but a right.

I think we forget about how much the expression of all types of artists contributes to our every day life—it’s easy to take it for granted. People talk about cutting funding the arts when they forget how much of a role it plays in our lives every day. Look around your house, odds are you’ve put out some paintings, prints, or objects to decorate your home. Now why did you do that? Well, obviously because they’re pleasing to you and it makes you feel good to see them? Behind each of those objects is an artist.

Think about the music you tune into on the radio or on your ipod—tons of artists there!

And think about each and every name that goes on the credits of your favourite movie or television show. Yep, they’re all part of the arts industry!

And of course, think about that book you’re reading right now that gives you so much pleasure (hopefully!). Writers (even non-fiction writer) are all artists too!

So next time you hear somebody talk about how we need to cut funding for the arts, just remember how much artists do for you every day to make your world a more beautiful and wondrous place.

Drumroll please…

What a great blog tour that was last week! I so enjoyed stopping by all those great sites and getting to share Evil on the Peace River with a whole new audience. I want to thank each and everyone of the reviewers for taking the time to not only read my book, but share their thoughts with their readership.

And of course, I’m ecstatic at the warm reception it received (especially Sam the dog, a Lassie-in-the-making if there ever was one!).  In my books (no pun intended), the best way to wrap up such a rewarding experience is to pay it forward, and reward a new reader. So in that light, I’m happy to announce the winner of the blog tour giveaway.

The four pack of books goes to…….drumroll please….Shelley from Brookhaven! I’m so glad that my works will be finding their way all the way down to Mississippi. Thanks Shelley, for participating, and I hope you love your books. And my heartfelt thanks to everyone else who was involved with the tour!

And one more for the road…

We’ve got one last late-comer to the blog tour party, but we’re happy to have her! Five in Ohio is a busy mom with a blog full of recipes and reviews for you to enjoy, and she recently took the time to read Evil on the Peace River. I’m delighted that she enjoyed it, and she raised a point that several others have on this tour: might there be a sequel?

Now I hadn’t considered this before, but you just never know. Maybe there’s room for more evil on the Peace? Hmmmmm….

Tell me a little about yourself…

Winding up the book tour, it seems only fitting to stop for a little chat. So stop by Literary Addicts to read an interview with me. And as a special treat, you’ll get a little insight into what you can expect from me next!

Sharing the landscape through the written word…

We’re nearing the end of our blog tour, it’s gone by so quickly! Today we found ourselves at Literary Winner, where Maggie took the time to write a great review!

I’ve talked before about how I’d tried to make the environment of the Peace another character, in a sense, so it’s especially rewarding to see that she enjoyed getting a feel for the wilds of the region.

Take a read of her review, and scroll down to see how you can enter the giveaway to win four of my books!

Everyone loves Sam!

I’ve been asked a few times recently who my favourite character is in Evil on the Peace River, and I figured people might be surprised by my response, because it’s Sam! Yes, Sam with no last name. No last name, because he’s a dog! I’m a sucker for a good animal story (no surprise if you’re a long-time reader), and was dying to have a four-legged hero pop into this book. So imagine my surprise when I found that one of the reviewers on our blog tour felt the same way.

Over at Bookworm Babblings Sam the Dog made a new fan! Because really, we all need a little ‘Lassie’ in our life!

Ducks on the Peace River?

Have ducks invaded the Peace River? We stopped at The Shopping Duck today for our next pitstop on our blog tour, and were glad to see nothing ran a-fowl (hah!)!

Their review highlights the fact that Evil on the Peace River is a great ‘one-sitting’ read. It keeps you glued to its pages, so make sure you clear your schedule when you sit down to read it!

Make sure you check out our feathered friends at The Shopping Duck for great tips and reviews for one of my favourite pastimes: book shopping!

New fans are the best!

One of the reasons I love doing blog tours is that I get to reach a whole new audience who may not have encountered my writing better. So I was heartened to read after stopping at The Ordinary Aunt, that I’ve got a new fan: “This is the first (but definitely not the last) book by Beverly Lein that I’ve read.” I hope you enjoy my other books as much as you did Evil on the Peace River! 

These Mamas got a lot of flair!

One of the most gratifying things for me as an author, is when readers connect with a book in all the ways I’d hoped they would. So I was especially excited to read the review for Evil on the Peace River written by Jessi at Mama’s Got Flair, this Momma’s certainly got flair for writing thoughtful reviews! As someone who had also read The Three Saints of Christmas, there was an added level of fun seeing her reaction to this dramatically different work.

The mommas at Mama’s Got Flair do a great job, be sure to follow their blog and visit them on facebook.

Thanks for letting me stop by, ladies!