The Best Part of Halloween By Mackenzie Crowne

With Halloween just a few days away, my G’boy could barely contain his glee as he posed for this pic in his Captain America costume. I’m here to tell you, there are few things cuter than witnessing the unbound excitement of your grandbabies, and when the excitement involves Halloween? Oh, yeah, then I’m toast.

You see, I’ve always loved the holiday. Not so much for the spooky stuff. I’m a major weenie, after all. And not for the candy, either. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth. No. For me it’s all about the costumes. Seriously, who doesn’t love the idea of dressing up as something clever or sexy, frightening or downright silly?

As a child, I would spend hours rummaging through the old sea chest in my mother’s cedar closet where the Halloween stuff was kept. I fondly recall the year I slipped into the beautiful, too-long, gauzy red skirt of the hand-me-down fairy dress that no longer fit either of my older sisters. A major score for my young heart.

I could barely wait for dusk to arrive, choking down the dinner Mom insisted we eat before we could go. And then it was time. Out the door into the darkness my siblings and I went. Along with hundreds of other neighborhood kids, we spent the next few hours rushing from house to house until our pillow cases bulged with treats – that then had to be hand checked by Dad before we could indulge.

To me, donning a Halloween costume has always been a magical experience. In fact, I was disguised as Peter Pan the night I met my husband. What was he dressed as, you ask? Tinkerbell, of course, complete with tutu, blond wig and makeup. With all of my heart, I wish I had a picture to show you, but alas, you’ll have to settle for one of me taken with my father an hour before hubs and I met.

And remember not so long ago, my post about my experience with that old lady’s sewing machine? 

You guessed it. I tried my hand at costumes for my boys - with pretty good results, if I do say so myself. They didn’t come out so bad. Then again, my guys were too young to complain. Either way, my enthusiasm for the holiday was passed on to them. Especially the youngest. 

He's the littlest caveman and that's him again, all grown up at 6'5" over there with my future DIL in their pixelated costumes. My, how costumes have changed, but I have to admit, theirs was genius. And, apparently she loves dressing up as much as he does. One more reason to love her.

I believe dressing up liberates people in a way, freeing them from some of their inner restrictions. That’s not such a bad thing in my book. What about you? Does the idea of dressing up fill you with horror or glee?

When Mac isn’t slipping into a fun Halloween costume to entertain the trick-or-treaters arriving at her door, she spends her time weaving HEAs for her characters, like Nicki Guimond Everson, the heroine of IRRESISTIBLE DECEPTIONS, Mac’s romantic suspense available from Entangled Publishing.

Oh, and be sure to check out Nicki and her sexy hero, Rhy, at the link below. 

IRRESISTIBLE DECEPTIONS BOOK TRAILER

  

The lure of the Halloween costume...or maybe not ~ by Leah St. James

Halloween is just around the corner, and I’m mired in my usual dress-up-or-not-dress-up dilemma.

As a kid, it was a no-brainer. You dressed for Halloween, period. First was the march around the school grounds with your class, then the big event itself – Halloween night where we’d roam the neighborhood hoping to fill our pillow cases with Mom-approved goodies. And of course our UNICEF boxes with cash.

I was never an overly creative costumer. I might have gotten it from Mom who dressed me as a ghost for the first several years...before I spied the Cinderella costumes hanging in Woolworth’s window. After that, I was Cinderella for about a three- or four-year span. (Hey, why mess with success?!)

Eventually I outgrew Cinderella (probably more physically than mentally) and advanced to home-made costumes. My favorite was the Geisha-girl(ish) costume, designed with a set of silk pajamas my father had brought back from Korea. (I’m not sure how my sister and I talked Mom into letting us wear those, but she did, and probably regretted it.) I twirled my hair into a bun on the back of my head and stuck knitting needles through it. Yes, I really did.

After that, a long costume drought followed, until I had my own kids. Remembering how important costumes were to me, I was determined to give my kids the best. No store-bought costumes for them.

My best effort was Superman when Son No. 1 was five. I sewed it from a pattern, all by myself. And it was magnificent. I can still picture him standing in that Superman pose, hands on hips, legs braced for action. (Wish I could find a photo to share!) 

One year he went as “Construction Guy.” That was relatively easy. He’s a warrior in this shot, taken with my sister who was dressed as Mother Goose. She graciously took him trick-or-treating because Son No. 2 had been born just four days earlier...which might account for the fuzziness of the shot. Sorry about that.  (By the way, I made that dress too, although at the time it wasn’t SUPPOSED to be a costume! Whatever.)

Eventually the lure of HeMan won out, and I succumbed to the store-bought costume. (This is with my sister also.)

 When Son No. 2 came along, I started out fine. I remember culling together a pretty credible Dark Wing Duck for him, but eventually the store-bought HeMan was pulled from the depths of the closet. (And my sister again! I don't think I have one photo of me with my kids in costume...but these are better anyway.)

At some point along the way, it became popular for adults to start dressing up at the office. I joined in when I was feeling particularly creative—like the year I dressed in my husband’s black karate gei and posed as a ninja. (I had the weapons strapped to my waist lest anyone make too much fun of me.)

Another year I went as a ranch hand. That was easy—jeans, bandanna and a cowboy hat.

This  year we’re having a costume contest at work. I’m so NOT a competitive person (except with myself), so my inclination is to forget it. But that thrill of dressing up is still in the back of my mind and I can’t quite let it go.  Unfortunately I still have no idea what to wear...again.

I won’t buy anything other than maybe a few accent pieces, which leaves me at the mercy of my wardrobe.  Here are a few ideas I’ve been playing with:

Romance novelist on deadline
Granny glasses (because I’m blind from staring at the computer for a break-free, 96-hour stretch); hair that hasn’t been combed in that time (because I’m on deadline), ratty/saggy knit top dribbled with coffee/tea/spaghetti stains down its front (from eating at the computer); sweatpants and slipper socks. (The good news...I have all that in my closet already!)

Erotic novelist at reader event

I’d start with a big length of rope…uh, yeah, better avoid that one.

Working mother
Business suit with spit-up stains on jacket (yeah, I still have it); one brown shoe, one black shoe; mismatched earrings; mascara on one eye but not the other, maybe smeared on the side; hair falling from attempted up-do; crumpled and syrup-smeared permission slip for your child’s trip to the zoo stuck to the back of your skirt/pants.

In my latest story, Blood Moon (from “Mysteries of the Macabre | A Halloween Anthology”), my heroine and her husband dress up as a ‘60s couple. They’re inspired by the discovery of an old letterman’s sweater that belonged to his grandfather.  I had so much fun researching the styles of that day. 

Hey...there’s an idea! I can go as a heroine in one of my stories! Let’s see, there was the FBI agent who posed as a sex slave to solve a murder...well, whatever. I’ll come up with something.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

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Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the power of love. To learn more, go to leahstjames.com. For more on "Mysteries of the Macabre" go here: