Thanks so much to the fabulous Delilah Devlin for having me!!! Have you read all of her books? Seriously, you should!
As writers, we always hear the words “write what scares you.” and given that it’s nearly Halloween and ghoulies are gearing up for the big night while the level of candy corn in my vat on the coffee table sinks suspiciously lower, I thought I’d talk about fear today.
Ignoring the big “I’m a human and instinctively scared of death, pain, natural disaster, and reality show contestants,” like love and taste in music, fear is individual – I am terrified of bugs and things jumping out at me, but blood doesn’t bother me at all. I love being scared at the movies, but you couldn’t get me on a roller coaster, and I despise things jumping out at me (Haunted Houses, **shudder**). If I see a copy of Stephen King’s “It” on the bookcase, I have to stop and read a few chapters, no matter that the experience will leave me scarred for the rest of the day.
I’ve been writing Halloween shorts for my BEWITCH ME collection, and while they’re not frightening in the classic sense of the word, I did try to think about the old order to “write what scares you,” if not in terms of oozing monsters with chainsaws, then in terms of what happens when you fall for someone completely different from yourself. If you’ve been hurt, can you be brave enough to open up to someone? If you happen to be powerful and strong, can you relate to someone who’s not? Can you face the consequences of your actions and take your medicine, admitting you were wrong? All of these emotional fears are very, very human, and it’s been interesting to write characters grappling with these questions and finding points of connection and compassion as they figure out the answers. Of course, ALL writing is therapy, and characters love to force us to face our own fears and examine our insecurities under a microscope.
And don’t forget, being scared of something gives us the best excuse in the world to huddle together – there is safety in numbers! This October, curl up with a horror movie, grab your sweetie, and be happy for this magical, ghoulish season that brings us all together for some scary Halloween fun.
Email: LilyCRede@gmail.com
Twitter: @RedeLily
Author Page: https://amzn.com/e/B008OC9048
Bewitch Me Buy Link
Five steamy short stories to fill your nights with sexy, spooky delight. Even good witches get to be a little bad on Halloween, and sparks will fly when love, lust and magic get all tangled up in these hot paranormal shorts. Collection includes PASSION & PUMPKINS, MY FAIR HEX, ENSORCELLED, THAT MAGIC TOUCH, and BEWITCH ME.
From THAT MAGIC TOUCH:
“Had I known I was going to spend all night in a fridge, I would have dressed for the occasion.”
Wes’ eyes slid over her neat white blouse and black mini-skirt, lingering on the hint of lace at the tops of her thigh highs before following them down to her sensible shoes. Jane felt a curl of heat that had absolutely nothing to do with the temperature in the room. Wes rubbed his hands.
“I can warm you up, if you don’t mind a little magic…”
“No! I’d rather be cold.”
Wes frowned.
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“Not to you, it’s not!”
Jane tugged her skirt down and curled up as best she could as Wes made a sound of pure male frustration. He shrugged off his jacket and tucked it around her shoulders, his raised eyebrow daring her to protest. With a sniff of gratitude, Jane snuggled into the fabric, trying to ignore how it smelled of Wes and clean soap and linen.
Wes sat down across from her, leaning against another shelving unit.
“I would conjure up a deck of cards, but I’m afraid that might offend your delicate sensibilities.”
Jane scowled at him.
“You make fun, but is it so bad to just want my life to be somewhat normal?”
When normal is the one thing you can’t give me.
The thought was depressing. Life without Wes and Esme would be…bland.
“Normal gets old pretty fast.”
