I can't express how much I enjoyed reading all your Halloween memories! They were funny and poignant, and your photos made my day.
I used Random.org as usual and this time around Angel's number came up. Congratulations, Angel!
Stay tuned for future giveaways! And thanks so much for participating. :D
Monday, October 31, 2011
Haunted Seminary Tour
This past Friday I met up with pals Brandi, Martha and Karen for the Haunted Seminary Tours in Tahlequah. I was scheduled to do a reading, accompany the first tour and sign books, but it felt more like a visit to an old friend than an "author appearance." Now that it's behind me, I can tell you that returning to the setting of The Revenant on a dark and chilly October night was the perfect way to celebrate Halloween!
How can you not love Seminary Hall in all her spooktacular evening glory? To those familiar with the book -- Willie's room is in the right turret, second floor. We had to laugh because the lights were on, but on the wrong side. And yet, do you notice a funky light in Willie's window? Or is that just me? (Click to embiggen) I know the right turret was completely dark when I took this picture.
Karen, Brandi and Martha admire Seminary Hall at night. So atmospheric! (Notice statue of Sequoyah behind them.)
Posing with Martha and Karen (& the book!).
Marie Madison, graduate student in English at Northeastern State University, was my contact for this event. Proceeds from the Haunted Seminary Tours enable NSU grad students to attend professional conferences and present papers. As a former starving grad student, I'm all for that!
You guys, I PHOTOGRAPHED AN ORB! A GHOSTLY ORB!
Okay, maybe it was just a flash effect, but Brandi (& others) heard ghostly typewriter sounds on the third floor. Apparently, many of the hauntings at Seminary Hall are auditory.
This is my favorite part -- I remembered it well from the first tour I attended over 2 years ago. Our guide shared the story of a professor who was alone on the third floor and heard someone running up and down the hall, but she could never catch the offender. Apparently, this is one of the most common auditory hauntings. Years ago, when the wiring above the drop ceiling was getting an upgrade, these footprints were discovered on the original plaster ceiling. Aren't they creepy? Is this a ghostly residue of the primaries who once ran up and down the halls?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!
(I will announce the winner of the signed copies of BLOOD MAGIC, HEREAFTER, and THE REVENANT later today!)
How can you not love Seminary Hall in all her spooktacular evening glory? To those familiar with the book -- Willie's room is in the right turret, second floor. We had to laugh because the lights were on, but on the wrong side. And yet, do you notice a funky light in Willie's window? Or is that just me? (Click to embiggen) I know the right turret was completely dark when I took this picture.
Karen, Brandi and Martha admire Seminary Hall at night. So atmospheric! (Notice statue of Sequoyah behind them.)
Posing with Martha and Karen (& the book!).
Marie Madison, graduate student in English at Northeastern State University, was my contact for this event. Proceeds from the Haunted Seminary Tours enable NSU grad students to attend professional conferences and present papers. As a former starving grad student, I'm all for that!
You guys, I PHOTOGRAPHED AN ORB! A GHOSTLY ORB!
Okay, maybe it was just a flash effect, but Brandi (& others) heard ghostly typewriter sounds on the third floor. Apparently, many of the hauntings at Seminary Hall are auditory.
This is my favorite part -- I remembered it well from the first tour I attended over 2 years ago. Our guide shared the story of a professor who was alone on the third floor and heard someone running up and down the hall, but she could never catch the offender. Apparently, this is one of the most common auditory hauntings. Years ago, when the wiring above the drop ceiling was getting an upgrade, these footprints were discovered on the original plaster ceiling. Aren't they creepy? Is this a ghostly residue of the primaries who once ran up and down the halls?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!
(I will announce the winner of the signed copies of BLOOD MAGIC, HEREAFTER, and THE REVENANT later today!)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Halloween Memories GIVEAWAY
Today I am offering up three signed books -- with swag -- for a giveaway! And it's open to international entrants!
This past weekend, I asked Tessa Gratton and Tara Hudson to sign their spooky books especially for this giveaway, and I'm happy to add my own book to the prize pack. All you have to do to enter is share a Halloween memory.
Don't know what to share? Here are some of my Halloween memories as examples:
-- I was four years old for my first trick-or-treat outing. I remember that it was chilly and drizzling, and that I cried a lot. Turns out I had a fever. Oh, and the paper bag I used for gathering candy had a hole in it, so all my candy fell out on the way home.
-- When I was in grade school, my mom made a fabulous "headless horseman" costume for me. It had padded shoulders and a really high collar to hide my head. Mom fashioned a veil within the collar, so people wouldn't be able to see my face. We failed to consider how this would limit my ability to see where I was going. I ended up getting stuck in a bush when my veil was snagged by the spiky branches.
-- A year or two later, my stepfather took me trick-or-treating. He parked the truck on an incline and hopped out to walk me to the door of the first house on the street. For some reason, I left the passenger door wide-open. We visited several houses, and I claimed plenty of candy, but when we got back to the street, the truck was not where he'd parked it. In fact, it had slipped out of gear and rolled down the street, bending the open passenger door all the way back in the process. When my stepfather tried to bend the door into its proper position, it fell off. He pretty much lost his cool at that point, and Halloween came to an abrupt end.
-- I finally shook off this trick-or-treating curse in 8th grade. Maybe we were too old for it, but my friends and I dressed up and went door-to-door anyway. We HAULED in the candy. Afterwards we had a sleepover and stayed up all night playing poker with that candy. Finally -- a fun Halloween!
But wait, there's more!
When I was in grad school at the University of Kansas, I dressed up as a TriDelt. (Does anyone remember the Saturday Night Live skit -- "Delta, Delta, Delta, can I help ya, help ya, help ya?" Here's a terrible video if you don't.) Yeah, it was just an excuse to wear lots of makeup, make my hair REAL BIG, and say "Oh. My. God." a lot.
When I was in grad school at the University of Wisconsin (hey, I liked grad school), Steve and I dressed up as Pepe le Pew and Penelope. Unfortunately, the people of Madison mistook Steve for Bucky Badger. At least that's what they shouted from their car windows as we walked down the street.
If you'd like to win signed copies of BLOOD MAGIC, HEREAFTER, and THE REVENANT, all you have to do is share a Halloween memory in the comments. Gain an extra entry by tweeting the giveaway (make sure you include @soniagensler in your tweet so that I see it!). You can gain 5 EXTRA ENTRIES by sharing a photo related to your Halloween memory in your comment (a link is okay, but it would be cool if you could embed the photo).
You have until 8 AM Halloween morning (central time) to enter. I will announce the winner shortly thereafter. Like I said above, this giveaway is open to international entrants. I can't wait to read your Halloween stories!
This past weekend, I asked Tessa Gratton and Tara Hudson to sign their spooky books especially for this giveaway, and I'm happy to add my own book to the prize pack. All you have to do to enter is share a Halloween memory.
Don't know what to share? Here are some of my Halloween memories as examples:
-- I was four years old for my first trick-or-treat outing. I remember that it was chilly and drizzling, and that I cried a lot. Turns out I had a fever. Oh, and the paper bag I used for gathering candy had a hole in it, so all my candy fell out on the way home.
-- When I was in grade school, my mom made a fabulous "headless horseman" costume for me. It had padded shoulders and a really high collar to hide my head. Mom fashioned a veil within the collar, so people wouldn't be able to see my face. We failed to consider how this would limit my ability to see where I was going. I ended up getting stuck in a bush when my veil was snagged by the spiky branches.
-- A year or two later, my stepfather took me trick-or-treating. He parked the truck on an incline and hopped out to walk me to the door of the first house on the street. For some reason, I left the passenger door wide-open. We visited several houses, and I claimed plenty of candy, but when we got back to the street, the truck was not where he'd parked it. In fact, it had slipped out of gear and rolled down the street, bending the open passenger door all the way back in the process. When my stepfather tried to bend the door into its proper position, it fell off. He pretty much lost his cool at that point, and Halloween came to an abrupt end.
-- I finally shook off this trick-or-treating curse in 8th grade. Maybe we were too old for it, but my friends and I dressed up and went door-to-door anyway. We HAULED in the candy. Afterwards we had a sleepover and stayed up all night playing poker with that candy. Finally -- a fun Halloween!
But wait, there's more!
If you'd like to win signed copies of BLOOD MAGIC, HEREAFTER, and THE REVENANT, all you have to do is share a Halloween memory in the comments. Gain an extra entry by tweeting the giveaway (make sure you include @soniagensler in your tweet so that I see it!). You can gain 5 EXTRA ENTRIES by sharing a photo related to your Halloween memory in your comment (a link is okay, but it would be cool if you could embed the photo).
You have until 8 AM Halloween morning (central time) to enter. I will announce the winner shortly thereafter. Like I said above, this giveaway is open to international entrants. I can't wait to read your Halloween stories!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
TV Tuesday -- Rippermania
I'm reading Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star, which is about an American girl who goes to boarding school in London's Whitechapel neighborhood (a boarding school, you guys!) just as a killer starts copycatting the Jack the Ripper murders. Excellent stuff!How appropriate is it that, starting tomorrow night, BBCAmerica is airing the 2009 series Whitechapel? And how lovely that it stars one of my favorite imaginary boyfriends, Rupert Penry-Jones? VERY appropriate and lovely!
Here's what Entertainment Weekly has to say in their A- review:
This gripping BBC drama is a Sherlock Holmes mystery for the Homicide generation. As the murder rate in London's Whitechapel neighbhorhood rises, two detectives (Rupert Penry-Jones and Phil Davis) track a serial killer who seems to be modelling himself after Jack the Ripper. Prepare for gullet slicing, blood spurting, cop-versus-cop conflict, and more blood spurting. We can't get enough.
Will you think less of me for thinking "YAY, blood and gore and Rupert Penry-Jones!"?
Anyone else planning to watch?
Monday, October 24, 2011
Weekend recap
Had a great time with Tara Hudson, Tessa Gratton and Natalie Parker this weekend. Our events at Full Circle Bookstore and Norman Public Library were intimate and lively.
Clever Natalie created a banner from a photo she took at Full Circle Bookstore -- yay!
We chatted for quite a while with the group at Norman Public Library. I love Tessa's mischievous expression here -- I think she's channeling Josephine from BLOOD MAGIC.
Ha ha!
Today I am ever so grateful for independent bookstores, local libraries, and author friends.
Stay tuned for a giveaway!
Today I am ever so grateful for independent bookstores, local libraries, and author friends.
Stay tuned for a giveaway!
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