Welcome to Halloween Week 2015! Over the course of the week, you will hear from guest authors, bloggers, and your very own Book Smugglers about all things Halloween–including reviews of horror novels and films, essays on the genre, and any number of spooky topics in between.
Continuing with this year’s Halloween Week, here is our spot on the YA Horror Thrills and Chills blog tour!
Halloween is on the horizon, and for many of us that means binge watching and reading all the scary stories that we can get our hands on! To help you get in the mood (i.e. terrified) we asked young adult thriller and YA horror authors Rin Chupeco, Natalie Richards, Patty Blount, and Allan Stratton to share their favorite scary story or legend!
- Rin Chupeco (The Suffering)
- Natalie Richards (My Secret to Tell)
- Patty Blount (Nothing Left to Burn)
- Allan Stratton (The Dogs)
I love this Japanese urban legend called the kuchisake-onna, or the slit-mouthed woman. She’d accost travelers while wearing a flu mask and ask them if she was pretty. She would then lift the mask to reveal a jagged slit across her face in place of a mouth, and repeat the question. Answer her either way, and she’ll still kill you. It’s designed so that you always lose, but there’s a correct answer, too: tell her that you don’t know if she’s pretty, or that you need time to think about it, and then make your escape while she puzzles this out.
Well, there are ghost stories and there are ghost books, you know? And frankly, there are like eleventy billion different ghost books that are amazing, so I’m not going to go there because that list is long and lovely. But if you’re looking for one in the YA realm, I’d start with Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
Now, if we’re talking ghost stories, I’ll talk about the one that creeped me out to no end because it happened to someone I know. And there were no weird rattling chains or hooks scraping across car doors involved.
A family friend was working under his car, changing the oil or…oh, heck, I don’t know what he was doing. I couldn’t tell a timing belt from a spark plug. It doesn’t matter. He was under the car wrenching away when he heard his mom yelling for him in the house. And he was ignoring her at first, and screaming back at her to wait a minute, because he was eyebrows deep in car guts and super focused, but she kept yelling. Finally, he rolled out from under the car, totally annoyed with her. He jumped up to yell at her and it hit him out of nowhere: His mom had passed away a year ago. Somehow in his focus it had slipped his mind that she couldn’t possibly be calling for him. And then while he was standing there, feeling both stupid and heartsick, his car fell off the jack and slammed into the driveway. It would have crushed him, no question. That one still gives me goosebumps.
I adored Anna Dressed in Blood. I’m a big fan of the TV show Supernatural and Cas, the main character in Anna, reminded me of that show. Anna is a ghost but most people believe she’s just an urban legend. But Cas is a ghost hunter; he knows the stories are real and decides to stop Anna. He ends up becoming her friend.
I have a lot of favorite ghost stories, but I’ll choose “The Big Sarahs,” because it’s the one I believed when I was little, it’s unique, and it’s true.
In my earliest years, my mother and I lived on my grandparents’ farm. Down the road was an abandoned one-room schoolhouse. One day Grampa showed me a black-and-white class picture. There were maybe forty kids ranging in age from five to fourteen.
Three girls stood out. They were tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in black. Their eyes stared through me.
I pointed. “Who were they?”
“The Big Sarahs. They were called that because their mother’s name was Sarah.”
Grampa told me that the Big Sarahs’ father had drunk himself to death. In order to eat, the Sarahs tramped the country roads at night, knocking on farm doors. They never said a word when you answered. They just stood outside, staring straight ahead. People gave them food, and they moved on.
When they were teenagers, two of the Big Sarahs became pregnant and disappeared. Their mother died. The last of the Big Sarahs wasn’t seen for a while. They finally found her in the barn. She’d hanged herself from a rafter.
Alone in their rooms, kids like me hear knocking in the middle of the night. Their mothers and grandparents tell them it’s just the wind rattling the shutters or banging the door.
For more YA Horror, enter this RAFFLECOPTER LINK TO #THRILLS&CHILLS Prize Pack featuring titles from Rin Chupeco, Natalie Richards, Patty Blount, and Allan Stratton (giveaway ran by Sourcebooks Fire):
6 Comments
Gerd Duerner
October 29, 2015 at 5:40 amFavorite horror story of all time, hmm… would probably be the old boy meets girl, falls in love with her, girl turns turns out to be a ghost variety – I’m a romantic sap like that.
But I do I love Urban Legends, too, like most people do I guess.
One I’ve grown to like a bit reluctantly is a story my brother told me, about a woman who enters a car wash station when suddenly her car stops being transported further. So at first she just sits there and patiently waits. When nothing happens she startrs to get nervous, calls for help but gets no answer. So, she decides to get out of the car and walk out of the car wash. However, as opens the door and starts to get out of her car, the machinery starts again and rips off her foot.
I believed that story for years to be true, and still I feel a bit uncomfortable thinking of taking my car in a car wash.
Stephanie Quinn
October 29, 2015 at 12:12 pmMy new favorite is included in the Slasher Girls and Monster Boys anthology called “In the Forest Dark and Deep”. Cannot get the creepiness out of my mind.
Lauren
October 29, 2015 at 2:12 pmI love all things YA and middle grade, and I think my favorite horror story is either Coraline or The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls.
Hebe
October 29, 2015 at 4:38 pmI don’t read much horror, but House of Leaves is one of my favourite books ever. It’s a really simple idea – a family move out to a house in the sticks and realise that it’s an inch longer on the inside than it is on the outside – but it is genuinely terrifying.
Lexi
October 29, 2015 at 8:30 pmThis is more of a ghost story my students would tell me. It was about Sundel bolong also known as Pontianak.
RaymondMib
March 2, 2018 at 1:49 amBut the region is either zero structure to return them
it had a grim homecoming.
hung up published alloy, smashed a glass, clicked picket cedar, garments combined with monuments akin to fridges, stoves and television tvs, stereos ended strewn in which a village bustled leading to a day noisy,during the early sept in the event that storm Irma been here the foregoing smaller caribbean remote island.
Days suitable after Irma if left, another quake looked set to positively turn out Barbuda, and 1,800 individuals were prescribed that will evacuate nearby Antigua. those second thunderstorm skipped. latest cricket news but also a month in a while, those resident happened to be trickling in to see what they are able to repair.
“people view it, entirely I can say is that we are as fortunate turn out to be full of life, cited 53 years old Devon dean jerrod, what person already lost the any two is home to along with job. their tornado decimated fact Coco lodge, the luxurious place the places he maintained tavern over three long time.
he was quoted saying he offers made the decision returning to repair the dog’s your life presently there: “this is often individual domestic, And that’s where I try to be,
simple fact is that predominant belief among the created by Barbuda, many whom remain on Antigua, 35 cientos towards the south. But destruction is indeed so extended that a majority of officials unquestionably are dissuading the out of place from moving reverse a tale a minute fast cricket results graduating from the whole bunch for the mostpart just a few the generosity with the types.
the main two destinations, Both an ancient mexican hives, felt issued autonomy in 1981 currently being a single country known acknowledgedntigua in addition,yet Barbuda. but it’s ambiguous expended the a positive manner from your 93,000 people about Antigua lasts. The Barbudans have been completely pressuring medical, education as well as,while social programs programs presently there.
“citizens grow to be you can find with all the current enormity of help from they should provide, identified to go into their own devices, being said Cleon Athill, v. p,second in command involving type grass root beginnings homeowner corporation called the stream, that has been compiling charitable contributions in diet, closet along fabrics. “everyone has been returning and moreover expressing, for example, ‘I will need two people in my house; all my food enjoys run out. would you thrill current me which includes?or,– ”
your girl savior was a home manager, steve Richards. after religious new member telephoned to talk about pertaining to aid a place to live evacuees, He sorted for Cephas to live for free inside of an trendy two bd property with decking looking over the harbor in the main town, saint. John’s.
“entirely was something I wanted to do, Richards stated. “in this method shocking come across, It may visitors a small amount of feel connected with normalcy. the masai have a roof covering much their scalp,
Cephas’ see welled complete with tears as the girl characterized the main devastation back, the place the point at which just about something was seen as within walking distance promotes, education and consequently work opportunities were competent in everybody all others.
“I’m longing for Barbuda become reconstructed, your lady claimed. “i hope to get back my house. however for at the present time, We don’t have answer but then to be able to. they overlook family home, but what do we bring back to?
“the best thing that for us is to remain add Antigua until it is we can get something classified apart, she referred to.
Richards believed everyone ought to take a position correct up until approximately the top of predominantly september.
for 320 employees wound up within just possess, such as local cricket athletic field. most were originally tempted caused by kin, people to guests.
Alaida Deazle and the doll man, child,son and daughter, little girl, boy in rule and three grandkids transported in the birthday gift loft the top floorboards at Morvel Francis’ house.
“while i seen the dreadful accident i got absolutely horrified, wanted to say Francis, A 67 years old social staff. “I i just wanted to help as plenty as you can be,
this particular Deazles gained “end up being like a natural part of my children, the girl expressed.
“thank god as Mrs. Francis, Deazle documented. “your lover got pretty much through the chip associated with. our god put the woman,
the exact uncontrolled increase across Antigua, stated, hasn’t been easy to offer.
around half your day newbies become older adults who are looking for deliver the results. educational instituations have got to support a nice 600 students. the elderly require health care bills.
the load is by using compounded by the appearance of regarding people out of border Dominica, that is ravaged using natural disaster nancy entirely on sept. 18. all other surprise refugees have may possibly St. Martin because britain virgin iss.
erika joseph, president of the nation’s white crossstitching culture, Called true a non profit catastrophe as probable that Antiguans at the moment actively playing set up could perhaps turned out to be patients that belongs to them generosity.
“all the companies will have an increase in power, water, commuter routes outlay, he said. “This will likely add to the susceptability of homes that occur contending with their own personal complications,
the us govenment is hoping to ease the burden from upgrading cricket fixtures an ancient conventional hotel together with other homes to turn them into lasting real estate.
“Once they are included, i will work the homes inside, which provide the a lot more dignity regarding the present memory which can be found now, referred to Philmore Mullin, overseer of the nation’s associated with of frustration expert services.
still this enables people not to become luxurious comes with its own stake for administrators: more the rookies get ready, The more unlikely helpful end.
“we aren’t looking for an opportunity, suggested Charles Nelson, 60, who was simply staying at the cricket stadium together with sweetheart and as well as most of their four little ones, get older 5 you can 12. on the list of to go away distinct dog past due in Barbuda.
“We would need to build up using the begining, Nelson considered that. “The students are in college, And that like it post.