ABOUT THE BOOK
House flippers Jack & Juniper agree to lend and help prep their latest purchase—The Doctors House—an old Victorian mansion to act as the eerie setting for the town’s Halloween bash, they’re expecting to find missing floor boards, and pesky bats, not the ghostly specter of the murdered Doctors Wife.
But when the head of the council is found stuffed in a trunk in the attic, it appears history is repeating.
As June and the team, carry on with party preparations, they unravel a century of family secrets, whispers of lunacy—and the number one suspect goes on the run. But the victim’s family insists that the ball must go on, even with a killer on the loose. With Halloween fast approaching, June sees the woman in white and wonders if keeping the killer out was ever really a possibility. Now she’s desperate to unmask the killer before the Annual Halloween Bash turns into even more of a deadly haunt…
But when the head of the council is found stuffed in a trunk in the attic, it appears history is repeating.
As June and the team, carry on with party preparations, they unravel a century of family secrets, whispers of lunacy—and the number one suspect goes on the run. But the victim’s family insists that the ball must go on, even with a killer on the loose. With Halloween fast approaching, June sees the woman in white and wonders if keeping the killer out was ever really a possibility. Now she’s desperate to unmask the killer before the Annual Halloween Bash turns into even more of a deadly haunt…
GUEST POST BY RACHEL STAPLETON
GET YOUR HOUSE HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR
Welcome ghouls and boys! The witching hour is upon us! Cue the Cult Classic Horror Films, the Monster Mash, and the need for Haunted Houses decorations! If you’re hosting a Halloween party or a Deadly Haunted Ball like Juniper and Pike in Cookies, Corpses & the Deadly Haunt, you’ll need to get your house ready. Here are some of the tips on how I get my spooky old Victorian ready!
Before you do anything, turn on the music, and get in the Halloween Spirit! I like Saint-Saëns "Danse Macabre." This dance of the dead features the Devil playing the violin, and a xylophone imitating the sounds of rattling bones. You might recognize it from certain Halloween films.
Fake skulls, cobwebs, candy dishes & creepy pictures
Skulls are an inexpensive and yet classy way to add a little spooky-ness to your house! I also keep these in my library to a little ambiance to my writing room. I bought my skulls (the eyes light up) at the dollar store. You know what else is cheap at the dollar store? Creepy pictures, candy dishes and fake cobwebs. Holographic Halloween Photos are cheesy, but I love them, and there’s no easier way to age a room than with fake spiderwebs! During Halloween you absolutely must have something to hold the candy. I like to use a witch’s pot that I got from a party store.
Table Cloths!
This is one of my favorite ways to decorate for Halloween, because they are so versatile! Just take an old sheer curtain and cut tears into it. Instant spooky chic table cloth or hang them in a doorway. I like to lay mine over a black cloth.
Fake Tombstones
We do a combo here. We have a couple that we bought from the dollar store or party centre but we also made some from cardboard and spray-painted. We just stand them up in the garden, along the walkway and against the house. My daughter likes to hide amongst them like she’s a statue and then jump out and scare people as they arrive. Little girls can be so spooky.
Old Trunks & Suitcases
We found some in our attic and bought others at an antique shop. They are all over my house, so I just leave a fake hand or leg hanging half-out; add some fake cobwebs and boom! Now we have a hidden dead body. Similarly, we stick those old bones in our garden.
How to make a creepy standing figure.
-Get a tall lamp stand, and take the light bulb and shade off of it.
-Get a long dress or nightgown
-Leave the dress on the hanger, and hang it over the lamp stand.
-Get a skull or mask and place it over the top of the lamp stand, so that it covers the hanger. And there is your super cool and super creepy standing figure!
We do a combo here. We have a couple that we bought from the dollar store or party centre but we also made some from cardboard and spray-painted. We just stand them up in the garden, along the walkway and against the house. My daughter likes to hide amongst them like she’s a statue and then jump out and scare people as they arrive. Little girls can be so spooky.
Old Trunks & Suitcases
We found some in our attic and bought others at an antique shop. They are all over my house, so I just leave a fake hand or leg hanging half-out; add some fake cobwebs and boom! Now we have a hidden dead body. Similarly, we stick those old bones in our garden.
How to make a creepy standing figure.
-Get a tall lamp stand, and take the light bulb and shade off of it.
-Get a long dress or nightgown
-Leave the dress on the hanger, and hang it over the lamp stand.
-Get a skull or mask and place it over the top of the lamp stand, so that it covers the hanger. And there is your super cool and super creepy standing figure!
In my book, Juniper and Pike make creepy ghost ladies using mannequins, sheets and/or old sheer dresses and led lights. Here are some links to other cool new ideas out there.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a34369/diy-packing-tape-ghosts/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDdl0oWcOYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXS1j-mzNsM
Cheers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachael Stapleton lives in a Second Empire Victorian home with her husband and two children in Ontario, Canada and enjoys writing in the comforts of aged wood and arched dormers.Connect with Rachel:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the book:
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