Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Eight: Forest

The last day of the Coffin Hop is upon us! I have completed the challenge I set forth to do, take the eight words my friends of FB gave me and write a story with them, one episode at a time. I’ve just re-read the entire story and I’m fairly pleased with it. Do I think some of the words are a little misplaced – yes – but I did the best I could do. Hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

Read Episode Three here…

Read Episode Four here…

Read Episode Five here…

Read Episode Six here…

Read Episode Seven here…

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Episode Eight: Forest

The door opened into the darkest forest Brian had ever been in. He couldn’t see any sun breaking through the trees and it wasn’t until it occurred to him the sun had set that he felt a little better for having left the house.

With the door closed firmly behind him, Brian had no other choice but to follow the brickwork around until he found an entrance, or met up with someone who worked at the B&B. Not having any means to comprehend which way would be faster, he chose to go to the right.

It was a long walk, and one that gave him time to think. Along the way, he passed by a small cemetery lit by the moon shining through the canopy of trees, its headstones in serious disrepair. Making a mental note to remember to tell the staff, he continued hoping he didn’t have too much farther to go.

Within a few minutes he could see the lights from the exterior of the house and was glad he was almost out of the woods.

It struck as he was about to round the last corner that lead to the front of the house. A large hulking mass that smelled of stale sweat, patchouli and raisins.

Driving him to the ground, it lunged for his throat finding purchase as it squeezed. Brian could feel himself losing consciousness as he struggled in vain. Reaching out his hand, he tried to signal for help but there was no one around. Feeling his strength ebb, he gave in and relaxed into the animal, glad the ordeal of the weekend was finally over.

*

Clara found Brian the next morning, remote in hand in front of the television. His face was tranquil, looking as if he were at peace. The first responders on the scene told her he’d died of a heart attack. But something didn’t seem right to her…

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Seven: Happiness

My Coffin Hop Challenge continues into day seven!

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

Read Episode Three here…

Read Episode Four here…

Read Episode Five here…

Read Episode Six here…

***

Episode Seven: Happiness

Bathed in an ethereal glow, Brian awoke unsure of where he was. He reached out his hand to touch the orb that floated in front of him, scared to lay a hand on it but compelled to do nothing else.

The surface was spongy, giving a little as his fingertips made contact. In that moment, he felt the purest moment of happiness he could remember and a feeling of tranquility flooded his body.

The experience was profound. He knew what he had to do and rose to his feet. As the orb lead him down the hallway, a strange voice talked to him in his head.

It spoke to him of the tunnels and how at one time they had been used to secret women and men in and out of the house. It was a sordid past it spoke of, something Brian wasn’t sure he fully understood. But he let it lead him down the hallway, instinctively knowing it was there to help him.

After long minutes, it brought him to a door made of thick oak. While it looked ancient, he could see the absence of rust on the hinges in the blue-tinged light. Placing his hand on the latch, he lifted up and pushed.

Nothing happened. Trying again produced the same result.

Inside his head it spoke to him, telling him to pull. Obeying the voice, Brian was rewarded as the door swung open.

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Six: Desperation

The Coffin Hop Challenge continues into day six!

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

Read Episode Three here…

Read Episode Four here…

Read Episode Five here…

***

Episode Six: Desperation

The illumination from Brian’s smartphone screen seemed extra bright in the confines of the cramped space. The group continued to move forward until they came upon a bisecting hallway.

“Which way do you want to go?” Brian asked without turning around as he strained to see what was down each of the hallways. “Does anyone have a preference?”

“I say we split up.” It was Clara who made the suggestion.

Brian wasn’t sure it was the best idea but figured he’d better keep quiet or else look like he was scared in front of Greta’s husband. He continued to scan each of the directions, looking for the way that seemed the least scary of the three.

No one spoke for a few minutes until Greta piped up, her voice a little more high-pitched than normal. “Ummm, sure I guess. I mean if you guys want to, I suppose we’d be able to investigate these tunnels faster if we did.”

“Then it’s settled, we’ll go one way, you guys go another.” Clara turned to catch a flash of fear cross Brian’s face before it settled back into his usual smile. She could tell the smile was for show, but it would be great to get him alone down here. “Brian, why don’t you and I take the left tunnel?”

“Sure thing Clara – let’s go.” The two of them continued down the hallway, leaving Greta and her husband alone to decide if they wanted to continue forward or give up and go backward. Up ahead, the passageway turned right and soon the young couple was out of sight and mind.

“Why are we doing this Clara?”

“What do you mean, Brian? I thought you wanted to investigate.”

“Sure, I mean yeah, but now we’ve just gone deeper into the house and we’ve gotten ourselves horribly turned around. I’m not even sure I can get us out of here.”

“I’m sure we’ll come to another door soon Brian, no need to worry. Besides, I thought you liked being alone with me…” Brian turned around to find Clara smiling at him, her sweet face angelic – almost a little too angelic for his liking.

“What do you have up your sleeve woman?”

“What do you mean? I’m not even wearing sleeves!” She wrapped her arms around him and leaned in for a kiss. Losing himself for a moment in the pleasure, Brian didn’t even notice his phone being taken from his hand.

And in a moment she was gone, the light from the phone disappearing into the inky blackness that consumed the air around him. Panic set in, causing Brian to weave erratically. When his face hit the wall next to him, he heard the sickening crunch of a broken nose. He howled in pain, hoping it would bring Clara back to him.

It didn’t and within what seemed like hours but was really only a few minutes, he began to find it hard to breathe. As the walls closed in on him, he searched along them for anything, but finding only dirt and cobwebs which stuck to his fingers.

Brian screamed as he moved, hands splayed before him, hoping someone beyond the tight brickwork of the passageway would hear him. He searched every crevasse for an exit, the desperation sinking in. Ripping off a fingernail did nothing to deter him in his madness to find a way out.

Sinking to the ground while cradling his bloody hand in the other, Brian was close to losing it. Looking to his left, he saw a faint glow off in the distance. Before he lost consciousness, he wondered to himself: was it an exit?

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Five: Microfilm

My Coffin Hop Challenge continues into day five…

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

Read Episode Three here…

Read Episode Four here…

***

Episode Five: Microfilm

The weekend only amped up from there. The next morning, as part of the Haunted Weekend, there were reports of ghosts having been spotted in the halls during the night. It was obvious to Brian it was all staged, the cheese factor extremely high, but he played along because he could tell it made Clara happy.

As the mystery began to play out, Brian actually began to have fun. There were investigations with crazy looking devices they called EMF Detectors and some sort of camera that was meant to show differences in heat. There were even segments that had them searching old microfilm for evidence of historical deaths or purported hauntings.

Soon after, they broke into groups and searched the Bed and Breakfast for any sign of the ghosts.

While in the drawing room with another couple, Clara and Brian stumbled upon a secret compartment behind the bookcase. Inside was tight passageway that lead deeper into the bowels of the house.

“Do you think anyone knows this is here?” a mousey woman by the name of Greta asked the question.

“I’m not entirely sure. Should we check it out?” Brian was excited to investigate the tunnel, his curiosity overwhelming his fear of spiders and anything else that may have been living in the dank, dark corners.

Lighting the hallway with his phone, Brian climbed in first and began the trek to places yet unknown. The rest following him inside, not noticing the door closing behind them.

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Four: Machete

It’s Day Four of the Coffin Hop and things are starting to get a little more interesting….

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

Read Episode Three here…

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Episode Four: Machete

With the help of the bellhop, Brian and Clara got settled into their room, amazed that check-in took them next to no time at all. Especially with all of the other couples milling about. Brian heard snippets of a few conversations that confused him, but figured he’d just come into them at the wrong time.

Looking around their room, Brian was a little bit disturbed to see devices of torture depicted in striking black and white. “Were these here the last time we stayed?”

Clara looked up from the bathroom sink, toothbrush in her mouth to stare at him quizzically. Through a mouth of foam she asked, “Was what here?”

“The pictures – some of them are a little creepy to say the least…” Brian’s voice trailed off as he studied a picture of a man dressed in black leather holding a large blade. “I think dude’s holding a machete!”

“You know I never noticed them before but chances are they were here the whole time. Kinda creeps me out to think they stood watch over us as we slept…”

Brian moved to the next photo, looking at the small caption that was scrawled at the bottom: Boehm Fetisch-Club, Berlin 1975. It was an odd photo showing a woman dressed as a rabbit flogging a man dressed as an ostrich. “Get a load of this one!”

Clara came over to where he stood, studying the photo for a moment before turning to face him, “If you’re not a good boy, I might just smack you too!”

With Clara giggling, Brian drew her toward the bed, “Just you wait and see who gets that spanking!”

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

 

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Three: Jealousy

It’s Day Three of the Coffin Hop and so far, this little challenge is not very challenging at all… Just wait until I get to the next few words – Gack!

Read Episode One here…

Read Episode Two here…

***

Episode Three: Jealousy

“Why do we have to bring so much stuff? It’s just one weekend and we’re going to be spending it in bed…”

Clara looked at Brian and smiled slightly. He could see the twinkle in her eye and he figured it was his ticket. He silently pumped his arm in excitement behind her back after loading her heavy suitcase into the trunk of his car. Getting into the driver’s seat, he turned to watch Clara climb in on the passenger’s side.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Absolutely, let’s get this weekend started!”

On the drive to the Bed and Breakfast, the two of them sang songs along with the radio and chatted about nothing in particular. Arriving a little more than two hours later, Brian was surprised to see quite a few people unloading their cars, carrying luggage to the grandiose building.

It was certainly a sight to behold with its sharp angles and black shingles. Getting out the car, Clara was approached by a young man in a classic bellhop costume. Smiling at Clara, he offered to help her with her bags. As she walked to the back of the car, Brian noticed him stare a little too long at her svelte body.

Jealousy flared within him and he wanted to smash the brazen man’s face in. Clara turned back and noticed the dark look on Brian’s face and smiled. She liked it when he got jealous; it meant he was more attentive to her in the days following each flare. This weekend was going to be even better now…

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode Two: Giant Squid

Day two of the Coffin Hop as well as day two of my Coffin Hop Challenge…

Read Episode One here…

***

Episode Two: Giant Squid

Brian took the remote from Clara and switched the television back on. Bored with the hockey game, he started to flick channels, finally settling on a movie. It was one of his favourites – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

As a boy, he remembered watching the movie with his paw-paw and being afraid of the giant squids that attacked the Nautilus and Captain Nemo. Now, it was just good fun that reminded him of his first sips of beer and the smell of pipe tobacco.

With the movie playing in the background, Brian nodded off to sleep. It was his usual routine after dinner, and Clara tried not to fume as she called the Bed and Breakfast. Thinking it would be a good lesson for him to learn, she signed them up to take part in the Haunted Murder Mystery that was going to play out with other lucky guests. It was meant to be a full immersion experience and Clara thought it was a perfect gift for her less than attentive partner.

As she went back to cleaning the kitchen after dinner, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. This weekend was going to fun…

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop Challenge – Episode One: October

God knows I love a challenge, but I have to wonder if I bit off more than I could chew with this one… Not knowing what I wanted to do for Coffin Hop this year, I posted a status update on Facebook asking for eight words. Coffin Hop is eight days long and I figured what better way to celebrate the festivities than with an original story. I wanted to take those eight words and use each of them as an episode for a complete story. Shouldn’t have been too hard, right?

Then the words started pouring in… Along with the quizzically raised eyebrows on my end – could I really do it? Could I take these eight words and make a story from them? Something that actually made sense?

Abso-freaking-lutely! So each day you’re going to get the next episode of this tale. Some will be shorter than others, but in the end it will be a complete story. It doesn’t have a title yet, that will come the day after the Coffin Hop when I post the whole things from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it!

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Episode One: October

“Hey babe, what do you want to do this weekend?” Clara asked as she dried the dinner dishes in the kitchen.

“Ummm…” Brian answered as he watched the game, forgetting to follow his grunt with an actual response.

Coming out of the kitchen, Clara picked up the remote and switched off the game. “Seriously, what do you want to do?”

“Why do we always have to do something? Why can’t we just stay in and have sex like normal people?” Brian playfully grabbed her ass, hoping to pull her down onto his lap.

“How about you take me someplace nice and we can have sex there?” Clara was certainly not above using whatever tricks she found up her sleeve. “There’s this special event that Bed and Breakfast we stayed at last year has for Halloween… Maybe we could go check it out?”

Brian grimaced. He loved October, but hated Halloween. But not one to miss out on a chance to bed his girlfriend, he agreed. “Set it up babe, and we’re good to go. Now give me back that remote!”

All Rights Reserved © 2013 Julianne Snow

***

Comment on this post to be entered to win a daily prize of a digital version of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One. If you comment on each day, you’ll be entered into the grand prize – click here for more details. All winners will be announced at the end of the Coffin Hop.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers!

Coffin Hop 2013: The FlipSide of Julianne

It’s that time of year again: the annual Coffin Hop Extravaganza!

What’s the deal with the Coffin Hop you ask? Well, each year a bunch of horror authors and artists get together and provide 8 days of horror-filled goodness all over the internet!

The year of The FlipSide of Julianne I will be embarking on an interesting journey. I asked my FB friends to give me 8 random words, but didn’t tell them I would be writing a continuing story using those 8 words as episodes. What was I thinking?? You should see the words they threw at me!! But I shall do what I must and hope it all makes sense!

Each day, there will be a new episode of the story and by coming back and reading you may win some prizes! Each day I will be giving away digital versions of my novel Days with the Undead: Book One plus my soon-to-be-released collection Glimpses of the Undead to a random commenter. At the end of the week, I will be giving away a grand prize consisting of:

• One rare and collectible signed PROOF copy of Days with the Undead: Book One
• A digital version of Glimpses of the Undead
• A digital version of a soon-to-be-released collaborative charity project I helped to spearhead
• And potentially a few more goodies!

In order to win the grand prize, you must comment on my posts each and every day. A random winner will be drawn from the commenters who come back every day.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Coffin Hoppers here!

Blog Tour: Ninety-Eight by Shannon Mayer

Celebrating the release of her newest contemporary romance, Ninety Eight, Shannon Mayer is hosting a fun week long event, ‘Crawl Between the Sheets’! But first, check out Ninety Eight and don’t forget to enter our blog giveaway to win your own copy!

Release: October 17, 2013

Publisher: HiJinks Ink Publishing Ltd.

New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance

Goodreads | Amazon

For a limited time, Ninety Eight will be priced at JUST $0.99!

Shannon’s other contemporary romance, High Risk Love, has also been reduced to $0.99 during the release event for Ninety Eight!

Goodreads | Amazon

Speed Limits
Lottery Tickets
Elevator Buttons

Numbers are everywhere—they play such a vital role in our everyday lives. But what would happen if we measured love with equations just as we do our morning cup of coffee? My nana had many recipes in her cupboards, but it was her calculations for love that she insisted I live my life by; and I’ve followed her rules all these years.

One Animal
One Moment
One Critical Impact

That’s all it took for the numbers to start flying in a jumbled mess through my brain as I stared into the violet eyes that would forever make me question my choices. In a split second, the possibilities and reality of true love are revealed and I’m questioning all I’ve ever known.

A Tree
White Fences
Stolen Moments

I can’t ignore the storm brewing around—and within—me. Everything I am is confronted by these new numbers, and all they represent. My past, present and future will all be determined by the gambles I make right here, right now. Again, it’s all about the numbers.

And what I’m learning is, one plus one doesn’t always equal two and sometimes three times isn’t always the charm.

***

Welcome to “Crawl Between the Sheets 2013”!

This event is a web crawl scavenger hunt and you are ALL invited! Each day, different blogs will have different events for you to crawl around the web and enter the hunt.

• GRAND PRIZE: IPAD MINI or $350 Amazon Gift Card (all Amazon territories included) winners choice.
• RUNNER-UP PRIZE: $150 Amazon Gift Card (all Amazon territories included)

*** 

Today’s Web Crawl Events

To participate in today’s web crawl events, follow the directions below to receive your daily points. Once you have completed one of the 2-3 daily events, please return to Shannon’s website at http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/ and enter your submissions in the Rafflecopter found there!

3pts. Go to Kelley Armstrong’s website at: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

• Find out what nationality is she?

Submit your answer as your entry at http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/ .

5pts. TWEET THIS: @KelleyArmstrong Thanks for inspiring authors like @TheShannonMayer to write kick ass urban fantasy series like the Rylee Adamson Novels! (You MUST tag both Kelley Armstrong and Shannon Mayer)

Submit the link to your tweet as your entry at http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/ .

OR

ON FACEBOOK:  Go to Kelley Armstrong’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/KelleyArmstrongAuthor

• LIKE her page AND
• Enter this as a comment @Kelley Armstrong Thanks for inspiring authors like @Author Shannon Mayer to write kick ass urban fantasy series like the Rylee Adamson Novels! (You MUST tag both Kelley Armstrong and Shannon Mayer)

Submit the link to your post as your entry at http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/

10 pts.  Go to Kelley Armstrong’s website at: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

• Sign up for her newsletter

Submit the email address you signed up with as your entry at http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/

ALSO, every day during this event you may do the following to earn EXTRA points:

If you share this link:  http://www.shannonmayer.com/crawl-between-the-sheets-2013/ on Facebook or Twitter, you can enter the URL link to your post/tweet to gain an extra point for the day.  Even if you complete the other tasks for the day, you can STILL do this as well up to once a day!

To see other blogs and the rest of the week’s events, visit Shannon’s site and check out her News Blog!

(http://www.shannonmayer.com/)

About the Author

Shannon Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband, dog, cats, horse, and cows. When not writing she spends her time staring at immense amounts of rain, herding old people (similar to herding cats) and attempting to stay out of trouble. Especially that last is difficult for her.

She is the author of the The Rylee Adamson Novels, The Nevermore Trilogy, A Celtic Legacy series and several contemporary romances.  Please visit her website at http://www.shannonmayer.com  for more information on her novels.

Website:  www.shannonmayer.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ShannonMayerAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TheShannonMayer