It was a balmy night that year as the little girl made her way with her family down the street.  She was so excited because she had been looking forward to this all day.  They were going trick or treating.

The small girl walked up to each door anticipating the wonderful excitement of screaming boo at the poor unsuspecting adult who would answer her knock.  Then the adult would drop handfuls of sweet tasty treats into her bag in appreciation for how frightening she was.  She didn’t understand why adults rewarded you for scaring them on this night because normally when an adult told you that you had scared them it meant you were in trouble.  Of course to the little girl’s way of thinking not much of what adults did did made any scene to her.  Like tonight, her mom and dad had insisted she and her little brothers wear a coat even though it wasn't cold and on top of that they hadn’t worn a coat themselves.  Maybe adults were afraid of kids more when they didn’t have something hiding part of their costumes. 

The more the little girl thought of this she figured her and her little brothers were scarier than she thought and it might have been a good idea for them to wear the offending overly warm garment.  After all she didn’t want to scare people so bad that they wouldn’t get the candy when they screamed boo.  Maybe they would even give an old person a heart attack.  She remembered her mom saying more than once that she or one of her brothers and even her dad had scared her nearly to death.  Maybe she should cut back on the boo part a little, she certainly didn’t want to give an old person a heart attack.  She didn’t know what a heart attack was but it didn’t sound like it would be a lot of fun.

The little girl was so caught up in her own thoughts she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings.  The long high hedge that she was about to pass didn’t even register in her mind as she drew near.

The poor child was suddenly catapulted back to reality when something horrible jumped out from behind the hedge and stood with its arms stretched over its head growling at her.  She looked up into the face of the horrible monster that would soon devour her.  The little girl screamed letting out all the fear in her in one piercing howl and dropped her bag of treats.  She did the only thing she knew to do and that was to run.  She knew she had no chance of outrunning the hideous beast and she could hear her parent’s cries of anguish as well as the heavy footsteps of someone right on her heels.  The child put everything she had into a last desperate attempt to outrun the monster.

When the thing reached and jerked her up into his massive arms she fought for everything she was worth.  She kicked and screamed, she struck out with her tiny arms and hands and clawed at the beast.  She was going to fight until her last breath.

“Cathy, stop it now.  It’s your dad honey.  I got you.  Nothing is going to hurt you.”  Cathy’s dad tried to restrain his frightened child but it was taking all he had.

When her father was finally able to get through to her she wrapped her arms around the strong shoulder of her father and buried her head into his neck crying.  It broke the man’s heart to see his brave little girl so broken at this moment.  He wanted to go back and hit the man who had scared Cathy so bad.  He knew however that he couldn’t do that.  He knew that his little girl had to face her fears or she would never love Halloween again.  She would never go trick or treating again.  So with a heavy heart he took his child back to the house with the man who had caused Cathy to run away.

When he stepped up on the porch of the house the man lived in he had taken off his mask and did everything he could to help calm her.  He gave her the mask he had been wearing for her to examine.  Once she realized that like her the man had been in costume she got mad at herself.

Then the greatest thing happened.  The man and his wife started pouring things into her bag as fast as they could.  They nearly emptied all of their candy into Cathy’s bag.  They even gave her a Coke.  Man this was great Cathy thought.  All this because I got a good scare and then there it was, her mom’s favorite thing to say.

“Cathy, baby you nearly scared me to death.”

'I scared you?'  Cathy thought in disbelief.

Soon the little girl was eager to get back to trick or treating.  Now she knew how this worked.  Oh yes she was going to make an even bigger haul than she already had.  She was ready to go.  She had some old people to give heart attacks to tonight.

By Cathy Pace Matthews​

• In case you're wondering, this is based on a true story and it did happen, to me.  It is so deeply embedded in my brain that I still feel the same horror as that little seven year old child did back in the early sixties when I think of that man jumping out at me . So there is my scariest Halloween story everyone.
  
• I reread this story tonight and it brought tears to my eyes.  You see my mom and dad are no longer with us and this story brought back a very sweet memory even if I did get the crap scared out of me.  Maybe next Halloween I tell the story of reverse is fair play.  I still laugh at that one.
  

Sunday I will be the featured author on Colors of Darkness.  It is a meet and greet and with authors who are featured for one hour for three days.  I will be on from 3 & 4 PM Sunday.  There will be prizes and fun.  I will get a chance to meet new people and and talk about my books and play games.  So please come and join me and let me know who you are.  The prizes with be a black onyx and sterling silver pendant, a copy of my book Journey into Nightmares, and a surprise.  So let's talk and have some fun and maybe you can walk away with a prize.
There will be other authors featured so please drop by tonight and any time tomorrow from 3:00 PM till midnight.

I have of course been using Weebly for my web site and blogs.  I'm seriously thinking of changing that.  I have had nothing but trouble with it since they decided to change things up here.  Come on people if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I'm sure you've all been through this more than once yourselves.  Some nitwit comes up with the idea they can make it better.  Now occasionally someone comes along and manages to pull one out of their arse but not often.  As a rule however they manage to screw up the whole damn works and then you spend months trying to get things to work like you need them too.
Come on people wake up and stop jacking around with our stuff.  If we're not bitching then be happy because obviously we are and isn't that what matters?  Oh wait, no it isn't.  It's about some egg headed geek who thinks they know more than the rest of us.  Really?  It was working before you decided to 'fix' it.  You aren't as damn smart as you think you are now are you.  Oh just so you know that up until they went and changed everything I have been having problems. It worked fine before it broke itself.  I say it broke itself because invariable the moron who stuff their finger into our little pie will pass the blame off to whoever they can including us end users.  Or in some cases the customer because the term end user has a bad connotation.  It sounds like drug user.  Whatever.  I use toilet paper does that mean I may take that as a possible indication that someone might get the impression I'm into something more criminal because I do.  I'm sorry but I will continue to 'use' toilet paper and if you want to assume that I am a bathroom druggie then by all means be my guest.  I'm also a user of deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, cold and hot water, towels, and various other items and that's just in the bathroom setting.  I have a whole list of other rooms that I am an end user of.
Anyway back to fixing what isn't broken.  Get your head out of your arse and stop messing with my stuff.  I don't like you and would truly love for you not to just go sit down but please go sit on your hands so they can't muck up anything else.

OK we've established the fact that I hate waiting, so there is that.  We're now going to add to the things I hate.  When you tell me you're going to do something I expect you to do everything you can to follow through especially if you're a business.  I put in an order for my first book in print and everything was fine.  Order was confirmed.
Well I got my second book in print and ordered it.  It came but still no sign of the first book.  I called.  They made a big mistake and told me that yes they messed up and they would send me the first order at no charge for the order or the shipping and there would be no charge and it would be put  on a rush shipment.  Got the confirmation on this as well.  Great.
Well in the meantime the third book goes to print and I order copies and get confirmation on that one.  Just got notification that third book has shipped but still no word on whether or not the first was shipped.
Now the first book should be here this evening at the latest but I have my concerns since I haven't received a notification that it has shipped.  So come tonight if the books aren't here I will be calling and I won't be nice.
Now the fourth book is in print and again I have ordered some of these as well.  I should be getting a notification soon on those as well.
Here's the real kicker.  I didn't order these books to place in my trunk to sell here and there, all these books were ordered for specific reasons.  They are all spoken for.  See my dilemma?  I have made a commitment and now I'm having to put people off after promising them something.  Another words they have made me go back on my word and that I do not like at all.  When I tell someone something I do everything I possibly can to follow through.
So now you know two other things that set me off.  don't go back on your word and whatever you do don't make me go back on mine.   

That title has a double meaning now or I should say a double reason.
I tried to post and my blog had decided that it was to early to be up and at it this morning I guess.  It didn't want to cooperate.
Anyway third and fourth books are now in print.  You would think I would be more excited but right now just tired.  I think I'll get excited when I can get a little more sleep.
I'm looking forward to getting back to writing and the past few weeks have seen little of that because been working on the publishing end of things.  Writing is fun the rest isn't.  Don't like that part.  I say this with a pouty face.  Too much to have to think about regarding the real world.  I like my make believe better.  The colors are so much prettier.
No, truthfully I am excited.  Four books in print.  That's something to be proud of and I am but that sounds so self indulgent I hate to admit it.  It has been a long road but I'm getting there.  To know that I have books in places like Barnes & Nobel and Books-A-Million not to mention several other places in both ebooks and in print is awesome.
I never thought I would do this but here I am.  Still working on the promotional end of things so we shall see.  I have a great group of people surrounding me and helping me along with that.  Yes I have people.  True most may be friends and family but with a group like that what else do you need?
I hope that people reading this will like my facebook page; Cathy Pace Matthews, author of Blood Lines 'The Curse' and other books.
I hope you will stop by there.  There is an event coming up next weekend where you can meet other others and maybe win prizes and books.  So stop in and check it out please.  See you there.  Until tonight at 10:00 PM you can download a copy of my first book for free on Smashwords.  Here is the link for you to go to just copy and paste.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/487345

Well I now have two books in print and in 12 to 24 hours will know if I have three.  Let's hope the powers that be will take pity on me and let this one go through without and hiccups.  I would like to leave them to Emma.
We things have been hectic and right now I would love nothing better than to crawl under my bed and pull my blankets around me and hide from the world.  I'm tired.
It has been worth it however.  To hold two of my books in my hand is awesome.  I feel like I'm walking on air.  of course that could also just be me being punch drunk from being so tired.  Oh well it's a pleasant feeling.  Well it would be if m back wasn't hurting.  I've discovered that when I'm formatting and uploading a book to be published I literally sit on the edge of my seat.  Now that by itself is bad enough but when you are sitting one the edge of your seat with a laptop desk with your laptop on top of it that doesn't do a lot for the posture.  Oh well we all know I'm crazy.
It would appear things are jumping in the lives in the lives of everyone around here.  Gina is on a roll all over the place.  A new car, school going great, She just got a promotion at work, and she like every other women goes from wanting to kill her feller and loving him to distraction.  Ginny is expecting her second child and really rocking her new job.  Susie is busy with Layla and working hard and being a really great mom.
I feel I'm doing great everyday that my husband Buddy doesn't kill me.  I know I drive him nuts.  Yes he's proud of me but the whole writing thing consumes me and the poor man is often wondering if he even has a wife.  Let him go out here and try to find another woman and he'll find out he not only has one but one who will jerk a knot in him.  He's stuck with with me poor man.
Adding a pic just to show off, yes I can do that and I'm going to.  Hey sometimes you just have to.  Hope everyone is well and having a great weekend and being safe.

Been working away here so I know I'm not exactly over active here.  The good news is that both The Curse and Buried Treasure are in paperback.  I hope you will give them both a read.
I hope to be more talkative in the near future but still trying to get the second to in print as well as working on adding a few more stories to Journey into Nightmares as well as working on my new book WindRider.
Things are really happening in my personal life as well.  To many things and not enough time.  I think I need a vacation.
Oh the really great news and I hope it gets better but at least one Barnes & Nobel is considering carrying my first book in one of their stores.  Let's hope they do.
Things are picking up as you can tell and I'm happy.  Well as happy as a crazy old lady can be.  Hell I'm crazy how do I know what full blown happy is.  That might just be that I'm so far gone at this point I don't know which is crazy and which is happy.  Ssh don't tell me, I like it just the way it is.

I know I've been quiet for a while.  Buddy and I have both been sick and fighting to get over what has had us under the weather but back on the mend now.
I've also been working to get my last book published as well as getting the second book in print.
I'm telling you sometimes I think the stars line up to make things difficult for me.  When I went to hard publish the first book I zoomed right through it.  Didn't take no time at all.  This second one however has been a real bitch.  Yes I said bitch.
I swear everything I've done had been wrong.  I just got word that the second book was good to go and then I found a problem I couldn't and wouldn't ignore.  I have had to re submit and now sitting and waiting again to get the all's clear again.  Yes I'm waiting and we all know how I take that crap.
I've spent the past ten days on this and I don't understand some of the things that go on.  One thing that really gets under my skin.  I had a book cover and it was accepted but the inside, or the book itself, had a problem,  It took me a week to figure out how to fix the damn thing and that was a real bitch but finally I had it.  OK it's good to go right?  No.  Somehow in that ten days the cover went from being not great to unacceptable.  That now damn cover had been sitting in their damn system with a thumps up by them and suddenly it was not right.  What the hell people?  What the crap did you do to it that now it was wrong?  I submitted the same cover again and no the image isn't right. Well I redid the whole thing and finally OK it's good to go.  I'm surprised that I still have a hair in my head after these ten days.
Well it is off again and let' hope it comes back again good to go.  We shall see in a few hours.