Veronica's #WritersDiary: Countdown to 🎃All Hallows' Eve🎃; What Will You be #Reading?

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs

and whispers,

'tis near Halloween...

Just five more days until the spookiest night of the year, who's ready to get their #Boo on? For this scary night post, I thought I'd give a writer's lift #Shoutout for a few books and stories I've previously read for this countdown to Halloween. These tales from various genres will prime the goosebumps, get those hearts pumping, and best of all, are calorie free!🎃 It's been a pretty scary year, I think we've had enough of the #tricks--we deserve a few #spooktacular reads that are sure to #treat:

#CozyMystery

Amy Reade's Ghouls Night Out

Beth Cowan-Erskine's Loch Down Abbey

John Anthony Miller's Honour the Dead

#Ghost Stories

Penny Hampton's The Unquiet Spirit

Helen Grant's Too Near the Dead

Ross Young's Dead Heads

#Paranormal #Horror Short Stories

Cathleen Maza's Savannah at Midnight

D.B. Carter's The Sting; She's Always Hated Halloween

Morgan Wright's As Black Roses Bleed

#Horror Books

Ken Stark's Gaia's Game

A.M. Semple's Situation Z

David Toft's A Gift of Butterflies

#SciFi Tales

H.E. Wilburson's Lake on the Moon

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary

David Collin's Asteria

#Suspense

Brenda Guiton's Beneath the Poison Tree

J.C. Paulson's Two Hundred Bones

On the #poetry scene, I've been following the #Spooktacular daily writings and narrations on Twitter by poets P.S.Conway @ps_conway; DeRicki Johnson @derickijohnson; and Dwarven_King @Dwarven_King_SH--check them out, highly recommended!

Happy almost #Halloween Boos! It's Wednesday, time for #DearDiary:

Speaking of Reading #Treats...

Bibiana Krall and I have a 99 cents special for the 🕸Tangled Webs 🕸 eBook on #Amazon U.S.--pick up a copy to read as we countdown to #Halloween! Warning, when the clock strikes midnight, October 31st, this magical price disappears into thin air...#Boo 👻🎃

https://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Webs-Haunted-Book-2-ebook/dp/B08XN6ZJTV

#AmReading #AmReviewing

A Royal Christmas mystery this week from the writers of Twitter...

Author Rhys Bowen, God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen, 5⭐

An unexpected invitation changes Georgie's plans for Christmas in this latest Royal Spyness Mystery. Georgie, Darcy, her mother; and brother, Binky's family are heading to the royal Sandringham estate to spend the holidays with Darcy's eccentric Aunt Ermintrude, a former lady in waiting to Queen Mary.

As the guests arrive to the grace-and-favor house, more surprises are in store, including the arrival of Mrs. Simpson, the American divorcee causing many royal pains for the HRH crowd. As the holiday festivities begin, barbs and innuendos are traded, magnifying in intensity when deadly accidents occur. Georgie receives a royal request to get to the bottom of things--will she and Darcy discover who is behind the evil deeds before another tragedy occurs?

Author Bowen once again delights readers with a charming, royal whodunnit perfect for the holidays. I'm a huge fan of this series and this latest tale does not disappoint---a highly recommended read!

Next up in the reading queue:

And next, next up in the #reading queue (it's 558 pages so I'll be a bit longer ;)

Who's ready for a green goblin?🎃🍸

I thought I'd share a cocktail recipe featured in 🕸Tangled Webs🕸 that I've called the Green Goblin. It features a liquor I found out about on Twitter, called Chartreuse--an earthy, herbal liqueur made from 150 herbs. Warning, this little, earthy libation packs a powerful punch, so if you imbibe, park those broomsticks for the evening!🧹🍸

V’s Green Goblin/Martini style

• Two parts gin or vodka (If you like a strong cuke flavor, I have used cucumber-flavored vodka for this drink)

• One-half part Chartreuse (Have I said this is powerful stuff!?)

• Four parts cucumber infused water (I make my own—just add cucumber slices to H2O and let infuse in the fridge for a day or two. Strain, or for an extra punch, blend and strain.)

• Two parts lime juice

Shake with crushed ice and pour with a cocktail strainer. Choose pretty glasses and top this lethal libation with a thin slice of lime and/or sprig of rosemary

Welcome to my world. Have a #Spooktacular week as we countdown to #Halloween. #TrickorTreat! 🎃

Crowns and Kisses,

Veronica

P.S. Speaking of the clock striking midnight...Once the spookiest night of the year concludes on Sunday, I'll be switching holiday gears into full-blown Christmas mode, Monday! Christmas Bizarre ❄Rikkhe St. Claire's Hygge & Bisous Holiday Mysteries releases on November 1st! I'll be celebrating in next week's post #StayTuned...Rikkhe and Gemma most definitely approve 💖👑