Kelli A. Wilkins - Romance, Horror & Mystery Author : Moon Shadows

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Moon Shadows - A Halloween-themed Anthology

Hi everyone!

It’s that time of year again. Yes, October is upon us and my thoughts naturally turn to the changing leaves, apple cider, warm cinnamon doughnuts, and of course, Halloween!

Today, I’m sharing a bit about a Halloween-themed anthology titled Moon Shadows.

In the dark of night, the moon is bright.
But what lurks in the shadows will give you a fright.

Seventeen stories touch the unknown, the unseen, and the undead. Visit what we avoid. Step into the shadows of the moon.

My seasonal story, “Home for Halloween” appears in this Moon anthology. This tale of two brothers reunited for Halloween showcases the best elements of this special holiday. (And if you know me, you know it really is special!)

Here’s an excerpt from “Home for Halloween”:

Kyle cradled the giant pumpkin in his hands as he walked down the street. His thin arms jutted out from his black vampire cape, and he bit his bottom lip as he concentrated. Not far to go, now, he told himself. The heavy gourd stretched his aching muscles all the way to the ground, but it was worth it.

Mrs. MacLaughlin had thrown a Halloween party for his fifth grade class today. She’d read ghost stories and talked about the history of Halloween while they made paper cut-outs of ghosts and Jack O’Lanterns. After lunch, they ate bat-shaped sugar cookies with black icing and sang a Halloween song about five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. At the end of the day, everyone got a bag of candy to take home, and the king of all pumpkins was raffled off to one lucky kid. He couldn’t believe it when his name was called. It was the first thing he’d ever won.

Kyle stopped to take a break and squinted toward the setting sun. A breeze ruffled his hair, and his cape swirled in the wind. The maple trees had tossed off all their leaves last week. Orange and brown husks skittered around his feet.

He loved autumn. The crisp air held a sense of magic and wonder. Part of him longed to linger, to take it all in and make this perfect moment last forever, but he had to hurry home. Tonight was special. It was Halloween.

Every Halloween, Mom forced him to sit at the kitchen table and eat dinner like it was a regular night when all he wanted was to race out the door and start trick-or-treating. Mom didn’t have to be at the diner until nine tonight, so they could stay out even later than usual. Even though he begged every year, Mom never let him go out trick-or-treating by himself. “Too many maniacs creeping around,” she said.

A car horn blared from behind him, and he turned as an old green Buick pulled to the curb.

“Hey kid, need a ride?”