by Connie Kingrey Anderson, Creepers Mysteries Blog

When a friend tells you a story about something that happened to him, often times you'll say, "That happened to me too!" or  "That reminds me of a time..." Then you tell him your story.

This is called priming the pump. One person starts the storytelling, and others get "warmed up" and join in. Here's my story to help prime the pump for you. What story you will you tell next?

Spooky Night in the New House

We just moved into our new house, so there were no blinds on the windows. During the day, I could look out at squirrels, rabbits, and friendly trees. But as the sunny day sunk into a spooky night, things changed. The windows turned into big, black gaping holes. With the lights on, I could be seen crystal clear from the outside. But of course, I couldn't see THEM. (THEM = all the creepy things that hide in the dark and only come out in vivid imaginations or horror movies.) As it got darker, I lowered the lights and stayed out of sight.  I made dinner on my knees with a flashlight.

Then I had an idea. I could turn on the floodlights outside the doors and leave them on all night. Now the tables were turned. It was dark inside, but artificially sunny on the front porch, back patio and a few other likely entrances. I could see THEM, but they couldn't see me. Feeling smug now. And not quite so scared...

...UNTIL the light on the back patio went out. OUT?! The switch was on the inside. That could only mean one thing. An intruder WAS IN THE HOUSE!

The phone rang. I fumbled in the dark, grabbing it before it hit the floor.  H...H...Hello? No answer. I waited. Nothing. But somebody was on the other end. What was that sound? Someone was struggling to speak. Struggling and...chewing?! Who dials a phone number, then stuffs his mouth full of a big sandwich? My non-scary, hero-to-the-rescue husband, that's who. I frantically told him about the light, and that I was trapped in the dark house WITH AN INTRUDER! He took another bite of sandwich. And chewed. And chewed some more. Not sharing even the slightest bit of my hysteria. When he was able to speak again, he simply said, "Motion detector lights."

Have you had a spooky night in your house? Share your story with us.

by Connie Kingrey Anderson, Creepers Mysteries Blog

At first it was just the neighbors talking. The house was a bigger than the rest. It was painted many different colors, not that that's a bad thing - it was just different from the other houses in the neighborhood.

It had intricately carved designs around the windows and balconies. Staircases on the outside went nowhere. On the third floor there was a small door that had no balcony or stairs beneath it. It was a straight drop. Occasionally someone opened the small door and a long rope was thrown out. But no one ever climbed down.

The neighbors said Ebeneezer came out of the house only rarely. And no one could actually say they saw him, but rather, they heard him. Things clanked in his pockets as he walked, or so they thought. There was neighborhood speculation that the clanking must be keys. But the when the clanking turned into pings and bells and other noises, they were puzzled.

What the nosy neighbors really noticed were all the people coming and going. Everyday kids came up the front walk with Creepers Mysteries under their arms. Their parents followed behind, bringing grandparents and cousins, and friends from the other side of town.

It kept up day after day, until the groups grew so large they spilled into the backyard, which is a generous way to describe the space behind Ebeneezer's house. (If it really is his house.) Nonetheless, it suddenly gave the nosy neighbors a reason to clean up their backyards and hose down their lawn furniture, all to get a better look. And this is what they saw:

Let us know if you have a possible Ebeneezer sighting to report....

by Connie Kingrey Anderson, Creepers Mysteries Blog

Close your eyes and imagine the aroma of the sizzling country breakfast on Smokey Joe's long wooden table: browned sausage drenched in maple syrup, eggs fried in a cast iron pan, smoked country bacon, warm buttered toast, and light fluffy pancakes with a touch of vanilla.

When you play a role in Haunted Cattle Drive, you can hear the pounding hooves of the horses and the crackling wood in the campfire. You know sound effects can take your imagination to another place. But did you know you can pump up your experience even more when you let your sense of smell and your taste buds get into the act?

Make your own delicious country breakfast, then get the full sensational experience by reading Chapter 4 in Haunted Cattle Drive. Here's an excerpt:

The next morning, Harry, Gillian and Arvin woke up to the delicious smell of flapjacks and bacon.

"Rise and shine!€" Smokey Joe hollered from the kitchen. "Chow'€s on! Come and git it!"

The kitchen could feed an army of ranch hands, but the long wooden table was set for only four. A huge, empty stew pot hung in an open fireplace. Dusty fry pans, some with cobwebs, hung from the rafters. They hadn't been used in ages.

Harry and Gillian came into the kitchen, slid onto the benches, and pulled them up close to the table. A scrumptious country breakfast sizzled on the plates in front of them.

"Morning Smokey Joe." Harry picked up a fork and speared a plump sausage.

"Morning,"€ Gillian echoed as she reached for the maple syrup.

Smokey Joe lifted first one dusty boot, then the other over the wooden bench and plopped down in his usual spot. €"Morning everybody. How did you greenhorns sleep last night in that old bunkhouse? I hope the coyotes didn'€t keep you awake."

Oh, no,€ Gillian said. €"I couldn't close my eyes because...€"

€"...of Arvin'€s snoring. Isn'€t that right, Gillian?" Harry gave her a look.

"Uh, yeah." She stuffed her mouth with another fork full of flapjacks.

The door behind them creaked. Then Arvin pushed through in a hurry, untangling his twisted suspenders on the way. "Did I miss anything?" He wasn'€t about to lose out again like he had last night.

Smokey Joe handed him a plate. Better grab some grub while the gettin'€s good. You'€re the last one to the trough, Marvin."

€"That'€s Arvin,€" he said, as he started to pile on the pancakes. Then he turned to Harry. Hey, how come you didn't wake me up on the bus last night when the ghost appeared? Tell me what happened."

€"You had to be there Arvin,"€ Harry said.

"But I was there.€"

€"You were asleep!" Gillian said as she grabbed a piece of bacon just as Arvin reached for it.

Now that you'€ve got the hang of it, go to the campfire scene in Haunted Cattle Drive and cook yourself up some smoky sausage and beans. Make sure you add some campfire spices. It makes me hungry just thinking about it!