Especially for Halloween

Are you in a Halloween frame of mind?

Several years ago, I wrote a sweet contemporary short story I called Happy Halloween. A couple of years ago I thought, Duh! I should publish that! So I did.

Every year since then, I've pulled it out at this time to offer to the folks. I think it gives a good look at Phoenix, Arizona, around Halloween. You may be surprised at the activity portrayed, but that's Phoenix in October.

Here's the description:

Happy Halloween

A "Misty Moments" contemporary romance short story

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat.

I have plans for further "Misty Moments" short stories jotted down in my "Idea Notebook." Now, I just need to get around to writing them! Do pick up your copy of Happy Halloween before this holiday is over.

Happy Halloween $0.99

Smashwords all formats | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iTunes Bookstore

Sample Saturday: Happy Halloween #4

Welcome to Sample Saturday. It's Halloween! Here's the last snippet from my short story, Happy Halloween. Mary Beth has just gone off the diving board at her new apartment and belly-flopped into the water.

After you read this, go buy the story. Purchase links below.
~~~

“You looked like you knew what you were doing until you left the board. What happened?”

“Lack of practice. I left Phoenix during high school, and I haven’t dived since then.”

“That’s too bad.” He leaned back in the chair, snaking the towel off his neck and dropping it to the deck. Not satisfied with the position of his chair, he half rose and turned it so he could more easily watch the shallow end of the pool as well as talk with Mary Beth.

She turned her gaze to follow his, encountering the two small children who had been hiding behind his legs. The little girl, blonde like Linette, sat on the edge of the pool and kicked her feet in the water. Her brother, a younger boy with brown hair, stood near her in the pool, jumping up and down and scooping up hands full of water to throw on her. They laughed and squealed. Mary Beth looked back at the man.

He watched the children carefully, his eyes betraying the caution that his eased muscles denied.

“They’re cute. Are they yours?”

He broke away his intent gaze to look at her. “Yes. Amy and Jon Daniel. We call him J. D.”

She waved her hand in the direction of the pool. “Sam and Linette. I’m Mary Beth Larson. We just moved in from Colorado. Well, by way of Chicago.”

“Glen Hampton. Pleased to meet you.” He leaned over to offer his hand.

She shook it, wondering a little at the formality of his gesture. “Are you from around here?” Her wave took in the whole Valley of the Sun.

“I’m a native. My folks still have a farm out beyond Gilbert.”

“That’s really out in the sticks.”

“Not any more. If you’ve been away for long, you missed the big housing boom. My folks have subdivisions of homes on every side of them. Dad’s thinking of selling out and moving to Payson.”

“Payson! Oh golly, I haven’t been there for years. We used to go camping up on Tonto Creek.” She smiled at the memories and made a mental note to take the kids north to the mountains for a Sunday drive.

“Payson’s filling in, too. You wouldn’t know the place anymore.”

Mary Beth’s brow furrowed. “Is it spoiled?”

“Not yet, but the country surely does get used a lot. If the doggone Easterners would just stay east—” He stopped in confusion. “I’m sorry. I forgot you’re just in from the East.”

She laughed. “Chicago’s the Midwest, but I have lived in Colorado since I was married.” She stopped, pulling herself up short before telling her whole life story to this stranger.
~~

Thanks for visiting. If you enjoyed this scene, comment below so I know all my work on the blog is worth doing. Then go buy the story.

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A "Misty Moments" short story.

Happy Halloween - only $0.99
Smashwords (all formats) | Kindle

Sample Saturday: Happy Halloween #3

Sample Saturday is back. Here's a third snippet from my holiday story, Happy Halloween.
~~~

Mary Beth’s eyes traveled from the pool deck, up two strong legs topped by gray swim trunks, over a wide chest with a peculiar scar, past a towel slung around solid shoulders, and into a pair of concerned gray eyes set in a broad face. She carefully stretched to make sure nothing was broken.

“I think so, but my pride sure aches.”

“Hey, Mom. Wasn’t that a belly flop?” Sam grinned at her from the ladder.

“I’m afraid so, son. My flip turned out to be a real flop.”

“You’d better practice more, Mom.” Sam turned away and swam lazily around the pool.

A deep voice at her shoulder compelled her attention and Mary Beth turned to look at the man.

“You’d best lie down a minute. Get your breath back.” He turned to a pair of children who stared wide-eyed from behind his legs. “You two go play in the shallow end. I’ll be there in a little while.” His gray eyes returned to Mary Beth’s face. “Really. There are plenty of lounges here to rest on. That was a whopper of a belly flop, and you need your wind back before you go back in the pool.” His mouth turned up in an ironic smile, but Mary Beth could read solicitude in his eyes.

“All right. I guess I do hurt more than I thought.” She led the way to a plastic chaise lounge, and when she stumbled a bit, the man grabbed her arm to steady her.

Mary Beth settled into the wide strips of rubbery plastic, warm from the morning’s sun. Meanwhile, the man slacked his long body down into a web-covered chair and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

“You looked like you knew what you were doing until you left the board. What happened?”
~~~

Thanks for visiting. If you enjoyed this scene, comment below so I know all my work on the blog is worth doing.

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A "Misty Moments" short story.

Happy Halloween - only $0.99
Smashwords (all formats) | Kindle

Sample Saturday - Happy Halloween #2

Welcome to Sample Saturday! October always ends in Halloween, so here's another snippet from my holiday story.

Mary Beth has decided a swim would be a nice break from settling into the new apartment. She tells the kids to don their swim suits.
~~~

“Hey, guys,” she called to the children. “Let’s take a break. Find your swimming suits. The manager said the pool is heated.”

“Yippee,” shouted Linette. “I’m glad we came to Phoenix.” She ran to her room to get into her suit.

Sam appeared in the hallway, struggling to take off his shirt over his head. “I’ll be ready in a second, Mom.” He flung down the shirt and unzipped his pants.”

“Sam!” Mary Beth protested. “You can’t strip in the hall.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I have my suit on already.”

And probably have all week long, she thought. “You kids are way ahead of me, aren’t you?” She sighed. “Just wait for me. I don’t want you out there by yourselves.”

She jogged down the hall, eager now for the swim. It would be fun, just like when she was a kid. She’d always regretted it when her folks moved from Arizona during her teen years. Now she was back, and she planned to recapture some of the carefree feelings of her youth. Something had to work to remove this heaviness from her soul. Bill wouldn’t want her to grieve for the rest of her life.
~ ~ ~ Mary Beth stood on the edge of the pool and swung her foot through the water. It wasn’t really warm, but certainly was tolerable, and the sun felt good on her shoulders. She looked around. Linette wasn’t a good swimmer yet, and stood at the shallow end, testing the water as Mary Beth had done, but Sam went off the board as soon as he arrive in the courtyard.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, secured it with a wrapped band, then dove off the board after Sam. She came up sputtering a little, but feeling a sense of refreshment in the cool water.

“Oh mom, this is super!” Sam’s call rang out across the courtyard. “You can’t do this in Colorado on Halloween.”

“Keep your voice down, Sam. We’re living with a lot of other people in this complex.” Treading water, she looked around at the handful of people in the pool area. “We don’t want them to think we were raised in a barnyard.” When Sam made a motion as though he were zipping his lips shut she grinned, then swam to the side and looked around for her daughter.

Linette had entered the shallow end of the pool and was happily splashing in her swim ring. “Mom,” she called. “Watch me. I can almost swim!”

“Yes, Babe, and next summer I’ll get you into swimming lessons for sure. You need to know how to swim if we stay down here long.”

Sam hauled himself up onto the side of the pool. “We are staying, aren’t we? I thought you said we were moving here for good.”

“We’ll see, Sam. Things like this take time to work out.”

Mary Beth climbed out by the pool ladder and went over to the springboard. “Watch this, kids. I used to do this dive all the time before we moved to Chicago.”

Mary Beth’s toes gripped the end of the board, then she jumped into the air. Time and unused muscles and an unfamiliar board worked against her, and she hit the water with a resounding smack.

Winded, she broke the surface, gasping for breath, then swam slowly to the side.

Two long, tanned arms reached down and helped her up the ladder.

“Are you all right?”
~~~

Thanks for visiting. If you enjoyed this scene, comment below so I know all my work on the blog is worth doing.

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A "Misty Moments" short story.

Happy Halloween - only $0.99
Smashwords all formats | Kindle

Sample Saturday - Happy Halloween

Welcome to Sample Saturday! Since it's now October, and you know what holiday comes at the end of the month, I thought I'd share a sample from my contemporary romance short story entitled Happy Halloween.

Recent widow Mary Beth Larson is moving into an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. Here she deals with her son, Sam, and then her daughter, Linette, as they make adjustments in their lives.

~~~

“Do I have to go to school tomorrow? Thursday’s a rotten day to start.”

She looked at his frowning face, framed with dark brown hair. “What’s the matter with Thursday, Sam?”

“That’s the day the teachers give the tests. I won’t know what they’ve studied. Then Friday’s even worse. They do all the fun stuff that the kids earned all week. I’d feel dumb, and the kids would think I was a smart-aleck, getting something for nothing.”

“Sam Larson, there’s hope for you yet. If it’ll make your way smoother, we’ll start you on Monday.”

“Thanks, Mom. Hey, can I go trick-or-treating tonight?”

She looked at his bright face, still smooth at age eight. “I already said ‘no,’ con man. Now scoot and see what your sister is up to. I haven’t heard something falling all over the floor yet.”

Mary Beth placed the books on the shelf, a wistful half smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Sam was adjusting, coming out of the shock of his father’s death six months ago. Linette was doing fine, too. Now if she, Mary Beth, could just feel better. She thought back to the last words her mother had said as they left Chicago a week ago.

“Mary Beth, it’s time to let go. Time to get on with your life. I’m sure this move will help. I love you.”

I love you too, Mom but I loved Bill a long time. Grief is not something I can just shake off like a case of the flu.

As if to underscore her thought process, a wave of despair swept over her. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sob, battling with her mind against returning to the day Bill’s hunting buddies called.

“Mom.” Linette’s six-year-old voice broke into her thoughts, yanking them away from the edge of horror. The girl bounded into the room with her pony tails bouncing. “I put all the sheets in the closet. Can I have a can of pop?”

“Can’t you wait until lunchtime, Babe?”

“But I’m thirsty, Mom. There’s six cans, so we can each have two.”

“Not right now, we can’t. If you drink your pop now you’ll have to have milk with your lunch.”

Linette nodded her blonde head, grinning. “I like milk with lunch.”

“Then you may have one can, but drink it in the kitchen!”

“Thanks, Mom.” Linette was gone, scampering through the doorway.

Mary Beth got up from her crouched position and stretched her arms above her head. The dust from the carton of books made her feel coated with grime, and she idly wondered if the apartment pool was heated as claimed. Might as well find out, she thought.
~~~

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A "Misty Moments" short story.

Happy Halloween
Smashwords all formats | Kindle |

Sample Saturday - September 27, 2014

Welcome to Sample Saturday. This week's sample introduces some of the characters of my new short story, Happy Halloween.
~~~ 

Mary Beth sneezed as she took the dusty books out of the carton. Her blond hair fell over her forehead, and she thrust it back with her wrist.

“Sam,” she called to her son in the bedroom. “See if you can find a box of tissue. I think I put some in the hall closet.”

“I can’t find any, Mom,” he shouted over her next sneeze.

She shook her head in resignation. “Then bring me some toilet paper. I know I put that in the bathroom.”

After a moment, Sam came into the room. “Here, Mom.” He handed her one sheet.

“Do you really expect me to blow my nose with just one little piece, Sam?”

“You said ‘some’. Doesn’t ‘some’ mean ‘one’?”

“Oh Sam, I’m just not ready for word games today. Give me a couple more squares, at least. This dust has my allergies going ‘boo!’ already.”

The boy returned with a decent hank of tissue and gave it to her, grinning at some private thought.

Mary Beth blew her nose and looked at Sam, marveling at how much he looked like Bill, and half wishing that he didn’t. “Well?” she asked. “Spill it.”

“Nothing. I just wondered if you’d let me go trick-or-treating after supper.”

“I don’t know, Sammy. With so many kooks out these days, and not knowing the neighbors yet, maybe we’d better pass this year.” She noted his quick look of disappointment, and hastened to add, “You can stay here and pass out candy while I do the laundry. But don’t let Linette out the door. She’ll want to go with me, and it’ll take a while to get your clothes ready for tomorrow.”
~~~

Thank you for visiting. Stay tuned for information about the Blog Book Tour that I'm having from October 6 through 12.

And don't forget to come back next Saturday for another sample of my writing.

Bestselling author Marsha Ward wrote the novella, Faith and the Foreman, in the Timeless Romance Anthology Old West Collection. She is the author of an acclaimed novel series featuring the Owen family. Her novel, Spinster's Folly, won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Western Fiction, and recently was named Finalist in Western Fiction in the 2014 International Book Awards. A former journalist, Ward has published over 900 articles, columns, poems and short stories. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association, a.k.a. ANWA.

Facebook | Twitter | marshaward.com

My New Short Story

Just in time for Halloween, I've published a new short story called Happy Halloween as an ebook.

Although I wrote this piece a number of years ago, this year I took it out, wiped off the grime, spruced it up, made a cover, and finally published it at the appropriate time of year. The ebook is available at both Smashwords, where you can pick up all the formats you need for your devices, and at Amazon, where it's in the Kindle store. It's nicely priced at $0.99. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Happy Halloween

Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A short story.

Happy Halloween
Smashwords all formats | Kindle

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