You see a trail of what appears to be hair running down the alley between two buildings. Against your better judgement, you follow it down a small staircase and through an unlocked door. Inside the door is a dark basement. You fumble for the light switch, then yelp when the harsh fluorescent light flickers on.

On the wall is a message, written in elegant cursive. It is written with hair.

"Hey, it’s Ben. Benjamin Gray. The Wolf in the Woods is in fourth place in the Horror Contest! Because of this, I have released a story called "All the Walls are Rotten." 

There’s only about a day left in the contest, and it would take a miracle to get into third place or higher. To be fair, it was a miracle that I got into fourth place, but I’m out of Miracle Juice. 

I’ll let you know what happens, but for now, just enjoy your Halloween. And, if you’re a holdout, please pre-order The Wolf in the Woods! It’s Halloween, for dread’s sake-- do something impulsive."

You switch off the lights and close the door. "This has got to stop," you mutter to yourself.

I’m still having a hard time focusing on my own writing as the Horror competition heats up. My husband’s book, The Vampire and the Dragon (PrOOF vol. 1) is still in the top three, but third through sixth place have really picked up momentum. If you haven’t already, give his novel a glance. The excerpts are fantastic, as is the complete story. 

Then I plan on getting back to work on Grimalkin. I’ve still been developing the story and characters, but the competition is my focus until the 31st.

Thanks for your continued interest and support!