by Mindy Hardwick
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Kids dress in costumes, jack-o-lanterns glow on porches and mischief is in the air. But, Halloween wasn’t always a holiday designed to frighten and scare. Halloween used to be a romantic holiday. Before the 1930′s, Halloween parties were for single people to find love and for matchmaking. Between 1875-1935, Halloween parties included: masquerade parties, barn dances, progressive dinners and society balls. The parties involved kissing games, mistletoe and fortune telling.
The idea for my sweet contemporary romance novella, HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE, evolved from this romantic history of Halloween.
Here are some ways of foretelling your future spouse on Halloween night:
- Look into a well or spring by lantern night on Halloween and see the face of your future husband and children.
- Melt lead and pour it into cold water. The shape represents a future husband’s trade
- Walk into your bedroom backwards at midnight on Halloween. Look over your left shoulder and see your future husband.
- Catch a snail on Halloween and keep it in a flat dish. In the morning, the first initial of your future spouse’s name will be written in the slimy trail.
HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE is a story based on Halloween romance and party games. Jenny Piercy is excited to help with the Elmheart Hotel’s old-fashion Halloween barn party and enjoys nothing more than working side-by-side long-time friend, Zach Cullver. But, it’s going to take more than a fortune teller’s prediction of true love to bring these two together. Can a coffin and a mummy costume show Zach and Jenny the best romance is found in long-time friendship in this sweet, contemporary romance novella?
HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE is the second story in the Elmheart Hotel series. You can find out more about the series here.
I hope on this Halloween night, you find a little romantic magic among the ghosts and goblins.
Happy Halloween!
Author Bio: Mindy Hardwick enjoys writing first love and sweet, contemporary romance for all ages and is known for her small-town, artistic community stories. Mindy enjoys teaching others about writing and h
er on-line classes can be found on Savvy Authors. When she’s not writing, Mindy can be found art journaling, visiting flea markets dreaming of new ways to repurpose old materials, and walking on the Oregon Coast beaches with her dog, Stormy. Mindy believes that a great story can warm the heart, lift the spirit, and heal the soul.
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Available Books and Links
Halloween Love Fortune
Publication Date: October 12, 2013
Publisher: Books To Go Now
Purchase Links:
Tag Line: Will a fortuneteller’s prediction spark romance between long-time friends?
Blurb:
Jenny Piercy is excited to help with the Elmheart Hotel’s old-fashion Halloween barn party and enjoys nothing more than working side-by-side long-time friend, Zach Cullver. But, it’s going to take more than a fortune teller’s prediction of true love to bring these two together. Can a coffin and a mummy costume show Zach and Jenny the best romance is found in long-time friendship in this sweet, contemporary romance novella?
Excerpt:
Jenny shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just don’t think I’ve carved pumpkins since…” Jenny’s voice broke off suddenly.
Zach’s heart ached for her. Softly, he squeezed her hand. Zach wanted to tell Jenny nothing would ever harm her again. He knew her childhood hadn’t been easy. She shouldered a lot of responsibility after her mom died. It hurt Jenny when her younger sister, Allison, married right out of high school, moved to San Diego and didn’t invite Jenny to visit. Jenny had seen more than her share of heartache. Zach wanted nothing more than to take it all away and make sure she never hurt again. “We can do this together,” Zach said, his voice husky with emotion. “Go ahead and cut the top. We’ll scoop the seeds out first.”
Very carefully, Jenny moved the knife into the hard pumpkin shell where it promptly stuck.
“Here.” Zach leaned around Jenny. He wrapped his right hand around the knife. “I don’t think this is the best knife for carving,” he whispered against her cheek. “But let’s go with it. Maybe it will work with the strength of the two of us.” Zach pressed the knife into the pumpkin shell. Slowly, he carved a circle in the top of the pumpkin.
Other Books by Mindy Hardwick
Love’s Storm (sweet, contemporary novella)
Love’s Bid (sweet, contemporary novella)
Love’s Christmas Gift (sweet, contemporary novella)
Winds of Love: An Anthology (Sweet, Contemporary)
Vintage Valentine (sweet, contemporary novella)
Coming Soon from Mindy Hardwick
Christmas Kisses (Books To Go Now), December 2013)