A Haunted Halloween — Paul Melniczek

Halloween. The name itself conjures up a witch's brew of images. Leering Jack-O-Lanterns sitting on porches, costumed children trick-or-treating across suburban neighborhoods, skeletal trees marking the passage of another season, and lonely fields of corn swaying gently in a chill, autumn breeze. But there is also a darker side to this magical night, one which can breathe life into things which were only possibility, and sculpt them into dreadful reality. Every home has at least one closet which harbors a skeleton. There's a house in every town with a morbid past and haunted occupant. Families hide their dark secrets, and inside each of us wages a struggle of good against evil, one in which the final outcome is never certain, or necessarily pretty. Within the folds of the dark season, all things emerge from the shadows to celebrate, claiming the holiday for their own sinister purpose, and for every treat there's a nasty trick waiting somewhere close by...

"There's only a handful of young writers I will drop whatever I am doing to read...Paul Melniczek is one of them. Atmospheric, lyrical storytelling at its best. He always delivers." - Richard Chizmar, Cemetery Dance

"Literate, well-written, and scary as Hell Halloween treats. Each story resonates with an awareness and deep appreciation of past classics. The concluding tale, "The Attic Door," is a richly compelling read, easily justifying by itself the cost of the collection. Highly recommended." - Gene O'Neill, Stoker Award winning author of JADE and DEATHFLASH

"Paul Melniczek writes about Halloween as if it's his birthday, Christmas and the Fourth of July all rolled up into one!" - Al Sarrantonio, author of over 40 books including the ORANGEFIELD cycle, BABYLON 5, and MASTERS OF MARS