On October 28 – October 30^th I had the distinct pleasure of attending a local work shop

hosted by the Oregon Writers Colony at their “haunted” beach house, Colony House. Colony House was decorated in eerie Halloween finery and amazing food was served such as Death by Salad, Monster Sliders, Psycho Pie, and Graveyard Brownies

Becky Kjelstrom, Queen of Halloween, and Empress of Terror D’Norgia Taylor lead the discussions as participants (Judy O’Neill,
Mary Ann Huff, and Roma Gray) explored writing and reading the sinister and macabre. Discussions focused on what scares us and how to develop petrifying ideas in our writing, moving “It Wasn’t a Dark and Stormy Night” beyond clichés. An additional topic discussed was the business of writing, specifically marketing. Fun was had by all.

Coming away from this event, I was once again reminded about the importance of networking with fellow writers. We all learned so much from each other, and we left the event with new ideas and certainly new friendships. I encourage all authors to explore their local writer haunts and strength their networks.

Happy Halloween everyone!