Remember the poisoned Halloween candy scare of 1982? I do, and as the already terrified big sister to three siblings, it wasn’t fun. (Read more about it here: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/candy-tampering.htm)

That was the inspiration behind my flash fiction piece “Toxic Snap,” which is one of sixteen finalists in Crystal Lake Publishing’s Special Halloween Challenge for its Patreon supporters!

All 16 stories posted starting yesterday—“Toxic Snap” appears today—and Patreon supporters of Crystal Lake Publishing will be able to vote for their favorites. The three top stories will receive a cash prize and also be published in CL’s 2022 Shallow Waters Halloween anthology.

I’m going to put a plug in here for Crystal Lake’s Patreon, simply because I’ve been a supporter there for a few years now and I love the benefits—while there are tiers for readers, there are tiers for writers especially, and I’ve found the content helpful. In addition, as someone who’s always overwhelmed and often doesn’t have time to enjoy posts very often, CLP’s are quick and easy for me to grab every morning with my coffee. If you’re a busy person but still want your tidbits, CLP is the way to go.

Benefits (for $5/tier and up) include: Flash fiction writing challenge every month (winner is paid .03/word and publication in an upcoming anthology), author interviews and spotlights, behind the scenes goodies, advance reveals, bonus content not available on social platforms and in the newsletter, midweek motivations and writing prompts and advice, free ebooks and occasionally paperbacks every month, a sense of community, and more. It’s a great value—especially if you’re a writer, but readers win, too!

So … consider supporting Crystal Lake, and if you do before the end of October, enjoy all the stories in company with “Toxic Snap”—one is even by Tom Deady—and vote for your favorite!

You can sign up for Crystal Lake’s Patreon Page here: https://www.patreon.com/CLP

Happy Halloween!