Category Archives: Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole — Tales from Haunted Disney World
BAD APPLE (S), TAROT AND MORE ON P.M. LITES
I was a guest on ParaRock TV’s P.M. Lites with Dawn Short on Monday, and we had a great time covering a wide range of topics—plans for my upcoming horror novel, Bad Apple, due out in 2012 and the New England Horror Writers Association; on a paranormal note, the joys of being a sensitive, Tarot card trials and much, much more! You can listen/watch it here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19113195
LIKE SCI-FI? DON’T MISS SCI-FI SATURDAY NIGHT THIS WEEK!
I’m honored to announce I’ll be on Sci-Fi Saturday Night on Thursday, December 15 (live streaming) at 8 p.m. and Saturday, 12/17/11, to talk about Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from Haunted Disney World and some sci-fi with the whole gang: The Dome, Kriana, Illustrator X, AwakebyJava, The Dead Redhead, Zombrarian and Dru Silla!
Sci-Fi Saturday Night—the Official Podcast of the Boston Comic Con—is a lively, popular podcast that covers all things Sci-Fi—from films and features to books and art, you won’t want to miss it. Past guests include authors Harlan Ellison, Ben Bova, Spider Robinson, Tracy Hickman and Christopher Golden; Wizard World founder/CEO Gareb Shamus; actors Amber Benson, Mark Metcalf, Adam West and Doug Jones; physicist Stanton Friedman; plus editors, musicians, game designers and more (in fact, Lance Henriksen was just on last week! Cool!)
Check out the show here: http://www.scifisaturdaynight.com – visit Thursday, 12/15 at 8 p.m. to listen live!
BAD APPLE, SCARY SCRIBES, AND SENSITIVES…I’LL BE ON PARAROCK TV’S PM LITES TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ET!
After just having finished a rockin’ Very Paranormal, Eh? Christmas Special, I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be talking with Dawn Short on ParaRock TV’s P.M. Lites tonight at 9 p.m. ET! We’ll be discussing my new novel Bad Apple, my new podcast, Scary Scribes, which debuts on the Paranormal, Eh? Radio Network in January 2012, sensitives, and a whole lot more!
You can tune in and listen live at http://www.pararocktv.com. If you miss it, the show’ll be archived, so stay tuned for links!
HAVE YOURSELF A SCARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS—PARTICIPATE IN TOYS FOR TOTS HORROR STYLE
With so many families facing financial horror for Holidays, Toys for Tots needs more donations than ever—and Toys for Tots Horror Style is offering an incentive.
Participate in Toys for Tots Horror Style, and your name will be entered into a drawing to win an entire library of horror novels, short story collections, magazine, music and other goodies donated by horror writers and publishers (you can see a list of what’s in the package below—I’ve donated a copy of Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from Haunted Disney World to the kitty).
Entering the contest is easy! Just follow these steps:
1 purchase a toy that’s $5 or more
2 take a picture of you holding the toy
3 take a picture of your toy in ANY Toys for Tots donation box
4 Head over to the Toys for Tots Horror Style Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/ToysForTotsHorrorStyle
5 Post both photos.
Please, please enter!
As of November 25, 2011, the winner’s spoils are as follows:
Novels and Short Story Collections
* Jesse Bullington The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart (http://www.jessebullington.com)
* David Conyers The Eye of Infinity (donated by Nick Gucker) (http://www.david-conyers.com)
* Ray Garton Night Life (http://ereads.com/ecms/authors.php?id=174)
* C.W. LaSart Dark Moon Presents: Ghosts! (http://www.cwlasart.com)
* William Meikle The Amulet (http://www.williammeikle.com)
* Bruce Memblatt The Dark Jar (http://sjsondheim.com/blog1)
* Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. SIN & ashes
(https://sites.google.com/site/thisyellowmadness/publications/collections/-news-sin-ashes)
* Kristi Petersen Schoonover Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole: Tales from Haunted Disney World (http://www.kristipetersenschoonover.com)
* John Claude Smith The Dark is Light Enough for Me(http://thewildernesswithinbyjohnclaudesmith.blogspot.com)
* Simon Strantzas Nightingale Songs (http://www.strantzas.com)
* G. Edwin Taylor (illustrations for The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers) (http://www.taylor9.com)
* Jeff VanderMeer FINCH (http://www.jeffvandermeer.com)
* Kaaron Warren Mistification (http://kaaronwarren.wordpress.com)
* David T. Wilbanks Dead Earth: The Green Dawn (http://www.davidtwilbanks.com)
* Roger Zelazny A Night in the Lonesome October (donted by Trent Zelazny) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny)
* Trent Zelazny The Day the Leash gave way and other stories and Fractal Despondency(http://trentzelazny.com)
Yet Unnamed Gifts / Donations
* Richard Gavin (http://www.richardgavin.net)
* Lois Gresh (http://www.loisgresh.com)
* Jordan Krall (http://jordankrall.wordpress.com)
* Nick Mamatas (http://www.nick-mamatas.com)
* Gary McMahon (http://www.garymcmahon.com)
* Daniel Mills (http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Mills/e/B0049YBV0Q/)
* Paul Tremblay (http://www.paultremblay.net)
Collections
*A Career Guide to Your Job in Hell – Scott S Phillips & Robert E Vardeman (ed.), (donated by Axel Howton)
* A means to Freedom: The letters of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard: 1930 – 1932– S.T. Joshi, David E. Schultz, Rusty Burke (ed.), (donated by Derrick Hussey at Hippocampus Press) (http://www.hippocampuspress.com)
* The Book of Cthulhu – Ross E. Lockhart (ed.), (donated by Ross E. Lockhart at Night Shade Books)
(http://www.nightshadebooks.com)
*Dead But Dreaming – Kevin Ross & Keith Herber (ed.), (donated by Tom Lynch at Miskatonic River Press)
(http://www.miskatonicriverpress.com)
* Dead But Dreaming 2 – Kevin Ross (ed.), (donated by Tom Lynch at Miskatonic River Press)
(http://www.miskatonicriverpress.com)
* Future Lovecraft – Paula R. Stiles & Silvia Moreno-Garcia (ed.), (donated by Silvia Moreno-Garcia at Innsmouth Free Press) (http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com)
* Made in Goatswood – New Tales of Horror in the Severn Valley – Scott David Aniolowski (ed.). (donated by Scott David Aniolowski) (http://www.miskatonicriverpress.com/about/bio_scott.shtml)
*THE WEIRD – Anne VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer (ed.), (donated by Jeff VanderMeer)
(http://www.jeffvandermeer.com)
Magazines
* Lore – Rod Heather and Sean O’Leary (ed.), (donated by Sean O’Leary) (http://www.lore-online.com)
* Phantasmagorium – Laird Barron (ed.), (donated by JD Busch) (http://www.phantasmagorium.co)
* Shadows and Tall Trees, No. 2 – Michael Kelly (ed.), (donated by Michael Kelly)
* STRANGE AEONS (donated K.L. Young) (http://www.strange-aeons.com)
Music
* Tara Vanflower This Womb Like Liquid Honey (http://www.lyciummusic.com)
ADVICE FOR THE NEW YEAR AT AMY MILES’ SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS SITE
Amy Miles, who runs the site Self-Published Authors, recently posted an interview in which I share advice for juggling writing time, how much or little investment should be made, and some other odds and ends that might be useful if you’re considering self publishing.
Following the interview is an excerpt from Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—the title story from my most recent ghost story collection.
You can read it all here:
http://self-published-authors.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-author-interview-kristi-petersen.html
DOING DISNEY GIFTS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY
Sometimes the best Disney gifts can be found in places we often don’t consider—like at Scranberry Coop, an antique and vintage collectibles center in Andover, New Jersey.
Can you get something for that Disney or Disney Parks fan on your list if you’ve cut back on the spending this year?
I was recently reminded that yes, you can—you just may have to look someplace you’d never expect.
The entrance to Scranberry Coop.
A view of Scranberry Coop from Route 206.
Last year, Nathan and I were visiting his family in New Jersey for Thanksgiving weekend, and he took me to Scranberry Coop, an antique and vintage collectibles center. I was surprised to discover that there were plenty of Disney collectibles in nice shape—for very reasonable prices.
I’ve wanted the Fantasia Anthology—the special 60th anniversary edition—for a long time. The consistent asking price on Amazon for a new set runs between $67-$70. At Scranberry Coop, Nathan picked it up this mint condition set for me for Christmas—for $12.
So if you’ve cut back a bit this year but still want to get something Disney-related that’s special—and easier on the wallet—take a few minutes and think outside the box: visit a thrift store, flea market, antique shop. You might be surprised at what you find.
Below, a virtual inventory of some of the treasures we discovered at Scranberry Coop. If you’d like to know more about them, you can visit their website at http://www.scranberrycoop.blogspot.com
Several of the shop’s shelves displayed Disney memorabilia.
This Die Cast Flik, from the Disney/Pixar feature A Bug’s Life, was selling for $3.
These Monsters Inc. and Toy Story sets were tagged $5.
I don’t know how much the Mickey figurine was going for (the $10 tag belongs to an item on the shelf above), but the glasses—issued for Walt Disney World in 2000—were $2 a piece; in a current Ebay auction, the opening bid for the set was $19.99.
This Dumbo figurine was tagged $14. I don’t know how old it is, but a quick search on Dumbo figurines on Ebay revealed that some can go for hundreds of dollars (whether new OR old).
This Disney snow globe carried a $10 price tag. Snow globes (of all kinds) at the Disney Store website range in price from $15.50 to $150.00.
These unopened Indiana Jones action figures were fetching $7 each. The 12” Indiana Jones action figures on Amazon right now are going for $62.00.
This Mickey Mouse Club lunchbox dates to 1977. Current price for this item on Ebay is $95; at Scranberry Coop, they wanted $5.
This Donald Duck figure seemed a little bit pricey at $15 (firm), but a similar one I found online was running $24.
This framed wall art was $20—a very good deal.
These are currently sold in the parks; I don’t know how much they sell for there, but I’m pretty sure they’re more expensive than this one, which was going for $2. At first I couldn’t really figure out who would want this, but you never know. Someone could be a huge fan of Hollywood Studios and want to buy this for their next trip so they don’t have to purchase one in the parks.
Star Wars Battle Packs retail for about $19.99-$24.99, according to the Hasbro website. These were selling for $10 and were new. All you had to do was dust them off.
It was difficult for me to say “no” to these, since I had some when I was a kid (but they were, of course, broken years ago). From left, the ones which feature Luke, Chewie, C-Threepio/R2-D2—and then the one all the way at the far right with Darth Vader’s looming face—are vintage 1977 and are being sold as a set on Ebay for $65; the one with Darth Vader turning away and Lando are vintage 1980 and are selling on Ebay right now for about $13 each. These glasses were $8/each.
P.R.O.F. INTERVIEW POSTED!
Paranormal Researchers of Fredericton (Canada) recently interviewed me for a feature on their website! If you’d like to read the interview—about, of course, ghost stories, things that go bump in the night and a few odds and ends and advice about the writing life, visit http://paranormal-researchers.com/?p=453.
Interested in paranormal research or better yet are you up in the Frederictonarea? Be sure to check out P.R.O.F.! http://paranormal-researchers.com/
SCI-FI SATURDAY NIGHT FEATURES MY SHORT STORY “SCREAMS OF AUTUMN” FOR FICTION FRIDAY!
Autumn’s dying…it (officially) ends on December 21—so it’s the perfect time to check out my short story “Screams of Autumn,” which is featured on this week’s Fiction Friday over at Sci-Fi Saturday Night! Here’s where you can check it out: http://www.scifisaturdaynight.com/?p=5022
Sci-Fi Saturday Night—the Official Podcast of the Boston Comic Con—is a lively, popular podcast that covers all things Sci-Fi—from films and features to books and art, you won’t want to miss it. Past guests include authors Harlan Ellison, Ben Bova, Spider Robinson, Tracy Hickman and Christopher Golden; Wizard World founder/CEO Gareb Shamus; actors Amber Benson, Mark Metcalf, Adam West and Doug Jones; physicist Stanton Friedman; plus editors, musicians, game designers and more!
I’m honored to announce I’ll be on Sci-Fi Saturday Night on Saturday, 12/17/11, to talk about Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from Haunted Disney World and some sci-fi with the whole gang: The Dome, Kriana, Illustrator X, AwakebyJava, The Dead Redhead, Zombrarian and Dru Silla! Check out the show here: http://www.scifisaturdaynight.com
ARE YOU READY FOR ANTHOCON NEXT WEEKEND?
It’s here already! I’ll be at the New England Horror Writers’ table at AnthoCon: The Anthology 2011 Conference Friday, November 11 – Sunday, November 13 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the Best Western Wynwood Hotel & Suites.
To get a sense of why this first annual conference is so unique, you can read my article up on the NEHW blog here: http://nehwnews.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/get-in-on-the-ground-floor-at-first-annual-anthocon-november-11-13/
Joining me at AnthoCon at the NEHW and/or Epitaphs tables will be writers Stacy Longo (Dark Things IV, Hell Hath No Fury), L.L. Soares (Cinema Knife Fight), Scott Goudsward (Shadows Over New England), Tracy Carbone (The Man of Mystery Hill), Danny Evarts (Shroud Magazine)—and many, many more. This is one of those occasions where it looks like a lot of the gang is going to be there, so don’t miss us—come pick up your bleak winter reading fare.
For me, the highlight of the weekend will be getting to meet Literary Mayhem’s Peter Schwotzer (www.literarymayhem.com), who’s commissioned my short story “Growlers” for a feature in January 2012, in person. We’ve been corresponding for awhile now and it’s going to be great to put a name with a face.
There are really so many awesome panels, guests, and other activities going on at this event that you really should just visit the website for complete details: http://anthocon.com/
SKELETONS IN THE SWIMMIN’ HOLE AVAILABLE IN PINELLAS PARK (FL) PUBLIC LIBRARY
Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole—Tales from haunted Disney World has been acquired and is available for borrowing at the Pinellas Park Public Library in Pinellas Park,FL. When last I checked, it was out on loan with another person waiting to borrow it. Nice news!
Here’s where you can see the list of their newest acquisitions (they may change this page frequently, so I’m not sure if it’ll still be there):
http://pals.polarislibrary.com/polaris/Search/newreleases.aspx?LIstingTypeID=26&ctx=33.1033.0.0.4
To see the listing in the electronic card catalog, visit here:
