Monday is shaping up to be my scariest Halloween ever. Am I spending a night in a haunted house? Did I meet a guy on Tinder who’s invited me to spend a week with him in his castle in Transylvania? Nope. (And the scariest part of that sentence is, “meet a guy on Tinder.” I’m so glad I’m married and don’t have to deal with such abominations.) So if it’s not a creepy destination or online dating, what’s so terrifying about this Halloween? Two words: Book. Deadline. [scary music] Yes, I’m still harping on about the book (work-related, not fun fiction) a colleague and I are editing. Our manuscript is indeed due to the publisher on Monday. We’re in OK shape, and I’m confident we’ll hit our deadline–as long as we both work on it constantly between now and 11:59 PM on Monday, ignoring minor distractions like eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene. I should look like a swamp witch by Sunday afternoon. I’m writing this on Thursday, so these may be my last public words before my descent into unwashed madness. These words are also part of the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Grab a treat, have a seat, and enjoy my last moments of semi-sanity. We’re doing diddly squat for Halloween this year (ahem. book deadline.) but in the spirit of the season, I’ll share a few pics from Hallweens past. We used to go all out–I miss those days. Halloween memories Last year I finally donated that purple and black spider dress, because I can no longer fit in it. It was a sad day. And now I’ve depressed myself, because I realize we’ve hardly done anything for Halloween in 10 years. Ah, well. There’s always next year… when I will not have a book deadline. Halloween memes I’ve been saving these all year! Speaking of health problems: Oh, the joys of getting old. Speaking of getting old: Yes! And my au natural swamp witch look becomes a costume. Speaking of decorations: I am not a deranged serial killer. I am environmentally responsible. There are no words for how much I want to do this: Also this: And now I’m reminded of the fact that I should be editing. *Shudder* Hey, ya gotta find those real estate deals wherever you can. Damn straight. And finally, I’ll apologize for this one up front: Well, that was fun, but I need to return to the real horror in my life: editing. Happy Halloween! Whatcha dressing up as this year? I bought a new Victorian Vampire costume, because I’m working at an event on Monday. Yes, I have to dress up and work an event on the day our book is due. The horror, the horror…