New Lizzie Borden Fiction Coming!

 The Lizzie Borden House Anthology will release Oct. 14! Pre-Order Here on Amazon.

From feminist re-imaginings to supernatural reckonings, from psychological horror to gothic suspense, these tales examine not just what happened that day in Fall River, but how the story of Lizzie Borden has taken on a life—and afterlife—of its own.

Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson, True Crime, and American Horror Story, this collection blurs the line between history and horror, fact and folklore. Because some stories refuse to die—and some houses never forget.

Includes 20+ stories by authors such as NYT Bestseller Heather Graham and Stoker Award Winner Linda D. Addison.

* Contains my new Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter story: "You Can Go Home Again."

** FYI: Are you a reviewer? The book is also on Netgalley. 

* Amazon affiliate links may provide some compensation to blog owner.

Witch's Bakery: Miniature Cakes

 

While I'm working on the Witch's Bakery (see last post, beginning/possible design), I thought I'd share a better look at some of the Halloween cakes I already have. (*Click photos for full size.)

Many of these were made a while back by my Dutch friend, Kitty, who's a whiz working in clay. I did some trades a long time ago with this project in mind - someday!  Spooky-cute aren't they?

I made the creepy food and desserts. Hungry? Hand sandwiches, anyone?

More to come soon. I hope to finish up the stones on the front of the second window/wall (done!) Next - start papering the inside. 

I think I'm going to put LED lights inside with a transformer since that's easier (and lasts longer) than batteries. I'll have to glue the front and 2 sides, (lights on two of those walls and ceiling maybe) and try to make the back removable as this was designed as a top-opening project, which is hard to work with. 

I still like the idea of adding the other shop as a top floor restaurant. Then, hopefully, I can connect both floor's lights together, too. We'll see how it works out. Will have to keep all that in mind as I glue and build...

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more projects & progress! * 

 

Pre-Halloween Lit Fest Book List

 

I just participated in the Southport Literary Fest at the Southwest Library in Kenosha, Wisc. and thought I'd share a few of the interesting new books featured there.

Halloween Reading:

 

Spooky Science, Meagan Ankney and Paige Miller. Ankney and her sister-in-law, known for the  Spooky Science Sisters Podcast offer whimsical and scientific explanations for everything from hauntings, to supernatural events, cryptids, and more. 

Together We Rot, Skyla Arndt - A teen girl forms an alliance with her former best friend in exchange for hiding him from his cultish family. A would-be sacrifice and deadly secrets... and a new word - horrormance! In her latest House of Hearts, Violet Harper tries to solve her best friend's murder by infiltrating a secret society, resist a forbidden love, and run from a vengeful ghost.

Twice Removed, Zee Lacson - As part of an immigrant family, Jay has never felt like he belonged in his hometown of New Orleans. Then Maya, the half-Filipino girl in class he's had a crush on, starts talking to him. But Maya has secrets. And the more time they spend together, the further he's pulled into a world of magic and superstition. When a generations-old family curse is revealed, Jay has to find a way to stop this winged, vampiric monster before sunset on Maya's 18th birthday. If he doesn't, his new girlfriend might kill him. Or worse, he'll have to kill her. Winner 2024 BIBA Young Adult Award.

Greek Mythology - Fantasy:

Ariadne's Crown, Book 1, Meadoe Hora - A retelling of one of Greece's greatest myths... As heir to the ancient throne in Crete, Ariadne thinks she's a poor substitute for her heroic brother.  

Historical Romance:

Matched in Merriweather: Jane Austen in Wisconsin, Michelle Cox -  Small-town charm and romance in a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set in 1930s Wisconsin by the author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard  series.

Horror:

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, C.A. Verstraete - Lizzie Borden took an axe... but what if she committed the heinous crime for a different reason? What if she picked up that axe because her father and stepmother had become... Zombies? New cover!  **Get other ebook versions & order it at your library here. 

Mystery:

 
 Death at Greenway, Lori Rader-Day - Two nurses caring for child evacuees during WWII at Greenway House, the holiday home of Agatha Christie, find a body on the shore and must unravel the truth in the small England town. Agatha Award Winner.  - Coming in January: Wreck Your Heart - a Chicago country singer tries to get her big break before family - or murder - wrecks everything.

Play the Fool, Linda Chern - A cynical tarot card reader seeks to uncover the mysteries of her friend's death. Edgar Award Winner 2024. In her latest, Tricks of Fortune, tarot card reader Katie True is embroiled in another murder when her best friend becomes the prime suspect.

Thriller:

The Ascent, Allison Buccola - Members of a commune vanished 15 years ago, except for a 12-year-old girl found wandering on the side of road. She tries to put the pain of the past behind her, then a stranger appears on her doorstep claiming to have all the answers about her past. But can she be trusted?

Time Travel - Fantasy:

The Book of Lost Hours, Haley Gelfuso -  Two women move between postwar and Cold War–era America and the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history. This is where eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in 1938, waiting for her watchmaker father to return for her. When he doesn’t, she grows up among the books and specters, able to see the world only by sifting through the memories of those who came before her. - A Good Morning America Book Club Pick.

NOTE: Amazon affiliate links may offer some compensation to the blog owner.

 * Happy Reading! I'll be sharing more Halloween Reads soon! * 

October Project: The Witch's Bakery

 

I started collecting cakes and things eons ago for the idea of (someday) making a Witch's Bakery. Well, that day has finally come! (Click photos for full size.) See some of the Halloween cakes here.

Not great pix of the cakes but I'll do better ones and close-ups later once I decide what to use and what to add/make. (Click photos for full size.)

I've had two of the Houseworks Street of Shops buildings set aside - the corner building and the single front window building - that I bought ages ago, cheap. I've now decided to use the corner shop for the Witch's Bakery and maybe make a spooky restaurant in the other shop. (Making lots of spooky and icky food would be fun!) My friend gave me an idea which may work - to stack the two shops and put stairs on the side. Could work. 

Possible: the windows would have to be cut in the sides; the top window/door is on the right back side, where stairs would be added. Lots of trimming needed to make it look more uniform. Will cut thinner plywood for for the top floor and ceiling.

But first things first. I saw a shop online that someone had done which gave me the idea to try something different. I like to vary the exterior finishes and colors, so this time I'm using gray "stone" made from egg cartons on the bottom and side edges. I've used the stone in small areas but never did a full wall before.

I put a light coat of brown pastel on some and light gray paint wash on others. Sealed with a light coat of matte Mod Podge. The window trim is the African Violet color that I also used on the Lavender Cottage.  I thought it worked well with the gray and black theme. It really looks better than what you can tell here.

The inside will be black and white; a Victorian type print on top, black panels and molding on the bottom. I'll use my old favorite standby black/white scrapbook paper tile flooring. 

I really didn't feel like painting but I'm liking how it's looking so far. I like using different things I find: the small roof is a different corrugated paper I found with a wavy pattern. Painted black and glossed, I think it looks pretty good!

Would like to use a chandelier in both shops. And beware - don't feed that plant! :)

While I have a lot of cakes, I'll need to add more creepy ones. So many ideas that may have to be added to a restaurant, too. ha!  I'll have to find different places to use these flourescent leg bones and feet.

Some ideas for the bakery include:

* Jar shelf with body parts and eyeballs. (Baking ingredients!) * A row of Witchy cookbooks.

* Those spooky face pies. Love 'em!  HomeMadeHauntProps/Etsy.

* Green eggs or a plate of green deviled eggs. * An intestine cake. Yeah it's yucky. There's the kitty litter or graveyard cakes, too. 

* Finger cookies in a jar. * Apothecary boxes?

* Eyeball cookies and muffins.

 * Oh! These are real size but I definitely have to do this in mini! Eyeball cake pops. (MaeCrystalCreations/Etsy). There's a row of these. Now that's an attention getter!! 

(Wow, looking around, the real-life stuff really has some great ideas! Look at the scary food: rotted meat tray with eyeballs; popcorn box with popcorn and fingers; pumpkin-shaped cake with worms; eyeball sketti; body pieces spaghetti; Horror monster wine labels; and more! Yeah, so sick. haa! Hey, Halloween!

* These Halloween cereal boxes (download/Etsy) would look great on a shelf. (for ingredients or for the restaurant.)

* Liked these -  Halloween Treat boxes (download/AninkaMillerMinis/Etsy). I wanted to put in some tiny coffin boxes for cookies, etc. Cute matching bags, too. It always adds something to have some colorful display boxes and other items. Couldn't resist! They turned out really cute. I'll have to print out more for the shelves.

* And... Whatever else I find or looks "icky" enough. Those MiniVerse Harry Potter items (see at end of my list) could work like the Skeleton cookies and the Day of the Dead cookies or whatever they are. Frogs, too. That's if I decide to splurge and am lucky enough to get the ones I like. I'm still hunting for the MiniVerse Halloween ones. I love those pumpkins! 

The bakery may not be big enough. ha! I'll have to build up and have lots of shelves for all the stuff I want to add! But that would look good to have lots inside and plenty to look at! I'm always a "more" kind of person anyway. I'll have to look in my stuff and see what kind of bookshelves and bookcases I have and what to use.

* Not Halloween but free pretty printable dollhouse rugs - Graphics Fairy

Feel free to suggest any other ideas.

* That's it for now. Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more progress! * 

 

September's Most Popular Posts

 

Hard to believe September is over! It was fun posting daily all month. (See the September posts named MiniJoyMonth in the left column archive.) I hope you enjoyed it as well. I'll be back to sharing what I'm working on and whatever else I come across next.

For now, thought I'd share the most popular posts this month - and I shouldn't be surprised - they were Halloween items!

The top post was the eerie kitchen photo (above) from my Halloween Van Buren dollhouse - the theme of In the Wrong Room. And that sure fit the theme. haa!

The second most popular post was my abandoned room, which I posted under the theme of My Style, talking about my favorite Halloween miniatures. But this also was the first post for the MiniJoyMonth theme on Instagram. 

But actually the overall favorite was my post on Halloween Skeletons, which had triple the views of the other posts, at least on my blog here. Maybe it was the Skellie Funeral Parlor photo that did it. Yes, maybe the oddest project I've done (so far!) ha! But this is all the perfect lead-up to October! Bring on more pumpkins and skellies and... whatever!

* Thanks again for everyone coming to the blog. 

I  hope you'll keep coming back for more mini fun - and more Halloween! * 

Last MiniJoyMonth: Why I Love Minis!

 

Another favorite: A Raggedy Ann Vignette

Today's Last Theme: Why I Love Minis!

I do! I think the fun of working in miniature is you can try different crafts, let your imagination go, and have fun collecting things you like, but smaller! (Click photos for full size.)

 I can't have a dozen dogs, but I can do that in miniature!

I can't afford to live in a mansion, but I can do that in miniature!

I can't open a restaurant or any shop, but I can do it in miniature!

I can't buy a dozen houses, but I can in miniature!

You get the idea! haa!

I have many favorites that I've loved working on, but I'll share a few again:

The Abandoned Room:

My Half-Scale Tiki Bar in an old Photo Box:

My Men's Shoppe in a Vintage Cigar Box/Humidor:

A cute little half-scale red porch:  (plus a bakery in a Tudor house and a Halloween stall)

This was fun sharing my miniatures this month. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please come back again. You can also subscribe to the headline alerts in the box in the left column.

What's next? I'm finally-finally working on the Witch's Bakery I've put off for a looooong time! Starting and progress photos to come!

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* Trying to keep up and post here as well for MiniJoyMonth, a minis event for September via @ vintagedollhouseshop on Instagram. Friend me there @ cwrite12.

Mini A Day: MiniJoyMonth: Shine On!

 

Window in Fairfield attic.

Today's Theme: Sparkle or Shine

I'm a sparkle girl meaning I'm drawn to shiny, sparkly, "blingy" things! I just love something that sparkles.

Guess that's why in most projects I will put a coat of satin varnish on painted trim, etc. for a slight sheen. Besides it preserving the paint and making it easier to wipe if I have to.  (*Click photos for full size.)

Shiny stuff, I like gold, too, so for this theme I'd have to pick the stained glass windows I've made. I first used some gold stickers I had to make stained glass for the attic windows in my Fairfield dollhouse. Then I used them again for the front doors on the Lavender Cottage. (See other posts for all on the top dollhouses tab -  or here.)

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* Trying to keep up and post here as well for MiniJoyMonth, a minis event for September via @ vintagedollhouseshop on Instagram. Friend me there @ cwrite12.

Mini A Day: MiniJoyMonth: Out of the Box

 

Mini books in and out of the box.

Today's Theme: Out of the Box

Perfect for today's theme. I always like adding my own books to my dollhouses, so once I got copies with my new cover for Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, I had to make a mini version, too! And I also did one for my half-scale dollhouses.  In any house you can never have too many books!

Below: Mini or Life-size? 

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* Trying to keep up and post here as well for MiniJoyMonth, a minis event for September via @ vintagedollhouseshop on Instagram. Friend me there @ cwrite12.

Mini A Day: MiniJoyMonth: Modern or Vintage

The Lavender Cottage kitchen in progress.

Today's Theme: Modern or Vintage

I sometimes like the all white furnishings look and the gray walls, but I have to admit that I can't seem to get myself to do an all-white dollhouse. I like colors too much! ha! (Click photos for full size. Click links to see more!)

The kitchen/sitting room in my Lavender Cottage (above) is the closest I've come to a modern look. The kitchen has the one-wall appliances, an under-sink fridge, and the center counter.

For vintage, I had fun adding vintage items like the old phone, vintage art, and Fifties-style chairs to the Fairfield attic space. It also has a vintage standing radio and an old camera for the antiques-loving house owner. There are also older style appliances in the kitchen. I love attics and try do one in most houses. Here are some others.

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* Trying to keep up and post here as well for MiniJoyMonth, a minis event for September via @ vintagedollhouseshop on Instagram. Friend me there @ cwrite12.

Mini A Day: MiniJoyMonth: Morning Rituals

 

Tea at the Tudor Tea Shoppe

Today's Theme: Morning Rituals

I drink tea. Too much. ha! But have to have my tea in the morning; that's my ritual.

That makes me think of the two projects I made centering on tea - the Teapot Shoppe and the Tudor Tea Shoppe. I'm an Anglophile so had to do a room centering on the Queen and the Royal Family. I haven't updated it in a bit. I need to add a new portrait of Prince William, Kate and the grown kids! Plus I still have a UK-made tea tray to put in of King Charles. (*Click photos for full size.)

I was so happy when I came across this British-flag themed set a while back at Hobby Lobby.

And of course, I love miniature teapots so I made a Teapot Shoppe (counter below). I have a bunch of teapots I scouted out some time back and also some cute character teapots made by my Dutch friend Kitty. (Ignore the other website links on the pages as I have to re-add more photos of the project on the blog here.)

And you wonder, do I have that many projects? Yes, I do. And there are others I haven't shown yet!

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* Trying to keep up and post here as well for MiniJoyMonth, a minis event for September via @ vintagedollhouseshop on Instagram. Friend me there @ cwrite12.

One Hit Wonders, New Crime Fiction!

 Interrupting the miniatures posts... Did you know? (I didn't!) Today is National One Hit Wonders Day. 

  A new fiction anthology releases today with short stories inspired by one-hit wonders: Lunatic Fringe: More Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders 

* Get it at MistiMedia - cheaper prices & free shipping on paperbacks, too.

** This is a follow-up to last year's, (I Just) Died in Your Arms: Crime Fiction Inspired by One-Hit Wonders, which includes my story, "Wildfire," based on the song of the same name. Get it here.

 And for something different... are you a Manilow fan? There's A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the music of Barry Manilow, which includes my story, "Some Kind of Friend," based on the song of the same name.

I just love these music-inspired anthologies. So much fun to read and write!