Snow White and the Werewolf
Since it’s close to Halloween, I’ve decided to chat about what scares me. My girls find it frustrating that very little scares me. They are forever trying to jump from darkened corners, hide things in my bed, or dream up other diabolical ways to make mom scream.
Silly girls.
To be honest, there are only two things I’m afraid of–werewolves and butterflies. My fear of butterflies will always remain a mystery, but I can trace my fear of werewolves back to one Halloween when I was six-years-old.
I had decided, as kids do, to pick the most impossible costume for my mom to sew. I wanted to be Snow White—complete with the huge skirt, laced bodice, and puffy sleeves. To my mom’s credit, she did a brilliant job sewing it together. So brilliant, in fact, that she refused to let me wear the dress until Halloween night. She was afraid I would ruin it.
Halloween night finally arrived, and off I went in full costume, my mom and dad in tow. I was never afraid of the dark, so when we came to one house that happened to have all the lights off, it didn’t occur to me that it was a set-up.
With pillow case in hand, I gathered my Snow White skirts and ran up the walkway, completely focused on my task at hand. The last thing on my mind, were the bushes on either side of the door. Bushes large enough to hide a teenager, dressed up as a werewolf, and completely focused on Halloween festivities of his own.
Out he jumped, and off I ran, screaming at the top of my lungs. I guess I must have snagged my skirt on a bush, because I remember hearing it rip and my mom screaming something of her own.
But, I was sure it was the werewolf—making a grab with the intent of dragging me back to his lair. So sure, in fact, that I continued to run.
My mom was mortified.
The teenager was mortified.
I was oblivious and kept running until my dad finally caught up with me.
From that point, all I remember was being dragged back to the house where the werewolf lived. I don’t remember the teenager removing his mask, I don’t remember him apologizing profusely, I don’t remember the fact that he dumped his whole stash of candy into my pillow case (so my parents tell me). I pretty much just blanked out.
And so a fear is born. I can’t watch werewolf movies before bed, else I have nightmares. I write scary stuff about ghosts, demons, and things that go bump in the night, but I won’t touch the subject of werewolves with a ten-foot sword. My girls think it’s great fun to don one of those rubber werewolf masks in the Halloween stores and chase me around with it. We laugh, but inside, that little six-year-old girl is screaming.
And candy is the farthest thing from her mind.
Thank you for having me as a guest, Night Mistress!
Mistress: Oh my! That’s just terrible, Clarissa. Most of the werewolves I know are rather cuddly, once you give them the right puppy chow. At least it provided fodder for some intriguing stories, yes? Why don’t you tell us a little about your novel, BETWEEN?
BETWEEN
by Clarissa Johal
How far would you go to redeem yourself?
As a young girl, Lucinda was able to see spirits, a gift that didn’t come without its problems. Now, a dedicated young veterinarian, she is committed to the idea that every life can be saved.
After a devastating accident, Lucinda tries to escape her past by moving to a small town. There, she meets a newcomer and feels an immediate connection with him. But there is another mysterious stranger to the small town, one that stirs within her a mixture of unease and desire.
As Lucinda is drawn into a bitter tug-a-war from the forces around her, she is likewise pulled into a dangerous twist of past and present events. Forced to make difficult choices, she finds that the two men are locked in not only a battle for her life…but a battle for their salvation.
To read an excerpt of BETWEEN go here: http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/2013/10/between-excerpt.html
BETWEEN buy links:
Amazon.com https://amzn.com/B00U4F066Y
Sounds wonderful, Clarissa! A spooky tale for a Halloween night for sure. Thank you for joining us.
Clarissa: And thank you for the tea. *sniffs tea suspiciously* I’m actually a coffee drinker. Forgive me if I set it aside for now…
Mistress: No, there’s nothing wrong with the tea, dear. I’ll see about getting you some coffee, though… 😉
Bio:
Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Look for my next paranormal novel STRUCK
Coming January 17, 2014 from Musa Publishing
Author website http://clarissajohal.com/
Author Blog http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/
Juli D. Revezzo, author of the Antique Magic series and more 
You’re quite welcome, Clarissa! Thank you for coming. Mistress says she wouldn’t mind hugging that werewolf…if he was cute? 😉 *sighs* Don’t tell her,if she wasn’t paying us, we wouldn’t put up with her sheenanigans for long. Candy is a great bribe, innit?; 😉
You poor little self. Truly scary. I don’t blame you for having an aversion of werewolves. eeek!
It was at the time! Thanks for stopping by, Eleni. Hope you have a great Halloween 🙂
What a sad story! I just want to hug that poor, scared little 6-year-old girl. But you’re right, those things can’t really be undone. I feel sorry for the teenaged werewolf too. However, I’m glad you write scary books about other paranormals because I loved Between.
Aw, it was okay, really Rhea! Just one of those crazy, childhood things (for the teenager too! I often wonder what happened to him–maybe he had a fear of Snow Whites when he grew up, lol). Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Thank you for having me, Juli!