Jessie: Watching the leaves flutter past my window.
I am always pleased to get to know a bit about new to me authors so it is with particular pleasure that I am hosting Stacy Finz and her co-authors of cafe Between Pumpkin and Pie. Welcome, Stacy!
Thanks so much for having me and featuring The Café Between Pumpkin and Pie on the Wickeds today. Though my co-authors and I are not mystery writers (we write romances), there’s a good amount of intrigue running through our stories in the Halloween anthology about Moonbright, a small, fictional town in Maine.
According to local legend, on Halloween night a woman will see her future spouse in the reflection of a mirror. It’s been happening for centuries in Moonbright. And while our protagonists are modern-day women who have no time for antiquated town myths nor are in the market for husbands, they find themselves face to face with their future.
Writing my story made me think of real-life town legends, which as writers are wont to do sent me down an Internet rabbit hole. I didn’t find anything quite as romantic or sweet as the mysticism in Moonbright. But I found plenty of hair-raising stories that are Halloween worthy—and excellent fodder for mystery aficionados.
Of course, there’s the legend of Charlie No-Face, a radioactive green ghost that haunts an abandoned freight tunnel in western Pennsylvania. Apparently, the myth is rooted in the true but tragic story of Ray Robinson, a boy who was electrocuted by a trolley wire in the early 1900s and was horribly disfigured.
Fisherman in Connecticut claim they can hear eerie piano music coming off Gardner Lake. According to regional accounts, a house sunk to the bottom of the lake while a family tried to move it over the frozen water in the 19th century. Newspaper reports confirm that there is indeed an intact home resting down there. But as far as the weird piano music . . . well, who knows?
Then there’s my favorite urban myth. This one is about Hell’s Gate Bridge in Alabama. The story goes that a couple drove off the bridge and drowned sometime in the 1950s. According to local legend, if you drive to the middle of the bridge and turn off your lights the couple will appear and leave a wet spot on your seat. Alternatively (this one being my favorite), if you drive halfway across the bridge and look over your shoulder, you’ll see the burning flames of hell behind you. Good thing the bridge is now closed to cars because I’m pretty sure hell fire would cause one heck of a traffic jam.
There’s the Chesapeake Bay Monster, the Spirits of Hoosac Tunnel, the little girl on Knock Knock Road, Bigfoot (or Sasquatch), and tales of buried treasure. There are more urban legends than I can count.
Readers, do you have one in your town? One randomly selected commenter will win an ARC of the book! US/CAN only.
About the Café Between Pumpkin and Pie: In Moonbright, Maine, there’s a pumpkin on every porch, fresh brewed apple cider in every cup—and the sweetest sorcery in the air . . .
Before, after, and even during the excitement of the annual Halloween parade, gathering at the Corner Café is a beloved Moonbright tradition. Costumed revelers of all kinds come for the famous whoopie pies, the heartfelt hospitality, and the chance to hear the town’s spookiest stories and local legends whispered to the younger generation . . .
The most magically romantic legend of all promises that a Moonbright woman will marry the man she sees reflected in a mirror on Halloween. For three such singles, the crunch of fall leaves and the fragrance of fresh-baked pie sets the perfect stage for this most tantalizing trick—and most delightful treat—the genuine enchantment of true love.