Here’s another classic ghost story in PDF to download: “The Body-Snatcher” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

This is the original cover from its first publication in the Pall Mall Christmas “Extra”, in December 1884. The story is based on characters employed by Robert Knox, around the time of the Burke and Hare murders (November 1827 to October 31, 1828). Knox, a private anatomy lecturer for Edinburgh Medical College students. At the time the only legal supply of cadavers was the bodies of executed criminals. Due to new laws, the execution rate had dropped and finding legal bodies for anatomy students was a challenge. Grave-robbing became a way to illegally obtain bodies. Mssrs. Burke and Hare found it convenient to simply murder people and deliver their bodies to Knox.

The interview mentions our January release — his new novel, EVERYTHING IS BROKEN…which is, considering it is about a tsunami hitting the west coast and politics and how inhumane people can be (as well as humane), pretty scary.

Okay, right…it is Day 16 and that post will come later. But here’s one for Day 15…and my excuse for not getting a post up. I was dogsitting Doc. Here she is from Halloween last year with a Cleveland Indians-carved pumpkin and her custom-made Indians jacket. So, she’s the post!

I have only one real Halloween recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. We used to carve four pumpkins — one for each kid — so we always had plenty of seeds.

When you scrape out the pumpkin “guts”, put it all in a big bowl. Clean off all the stringy pulp you can and then wash under running cold water in a colander. Soak the seeds in salty water for awhile. At least an hour.

Take one (or more depending on your amount of seeds) baking sheets and spray with Pam (or the equivalent). Drain the salty water off the seeds. Spread the seeds out in a single layer on the baking sheet(s).

Roast them in a 300 degree oven for about about 40-45 minutes till they are golden brown.

They are tasty just that way and low in fat, but if you want to get fancy, after roasting them for 30 minutes, toss them with olive oil, garlic, and paprika OR with grated Parmesan cheese and a little oregano. Cook them for another 20 minutes.

Boo! And now for some other scary sounds…

This is a promotional trailer for Halloween Horror – Scary Sounds and Music, an album of creepy sound effects.

And here are a couple of other places to find free downloadable Halloween sounds:

Partners In Rhyme: Free Scary Halloween Sounds/Royalty Free Horror Sound Effects

Free-loops: Halloween Sound Effects