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The next stop on the Party Express is to a very good friend of mine’s blog, Chris Verstraete’s Candid Canine.
Let me give you a little background on Chris…
We met online 10 years ago. We were both members of a Yahoo Group called Short Mystery Fiction Society. Chris may still be active on it. I haven’t participated in it for years now.
Anyway, our relationship blossomed out of that. I don’t even remember why or how we started exchanging emails. Maybe it had something to do with when I was editor of Without a Clue and she’d provide mystery author interviews.
All I remember is every time we e-chatted we’d learn how many similarties we had in common. We started referring to our “OMG! Me too!” moments as “pod sister” connections.
But something we don’t have in common is a world she introduced me to that I did not know existed until I met her: minis.
In addition to being a talented author, Chris creates miniature dollhouses and dollhouse dioramas. And she follows others who do the same. It’s among the topics she writes about on Candid Canine.
At the end of October, as Halloween draws near, Chris runs a series on her blog called Halloween in Miniature.
This year for the 12 days leading up to Halloween she’ll once again be presenting some of the most outstanding minature creations you’ve ever seen. (Well, I’m taking some liberty saying that. It’s the most outstanding to me.)
She’s got two days up so far:
In the Day 1 post she really takes the task of being a good hostess to heart by having a witchy greeting committee. But she also has a post that gives you an idea of just how mini some of these creations are. (Check out the last picture of the books compared up against a penny. Tiny and yet so detailed!)
And Day 2 is all about mini Halloween food…all of which looks good enough to eat, but it’s only edible for dolls!
If you don’t already know about Chris’s blog, I hope you have a lot of fun discovering it and her 12 Days of Halloween in Miniature.
P.S.
I just have to share this: Chris has a new book out, The Killer Valentine Ball. If you’re looking for a spooky read this Halloween, you might want to check it out.
I happen to absolutely LOVE her cover! I think it’s one of my fave covers of her books yet.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Wow, Courts, what a wonderful post! Thank you so much! So nice!
She neglects to mention that our other “pod sis” moment is that is a mini collector now too – kind of. Well she now owns a couple mini settings that I gave her as gifts. Ha! I love making stuff and love others to enjoy it!
Thanks again! There’s also a “small” giveaway on Day 1 of the 12 Day event. Look forward to the HJ readers stopping by and please say you’re from here!
Chris Verstraete
I love the Halloween in minature!
Everything you said is TRUE, Chris! You’ve converted me. I may not have the talent to make them like you do, but I sure do appreciate them and love looking at what you find! (And what you make me. Both are up right now even!! The one is always in the kitchen. I never put the Christmas one away. I just enjoyed looking at it too much!)