This year, Halloween looks very different in a lot of ways. But I still love the spooky season, and the month of October continues to conjure up images of turning leaves, hayrides, pumpkins, scarecrows, black cats, and of course Halloween decorations. I love learning about the origin of the holidays we celebrate, so I did a bit of (admittedly rudimentary) research to discover some of the reasons we dress up and try to scare each other on October 31st.
Kathryn Knight books
~ USA Today Bestselling Author of Passionate Romance & Paranormal Suspense ~
Saturday, October 31, 2020
The Origins of #Halloween ~ Happy #Halloween2020! #Paranormal #HalloweenReads
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Visit the Hair-Raising #Halloween Book Fair! Thrillers #Paranormal #Horror #Books for Oct. #amreading #KU

HAIR-RAISING THRILLERS, SUSPENSE, + HORROR FOR OCTOBER BOOK FAIR
Monday, October 5, 2020
Exploring Old Jail Preserve! #Book Setting #CapeCod #Ghosts #Paranormal #Mystery #amreading
During the initial Covid stay-at-home
order, my husband and I started doing a lot of outdoor activities…many new
hikes and trails. We searched for
locations on Cape Cod that we had not explored yet, such as trails found throughout Brewster.
Nine months later, the routine has stuck, and this
weekend we did a hike in Barnstable Village.
While the trails were new, the location had significance…the Old Jail Lane
Preserve plays a significant part in one of my novels, Haunted Souls.
The Old Jail in Barnstable Village |
I’d never even heard of the Old Jail, and it’s truly a
historic gem. It’s the oldest wooden
jail house in the entire country, actually, and is thought to have been built
in 1690, on orders from the Plymouth and MA Bay Colony Courts. It was in use until the 1800s, and was moved
around a bit, eventually attached to a barn.
It was rediscovered in 1968, detached from the barn, and moved next to
the Coast Guard museum on 6A.
The structure itself is quite small, containing three
cells which held large numbers of people sometimes. According to our guide, conditions were rough
and people had to take turns lying down to sleep when cells were crowded. As you can imagine, many people died, and the
site is considered actively haunted.
Goody Hallett, the lover of the infamous pirate Samuel
Bellamy, was imprisoned there in 1716, and is said to be one of the ghosts in
residence. If you’re so inclined, you
can even pay to spend the night at the Jail.
On our tour, we were shown photographs with shadowy figures taken by
volunteers who work in the jail house. A
few of the volunteers shared their stories as well, and one claimed that a
ghost had followed them home and engaged in some poltergeist-like
activities. Well, that got my attention
right way, and my imagination started churning.
My sister had her little daughter with her, and I started to wonder what
would happen if a young child with sensitive abilities took pity on a lost soul,
and actually invited a ghost to come home with them. The initial idea for Haunted Souls was born.
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Also on Audible! |
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
The #Book That Made Me Love #Paranormal #Romance ~ #ghosts #amreading #amwriting
This year I had my seventh novel, Ghost Moon, published, and similar to my first novel, Silver Lake, it involves a ghost mystery mixed with romantic suspense. In fact, five out of the seven feature this spooky and sometimes steamy combination. So today I'm looking back at the book from my youth that inspired me to write my own stories someday.
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My best friend and I *still* call these Jane-Emily balls |
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
"Unparalleled #RomanticSuspense...Eerie, romantic, + totally binge-worthy" 5* #Book #Review! #amreading
I had to copy one of my favorite quotes below--
"Kathryn Knight has done it again. This woman is unparalleled in how she tells Romantic Suspense. Eerie, romantic, and totally binge-worthy. I'll feast my eyes on Kathryn Knight's books any. freaking. day."
**(things that make this author happy dance even in isolation!)
--you can read the full review on Nom de Plume here!
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Two Acknowledgement Mentions! #writerslife #writingcommunity #amwriting #amreading
With so much uncertainty and anxiety surrounding day-to-day life right now, it's a gift to have been recognized by two people who have made their dream a reality...it's no easy task! I'm thrilled to have been a part of their writing journey. Stay well everyone :)
Sunday, August 16, 2020
College and Covid ~ #BacktoSchool2020 Stress and Anxiety
But I could never have imagined this scenario. In March, as schools began shutting down, I saw all the plans for college visits for my younger son vanish. We crossed an entire Spring Break trip of "Accepted Students Day" events off our calendar. Senior year of high school was a wash, along with all the fun social activities that bond the class, reward their efforts, and create memories.
We made the best choice we could in terms of which school to attend, hoping--perhaps naively--that by summer, things would be better, and visits could at least be made during orientation.
That, of course, didn't happen. Virtual orientation and trying to register with little guidance was confusing and stressful.
A "Gap Year" for our rising freshman was discussed...again, with very little information to go on. The constant uncertainty has made every decision fraught with sickening stress...how can we weigh the options, when every single day brings changes? With travel limited, jobs difficult to come by, and our community college offering online classes only, a Gap Year didn't seem like a good idea. Just being away from any type of classroom and peer group since March was taking its toll.
We still imagined a college experience with roommates, events, and face-to-face classes in the fall, at that point. But every day, we took a hit to those expectations. At the school we chose, he won't be given a roommate, there won't be live events to help freshmen connect and socialize, and most classes are now online. The fatigue of constantly waiting for disappointing news has worn us all down, not to mention made us doubt all the decisions we've made since this began.
I'm not trying to compare my stress and sadness to someone who has suffered from Covid, or lost a loved one. I'm grateful we've remained healthy, and I understand the choices being made by schools are designed to keep the students and staff healthy. But I can't stop thinking of the mental health costs, the tuition costs compared to the educational experience, the social obstacles, and the loss of important moments and milestones. And of course I worry about sending my kids at all, during a pandemic. But I have to trust they will take precautions while also finding a way to make the best of the situation.
The two different colleges our sons are going to are handling things very differently, as they are located in different parts of the country. And on social media, I see moms of all ages sharing similar news of different counties doing different things, and similar concerns about how they are going to handle their unique situations.
There are no easy choices, and no easy answers. So I'm sending support to all the parents wrestling with these decisions, and trying to have faith that we've done the best we can, given the circumstances.
Now, back to packing...and then diving into a book, because getting lost in a good story has always been a proven stress reliever for me. In fact, with the amount of stress I'm feeling, I'm doing two books right now...one on Kindle, and one on Audible as I walk or fold laundry. If anyone has a recommendation for a page-turning read, I'd love to hear it...we have long car rides ahead in the next few weeks as we step into this new phase of our lives.
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Doing my best to take things day-by-day...but getting lost in a fictional world now and then is a relief! |