Spooky Blog Tour for Searching For A Starry Night and The Witch Tree

Christine Verstraete is the author of Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery and The Witch Tree, a spooky ebook

She loves writing, collecting miniatures, and reading, with Halloween a favorite.

Why Halloween?

I enjoy reading scary stories and it's even more to decorate for Halloween. While I enjoy the real-life decorations and a good scare as much as anyone, I especially like decorating in miniature. All kinds of things you can dream up.


Tell us about your story, The Witch Tree. Where did the idea come from?

I can tell it's spring out here in Wisconsin when the red-winged blackbirds appear. We'll get hundreds sitting in the trees, swinging on the cattails. They flock in hundreds, then do the same in fall, until they suddenly disappear, flying off to wherever they go until next spring. It's a screeching, noisy, eerie mass.

Have you written other books with paranormal or supernatural elements?

My middle grade book, Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, from Quake/Echelon Press, has some spooky elements and a creepy family legend. Sam and her friend, Lita, are staying at her great aunt's old Victorian while they search for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh's famous painting, Starry Night. They're working in an old shed that Aunt Hilda once used as her painting studio, and where a family barn burned down, inspiring the family legend. Plus, Sam tends to like to tease Lita, who is kind of skittish about ghosts.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?

Readers are welcome to stop by my website, http://cverstraete.com and also see some of the miniatures I collect. I also am featuring various Halloween miniatures at my blog, Candid Canine.
Bonus: Visit my blog for a Scavenger Hunt this week and a chance to win some Halloween miniatures and a pdf copy of "The Witch Tree." See question at end.

What's your favorite horror novel?
I have several favorites, Salem's Lot, Dracula, Pet Sematery...


Anything else you'd like to say to our readers?
Visit Candid Canine this week for details on how to follow my Spooky Scavenger Hunt.

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Jimmy Grayson thinks he's found utopia - a new house, a nice porch to relax on... and then THEY came.... Day by day, they arrive by the dozens, the hundreds, their beady eyes, watching, waiting. Jimmy fears for his sanity.
How will it end?
Who will survive?
Will it be him-or them?

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Scavanger Hunt Contest and Rules:

Searching For A Starry Night & Witch Tree Scavenger Hunt!

Enjoy reading some excerpts from Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery and from the spooky ebook, The Witch Tree . Learn more about both books and even scarier, learn a little more about author Christine Verstraete at each blog stop.

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Scavenger Hunt Clue 2:
The door opens, creepy music plays
A hand reaches out, a voice says, Stay!


Bonus! Halloween Treats!

No trick! Take a chance to win a PDF copy of "The Witch Tree" or some handmade Halloween miniatures for your desk or wherever by following the blog tour.

How to Play

1. Go to each stop on the blog tour. Each stop ends with a Scavenger Hunt Clue. The clue refers to a page on Christine's website at http://cverstraete.com. Only a few specific pages are involved.

2. Look for the mini pumpkin on the page corresponding to each question. Find the pages at http://cverstraete.com.

3. Email Christine the list of all 6 places you found the pumpkins, and their corresponding numbers - plus your full mailing address (US Only) - to chrisATcverstraete.com (replace AT with @)

Contest ends Nov. 8, 2008. All 6 answers and numbers must be included. Two winners to be chosen; one will receive a spooky miniatures set by mail and the other will receive a Witch Tree ebook by email.

Have fun! Boo!

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