Halloween Thrills and Chills: A Quiz and a Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Halloween Thrills and Chills  event, hosted by The Midnight Garden and Disney-Hyperion!

Today I'm excited to host author Laurie Faria Stolarz, author (most recently) of  Welcome to the Dark House. Here's the scoop on the book:

What’s your worst nightmare?
For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams. And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, but she’s ready to face her real-world fears. Parker’s sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up. . . at least for now. Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It’s bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group—the girl who locks herself in her room; the know-it-all roommate; “Mister Sensitive”; and the one who’s too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting.Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing. By the time Ivy and Parker realize what’s really at stake, it’s too late to wake up and run.

Add the book to Goodreads here and buy it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or The Book Depository

About Laurie:
Laurie Faria Stolarz  is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, and Deadly Little Lessons, as well as Project 17; Bleed; and the highly popular Blue Is for Nightmares; White Is for Magic; Silver Is for Secrets; Red Is for Remembrance; and Black Is for Beginnings. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. Laurie lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Connect with her on her website or on Twitter: @lauriestolarz.

For my stop on the event, Laurie has made a fun quiz so that you can find out Which Dark House Character Are You?

1.  It’s Friday night.  Your BFF had family obligations, and so you’re home alone on sofa city.  Do you…

a.    Call another friend? You have plenty of them after all.
b.    Watch Nightmare on Elm Street for the 82nd time?
c.     Curl up in bed with a movie or catch up on journaling?
d.    Use the time to whip up a batch of your favorite cookies?
e.    See if you can put in some extra hours at your part-time job?  You could use the extra money.
f.      Check out the Woody Allen film fest in town.

2.  You’ve been invited to a Halloween party.  Do you…

a.    Hurry to be first in line at the costume store? You want first pick of all the top choices.
b.    Plan your costume out on paper and then do-it-yourself? You already have a lot of the props/make-up/ghoulish gear anyway.
c.    Go, but only wear a mask? And the mask is simply so that you can hide yourself while observing the goings-on from a far corner.
d.    Politely decline?  You hate Halloween.
e.    Go, but only for the networking opportunities? You heard the owners of the party house are planning a big graduation party in the spring and you’d love them to hire your band.
f.     Go. You heard this is going to be the party of the year. Should be a fun experience.

3.  At school, you open your locker only to discover a t-shirt stained with something resembling blood. Do you…

a.    Laugh?  Someone’s clearly playing a Halloween prank on you.
b.    Put it on?  It belongs to you, after all.
c.    Roll it into a ball and discard it without a word to anyone, wondering all the while how it got into your locker in the first place?
d.    Take a deep breath and silently count to ten? Then run to find the nearest administrator. Someone’s clearly got it out for you.
e.    Stuff it into your bag and throw it out later? You must’ve brought it to school unknowingly (maybe it belongs to a sibling).  The red splotch could be from a paint or food spill.
f.     Take a photo of it before turning it over to an administrator, beyond curious as to where it came from.

4.  What’s your favorite subject at school?

a.    French. You need it for your travels, after all.
b.   Art…particularly illustration.
c.    English literature, especially the works of Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf.
d.    Math. In math, everything is calculable and measurable, and can therefore be added up. There are no questions without answers.
e.    Music.
f.    History of film.

5.   What’s your go-to at lunchtime?

a.  Sushi. You bring it to school yourself, packed in a bento box that coordinates with your backpack.
b.  BBQ spareribs (your ultimate fav) if they’re serving them for hot lunch.  Otherwise, whatever you can pilfer off a freshman’s plate.
c.  Comfort food, brought from home: peanut butter and fluff sandwich, potato chips, orange soda.
d.  Spinach and feta pasta salad and granola-sprinkled tapioca pudding for dessert, all made and packed by you (including the granola).
e.  Whatever they’re serving for hot lunch.  You’re not picky.
f.  Whatever your mom has in the deli bin goes between two slices of bread.  You also throw in a bag of chips and a power bar.

6. Your history teacher has to go home sick, leaving you with a free block in your schedule.  You…

a.    Make a beeline for the cafeteria to join the rest of your friends with a free block.  There’s so much catching up to do.
b.    Leave. So what that you have gym after history today. It’s not like you’d participate anyway.
c.    Go to the library.  Your favorite study carrel is in the far corner, away from foot traffic.
d.    Go to study hall to get a jumpstart on homework.
e.    Go to the cafeteria where you can sneak your ear buds and listen to your favorite tunes while attempting homework.
f.     Sit outside, under a tree, and get some reading or writing done.

7.   School’s out.  How do you get home?

a.    Someone’s picking you up.
b.    Public transportation – either the subway or the bus.
c.    School bus. You sit in the back to dodge all the spitballs.
d.    You walk, keeping close attention to those around you.
e.    You drive. You have your own car (a Pontiac Firebird that you fixed up yourself).
f.     You drive. You have your own car (a VW Golf GTI), bought with your own money from a neighbor who went off to college.

Key:

If you answered with mostly a’s:
Shayla
You’re super social, often the life of the party, and appreciate the finer things in life. Always up for an adventure, you love to travel and meet new people.

If you answered with mostly b’s:
Garth
You have a dark sense of humor and a penchant for all-things creepy.  Sometimes considered a rebel, you are introspective and artistic, though often misunderstood.

If you answered with mostly c’s:
Natalie
Introverted and secretive, you’re the wallflower of the party rather than the center of attention. Given time to yourself, you like to read, journal, or watch a movie.

If you answered with mostly d’s:
Ivy
You have definite survival instincts – always aware of your surroundings.  With those instincts comes a reluctance to let people get too close.  You’re guarded and cautious, often opting to be alone to indulge in some of your favorite interests, i.e. gardening, cooking, baking, reading.

If you answered with mostly e’s:
Frankie
You have a go-with-the-flow personality type.  You don’t clique with any particular group, instead migrating to like personality-types and/or those with interests similar to yours, especially music.  You have an amazing work ethic, often choosing what responsibility over fun.

If you answered with mostly f’s:
Parker
You’re extremely visual and creative.  You gravitate from group to group, but ultimately march to the beat of your own drum.  You’re genuinely interested in learning and experiencing all that life has to offer.

Win a Thrills and Chills box of horror! Includes copies of the following new releases (skull and candle not included...)

Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

The box will be delivered just in time for spooky Halloween reading. Open to US and Canadian residents, see complete rules on entry form.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the Thrills and Chills event!

Wednesday, October 1   The Midnight Garden        5 Questions with Jonathan Stroud 
Thursday, October 2       The Starry-Eyed Revue    Into the Spooky Swamp Setting of Mary: The Summoning
Friday, October 3            Supernatural Snark           Rules for Surviving a House of Horrors (guest post by Laurie Stolarz)
Monday, October 6          Xpresso Reads                Deleted Scene from Mary: The Summoning
Tuesday, October 7         Love is Not a Triangle      5 Questions with Laurie Stolarz
Wednesday, October 8    For the Love of Words     10 Great Horror Films with Jonathan Stroud
Thursday, October 9        Winterhaven Books         How I Became a Horror Fan (guest post with Hillary Monahan) 
Friday, October 10           YA Romantics                  Quiz: What Dark House Character Are You? 
Monday, October 13         My Friends Are Fiction   Fashion Accessories for Ghosthunters (guest post by Jonathan Stroud)
Tuesday, October 14        The Flyleaf Review         5 Questions with Hillary Monahan 
Wednesday, October 15   Books with Bite               Top 10 Items to Survive The Dark House Amusement Park
Thursday, October 16       The Social Potato           A Tour of Jonathan Stroud's Writing Space