Erin Wakefield is dropping her sixth installment of her Sunflower Falls series on 10/4!
Check out her cover and synopsis. She's even shared a chapter snippet with us!
Synopsis:
Sometimes we pass down tales from one generation to the next so that the memories of the past remain alive. But when what's foretold to come true starts unfolding before your very eyes, do you let what's written play out? Or do you rip a page out of fate's book and create your own destiny? These are some questions Meeko finds himself asking on Halloween night. When spooky things start happening after his beloved’s return to town. Since this is the first time Topaz has been home for Halloween in ages, she’s super excited. Growing up in a small town, this had always been her favorite holiday. Her fondest memories of Halloween was watching the children of Sunflower Falls huddle around the bonfire in the barnyard, captivated by her grandmother's tales of the strange events that take place on the farm each Halloween night. Now that she's home, the task of storytelling has been passed down to her, and she's excited to take it on. That is until things take a turn for the worst… Join Topaz and Meeko, as they create their own magic, and make a night to remember. And create another story the town will never forget.
Chapter Snippet:
I took Paz's hand and led her out of the room. Excitement prickled in my gut as we descended the stairs. I couldn't wait for Paz to see what I had been up to while she had been holed up in her childhood bedroom, getting ready all evening. Usually when Topaz came to town, she stayed with me at my place. I rented a home just down the road from my our family's farm. I loved our families to death, but I needed my space. Eventually, both of our childhood homes would be passed down to us. But until that happened, I was happy staying down the street.
“Where is everyone?” She asked me, looking around for one of her family members. The place was airily quiet, which was a drastic change from the usual rambunctious atmosphere. Usually her dad was playing loud music, trying to get her mother to dance or play cards with him. While there, three dogs chased each other around the house and her sister entertained friends in another room.
“Everyones out back waiting for you.” I chuckled at her shocked expression and brought my hand to her chin to close her mouth. She was so cute when she was clueless. Since this was her first time celebrating Halloween, in over a decade since returning a year ago to SF, we wanted to make it a night she wouldn’t forget.
“Waiting on me?” She asked as her eyes lit up. I’m talking about legitimately glowing like the fairy lights that littered our small town. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, hers were normal again. It was only for a moment, but I know what I saw. I took a cautious step back from her and peered at her questioningly, waiting for it to happen again. “What?” she asked me, smacking my chest. “Why are you staring at me like I grew another head?”
“It’s nothing,” I settled on saying, hoping I had donned a convincing poker face. “You know this day always creeps me out,” I said. About 364 days out of the year, Sunflower Falls was a pretty normal small town. But each year on Halloween, freaky things occurred. Although this was Paz's favorite holiday, I couldn't say the same. I'd seen some things over the years that have made me question my sanity.
But now wasn’t the time to reveal to her what I just witnessed her eyes do. Plus, I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I led Topaz out the screen door and down the back porch stairs. The cool breeze carried the scent of freshly cut grass and sunflowers, swirling the leaves in the air. A delicate veil of clouds surrounded the moon, casting a soft, ethereal glow over everything.
"This is so cool! Aren't you getting excited?" Topaz squealed as she hip checked me and took in our surroundings.
"Only if you are," I said lamely. I couldn't shake the feeling that something weird was going to happen tonight.
The task of converting the barnyard into a creepy haunted house fell to Omari and me. And we may have overdone it, I thought, looking around with her. I was almost certain it would spook the kids before they even reached the barn. There were thick layers of cobwebs planted on all the brush and bushes around us. The sunflowers towered over us, their stems reaching towards the sky, while the webs clung to them like a shroud. Now that the sun was down, it looked hella spooky. Fog began encroaching on us the closer we got to the barnyard. Small candles illuminated the trail we followed of pumpkins in various sizes and colors, casting eerie shadows of the scattered bones and skulls that were strewn about haphazardly.
"Holy shit!" Paz said, shrieking at the main attraction.
"What do you think?" Divinity asked, running up to Topaz to take her hand and lead her further into the yard. They were dressed similarly, Divinity costume was just lavender with jewels on the bodice instead of the pearls and sequins Paz opted for.
The bonfire crackled and popped, casting a warm glow on our parents and siblings who gathered around it, waiting for us to return. Omari had his arm wrapped protectively around his pregnant girlfriend, Alonna, who was due in the next month or so. He had been trying to coax her to go in the house for the last hour, but she was adamant about staying put and being the person to pass out the treats. Alan was flipping his Freddy Kruger mask in his hands absentmindedly, staring at the moon. Me, Omari and Alan agreed to dress up and scare the kids in the haunted house.
"I fucking love it," Paz shrieked, jumping up and down like a schoolgirl. Her hair whipped around her in a blur and her curls fell back into place.
"I know, right!" Vinnie squealed. "This shit is hard, ain't it?"
"Language!" our mothers yelled in unison.
"Sorry…" the sisters muttered, apologizing, entering the haunted house.
"You good, bro?" Omari asked, calling out to me.
"Yeah, I'm good," I said, shrugging into my shirt. "Just want to get this night over with."
If you've liked what you've read, be sure to preorder!
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