Monday Blues - Truth is Stranger than Fiction

"Bentley was not the highest priced skeleton around, nor the most gruesome of the bunch, but one little thing set him apart from his comrades at Sparky’s Spooky Prop Shop. Tucked away in a shadowed corner of this magical place was a skeleton wall, a plethora of plastic assembled bones and skulls which dangled along the wall like chandeliers. Among the hundreds of skeletons is where we find Bentley.

Now, as I said before, Bentley had a secret that none of his comrades had.

Bentley used to be alive."

Zach Collier is the illustrator for the short story, "Monday Blues", in my book Until it Happens to You set to be released April 16.

Believe it or not, Sparky's Spooky Prop Shop is inspired by a real store.  A few years ago, when I lived in Champaign, Illinois, I was employed by Dallas and Company, a costume and magic shop.  

I cannot even begin to thank the great Andy Dallas for inspiring the location of this piece.  

As fantastical as Sparky's Spooky Prop Shop sounds, truth certainly is stranger than fiction.  The entire store was crammed and brimming with horrifying spook house animatronics.  I worked there for a long time, and I still noticed some nightmarish creature I'd never noticed before every day I worked.  

Eventually, I had to leave Champaign for Chicago to attend college, but I've still got crazy fond memories of that place and it's staff.  So when I began brainstorming ideas for my latest book, I had to feature my favorite halloween store in one of my stories.

If you visit there, be sure and tell them Alice Blair sent you.  And if you look close enough at the walls, who knows? You may just find Bentley hidden among the decorations.