Happy Halloween! You're Invited to an Online Party!

If there's one holiday that gets my vote for TOTAL CUTENESS, it's got to be Halloween.


HALLOWEEN PARTY ONLINE

On Monday, October 31, we'll be inaugurating my new "fan page" on Facebook. Helping with the festivities will be 12 of my best author buds. Here's the lineup:

9 to 9:30 p.m. EST
Mollie Cox Bryan (Scrapbook of Secrets)
Angie Fox (A Tale of Two Demon Slayers)

9:30 to 10 p.m. EST
Betty Hechtman (Behind the Seams)
Laura DiSilveria (Die Buying)

10 to 10:30 p.m. EST
Julie Compton (Tell No Lies and Rescuing Olivia)
Alan Orloff (The Taste)

10:30 to 11 p.m. EST
Casey Daniels (A Hard Day's Fright)
Vicki Doudera (Killer Listing)
Penny Warner (How to Party Like a Vampire)

11 to 11:30 p.m. EST
Joanna Campbell Slan (Make, Take, Murder)
Margaret Grace (Murder in Miniature)

Special "drop in" guests will be Linda O. Johnston (The More the Terrier) and Monica Ferris (Buttons and Bones).

We'll be giving away books, books, and more books! Just come to my new Facebook Fan Page and click "LIKE" or ask to be my FRIEND. (Which you are, aren't you?)

SLAN's SLAM ALBUMS

In the spirit of the spirits, I make these two adorable "slam" albums. Here's a great explanation of how to create the body of the albums: SLAM

Now on to the fun part...

Both "spiders" are just buttons with googly eyes. To one, I attached wire legs. To the other I cut a thin strip of blackish page and folded it accordian-style. That became a leg.

Is this fun or what?

Happy Halloween!

P.S. READY, SCRAP, SHOOT is now available for pre-order!

Busy, Busy Fall

Tonight, of course, is the fundraising virtual booksigning for the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue Group. I've been told books are selling briskly. To be involved, drop by my chatroom. Just go to my website, http://www.joannaslan.com/ and click the chatroom button in the lower right hand corner. I hope to have some of my author friends show up as guests. The chat begins at 6:30 p.m. CST

Boy, did I ever have fun last night.

I was part of the Fiskateers Chat, hosted by the remarkable Angela, who whipped folks into a true Fiska-Frenzy for Fiska-Fall doings. The conversation was fast-Fiska-paced, and my little fingers Fiska-flew over the keyboard trying to keep up. Check out Angela's stellar wrap-up at

http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/2008/10/28/tuesday-night-wrap-up/

I offered them the same thing I offer all of you--if you wish to use Paper, Scissors, Death as a bookclub selection, let me know. I'll come "visit" virtually or in person if possible. I'll send you signed bookplates to be adhered in your copies of PSD, so your book is personalized. I'll also send along bookmarks. I might ask for SASEs--which are Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelopes, so I don't go broke paying for postage!

Meanwhile, I'm prepping to go to Manhattan, Kansas, with a stop tomorrow night at St. Joseph, MO, where I'll teach making a "slam" album at the St. Joseph Library. I'll visit scrapbook stores in Columbia, MO, along the way. In Manhattan, on Saturday, around 9 a.m., I'll be giving a presentation at a coffee shop on scrapbooking and journaling and including your religion in your album. Then at 11 a.m., I'll go to the Ben Franklin store in Manhattan KS and teach slam books again until 1 p.m. From 5 to 5:45 p.m., I'm part of a discussion about pets in books--and author Marion Hill and I will give away a basket of pet items, plus her cookies.

I plan to set aside time to chat with my mentor and friend, Nancy Pickard. Her CASTS system for writing has dramatically improved my work.

And I'm on page 164 of 274 pages of Book #3. Whew. Keeping everything straight is a challenge.

Meanwhile, I offered the attached image to Camille Minichino (Margaret Grace) for our Killer Hobbies newsletter. Isn't it cute?