A Spooky Halloween Read

Happy Halloween! If you’re looking for a spooky read, check out my Halloween novella titled Haunted Hair Nights. This book won Third Place in the IDA Contest in the Suspense Short category. The story falls between Peril by Ponytail and Facials Can Be Fatal in my Bad Hair Day mystery series.

Digital ISBN: 978-0-9970038-3-3
Print ISBN: 978-0-9970038-4-0
Cover Design by Boulevard Photografica
Interior Design by www.formatting4U.com

When history teacher Bill Ripari offers his property for a Halloween school haunted house project, hairstylist Marla Vail volunteers to help put the scare factor into the place. She joins her stepdaughter along with other students, parents, and teachers to transform the wooded estate into a creepy attraction. She’s busy creating decorations when a splash of red on the estate grounds catches her eye. Upon a closer look, she realizes the dark stain isn’t fake blood meant to be part of the scene. The trail leads to the history teacher’s dead body.

Worried about the kids, Marla puts on her sleuthing hat to investigate. She discovers that every one of the volunteers present that night had a possible motive. Between slacker students, helicopter parents, unexpected heirs, and a stonewalling school administration, Marla has her hands full in solving the murder and keeping her stepdaughter safe. Can she sift through the suspects and unmask the killer before Halloween fright night turns into reality?

“Halloween, mystery, dead body, oh my! This novella, although short, was filled with lots of twists and turns, interesting complex characters and a great storyline!” Charlene’s Reviews

“This standalone novella will keep you flipping pages wondering who done it until the end. For those of us who don’t want bad dreams for Halloween, this entry into the Bad Hair Day series is an excellent alternative.” Reader by Night

“This is a good cozy mystery that can be enjoyed by young adults on up. It was a pleasure to read this story.” Readers’ Favorite

“I love this series so much. It’s especially nice to read how Marla is progressing with her new family. A haunted mansion is the perfect setting for a Halloween read.” Socrates Book Reviews

Click Here to Get Your Copy Now

Happy Halloween!

A Scary Good Giveaway

Oct. 7 – 31, 2022 BOO A Scary Good Giveaway

What: $400 Spooktacular Giveaway of (1) $400 Amazon eGift Card
When: October 7 – 31, 2022
Where: https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/a-scary-good-400-giveaway/

Enter Oct. 7 – 31 to win a $400 Amazon eGift Card from The Kindle Book Review, the number one site for Reader Giveaways. If you love reading, enter now at https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/a-scary-good-400-giveaway/

P.S. Don’t forget to enter our drawing for a free cozy mystery at Booklover’s Bench.

A Treat for Halloween

When I was asked to participate in a multi-author anthology five years ago, I had to think quick about what to write. With the theme being autumn, my thoughts turned to Halloween. At the time, I’d written fourteen novels in the Bad Hair Day mystery series, but not one of them highlighted this holiday. An idea hit me that would be the perfect fit for a shorter story. Each book in my series can be read as a standalone so no worries if you start with this novella.

The Premise – Hairstylist Marla Vail hopes to win her stepdaughter’s approval by helping to decorate a school haunted house. All goes well until Marla stumbles across a real dead body on the spooky estate grounds. It’s the teacher who is loaning his estate for the project. Marla sets off to investigate with the goal of keeping the kids safe.

I’d only written one other novella (“Three Men and a Body” in Wicked Women Whodunit), and I knew this form of fiction didn’t have room for subplots. Instead, I had to focus exclusively on the crime and suspects. Who would have reason to want the teacher dead? A kid in his history class? One of the overprotective parents there that night? The mysterious school janitor? Or perhaps the greedy principal?

Once I had the suspects and their possible motives in mind, I was ready to start writing the story. It flowed naturally, and I didn’t have to do a plotting chart or chapter outline like for a longer novel. Shorter chapters were the norm, and I kept writing until I reached the end.

How do you feel about novellas in a series? Love them or leave them?

I hope you’ll enjoy this story and that it will put you in the mood for a spooky fall season. It also would make a great addition to your holiday gift bags. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!

HAUNTED HAIR NIGHTS
A Bad Hair Day Cozy Mystery Novella

Copyright © 2016 by Nancy J. Cohen
Published by Orange Grove Press
Digital ISBN: 978-0-9970038-3-3
Print ISBN: 978-0-9970038-4-0
Cover Design by Boulevard Photografica
Digital Layout by www.formatting4U.com

A haunted house turns into reality when hairstylist Marla Vail finds a dead body on the estate grounds in this spooky Halloween cozy mystery novella.

Third Place Winner in the IDA Contest in the Suspense Short category
Finalist in the IAN Book of the Year Awards in the Novella category

Haunted Hair Nights is the perfect treat for Halloween! #cozymystery #novella Share on X

“I enjoyed this Halloween cozy mystery set in South Florida. Between the scary ‘gifts’ left for Marla’s family and the mysterious murder at the school’s haunted house, you are bound to get some chills. Grab some hot apple cider and read this Halloween tale!” Ms. Loves to Read

“It was gratifying to observe Marla, Dalton and Brianna’s family dynamic mature. This is a good cozy mystery that can be enjoyed by young adults on up.” 5 Stars! Readers’ Favorite

“A haunted mansion is the perfect setting for a Halloween read.” Socrates Book Reviews

“Loved the story! Halloween, mystery, dead body, oh my! This novella, although short, was filled with lots of twists and turns, interesting complex characters and a great storyline!” Charlene’s Reviews

Order Now

Amazon Kindle – https://amzn.to/3B1xvrr
Amazon Print – http://amzn.to/2d3jK0C
Apple – https://books.apple.com/us/book/haunted-hair-nights/id1150699875
BN Nook – http://bit.ly/2eBOWcf
Kobo – http://bit.ly/32NjIot
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/HauntedHairNights

Liquid Latex

Research Insights – Liquid Latex
Research for a novel can lead to all sorts of esoteric topics. For Facials Can Be Fatal, I came across the term liquid latex. I’d heard of latex gloves, and that people could be allergic to latex. My hairdresser sleuth would have to be careful what type of gloves she used when applying hair color to a sensitive client. She could avoid risk by using gloves that do not contain this element. Next time you buy a pair of gloves for washing dishes or doing housework, check the label and see if they are latex-free.
So what is liquid latex? Latex is a substance derived from rubber trees as a milky liquid. The commercial substance called liquid latex contains about one-third latex, two-thirds water, and tiny amounts of ammonia for preservation. You can also buy it ammonia-free. This would be desirable when applying the substance to your face.

Liquid latex is commonly used for body paint and special effects makeup, such as scars, wrinkles, and wounds. It can be applied with a disposable sponge and takes up to ten minutes to dry. As it dries, the liquid latex hardens to a rubbery consistency and shrinks about three percent. Manufacturers add pigments to provide color choices. Or you can dust shimmer powder over the dried latex to create a metallic effect. Since it also has a sticky quality, liquid latex can be used as an adhesive for bald caps and other prosthetics. Fortunately, this substance is easily removed by peeling it off, but it can remove your fine hairs at the same time. Ouch.

Looking to enhance your Halloween costume? You can buy liquid latex online or at your local party store in varying sized containers and a choice of colors. Try building up an area on your skin using alternating layers of latex and tissue paper and color it to make fake injuries. Learn how to apply it by watching a YouTube video. Next time you see a blockbuster movie, note if the special effects makeup might have been done with liquid latex.

So how did I use this information in Facials Can Be Fatal? Let’s just say that some people can be highly allergic to the stuff. In other words, latex can be lethal.
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Facials Can Be Fatal by Nancy J. Cohen
A Bad Hair Day Mystery
Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner
Finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards
During the frenzy of the December holidays, the last thing salon owner Marla Vail needs is a dead body slathered in a green facial mask at her new day spa. The victim, Valerie Weston, was a major donor for Friends of Old Florida, a historic building preservation society. Marla’s stylists are scheduled to work backstage at their upcoming gala fashion show, but Val’s demise might put a crimp in their plans. Hoping to salvage her reputation, Marla determines to track down the suspects. As she learns more about Val, she realizes the benefactress might have stumbled onto secrets others would kill to keep. She’d better prepare for a body count that has nothing to do with hot stone massages and everything to do with murder.
View the Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/6OTw5232Eeg
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Haunted Hair Nights – New Release

Haunted Hair Nights: A Bad Hair Day Cozy Mystery Novella is now available in ebook and print. This title originally appeared in Happy Homicides 4: Fall into Crime. My new standalone edition includes a bonus chapter from Facials Can Be Fatal (Bad Hair Day Mystery #13).

When history teacher Bill Ripari offers his property for a school haunted house project, hairstylist Marla Vail volunteers to put the scare factor into the props’ hair. She joins her stepdaughter along with other students, parents, and teachers to transform the wooded estate into a creepy attraction.

Marla is busy creating decorations when she spies a splash of red on the estate grounds. Curiosity compels her to go outside for a closer look, but the dark stain isn’t fake blood meant to be part of fright night. Instead, the trail leads straight to the history teacher’s dead body.

Worried about the kids, Marla puts on her sleuthing hat to investigate. She discovers every one of the volunteers present that night had a possible motive. Between slacker students, helicopter parents, unexpected heirs, and a stonewalling school administration, Marla has her hands full in solving the murder and keeping her stepdaughter safe.

JOIN MY LAUNCH PARTY TONIGHT from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty

Reviews are needed, so I urge you to post a customer review at any of these sites. It doesn’t matter if you’ve read the story in Happy Homicides or the standalone version. Go here to add your review or to order your copy of the book. Also consider adding it as a gift for the people on your holiday shopping list.

Add to Goodreads List: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32187650-haunted-hair-nights

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Haunted Hair Nights

Halloween Reads

Looking for a spooky read this Halloween? Look no further than here:

Note that my own haunted hotel mystery, Dead Roots, is listed. Marla and Dalton spend Thanksgiving weekend at a haunted resort. Which is scarier– for Dalton to meet her relatives or for Marla to encounter a ghost?

“The setting, a Florida resort complete with ghosts, ruins and secret passages, makes a terrific site for a mystery. With Marla, Cohen has created a plucky heroine, and it’s great fun to watch her negotiate the investigation, her nosy relatives and her consuming attraction for her fiancé, Dalton.” RT BookReviews

“Ghost stories, nifty secret passages, tales of gemstones and family secrets enliven this tale.” Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel

“If you like ghosts and ghoulies and things that go blink in the night, you’ll love this book.” Mysterious Women

“Condemned wings of the hotel, secret passages, and a gaggle of paranormal experts investigating the resident ghosts, all add up to a frenetic mixture of mirth and mayhem.” I Love A Mystery

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COMING NEXT: My Ghost Hunt tour at a real haunted resort, the Grand Hotel in Jerome, AZ. See my photos with orbs and hear about our adventures in this former hospital for local copper miners.

Tag: Halloween