Leticia’s Creative Obsessions: Halloweek!

October is my favorite month of the year, it always has been. I went trick-or-treating well into my college years and prided myself on my creative and often homemade or thrifted Halloween costumes. On the 16th I turned 38, and celebrated the birthdays of several other Libra and Scorpio loved ones. It’s the start of spooky season (though many of us keep this in our heart year-round). I led a creepy folktales workshop, visited Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms, participated in a Halloween reading with Host Publications at Alienated Majesty Books, and have been reading and watching all the spooky stuff to my heart’s content.

Despite all this fun, I have found myself feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from my creativity as of late. The election cycle in the US between two political parties promising continued domestic and international violence and witnessing the horrors of genocide against Palestinians that our government is funding, much less increased climate disasters perpetuated by those hoarding wealth and an unchecked pandemic killing and disabling thousands every week all have me feeling like my creative life lacks meaning. There are many days it feels like an accomplishment to do the bare minimum of my work and feed myself, much less to have the energy to write or engage in other creative pursuits. I know many others feel this disconnect, and if that describes you, I acknowledge how painful it is to live in constant grief, fear, and uncertainty about the future.

I come back art, to music and film, to the words of others to remind me that people have always used their fears, their deep personal and collective grief to connect to our collective humanity. As we enter autumn, the light wanes, the days become darker, and many of us believe that Halloween, or Samhain, means a thinning of the veil between the living and the dead. I also celebrate Dia de los Muertos and keep an altar year round for me and my husband’s departed loved ones where we can honor and remember them always.

Feeling close to death and grief means being connected to the love and interconnectivity we share, and this is what reminds me that reveling in the darkness is not a waste of time. It is natural and welcome, and I open my heart to let it in along with the light.

Here are some things I’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and enjoying that I want to recommend. May they make you think, make your heart beat a little quicker, or are just fun. We all need a little more of that in our lives!

What I’m Reading

I had lofty goals of completing this Halloween Bingo reading challenge on the Goodreads Horror Afficionados group I am a part of. I didn’t read as many works on this list as I wanted, but the week isn’t over, and I read scary stories all year round, so I plan to continue with this challenge.

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell

High-school friends Sadie and Logan decide one day to ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of checking out a corn maze that appeared out of nowhere. At first, it seems like harmless fun, but when they stumble across corpses that look exactly like them, Sadie and Logan realize the maze is not what it seems, and that they have been there before, over and over again. This YA horror novel was like nothing I’ve ever read, and I really liked Sadie’s character and her friendship with Logan.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Tananarive Due is an amazing voice in the horror community, and this novel is no exception. This historical horror novel takes place in Gracetown, Florida in the 1950s when twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. Robbie journeys further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. This book tackles the very real horrors of racial violence and I loved Robbie and Gloria’s points of view throughout the book.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix is a must-read for me after reading The Final Girls Support Group and How to Sell a Haunted House, and this one has been on my TBR list for a while. It’s got friendship, set in the 80’s and features demon possession; what more could I ask for?

Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella

Werewolves are my favorite creatures, and I love a werewolf story about a person’s struggle with their own humanity. In this book, Brian is an aimless guy struggling with becoming an adult as much as he struggles with his monthly transformations into a werewolf. A fellow werewolf, Tyler, takes him under his wing to teach him his ways, but Tyler may have more nefarious plans than Brian realizes. I haven’t gotten to this one yet but I am planning on reading it in the next week or so and will be adding it to my Werewolf reading list.

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

This is my second Rachel Harrison book, and while I liked Such Sharp Teeth better (see my review here), this book was a wild ride too! Sloane is dreading her birthday, another reminder that she is aging and that her life has stalled in a predictable rut. When her husband arranges a birthday weekend away with her freewheeling, unpredictable friend Naomi. Sloane anticipates a quiet, cozy weekend at the rental cottage, but when Naomi pulls her out for a wild night on the town with strangers, both women get way more than they bargained for. The book really got good for me when Sloane and Naomi must contend with their new lives as vampires. I’ve decided I am going to re-read Dracula in 2025 and make a more robust vampire reading list.

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Bromm

A puritanical witch story that’s been on my list since last year. I am committing to getting to this one before the year is out and adding it to my Witchy reading list.

Bonus reads:

Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

This cozy graphic novel is a must-read for me every year. Deja and Josiah are working their last shift on Halloween Night at the pumpkin patch they’ve worked at throughout high school. As they reminisce about all of the things they will miss about the pumpkin patch and go on a mission to unite Josiah with the girl of his dreams (who he’s never actually spoken to), the two friends realize that what they will miss most is each other. It’s a beautiful story full of fun and autumnal vibes.

Elvira in Horrorland Comics Series

If you love The Mistress of the Dark as much as I do, you’ll enjoy these fun horror comedy comics in which the eponymous Elvira is stuck inside your favorite horror movies in a bizarre multiverse and only she can solve the mystery of who put her there and why. Find these at your local comics shop (shop local!)

What I’m Listening To

I love listening to these podcasts year round, but especially around Halloween, the Spooked Podcast from WNYC Studios, hosted by the excellent Glen Washington, is a must-listen for scary true tales told by folks who have experienced the strange, the frightening, and the unexplainable. Equally fun is the Spirits Podcast , where the hosts Julia and Amanda break down urban legends, and folklore and also share with listeners urban legends and stories. The Hometown Urban Legends episodes are my favorite!

As I said earlier, death looms on my mind around this time and how we traverse personal and collective grief. That’s why I love Kara Jackson’s work so much. Her album and song, “why does the earth give us people to love?” is an incredibly beautiful ode to grieving lost loved ones and will take you on a musical journey through highs and lows that I come back to time and again. I also respect and appreciate Jackson for her advocacy for Covid safety as a touring artist who cares about protecting her health and the health of others.

What I’m Watching

There are the traditional Halloween staples I have to watch around this time like Halloweentown (I have the first Halloweetown and Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge on DVD), Hocus Pocus, Trick or Treat and of course, John Carpenter’s Halloween.

I watch horror all year round, and there are several new films I plan to get to before the year ends, especially now that I renewed our Shudder subscription, but recently I’ve really enjoyed some of the Hulu’s Huluween original horror films they’ve put out. The three I want to recommend are:

1. Mr. Crockett: The malevolent spirit of a formerly beloved children’s TV star begins abducting children to his imaginary world and one mother has to rescue her son and the other children before it’s too late. This one was delightfully weird and creepy!
2. Slotherhouse: Technically this came out last year, but I still think about this very campy, ridiculous film about a sorority student trying to fit in with her toxic sisters who abducts a sloth from an illegal animal trader but oh no, the sloth is a killer! You will laugh your way through this hilarious slasher, especially when the sloth takes a selfie as he kills one of the sorority girls in her hospital bed!
3. Carved: A small town recovering from a train derailment and chemical spill the year before attempts to have some Halloween fun at the local pioneer farm with a pumpkin carving contest. What they don’t know is that one pumpkin is sentient, and out for revenge! Another very gory but ridiculous film that will have you thinking twice about carving your pumpkin for Halloween. Plus, DJ Qualls, who played one of my favorite characters on Supernatural, is in it and that is all I need.

Creative Prompts

It was my intentional entering spooky season to participate in Claribel Ortega’s #Finishurbookfall so that I could work on completing my historical paranormal novel. I didn’t get as much done on that this month but plan to return to this goal in November.

I have been working on some edits and submissions for the work in my next book, The Remedy is the Disease, out in May 2026 from Undertaker Books. This inspired me to create a workshop for Libros Bookshop about writing dark folklore and urban legends entitled “Things That Go Bump in the Night: A Creepy Folklore Workshop. Here are some of the prompts from that workshop:

1. What cautionary tales did you grow up hearing that reminded you to come home before dark? Invent your own cautionary tale or urban legend for a younger generation.
2. Alternatively, you could also write from the point of view of an urban legend or folk character like La Llorona and share their perspective.

What’s Happening with Leticia?

Last weekend I tabled at the Lone Star Zine Festival where I debuted my new zine, Home Love, which you can purchase from my website.

I will be tabling at the MexiAmeriCon this Saturday, November 2nd from 2-8pm. You can come by and say Hi and purchase some of my work! I am also offering my virtual class, What Happens Inside: A Body Horror Workshop, in partnership with Gemini Ink in November. I hope you can attend! And lastly, I will be moderating the Middle-Grade Horror Panel at the Texas Book Festival on Sunday, November 17th and am loving the books by the authors I will be in conversation with, Adrianna Cuevas and Mark Oshiro. Hope to see you there!

I will have some updates about some additional virtual readings I will be doing in December in the next newsletter!

Stay safe and creepy out there!