Diary, 26th of October - Although the first day of fall came sometime ago, today marks the true first day of fall (for me). Brisk morning, beaming light, the temperature has dropped significantly for this place of south Florida, a land of two seasons, wet and dry. I find myself smiling at the people wearing their thick coats and hats, motoring along the streets of my town.

Chilly some say. Freezing. Ha! Brisk I say, and it is wonderful. A lot of the time I linger on thoughts of nature. All around me. It is no surprise of course, for nature is a part of me. This I’ve known for a time for intrigue consumes in this manner on a daily basis. It’s in the very blood of my being.

With Halloween rapidly approaching in the coming days, I wonder about what sort of ghouls and demons will emerge in the streets of the sacred night, where people who were once people, are no longer people. They become something else and that I believe is something to consider when dealing with the normalities of life. Day in, day out. An escape for some. A life for others.

In the past weeks I’ve been practicing this method of escape for sometime, running around and scaring those who wish to be scared. Working at a Haunt (Enigma Haunt) - it’s how they say it - and I welcome every aspect of it. It lends me true insight to the world of horror where I get to see up close, on the most personal of levels, how the human psyche works. What makes them fear. How they react. How they cope. It is funny and it is fun. It is something I recommend to those who wish to escape for a spell, however, it is not for the faint of heart. In the next couple of days, I’ll be back at it for a final go. One last trial of scaring to tie me over for the rest of the year. There are 5 days left of Enigma Haunt operation, based in Boca Raton, FL and I invite those (who ever happens to read this passage) to come by and see it first hand (if you dare).

Speaking of a couple days, I’ve had the privilege to meet some extraordinary people and authors from south Florida, and in just two days time, I will meet with them and share each others stories at a book festival.

Held on October 28th at Evelyn Greer Park in Pinecrest Florida. This event was originally set to happen in September but the mother of all storms, a goddess known as Irma, came thundering upon our shores. She detained us, but we withstood. So be it. Alas we prevail and the book festival lives. Pinecrest Bookfest. Come check it out as well if you have the time. Remaining true to the spirit of horror and supernatural culture, I will be there to support such ventures. I’ll have a little space there to sell my books to those interested in a story of the macabre, dark, and insane. Here is my take on Wolfgang: A gut wrenching journey through an 18th century gothic countryside. Full of lechers, bogarts, and caretakers; there is no time for Wolfgang to rest as he searches for his missing son. An unforgettable experience of darkness and pain.

~ FDGross