Maddie Ann's Playground now available!

Maddie Ann's Playground

What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a cemetery on Halloween night, faced with the evil of the century? Maddie Ann's playground, takes the reader from the streets of Old Creek, Wisconsin, to a hellish world deep within the old cemetery.

It began as a deadly secret, turned into a dark legend, then eventually a fairytale told by the locals. Now, after two hundred years in silence, Old Creek cemetery awakens once more. But this time, the wicked doesn't only want blood, it needs young souls and Jennifer Cravens and Claire Barton are it.

On Halloween night, Jennifer agrees to go to Old Creek cemetery with Claire on one condition; they are to stay long enough to scare their friends and to see if the legend carries the truth or is bogus. But when the girls arrive, Jennifer backs out and stays inside the car. What she doesn't expect to happen: coming face to face with a demon and having to enter the graveyard to fight to save her friends from the pits of hell.

After witnessing two friends being slaughtered by a vicious fiend, Jennifer is cast out of the graveyard with no memory of what happened. Stumbling through the woods to find civilization, she's able to make it home, but instead of finding comfort, her biggest nightmare has just begun. Her mind has become a human dream portal for the devilish child, Maddie Ann.

Jennifer must seek the truth before time runs out for her friends and they become part of Maddie Ann's Playground forever.

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Maddie Ann's Playground

~"Lord protect me from my friends, I can take care of my enemies."~ Voltaire, 1694-1778

Claire Barton heard what the elders said about Old Creek cemetery. "Keep far away from that place. The devil lives there and he will kill you." Was the old legend nonsense or did the town folk actually know the truth behind it? She had to give it deep consideration before she included her friends in her Halloween night escapade.
Surely, she did not believe the legend? She laughed at unrealistic tales. Ghosts, witches, and demons did not cross her mind. She had fire in her belly, a high-spirited individual, who craved cheap thrills.
As she thought more about it, she did, after all, agree to do this to get a date with Mitch Styles. He told her she could have him if she spent the night with the dead. How could she resist? She wanted this guy since the second grade and now that he offered himself to her, she wasn't about to turn him down. She reasoned with herself that it was just a cemetery and things like that didn't really happen.

While that thought stirred through her mind, she rushed to her locker to grab her books and waited on her friends to get out of class. With time to spare, she caught a glimpse of Mitch. Captain of the football team for Emerson High, he looked so desirable in his letterman's jacket. She lusted over his hazel eyes that complemented the wavy blond hair that snuggled his ears. His smile, the famous smile she dreamt of often, revealed deep dimples in his cheeks. She wondered what her life would be like if only she had him for herself.

Her mind digressed from her surroundings and she jumped when Jennifer tapped her on the shoulder.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jennifer shoved her books in the back of her locker and slammed the door shut.

Claire sighed. "Waiting for you guys to show up. Why?"

"I saw you looking at him. Please tell me you're not considering asking him out? You know how much I despise him," Jennifer said.

Claire huffed, rolling her eyes. "Why do you hate him so much? I mean, my Gawd, Jen, look at him." She almost drooled as she fantasized being in his arms and making out with him.

"Let's not talk about Mitch. We have plenty of time to discuss your love life, but right now, we need to find the other girls and hurry to the park."

Claire snatched her bag from the bottom of her locker and followed Jennifer out to the parking lot. Before getting in her car, Claire caught one last glimpse of Mitch. She watched as he climbed into his red Suburban with his loud friends. She couldn't take her mind off this guy. His looks and spunkiness revved her hormones to overdrive. Perhaps she yearned for his popularity. Whatever caused the attraction, it made her mad with lovesickness.

"Is everybody ready?" Claire asked. She wanted to flee before the traffic became murder.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," Lisa said. She squirmed between the girls.

"Good, because we have a party to plan," Claire added.

As they pulled out of the school parking lot, she cranked up the music as they drove toward the City Park.

"You know girls, we're bad. I mean, think about it for a sec. I believe we have the trashiest mouths out of the rest of the girls at school. I dunno why we do things we're not supposed to," Jennifer wondered. She eyed her friends in the backseat with a guilty look.

"Hey, Cravens, speak for yourself. I know my mouth isn't as venomous as yours. Just ask anyone," Kari retorted laughing.

"Come on you guys, it's fine if we're different. That's what makes us so unique. I prefer unique," Claire added.

The Wisconsin fields rolled past the joyful group in the convertible like flying carpets of green. The smooth hum of the powerful Ford engine alone prevented silence as the miles flew by.

Claire pulled into the park at a speed far too fast and hit a speed bump that raked across the bottom of the car. To her dismay, she noticed a police car parked up the way prompting her to sink in her seat.

"Crap, I hope the police didn't see what I just did," she said trying to see up over the dashboard.

"If you don't watch where the hell you're going, that will be the least of your worries," Kari intervened.

Claire sat back up in the seat and parked by a sheltered, wooded area to hide the car. After catching her breath from the scare, the girls piled out and made a mad dash around the lake and straight up the dirt path to The Rock. Off to the side facing a vast open field, sat a huge boulder where the girls shared their secrets and dreams.

"Oh puleezzzze, as if we still fall for that crap. We're not ten anymore," Kari said as she scrambled up The Rock.

Liz's smile slanted. Claire knew she hated Kari's smart attitude because it always spoiled the moment. Her miniskirt hiked up her thighs as her feet took hold.

Kari went up behind her. She snagged the hem of her hoodie on a sharp piece of rock, leaving a hole in it. "Dang it, my mom just bought me this," she complained.

"Come on girls, quit your whining," Claire said. "We don't have much daylight left, so let's use it wisely."

"Does anyone have any new ideas for the Halloween party, or should we throw another lame bash like last year?" Jennifer asked. "If it were me who had to decide, I'd say we should do something daring." She looked straight into Claire's surprised eyes and grinned.

"Gee, Jen, I don't know; would you like to plan this yourself? I'll arrange it and that way, I don't have to worry. Shoot, I'll sit on my ass and watch you do it all." Claire crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, her hair falling in her eyes as she glared at Jen.

Lisa broke the tension between Claire and Jennifer before they said something they'd regret. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her designer jeans. She batted her eyes as if to be funny and said, "Since we want to do something different, I say we invite some college guys like we wanted to do last year but didn't."

Claire shook her head. Annoyance coursed through her.

"What's wrong with inviting an older crowd to hang out with?" Lisa asked, crinkling her nose.

"Hold on. You know my mom will not allow college guys' to the party, so why even bring it up," Claire replied, certain of herself.

Jennifer shifted her gaze toward the others, and said, "These ideas sound corny. Claire, you have to admit that. I say we do something we've never tried."

Claire looked into Jennifer's scheming dark-as-midnight eyes and threw a thick lock of blonde hair over one shoulder. She leaned back away from the others, shook her head, and zipped her lips. Jennifer took the hint to shut her mouth.

"Wait a minute, what's wrong with the way we've always done it?" Tina asked. "I like things simple and I can't figure out what's the big deal."

"Because it's boring," Kari added. "We do the same crap every year. We dress up, eat until we're so fat we can't breathe, dance with the same nerds that we've danced with year after year, and have nightmares from regret."

Claire decided she knew best. She'd throw the party however she saw fit, and if her friends didn't like it, they didn't have to come.

***

The sun started to set behind the woods across the field. Jennifer scooted to the edge of the rock, dropped her purse to the ground and climbed down. As she reached the bottom, Claire nudged her aside letting the other girls go ahead. "You just about blew it. Try to keep your mouth shut next time," she said and walked off.

            Jennifer grimaced from Claire's insult, needing to be alone to think about stuff that bothered her. In the distance, she watched her friends gather in the car while she stopped to look in the lake. She gazed around her surroundings and saw an old rowboat tied to a long pier that swayed back and forth in the water. Moving a little closer to take a better look, a glassy film skimmed the top of the water and displayed the waning colors of the sunset. As she took in its beauty, she heard a gentleman's voice as it called to her so pleasantly.
            "I'm over here, Jennifer. Come to the water so you can see me," he said.
            Fear raced through her heart. Her throat tightened. "Who said that?"

"I need to see you, my love."

She did not want to do this. Why did he need her and why the urgency? "Who are you," she shouted. "Why do you want me to look at your face?" She inched her way towards the demanding voice.
Just as she knelt close to the water, a rotten muck stench wafted into her nostrils. She covered her nose and fell back on her hand. Oh God, she mumbled and then raised herself up to look back into the water. Suddenly, the wavy reflection of her face vanished and she saw a beastly man with dark black eyes, jet-black hair, and a disturbing grin reach for her.

            "Jennifer, my Gawd, what's going on down here?" Claire grabbed her from behind and embraced her. "I heard you screaming from the car. What happened?"
            Jennifer pulled away and watched the spirit fade into the mist that hovered over the water. She placed her hands on her face and cried. "I don't want to talk about it. Just get me out of this place," she said.
            Claire lowered Jennifer's hands. "Your eyes are all red and puffy. Why are you crying? We're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to you."
            "A man came out of the water after me. Now get me the hell out of here before he comes back," she yelled.
            Claire shook her head and helped Jennifer up the path to the car. When they got in to leave, she placed her hand on Jennifer's arm, and said, "We will talk about this later, so try to calm down, okay."

Jennifer saw the sincerity in her friend's eyes. She meant well she was sure of, but it did not ease the pain she caused her. Here lately, Jennifer noticed Claire's frequent mood swings and how she snapped at her for any little thing she did. Was Mitch the instigator who influenced her attitude change or did she do this unintentionally?

Not only did Jennifer question her and Claire's friendship, she wasn't sure about spending the night in an old abandoned hospital. The idea felt all wrong. Who in their right mind would sleep where people have died on Halloween night? Freaks came to mind, those who worshiped the dark side and she was far from being a pale face, a nickname the kids from school called them.

Doing as Claire suggested, she slumped down in the seat to relax, but the encounter with the strange man from the lake still frightened her. Before she got comfortable, Claire pulled into a gas station to let the girls off.

"See you all tomorrow," Claire said waiting for them to pile out. "Make sure you bring a change of clothes and a sleeping bag."

The girls waved as they drove off leaving them in a convenient store parking lot. The car became silent. Jennifer stared out the window.

"I didn't mean to be so straightforward, but I've been under a lot of stress and I haven't had time to resolve my problems," Claire said. "I hope you'll forgive my insensitive attitude."

Jennifer patted her on the arm. "I'll live Claire. I take things the wrong way instead of trying to understand, and you're right, I do have a problem keeping my mouth shut."

Claire looked as though she wanted to add something, but held her tongue.

***

Jennifer looked at the unfamiliar road. "Claire, where are you going? I thought we agreed to check out the abandoned hospital."
            "I know but I wanted you to see this place first. I think you'll like it better. It's the old cemetery at the edge of town. You know...the one about the legend."
            "No, I guess I never paid any attention to the town's old stories. So, what about it?" Jennifer asked putting her hair up in a ponytail.
            "You remember the Watson family that buried their dead in that graveyard. You know how creepy they are."

"Oh, God, yes, I remember."

"Well, according to legend, no one goes out there anymore. Some of the people even said they saw ghosts in that cemetery."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Claire."

            "Come on, let's just go take a look, scaredy-cat," Claire said and pulled into a convenience store. "You wanna grab some chips and a soda?"
            "I'd like a Coke if you're buying."
            Claire smiled and got out of the car.
            The harvest moon sat deep in the night sky bathing the underbrush in its amber glow. Jennifer got comfortable in the front seat of Claire's car, gazing out at the shadows mingling among the cornfields in front of her. As her eyes set in a fixed glassy stare, she noticed a shabby farmhouse behind the gas station that sat up on a hill surrounded by shriveled trees. What she could see of it, the aged porch leaned to one side and a dim light burned inside the downstairs window close to the front door. Chills crept up her spine by the looks of the old place. Her imagination ran amok.

Jennifer's mind went into a deep place as she thought about the cemetery. A sudden rap on the driver side window startled her. The minute she rolled down the window, a musky stench wafted in her face. A girl stood outside the car wearing a beige gauze dress that hung loose around her ankles, and she had on old leather laced up boots. Her long brown hair hung in matted braids, and dirty rings covered her neck. The word 'homeless' came into Jen's mind. Where did she come from?

"Jennifer Cravens...?"

As a scream stuck in her throat, Jennifer asked, "Who...who are you?"

"I'm Maddie Ann's cousin, Alisa Kay. Stay away from the cemetery! I've come to warn you; you're all going to die."

Jennifer chuckled, not believing her for a minute, and slid over to the driver's side, sarcasm in her voice. "Did someone put you up to this? Let me guess, Claire, right?"

"Please, listen to me, I don't have much time. They know you're coming, and they want to kill you, just like they did...."

Jennifer interrupted. "Just stop. I don't understand any of this. For that matter, I don't even know you. Get away from the car. I have no money to give you." She started to withdraw away from the window.
Alisa held out her hands in a pleading gesture and stepped closer to the car. A single tear rolled down her pale face. "Don't go to the graveyard...."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, huge hands reached from behind the drifter and pulled Alisa into black rolling fog. The girl's body evaporated, and ascended with the fog into a blood-red cloud above the gas station.

Jennifer jumped out of the car screaming and sank to the ground. Her knees curled to her stomach and her hands covered her eyes. "Oh my God...oh my God, Claire!"
            Coming out of the store, Claire ran to the car, threw the bag of cokes and chips on the driver's seat, and helped Jennifer back inside the car. "What happened? What's wrong?"
            "Claire, we cannot go to the cemetery. This girl...this girl came to warn us not to go. She said if we do someone will kill us!"
            "What girl?" Claire asked looking around.
            "She vanished," Jennifer whispered with trembling lips. Her eyes widened as she gazed up at the inky sky, "...disappeared in a fog."

Claire pulled the car onto the road, cutting the wheels sharply, and took off. "Listen, sweetie, I can assure you, you imagined this," she said and squeezed Jennifer's hand.

Jennifer shook her head and stared out the window. "No, I saw her. She said her name was Alisa Kay and she rattled off another name...Maddie Ann, I think. Then something or someone pulled her into a fog. Claire, please believe me. I know what I saw, damn it, and I'm not going to that cemetery."

Claire gave her a peculiar look and turned up the volume on the radio. Jennifer sighed, laid her head back on the seat, and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, Claire turned off the black top and onto a dirt road slowing her speed. She turned on the high beams, and kept her eyes peeled for the clandestine cemetery. It sat a few miles down and off to the left of the gravel road. She pulled the car over on a small patch of grass.

Jennifer opened her eyes. "Where are we, Claire?" she asked and yawned. She lifted her head and saw the cemetery gates. "What the hell are we doing here?" She screamed and grabbed Claire by the arm. "This is insane. You're gonna get us killed!"

Claire shook her off, opened the glove box, and grabbed two flashlights handing one to her. "Come on, Jen, or you're going to spoil everything," she retorted, opening her door. "This place is much better than anywhere in Old Creek. Wait until you see it. It's awesome; especially around this time of year." Claire's voice then grew deep and mysterious. "Halloween is when the wicked come out to play. It haunts the grounds in that graveyard. It moans as if it were in pain. Ghosts rise from the cold stiff ground. I've heard you can see them at the stroke of midnight trying to pry their way through the gates."

"I told you, I'm not going near that place. It's dangerous!"

"Well, I guess I'll just have to go alone."

"Claire, don't," Jennifer said and slammed out of the car to follow. Tears rained down her chilled face. The harder Jennifer yanked on Claire's arm, the harder Claire pulled. "I can't do this...please...don't make me do this."

"Relax, will ya? We're just here to check it out. After all, you wanted to go someplace exciting and scary. Well, you can't get any scarier than this."

Tall, brittle trees with finger-like branches reached for the onyx sky as Jennifer stood in the middle of an overgrown path that led up a gentle slope. As Claire dragged Jennifer up the crest of the hill, a chilly wind whirled. Wrought iron gates loomed before her.

"I'm not going another step. We shouldn't be here," Jennifer said. She turned to run, but Claire grabbed the back of her jacket.

"Come on Jen, how could you not like this place?" Claire whined. "Besides, you shouldn't fear the dead. It's the living that can hurt you."

Jennifer raised the flashlight into Claire's eyes and leaned into her. ""Listen to me; I agreed to scare the girls, but I refuse to go into a place where the devil lives," she said.

Claire let out a short, nervous laugh, and then nudged her playfully. "Do you believe that nonsense? Come on Jen, people make up crap all the time just to keep kids away from places they don't want them trashing. Chill out, nothing will happen."

Jennifer lowered the light and choked back tears. "What are we gonna do if what that girl said comes true? We don't know anything about the supernatural world."

Jennifer glared at Claire with a scowl on her face, watching her stifle a grin. "Do you honestly think I'd take you someplace I thought would get you killed? Get real," Claire said.

Jennifer saw the determination on her friend's face and wondered about the real reason behind Claire's intent to enter that cemetery. She suspected Mitch Styles had something to do with it.

Escaping Christmas Eve

Macy Duncan can't wait to welcome an orphan into her home for the holidays. What she doesn't realize; the child the Orphaned Children's Society appointed her to oversee may not be what she seems.

When Macy arrives at the Camden's to pick up Samantha George, she suddenly gets a surprise of her life; a Christmas nightmare she'd soon to forget....

My Sweet Katie, The Playground Lives, the second book to the Playground series, coming soon from Stonehedge Publishing!

Check back periodically for the book cover, trailer, blurb & the release date!

Also in the rewriting/editing stages: Eden's Pond! TBA

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