If my book were a Halloween movie…it would be Garfield’s Halloween Adventure! Wait, wait, I promise it makes sense!
This gem of children’s animation first came out in 1985. Back then, my grandmother taped it off of the television and for years I could pop in the VHS tape into the VCR whenever I wanted to watch it. Fun fact, as a kid one year I dressed up as Garfield for Halloween because I loved this movie so much. Sadly, this show hasn’t been broadcast on tv since 1999, but you can watch it on Youtube. Of course, that version won’t have the classic Campbell’s soup, McDonald’s Halloween McBoo Buckets, or Double Mint gum ads that I can also quote by heart… With music sung by Lou Rawls and the typical Garfield hijinks and humor, this movie was a fall staple in my household growing up. To this day, I sometimes find myself singing “This is the night!” or quoting random lines from it (“Garfield, you are a genius! I know that.”).
So, how is Garfield’s Halloween Adventure anything like Murder, She Rolled? Let’s break it down (without spoilers!):
First, the obvious similarity: both take place in fall with Halloween right around the corner. And while Garfield may be lazy, my protagonist, Wren Winters, is anything but. She and her friends are busily preparing for the Hollow’s Way Harvest Festival, planning out a hay maze and outdoor games for folks to play.
Garfield discovers that, unlike other holidays that might involve him getting pine needles in his paws, if he dresses up in costume on Halloween, he can get candy, candy, candy! In Murder, She Rolled, Wren and her friends are about to play a tabletop roleplaying game, the kind of collaborative storytelling game where you pretend you’re someone else – very Halloween appropriate.
After a montage of trying on different costumes (“What should I be? There’s so many sides to me.”) Garfield and Odie go out dressed up as pirates. It’s all fun and games, but danger lurks when they enter a run-down mansion that they thought was abandoned. Similarly, when Wren and her friends sit down to play a game, one of them collapses, sending the group spiraling and running headlong into danger at every turn.
Ultimately, Garfield and Odie survive because of their friendship and the sacrifices they make for one another. In Murder, She Rolled, Wren and her friends are put to the test, but ultimately they need to rely on one another in order to figure out whodunit and how to put things right before it’s too late…
About the author
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on. Connect with Shelly on her website: shellyjonesauthor.com.
Greetings, victims, I mean, friends, and welcome to my not-so-spooky Tule Halloween Festival post. If you’ve read any of my Elmo Simpson Mysteries, you know the town of Paradise Springs, Florida is filled with unusual characters. If you haven’t, there’s no better time to change that as all three are on sale this month for the bargain price of $1.99 for Kindle readers.
Among the denizens of the Springs is Abraham Longfellow, a dashing recluse who might be a vampire. Then there’s Idira Maradona, who’s known to many as The Black Widow due to the unusually large number of deceased former spouses. I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the Farrell Sisters, local entertainment magnates who may also be witches.
So, it was no surprise when I started working on a timeline for Dead in the Ditch, book 3 in the series, that Halloween had to play a key part.
The story opens on Halloween night and features trick-or-treating and one whale of a Halloween costume party. A dead body turns up, too. I mean, I write murder mysteries. How could there not be one?
I’ve always loved Halloween. When I was a kid, I spent the night of October 31 dashing from house to house with my friends knocking on doors and shouting, “trick or treat.” It was great fun, and I treasure those memories.
When my kids were young, I took them trick or treating and had as much fun enjoying the spookiness of the evening as they did. We also had a great time decorating the house with jack o’ lanterns, spider webs, and all kinds of other not scary decorations.
Over the years, there have been trips trough haunted houses, strolls through Halloween-themed zoos, and viewings of too many scary movies to count. Not to mention the annual viewing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”
So, yeah, I love Halloween. To me, it’s a time of fun, friendship, and goodwill. I mean, children going house to house to receive treats from people they don’t know? That’s an act of trust and belief in community that can’t be beat.
That’s why, when the opportunity presented itself, I wasn’t going to pass on giving Dead in the Ditch a Halloween theme. And I can’t wait until the timing works to write another Halloween story.
Until next time, stay spooky, friends and keep reading Tule mysteries!
About the author
J.C. Kenney is the bestselling author of The Allie Cobb Mysteries, The Darcy Gaughan Mysteries, and The Elmo Simpson Mysteries. He’s also the co-host of The Bookish Hour webcast. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He has two grown children and lives in Indianapolis with his wife and a cat.
Mistletoe, mochas, and murder. When a Christmastime killer strikes, can one amateur sleuth save the festivities from chocolate-covered ruin?
Ava Decker craves clarity. Stuck in limbo while her maybe-boyfriend takes flight overseas, the sarcastic pastry chef buries her insecurities inside her cupcakes. But as her town immerses itself in yuletide cheer, she pushes herself to re-enter the world and celebrate… only to discover a fellow confectioner’s body floating in a lake of fudge.
Grieving and prepping for the magical winter festival, the witty entrepreneur is dumbfounded by the news that she’s inherited the cocoa master’s decadent empire. And as a disgruntled relative contests the will and traces of embezzlement surface, Ava mixes a batch of relentless sleuthing with a pinch of help from her forensic accounting background.
Will refusing to walk away get her yule cake crumbled or put a grinch behind bars? Candy Canes and Crimes is the quirky sixth book in the Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries culinary cozy series. If you like strong female leads with self-deprecating humor, loveable animal sidekicks, and small-town holiday charm, then you’ll adore Lisa Siefert’s entertaining adventure.
Lisa Siefert is a USA Today Bestselling Mystery Author who writes humorous cozy mysteries. She dedicates all of her free time to testing out different latte flavors at every coffee shop she comes across and has never once skimped on dessert because life is too short not to. She lives in San Diego with Lucky, her own devious but adorable Abyssinian kitten. She excels at recounting every Hallmark Movie plot ever conceived and can also whip up a mean batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Her books feature amateur women sleuths that always believe in silver linings despite all of the murderous clouds surrounding them.
When I’m not writing murder mysteries, I’m teaching (or grading…) mostly first generation college students. To keep my classes engaged and interactive, I incorporate a lot of different games into my lessons. Anything from Jenga to Clue to some more obscure games like MicroMacro (think: Richard Scarry books or Where’s Waldo meets a whodunit) or Sign, which is a cooperative roleplaying game or storytelling game about creating a shared language. I like bringing in these alternative activities to make my classes more dynamic, to meet my students where they’re at, and to get them to apply the ideas we’re talking about onto different texts.
This past week was a double whammy for games. In my lower level literature class, I brought in different versions of Clue and we examined the box art and settings in order for them to consider how they will complete their Clue(re)do assignment in which they modernize the game for their world. We talked about closed circle mysteries (in which there is a limited number of suspects, each with a motive, means, and opportunity to commit the crime: think a class Agatha Christie like Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None). Then my students came up with alternative isolated locations that could serve as backdrops for their own Clue boards. Some suggestions were a summer camp, a movie theater, and a fraternity/sorority house – all excellent possibilities for a whodunit.
In my upper level communication class, we’ve been playing a roleplaying game that requires students to collaboratively tell a story based on prompts they pick. They then need to write letters to each other’s characters, expressing what has happened based on the prompt cards and how their characters feel. After they write their letters, they then create a keepsake, remediating their story into their crafted object. Some draw pictures, some use pipe cleaners, feathers, and felt, some use modeling clay. (My office has become a mini-Michaels chockful of art supplies…) Today, as they were sharing their stories, one student was surprised how quickly she had adopted talking about her character in the first person (e.g. “I did this” instead of “my character did this”). This is pretty common when playing a roleplaying game, but it also got me thinking about how we do this in writing too.
With all of my characters, there has to be some point of empathy, some point of identification where I can understand who they are and what their motivations are. Writing and roleplaying often go hand in hand as we try to understand who our characters are and what makes them tick. Sometimes I get asked how much of myself x,y,z character is. None of them are photocopies of me on the page. They’re more like a kaleidoscope of different characteristics I’ve plucked from people (some who I know, some who I’ve merely people-watched and jotted down a memorable quirk or a phrase…). For example, Wren and I are both pretty loyal to our friends, possibly to a fault. But then again, I’m also very much like Charlie: to the point and a bit more introverted (okay, a lot more introverted). Like Jo, I can be very logical (though I may rush to conclusions faster than her…). And while Esther and I are the most different, I can be pretty blunt just like her (though far less charismatic! And far less extroverted). But each of the characters have shiny shards of this and that, refracting together to form their unique identity.
Aside from playing a roleplaying game, the way Wren and the gang are doing in Murder, She Rolled, another great way to express ourselves or to have some fun trying out a new identity is to dress up in costume or cosplay. With Halloween just around the corner (eeks!), I need to start planning my outfit. Last year I was a sheet of notebook paper (because what could be scarier for a writer than the blank page?). This year I might cut out some felt letters and pin them to my costume so I can go as a work in progress…
What might you dress up as (or roleplay) for Halloween? Are you a more traditional ghost or witch? A Marvel superhero? A classic literary figure ala Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple? Or do you have a favorite costume from your childhood (Snoopy for me) or one that your children or grandchildren wore?
About the author
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on.
There’s a crispness in the air, pumpkins on porches, and just the slightest chill that says: it’s time to curl up with a good book. And what better companion than a cozy mystery full of clever clues, charming towns, and sleuths who always follow their instincts?
This October, Tule Publishing is celebrating the season with our Mystery Month Sale, and it’s as comforting as your favorite sweater (with just a dash of murder on the side 😌).
🧁 What’s the scoop?
From October 1 to 31, we’re offering exclusive discounts on all Tule mystery titles published through September 2025. That means plenty of cozy capers, clean mysteries, and small-town secrets—perfect for fall reading.
📚 Where can you find them?
Visit us at TulePublishing.com or on Amazon to grab your next great escape.
🍂 Why you’ll love it:
Because cozy mysteries are more than just solving the case. They’re about:
Baked goods and bookshops
Gossip and gardening
Cats who always seem to know more than they let on
Lovable locals and stubborn sheriffs
Amateurs with big hearts and even bigger instincts
Whether you’re returning to a beloved series or discovering a new fictional town to fall in love with, we’ve got the perfect read to pair with your favorite blanket and a mug of something warm.
So light a candle, settle in, and get ready for a month full of charming mysteries and cozy vibes. 🕯️📖
A Halloween checklist for the magically suspicious
Waking up with no memory is rough. Waking up with no memory, a talking cat and psychic visions of murder? Your next thought might: Maybe I’m a witch! That’s ✨classic✨ Halloween chaos and exactly what happens to Sakara Decker, Ava’s cousin in The Witch Wears Prada.
Here’s a spooky season checklist to find out if you might be a witch… and just forgot.
1. You touch people and immediately know too much
Suddenly you’re picking up vibes, thoughts, or full-blown flashbacks.
Did you gain a sixth sense or just get cursed by a love potion gone wrong?
2. A black cat won’t stop following you
And not in a “feed me snacks” way.
He’s watching you like he knows something — and honestly?
You’re starting to believe he might talk.
3. You keep getting déjà vu… for things that haven’t happened yet
You knew your ex was going to text you before he did.
You predicted your coworker’s weird Halloween party drama before it unfolded.
You might call it intuition.
The universe calls it premonition.
4. Your diary/journal/spellbook is full of spells and potions you don’t remember writing
Did you actually jot down “How To Get Over Your Ex By Giving Yourself Amnesia,”
or is that just your inner witch trying to protect you from getting back together with your ex?
5. You showed up for Halloween… and it felt like someone else showed up with you
You swear you were just here for the pumpkin cupcakes.
Now you’re in the middle of a murder investigation with your cousin, hearing voices and possibly cursed.
Oops.
Bonus points if there’s frosting involved.
If this all sounds familiar, there’s a story in Clover Creek you might want to read this Halloween.
It’s short, spooky, and involves a mind-reading witch with amnesia, a cousin who just wants a chill October, and a talking cat who’s had enough of your memory problems.
Check out my fun Halloween short-story:The Witch Wears Prada that finally explains where Ava’s missing cousin Sakara went off to and what she’s been up to for the last ten years!!
About the author
Lisa Siefert is a USA Today Bestselling Mystery Author who writes humorous cozy mysteries. She dedicates all of her free time to testing out different latte flavors at every coffee shop she comes across and has never once skimped on dessert because life is too short not to. She lives in San Diego with Lucky, her own devious but adorable Abyssinian kitten. She excels at recounting every Hallmark Movie plot ever conceived and can also whip up a mean batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Her books feature amateur women sleuths that always believe in silver linings despite all of the murderous clouds surrounding them. Be sure to check out her website: www.lisasiefert.com.
