Jolene Haley is hosting a horror writer and illustrator showcase on her website to celebrate the spookiest of months.  My story, “Food and Drink Man” is featured today.

The Thornewood Hotel has seven stories and 666 rooms.  Sometimes it has grand elevators and a ballroom.  The staff mostly keep out of site, but they are watching.  The guests come and go…well, oftentimes, they come and stay.

The character Darryl is based on a “food and drink man” who worked with my father, who refurbished hotels.  I saw many hotels stripped to the bones while growing up, as my father and his workers replaced floor and wall coverings, plumbing, and electrical fixtures.  I saw through hotel walls, into the space between rooms.  I saw chandeliers laying splayed on the ground.  Hotels are a beautiful facade for their guests.  The workers know what lies in the rooms the guests never see.

Jolene Haley is an exceptional writer and curator of horror and other anthologies.  I highly recommend “Harrowed (Woodsview Murders, #1),” her YA slasher with Brian LeTendre.

Comment and let me know what you think of “Food and Drink Man” and follow the #HauntedHotel showcase for more spooky stories through the month.