Mister Glow-Bones and Other Halloween Tales

by Ronald Kelly

Halloween is more than a holiday; more than a fun time of candy and costumes for the young. It is inoculated into our very being at an early age and there it remains. As we grow old, it grows dormant… but it is still there. For the lucky ones, such as us, it emerges every year, like a reanimated corpse digging its way out of graveyard earth to shamble across our souls. And we rejoice… oh, if we are the fortunate ones, we most certainly rejoice.

So turn these pages and celebrate our heritage. Blow the dust off the rubber mask in the attic and hang the glow-in-the-dark skeleton upon the door. Light the hollowed head of the butchered pumpkin and string the faux cobweb from every corner and eave.

It’s Halloween once again. Shed your adult skin with serpentine glee and walk the blustery, October streets of long years past. And, most of all, watch out for misplaced steps in the darkness and the things that lurk, unseen, in the shadows in-between.

Stories included in this collection:
Mister Glow-Bones
The Outhouse
Billy’s Mask
Pins & Needles
Black Harvest
Pelingrad’s Pit
Mister Mack & the Monster Mobile
The Halloween Train
The Candy in the Ditch Gang
Halloweens: Past & Present
Monsters in a Box

Genres: Horror, Halloween, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Holiday, Supernatural

93 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2014

About the author

Ronald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own superheroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels. To date, he has had thirteen novels and twelve short fiction collections published. In 2021, his extreme horror collection, THE ESSENTIAL SICK STUFF, won a Splatterpunk Award for Best Collection.

He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were some cool Halloween stories in this book!

I am going to give a breakdown of the short stories with a cryptic note next to each one to give you a small taste of what lies within this book:

Mister Glow Bones: So you think that your Halloween cardboard hangings on your door will not come to life? Think again!

The Outhouse: If you see an outhouse with chains and a padlock, then leave it alone! Simple as that!

Billy's Mask: A Halloween mask like no other - downright spooky!

Pins and Needles: Halloween candy revenge in more ways than one!

Black Harvest: An unusual corn harvest - might give you some interesting dreams!

Pelingrad’s Pit: Never jump into a pit with ash as you never know what lies beneath!

Mister Mack & the Monster Mobile: Anyone up to having your organs swapped around? This one you have to read! Twisted story!

The Halloween Train: A train ride like no other - is it dreamland or horrorland?

These last three stories are about Halloween nostalgia memories from the author, Ronald Kelly which I thoroughly enjoyed about days gone by and having fun times not only during the month of October, but on Halloween.

The Candy in the Ditch Gang
Halloweens: Past & Present
Monsters in a Box

Thoughts:

Days gone by and feelings of Halloween memories are wrapped up within these stories. Now there are some strange and weird stories in here, but they are all enjoyable which grabbed me from the first story of Mister Glow-Bones to the last stories which are memories from the author himself.

I have to say that I just love the writing style of author, Ronald Kelly and how he weaves the stories around the reader making them feel that they are actually experiencing the stories themselves.

Every book I have read by him so far captures that quality of making you feel that you are sitting around a campfire on a cold winter's night telling ghost stories. I love authors that are able to literally pull you into their world and keep you there for the duration of the stories.

So go grab a mug of hot chocolate, dig out some marshmallows to roast over an open fire, and then prepare yourself to get cozy around the campfire as you step inside the mind of author, Ronald Kelly! Giving this book five "Pumpkin Thumping" stars!

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales written for the season (Halloween) and October. Mr. Kelly's writing style is so smooth and easy it's a pleasure to read.

Most of the stories concern younger protagonists on the spookiest day of the year.

The last three entries in this book are reminiscences of the author regarding Halloween in years past.

Contents:

011 - Introduction
015 - "Mister Glow-Bones
043 - "The Outhouse"
059 - "Billy’s Mask"
065 - "Pins & Needles"
081 - "Black Harvest
093 - "Pelingrad’s Pit"
133 - "Mister Mack & the Monster Mobile"
155 - "The Halloween Train"
157 - "The Candy in the Ditch Gang"
167 - "Halloweens: Past & Present"
175 - "Monsters in a Box"

This is copy number 14 of the leather bound edition.

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halloween fun

I loved these stories! They made me feel that fun, magic, a touch of fear and nostalgia for Halloweens past.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved all these Halloween short stories and all of Mr. Kelly’s artwork throughout the book. I don’t know which one I liked the best because they were all great! Mister Glow-Bones was pretty creepy, as was Mister Mack. The last few stories were of the authors Halloween memories, which made me think about my past Halloween’s as a kid where my mom made most of my costumes (one year I was a bag of jelly beans. I was in a see through garbage bag with colored balloons stuffed in all around me) Then remembering the Halloween’s as a teen and going to all the haunted houses and participating in them as a screamer. The when my kids were younger and walked them around our small little village, where everyone knew everyone, and then taking them home exhausted and going through their candy to see what they got. Now my kids are older and I have 2 grandkids that go around the same neighborhood that I did when I was a kid, and my kids went around passing down traditions through the generations.

[Jon Recluse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This holiday, stop by Ronald Kelly's humble abode on your rounds, not for a meager handful of candy, but for the ultimate trick or treat bag for lovers of Halloween horror ever! You'll find it bulging with morbid morsels, seasonal scares for every taste, old favorites and new, wrapped in a ghoul-cool cover painted by the author himself!
And once you've sampled the creepy confections nestled within, curl up and listen as Mr. Kelly takes you on a personal tour through Halloweens past, a nighttime stroll through fond memories and dark moments.

Quite simply, this is a must-have for every fan of horror and Halloween!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

You just can't go wrong with Ronald Kelly when it comes to halloween-style horror. I enjoyed these stories--all between 4-5 stars--and can see re-reading it each October.

Recommended.

[Leigh Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronald Kelly is hard to beat when it comes to nostalgia filled seasonal spookiness. Mr Glow Bones and other Halloween tales is no different. Kelly delivers a fun collection of short stories and personal essays about the season of Halloween and all it encompasses.
Some stories almost read like YA fiction, but usually end up a little too dark or gory to be considered real YA.

The wonderfully descriptive prose will place you firmly on moonlit streets strewn with autumn leaves on Halloween night. You will smell the rubber latex mask that adorns your face and feel the weight of the candy bag you hold as you are transported to the nostalgic Halloweens of yesterday. A fun read at any time of the year, this is a MUST-READ for the Halloween season 🎃

[Sonora Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Kelly’s short stories and essays on Halloween. They remind me of everything I love about the holiday.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had actually read a couple of these stories not long ago in another collection The Essential Sick Stuff
and had planned to skip over them, but instead found myself enjoying them a second time.
The title story alone is worth it's weight in gold, or maybe chocolate, since I devoured these grim and grisly tales like a bag of Halloween candy. If you are looking for something to get you into the spooky spirit or whether like me you enjoy that delicious spine tingling feeling all year long this is a well written collection of creepy tales. But beware, some of your dollar store décor may have ill intent.

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous spooky season read, Ronald Kelly generously mixes blood and gore with a dash of camp and the perfect amount of nostalgia. Mister Glow-Bones is comprised of eight October tales from the wondrous imagination of Mr. Kelly, as well as three essays that run the gamut from halcyon reminiscing to more poignant, yet all-too-relevant, topics. I recommend reading a story a day to take you up to All Hallow's Eve.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronald Kelly could easily become a new favourite author of mine. Mister Glow-Bones is my second read collection by him, the first being The Halloween Store. As with that collection, these stories are at times brutal and cold, while others are fun and nostalgic. Great story to read for Halloween.

[Brittany (hauntedbycandlelight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS THE HALLOWEEN COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES YOU NEED TO KICK OFF SPOOKY SEASON. Ronald Kelly, this was a scream. I mean it in the best way.

This collection starts off with a self titled story featuring, you guessed it, a glow in the dark skeleton. But it isn’t a normal skeleton, he likes the lotion on the skin…like Buffalo bill. 🔪

Next we have OUTHOUSE which was a scream. This one had me laughing until my laughs turned into a shrieks of terror. 🦇

Billy’s Mask a short and sweet story about befriending bullies and taking your mask off on a Halloween night.

You know what your parents say: always check your apples for razorblades. Or maybe it was PINS & NEEDLES. Some people count their candy, others count the bodies. In a twist of fate, Zachary will experience the pain he’s caused others.

Black Harvest is a very festive party with a surprise visit from the Corn Maiden.


“I believe I would be safe in the assumption that a lot of boys between the ages of eight and twelve view the approach of All Hallows Eve with the same reverence that some folks view the Second Coming” 😂

A true tale of Halloween spirit and reliving the magical memories. The child like enthusiasm, the door to door trick or treating and ALWAYS going as close to the house in your neighbour hood that you swore was haunted. Bravo!


Thank you to Ronald Kelly for my digital copy!!

[Jason Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I promise not to be biased, living not far from Ronald Kelly and the locations where his "southern-fried" horror stories take place. This was kinda epic. I enjoyed these tales for the most part (especially the ones that contain graphic horror violence), but a few were hard to get into and/or dragged for too long. This anthology consists of standalone stories that have at least a little something to do with Halloween and seem to be loosely interwoven. (but it's honestly hard to tell if this was intentional or not) The stories I loved, I absolutely loved a lot, but some of the other stories were pretty weak, and for that reason, I'm giving this a 4/5. There are definitely far worse Halloween horror anthologies out there.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic fun collection! MISTER GLOW-BONES by Ronald Kelly @dixiedarkun provides everything you want to kick off the spooky season. Tension, humor, fear, and scenes that will make you shudder while you constrict every muscle in your body, -all located inside this book.
How does one take something so playful and adored and make a nightmare out of it? Obviously, Ol’ Ron knows.
I tried to read this to my sons by the fire while camping but they shut me down. They got creeped out and for good reason.
🎃
Halloween based tales make for a great collection that you will want to revisit year after year. This is worth getting for the title story alone.

[Crystal Staley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a helluva fun time with these stories. They were just what I needed to put me in the Halloween mood.

[Robert Krone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am typically not good when it comes to short story collections, but I have been attempting to read more of them. I am a fan Ronald Kelly's work, so I decided this would be a good to read since it is the Halloween season and the collection is short enough to keep my attention, and boy am I glad I did.

I found this collection to be a perfect read for the season. I had read one of the stories in another book recently, but that didn't bother me at all.

If you like horror stories and Halloween (And what horror fan isn't a fan of the holiday?) then I highly recommend this collection!

And if this is your introduction into Ronald Kelly's work, you are in for a treat and will likely read more of his work.

[Bianca Rose (Belladonnabooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little collection that was great for kicking off the spooky season! Part spooky stories, part nostalgia; there is something for everyone in here. These are the sort of stories that would be great to read by a fire or by candlelight to really add to the atmosphere they have. I read one or two at a time and savoured the collection.

Ronald Kelly is one of my favourite authors because I can always rely on him to thoroughly creep me out yet somehow to make horror so much fun. A great little collection that anyone can easily squeeze into their TBR during the spooky season!

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Creeptastic collection of short stories! There's plenty of tricks and treats here no matter what you're looking for: Some of the stories are pure fun, others grotesque and scary while others will make you downright uncomfortable (I'm looking at you Pins and Needles ).
Also, the essays at the end are filled with so much Halloween nostalgia, it'll make you feel like a kid again.

This is definitely a Halloween must read! Just be warned...you may have a nightmare or two afterwards.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect book to kick off spooky season!! These short stories are so fun to read, and a little bit creepy and gory too. I loved Mister Glow Bones, The Outhouse, Billy’s Mask and Pins & Needles the most, the others were also enjoyable to read. If you have Halloween in your heart, this is a MUST read for your spooky soul 🖤

[David Veith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read. Most of the stories are very short so hard to rate overall. As always with all books with short stories some ok some not, but overall a good read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an e-Galley ARC of Mister Glow-Bones and Other Halloween Tales, authored by Ronald Kelly from Macabre Ink, for review consideration. Cover and interior art: Ronald Kelly. Cover layout: Zach McCain. What follows below is my honest review freely given.

I rated this collection 3.5 stars. Mister Glow-Bones and Billy’s Mask are new to this collection, the others were all previously published in other works, even including his blog for the essays.

MISTER GLOW-BONES
The titular short. On the fence for this one; it did transport me to that house, I could see the the scary things happening. I could also see a different type of story playing out if the husband was taken seriously at the get go, even just a little. Or with more sympathy maybe?

THE OUTHOUSE
A favorite. Brought to mind Tim Lebbon’s The Silence on a more rural scale, with a belabored sentry. And just the idea that boys can’t leave an outhouse well enough alone.

BILLY’S MASK
A favorite. I don’t know if this counts as flash fiction, but it’s a short short, but it’s also the perfect amount of horror.

PINS & NEEDLES
I could see this being an episode on Tales from the Crypt, it would fit in well with the Cryptkeeper’s sense of justice.

BLACK HARVEST
A favorite. Very feed the land, folk horror feel to this short.

PELINGRAD’S PIT
Another one I’m on the fence about, Pelingrad and his intentions with the “pit” seem at odds with themselves from one minute to the next. I’m not sure if I can suspend my belief for old Pelingrad’s actions long term.

MISTER MACK AND THE MONSTER MOBILE
I enjoyed this short, but this really feels like the opening to a longer story.

THE HALLOWEEN TRAIN
A favorite. Chills. Love it.

THE CANDY IN THE DITCH GANG ESSAY
“Halloween is a boys holiday… maybe that makes me a tad chauvinistic”; I’ll politely agree with you: yes that’s leaning a tad chauvinistic. I loved and still love Halloween the best. It is a state of mind, not a holiday in my heart.

HALLOWEENS: NOW AND THEN ESSAY
I can’t help but say, if your son wants to wear a crown, let him. Don’t be placing your expectations on him already with the John Deere hat! And it’s sad to read about your past Halloween and see how in some ways we haven’t come that far to change.

MONSTERS IN A BOX ESSAY
I also don’t know how correct “most kids today wouldn’t know Count Dracula”, or “don’t like building models”, I think some things may rise and fall in popularity but Dracula is a classic book and models come in almost any flavor to build. My boys love to try the Lego ones but we end up doing doing most of the work still.

I feel like I was grumpy there are the end when I was reviewing the essay parts, which I guess I was, but I don’t really know how to fix that, so I left it. They were originally blog posts that the author included in this collection, I almost just put there were essays with no review. These were personal thoughts by the author but since he included them, I gave my thoughts back.

[Nev Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't resist this collection cause Ronald Kelly is steadily working his way up the numbers in my fav authors list.

I was going to write a few lines about each individual story but changed my mind. Simple reason for this is the surprise factor. Some of the stories are new and some from older collections but if like me you haven't read a lot of Mr Kelly's short stories, it's best to go at them with no prior knowledge of the plots so you get the constant sound of your jaw hitting the table.

We have stories about the quintessential Halloween scary decoration giving the kids the scares to a sadistic serial killer getting a taste of his own medicine. We have stories about a boy battling with a demon in someones fire pit to a story about Billy and his Halloween mask (which by the way is possibly my fav Halloween story of all time!).The last few pages are made up of Mr Kelly describing in great detail various Halloween's from his childhood. This is awesome. It is beautifully written so much so that you can almost hear the sounds and smell the smells. I loved this section of the book. I can imagine sitting by the fire listening to Ronald telling stories of his childhood for hours. Very moving at times.

In short, this is essential Halloween reading. I can see me reading this book every Halloween the way we all watch the Wizard of Oz or It's A Wonderful Life at Christmas time. It gives you the wonderful atmosphere and feeling of the dark cold nights as you watch and listen for anything that goes bump in the night!

Is there a 6 star button anywhere?

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the creepier books I have read in quite some time, I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting it to actually be scary or even creepy. There is quite a bit of gore in some of the stories so if you're squeamish then I'd say to pass this one up. If however you love gore, creepy/scary stories then definitely get this one.

[Angyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and festive short story collection that makes for a quick and easy Halloween read! My favorite stories were Mister Glow-Bones, Pins & Needles, and Billy's Mask.

Calculated average rating: 3.3

[Stijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last couple of stories doesn't really add much value, I believe. Otherwise, great Halloween stories that already makes me wishing it was autumn. Fans of The Adams Family, Tim Burton... will have a blast with these ones.

[Niko · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great and solid collection of spooky short stories for the season!

[Roger O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Halloween collection mixed with some heartfelt nostalgic essays.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection of Halloween themed short stories. The last three seemed like they were the author's memories of past Halloweens, which was fun to read and get a little insight into the author himself.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronald Kelly is one of the best contemporary horror writers in America. Mister Glow-Bones is the second Halloween collection I've read from him and the fifth collection overall. While Mister Glow-Bones is not my favorite, it's still a pretty stand-out affair.

The titular story about an evil Halloween decoration could easily have been silly in less adept hands, but in Kelly's it is both unnerving and heart breaking.

"The Outhouse" is a fun creature feature about vampiric beasties lurking in the titular structure.

"Billy's Mask" is a neat story about a bullied kid with a secret. The twist was a bit predictable, but that made it no less neat.

"Pins & Needles" features a supernatural comeuppance for a serial killer who gets his kicks killing kids with Halloween candy.

I'd read "Black Harvest" before, as well as a different variation on "Mister Mack and the Monster Mobile," but they were both well worth revisiting.

I had to skim parts of "Pelingrad's Pit," the collection's longest entry, due to animal cruelty/death, which is something I personally have a hard time stomaching. That does not mean it was at all a bad story though. "Pit" is actually an incredibly original horror tale that keeps you guessing as to the nature of story's evil. It's also a satisfying story of a well deserved revenge.

Mister Glow-Bones concludes with its briefest story, "The Halloween Train" and three short essays on Halloween's past, and is overall a very satisfying collection of Halloween themed horror. Highly recommended to horror fans looking for holiday themed fun.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great collection of short tales by Ronald Kelly. The stories in this book all take place at Halloween time, a theme he has used for many a short story in his career. They all have a bit of fun about them and are filled with nostalgia and a love for Halloween. Like many a tale from comics and magazines like House of Mystery or Creepshow, or like an episode of "Tales from the Dark Side" the stories give you a sense of dread from the get go, as you have a feeling of where they're headed, yet you plow ahead at full steam to see your fears realized by the twisty ending. No one writes Halloween quite like Kelly does.