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Halloween

Robby the Robot Forbidden Planet Costume (3D Printed)

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[ For my FREE book about cemetery symbols, click here.]

Homemade Robby the Robot Forbidden Planet Life-Size Costume

Last year, my mad scientist husband, Larry, built his own life-size Robby the Robot costume from scratch! There were no plans available for making one, so he painstakingly designed it all himself.

He even learned CAD and 3D printing in order to make his own Robby the Robot! This is one reason why his replica weighs 45 pounds as opposed to the original, which weighs about 125 pounds.

Since Halloween’s coming up, I made a video showcasing Larry making, building, and wearing his incredible replica costume of Robby the Robot, the iconic sci fi character first seen in the 1956 movie, “Forbidden Planet.”

Robby the Robot was featured in a bunch of films and TV shows, so even if you don’t think you know who he is, you’ve probably seen him somewhere. He’s been featured in shows including: Colombo, Addams Family, Love Boat, Big Bang Theory, and many more.

Have you ever seen Robby the Robot in a movie or TV show? Have you ever seen him in “Forbidden Planet” or “The Invisible Boy”?

Larry and I hope you enjoy this video and wish all of you Happy Halloween! :)

READ MY BOOKS: To see a list of all my published books, check out Tui  Snider’s Amazon page. 

Learn more about offbeat travel & historic cemeteries at my YouTube Channel

Want a FREE book? Click below:

Filed Under: #TuiSnider #Texas #author #musician, A to Z Challenge, Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Cemeteries & Symbolism, Historic Cemeteries, My Books Tagged With: 3d printed, diy robot, forbidden planet, Halloween, halloween costume, homemade robot, larry snider, photo essay, photographer, robby the robot, robot, texas travel, the invisible boy, travel, Tui Snider

2019: Trick or Treat Reads – Get Your Free Books Here!

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Get FREE Books as Halloween Treats!

Six years ago, my pal and fellow author, Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine had a brilliant idea. She calls it Trick-or-Treat reads, and this is how it works:

For those of you who don’t know, Trick-or-Treat Reads is a Halloween event where authors put their books for free and readers go trick-or-treating to get the books. BOOKS ARE THE CANDY!

 

trick-or-treat-book-blog-hop-banner_orig-1

 

Grab my Halloween Freebie, then trick-or-treat for more:

So, for the 2019 Trick-or-Treat Reads, I’m offering a free music album & lyrics book. 

Yes, in addition to writing books, I’m also a singer/songwriter who plays several instruments. A while back, I recorded a 10-song album featuring my own original songs and lyrics.

Come to My Senses:
To claim your FREE copy of my indie music album Come to My Senses, leave a comment on this post requesting a copy from now through November 1st. I will send you a unique download code for the album to your email address as well as a pdf with all the lyrics to the songs on it:

What’s the music like? You can hear sample tracks by clicking here and I’ve pasted some reviews from Amazon and CD Baby for you to check out below:

“I loved this album! The music is interesting and unique. It’s so nice to hear a fresh take on music these days. Her voice, and musical tones will have you feeling like you are in a magical place.”

“Unique and Inspiring: I love the way Tui’s music makes you feel. It is dreamy and yet excites the mind.” “Mystical and Magical!: Damn, I love this music. It really needs to be showcased in a movie soundtrack. Beautiful. Thank you Tui!” 

“A Magical Adventure!: Listening to this album is like being swept away into a magical land. It’s soft and billowy and inspired. You won’t be disappointed buy today!”

“Mystical Awesomeness: A beautiful album meant for a movie soundtrack and music that was made from the soul. I love it.”

***But don’t stop here, scroll down & blog hop for more FREE books!*** 

Follow this blog hop on October 31st for more Free Books:



Hey, you! Want to keep up with me?

BLOG POSTS: I’ve got 700+ articles here and am constantly adding more!

READ MY BOOKS: Check out my books, including Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?






Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

We respect your email privacy

 

Filed Under: #TuiSnider #Texas #author #musician, Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: author, author Tui Snider, blog hop, free books, Halloween, indie, iphone photographer, iPhone photography, photographer, Tui Snider

2018: Trick or Treat Reads – Get Your Free Books Here!

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Free Books as Halloween Treats

Five years ago, my pal and fellow author, Patricia Lynne had a brilliant idea. She calls it Trick-or-Treat reads, and here’s how she describes it:

For those of you who don’t know, Trick-or-Treat Reads is a Halloween event where authors put their books for free and readers go trick-or-treating to get the books. BOOKS ARE THE CANDY!

 

trick-or-treat-book-blog-hop-banner_orig-1

 

My Halloween Freebie for You:

For this year’s Trick-or-Treat Reads, I’m offering a free music album & lyrics book. 

Yes, in addition to writing books, I’m also a singer/songwriter who plays several instruments. A couple years ago, I recorded a 10-song album featuring my own original songs and lyrics.

Come to My Senses:
To claim your FREE copy of my indie music album Come to My Senses, leave a comment on this post requesting a copy from now through November 1st. I will send you a unique download code for the album to your email address as well as a pdf with all the lyrics to the songs on it:

What’s the music like? You can hear sample tracks by clicking here and I’ve pasted some reviews from Amazon and CD Baby for you to check out below:

“I loved this album! The music is interesting and unique. It’s so nice to hear a fresh take on music these days. Her voice, and musical tones will have you feeling like you are in a magical place.”

“Unique and Inspiring: I love the way Tui’s music makes you feel. It is dreamy and yet excites the mind.” “Mystical and Magical!: Damn, I love this music. It really needs to be showcased in a movie soundtrack. Beautiful. Thank you Tui!” 

“A Magical Adventure!: Listening to this album is like being swept away into a magical land. It’s soft and billowy and inspired. You won’t be disappointed buy today!”

“Mystical Awesomeness: A beautiful album meant for a movie soundtrack and music that was made from the soul. I love it.”

***But don’t stop here, scroll down for more FREE books!*** 

Follow this blog hop for more Free Books:

Hey, you! Want to keep up with me?

BLOG POSTS: I’ve got 650+ articles here and am constantly adding more!

READ MY BOOKS: Check out my books, including Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

Want a FREE Guide to Historic Cemeteries?






Sign up below to grab your FREE Cemetery Symbolism Guide:

We respect your email privacy

 

Filed Under: #TuiSnider #Texas #author #musician, Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: author, author Tui Snider, blog hop, free books, Halloween, indie, iphone photographer, iPhone photography, photographer, Tui Snider

2015 Trick or Treat Reads: Get 43 Free Books for Halloween!

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43 Authors Giving Free Books for Halloween!

Last year my pal, Patricia Lynne, had a brilliant idea. Like me, Patty loves writing books, and one day while chatting with other authors about Halloween she suddenly thought,

“What if I did a blog hop where authors handed out their books for free to readers? THE BOOKS ARE LIKE CANDY!”

000-a-trick-or-treat-reads-for-FB

Trick-or-Treat Reads = Free eBooks

That’s how Trick-or-Treat Reads blog hop was born. If you would like free eBooks & nifty book-related swag from over 25 different authors, all you have to do is hop through the links at the bottom of this blog post!

But don’t hop away, yet. *This* post is one of the blog hop stops!

My eBook Treat for You!

This year for Halloween, I’m giving away a free eBook highlighting my favorite independent bookstore: Booked Up in Archer City, Texas.

About my Freebie:

Booked Up is a labor of love created by the award-winning Texas author, Larry McMurtry. My freebie features an excerpt about this famous bookstore from my best-selling travel guide, Unexpected Texas. However, since my book does *not* contain any photos, I’ve added a whole bunch of pictures snapped during my writing research trip to Archer City, Texas.

I hope you enjoy learning about Booked Up. If you’re ever in north Texas a trip to Archer City to see this one-of-a-kind independent bookstore is definitely worth the effort!

How to Claim Your Treat from Me

Simply leave a comment on this post saying “trick-or-treat,” and tell me a little bit about how you will be celebrating Halloween. In return, I’ll email you my ebook, “Unexpected Texas: Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up.”

Just so you know, my freebie will run from Halloween through next Saturday, November 7, 2015. I want to give any latecomers a chance. Please note: Most folks will only be giving away their goodies on Halloween, so hurry up and hop through the list!

42 More Treats for You!

Whee! You’re just getting started! Click through the list below for 42 *more* freebies from other authors.

Happy Halloween and Happy Reading!


Want to read more like this?

 

To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:  UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth.

 

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:  PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth.

 

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 

 

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Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Haunted Travel Tagged With: free ebook, givewaway, Halloween, patricia lynne, trickortreatreads

Hey Authors: Sign Up for a Halloween Blog Hop to Gain New Readers

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Trick-or-Treating for Books!

Have you ever wanted to go trick-or-treating for books instead of candy?

Well, now you can!

A couple weeks ago my friend, Patricia Lynne had a brainstorm and devised a clever way for authors to give out books and book-related goodies on Halloween.

Last I checked, 20 authors had signed up for her Trick-or-Treat Book Blog Hop, and I bet more will be added as the big day approaches.

That’s a whole lot of sugar-free fun!

(Oh, and as you may have guessed, it was Patty’s blog hop that inspired my own Paranormal Texas Book Release Trick-or-Treat Giveaway. Speaking of, you can *still* enter daily to win goodies there through Halloween. What can I say? I love giving out prizes!)

How Authors Can Play Along:

If you are an author and would like to give a book or book-related goodie away for Halloween,

1. Add your name to the list of participating authors over at Patricia Lynne’s blog. Here’s the link: Trick-or-Treat Book Blog Hop

2. Write a post on Halloween (or a day or two before, depending on your schedule) telling trick-or-treaters about your book.

3. Offer your blog visitors a treat! This treat can be as simple as giving each person who comments “trick-or-treat” a free ebook. You could also run a contest, with each “trick-or-treat” being an entry. Or… you could do something else entirely! Halloween is like that, right? It’s not like every house on the street gives out the same candy.  So it’s up to you, fellow authors. This is a chance to gain new readers. Make it fun!

How Readers Can Play Along:

On Halloween, drop by Patricia Lynne’s Blog and start trick-or-treating your way through the tasty author blogs taking part in this trick-or-treat blog hop.

And, hey readers, please give a little candy back to the authors by posting reviews of their books on Amazon and Goodreads and so forth once you’ve read and enjoyed their books.

Check out the Author Participants in Advance!

Why wait for Halloween? Check out all these generous candy-laden authors in advance:

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Filed Under: Media Kit Tagged With: author, blog hop, For Writers, giveaway, Halloween, patricia lynne

How to Visit the Munster Mansion Replica in Waxahachie, Texas

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The following is an adapted excerpt from Unexpected Texas – my best-selling travel guide to quirky, offbeat and overlooked places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you enjoy learning quirky facts, or are looking for offbeat road trip ideas in north Texas.

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica by day in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Munster Mansion Replica

While there is no official address for, “1313 Mockingbird Lane,” in north Texas, there is an excellent replica of the Munster family home over in the town of Waxahachie where, in 2001, Sandra and Charles McKee built a replica of the house depicted in the classic TV sitcom.

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Since it’s a fictional house, the pair watched and re-watched all 70 episodes of the show in order to create their building plans. They really did an amazing job.

I can’t show you any photos from the interior, since they don’t allow people to take pictures inside the Munster Mansion replica, but trust me – they went all out!

They even have a fire-breathing creature under the main staircase. Some rooms, such as the bathroom, were never shown in the series, so they were able to wing it in those sections.

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Who are the Munsters?

For those who don’t know, The Munsters is an American TV sitcom from the mid-1960′s with a really catchy theme song. The show followed the antics of a quirky-but-harmless monster family.

While the father was Frankenstein-esque, the grandfather and the mother were vampiric. Meanwhile, the son was a bit of a vampire/werewolf blend.  This, in contrast, made the Munster’s pretty blond niece into their family misfit.

Bottom line: it’s a very playful, silly, 1960’s show!

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Texas Munster Mansion not an official tourist attraction

While Sandra and Charles McKee have clearly put a lot of effort into their Munster Mansion recreation, it is not meant to be a year-round tourist attraction or museum.

For them, it is simply a fun project!

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Munster Mansion Annual Halloween Charity Event

Even so, the house draws so much attention that since 2002, Sandra and Charles McKee have sponsored a two-day Munster Mansion Open House in October with all proceeds going to local charities, such as the Ellis County SPCA, the Salvation Army, and the Waxahachie Senior Citizen Center.

Since the annual open house attracts so many visitors and parking is limited out in the countryside where the Munster Mansion is,  the McKee’s use a shuttle bus to ferry visitors back and forth.

When you go, be prepared to wait in line for up to 2 hours before getting a tour of the inside! It’s a good idea for family members to take turns waiting in line, while the rest of the crew enjoys all the fun and games on the front lawn, including a Munster Koach replica, snacks for sale, carnival style entertainment, and more!

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Celebrity Guests at the Munster Mansion in Texas

Besides all the hard work the couple puts into setting up this open house, the McKee’s always try to have at least one actor from the original show attend the party.[Update: 2016 will be the *last* time Pat Priest will attend this event!]

In 2012, Butch Patrick (who played Eddie Munster) showed up to greet the crowd and tour the mansion. In 2013, Pat Priest (who played Marilyn Munster) pulled up in a limousine, signed autographs, and chatted with fans as you can see in the photo above.

Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

How to visit the Munster Mansion in Texas

For more information, such as the exact dates of this year’s Munster Mansion Halloween Open House, as well as an excellent video interview with the Sandra and Charles McKee, check out the official Munster Mansion website:

Website: Munster Mansion replica in Waxahachie, Texas

Please note: While all the above information is accurate as of this writing, please be aware that it is subject to change.

Hey, you! Want to keep up with me?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, music & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below.  You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

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Curious about my books & music?

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Haunted Travel, My Reviews, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: Halloween, Munster Mansion, Oct15, q1, quirky, Quirky Travel, replica, road trip, Texas, Texas road trip, Texas Travel, Tui Snider, Waxahachie

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