By Kevin Siembieda

I hope your Halloween was full of fun. Our Halloween was awesome, if exhausting. Despite off and on light rain and cool temperatures, we had several hundred trick-or-treaters and just as many adults come to enjoy our display and get a fist full of candy. It was wonderful. Wayne, Alex, Chuck, Julius and the entire Palladium crew were there to dine and enjoy the festivities along with other friends and family. I think Chuck, Thom and my pal Phil were having as much fun as anyone. It was also nice to see Gwen and Bob, Joy and Gary and a host of other friends and neighbors. I think everyone was impressed by the multitude of costumed trick-or-treaters (I estimate around 500 kids, plus adults). All of them were so excited about our sprawling display. It is a very fun experience seeing all those smiling faces. It’s on par with the Palladium Open House. How cool is that?

I can only accept part of the accolades, though. Kathy Simmons is the true mastermind behind it all. And I do mean mastermind. The life-sized figures she makes are amazing (the Minotaur and Medusa scene is new this year), her lighting is dynamic, and her hard work to put it all together is a labor of love. (You can see more of her handiwork at Queenofghouls.com and on her Queen of Ghouls ebay store, including some Christmas items.) I’m more like Igor to her Doctor Frankenstein, helping where I can, offering ideas and helping to set the scene and add details like blood and tatters, and re-painted masks. That’s why she is the Queen of Ghouls. Still, we make a darn good team.

By Kevin Siembieda

Another week has flown by as we continue to juggle a dozen different projects and details. Wayne is finishing the final edits and typesetting on the Chaos Earth® Resurrection sourcebook (a great book; epic and scary stuff). Layout should wrap mid-week. The Double Issue of The Rifter® #71-72 is also moving along and looking good. I wanted both these books out by Halloween but it was not meant to be. They will most definitely be out in November.

That has been our focus this week and next, and we need to get back to it, so I’m going to keep this short.

Available now – 2015 Palladium Christmas Surprise Packages

People are enjoying the Christmas Surprise Packages, and we’re happy to do them. As has become part of the tradition, I share some of the comments we receive for others to read and enjoy as well. Keep ‘em coming. Christmas is creeping up faster than you might think.