Welcome back to another amazing submission for Delicious Horror! Today I’m joined by Patrick Tumblety who has chosen to highlight the wonderfully talented Laurel Hightower and her novella, Crossroads. This novella is such a great example of Hightower’s talent and overall power with words. I was excited to see someone submit a post for Crossroads, and just wait until you see what Patrick has created! And if you feel inspired, find out how to submit a Delicious Horror post of your own here!

About Patrick:

“When I’m not baking with my daughter, I’m writing horror, science-fiction, and poetry. I have been featured in a variety of publications, including Tales of Jack The Ripper by Word Horde Press, Gothic Fantasy: Science-Fiction Anthology by Flame Tree Publishing, Fossil Lake, edited by Christine Morgan, and many other anthologies and magazines. My latest publication is in Ghost Orchid Press’s 100 Word Horror: Cosmos, releasing in May 2021. I currently live with my wife, daughter, and cat in Delaware.”

Tell us what horror book you chose to highlight and why it’s a favorite of yours:

Crossroads by Laurel Hightower was the first book I read (listened to) in 2021, and it set the bar for horror (and non-horror) extremely high. I feel bad for every other book I will read this year.

Chris has lost her son to a tragic car accident at a local crossroads. When blood from a small cut on her finger is absorbed by the ground where she has built his memorial, an idea is absorbed into her mind. She knows the legend of the “Crossroads Demon,” where a deal can be made to grant a wish. What does she have left but to find out if the legend is true? She only has her life to trade – a price she’s more than willing to pay to resurrect her son.

There was not one decision Chris makes through her journey (downfall?) that I would make differently. The entire time she (and the reader) knows that her grief is driving her magical thinking, and yet what else does she have to do but take the chance? Laurel Hightower makes you feel just how terrifying it is to have nothing left to lose.

This is the kind of story that scares the HELL out of me. Horror borne from tragedy. Having to live through a world that doesn’t care what it has taken from you. I had trepidation about using this book as the subject for this post, since it’s such a realistic terror. The loss of a child is the most horrifying tragedy that could ever happen. Laurel handles this situation with compassion and honesty, and I by no means want to make light of the subject, rather, I’m using this post to celebrate the book as an incredible piece of horror literature. 

What did you decide to make to pair with the book, and what from the book inspired your delicious treat?

The story depicts burial and burrowing into the ground, so I already had an earthy taste on my tongue while reading it. For holiday parties, I like to make “dirt.”

I layer chocolate pudding, grounded up Reese’s cups, and green coconut shavings to make the dish look like a lawn. For Halloween, I include gummy skeletons in the bottom puddling layer and pumpkin-shaped candy corn on top to make a pumpkin patch. For easter, I hide chocolate eggs. For this book, I made the Crossroads. It’s a simple recipe that children have fun putting together, which makes the pairing with this story that much creepier!

Can you share the recipe or a link to the recipe?

The recipe for “dirt” is easy, which allows your imagination to be the main ingredient! I use chocolate instant-pudding for the base (dirt), and topped that with coconut shavings dyed green with food coloring. (You can place anything in between those layers as the “crust” – ground up Reese’s cups, pretzel sticks, heath bar, peanuts, etc). It’s that easy!

To make this Crossroads-inspired piece, I used chocolates from my local market that are candy-coated to look like rocks. My daughter and I picked out the brown rocks and then arranged them on top of the pudding to make the crossroads. We filled the rest of the surface in with the coconut shavings to make the grass. I made the memorial by piling rocks around a cross made of pretzel sticks, glued together by melted chocolate.

A dessert created in honor of Laurel Hightower’s Crossroads!

Thanks for reading! I’m always excited to dig into (pun intended) and spread the word about a great book. Hopefully, you too will find Crossroads a terrifying delicious read!

Thank you so much to Patrick for sharing this on Delicious Horror! Until Next time! Stay spooky and go create some tasty treats to honor your favorite authors and books. -Sara