I am so excited to welcome Jessica Freeburg to the blog today. She is a fellow Clean Reads author, and her debut novel, Living in Shadows is a great read.
I should know since I was one of the editors :)
This book kept me turning the pages long into the night. I had to constantly remind myself to edit because I kept getting lost in Vivian's story.
If you love the paranormal, I highly recommend picking up Living in Shadows.
Jessica not only writes about the paranormal, she investigates it too! I love checking out haunted sites in America and abroad. It provides great inspiration for writing.
Paranormal Research
(How it Inspires Me as an Author)
by
Jessica Freeburg
I began performing paranormal investigations about 3 years ago
after signing with my literary agent. She encouraged me to create a name for
myself and connect with my potential audience even before my manuscript was
sold. Since the novel she was representing was a paranormal piece, and because
I’ve always loved those reality ghost hunting shows on T.V., I decided I should
visit haunted locations and blog about it. That idea eventually led to me
forming my group, Ghost Stories, Inc. We are a group of creative professionals
who go to historic and often reportedly haunted locations for creative
inspiration.
As a group, we’ve been
to a variety of places, including locations in California associated with the
Charles Manson murder spree. One of my favorite group outings was our hike
through the wilderness to find Spahn Ranch. It’s not marked, and the buildings
have since burned down, so it was a struggle to find it, but once we did, it
was very emotional. Just being in the place where Charles Manson sent his
followers out and instructed them to “do something witchy,” caused our giggly
group of explorers to become silent. Our mood just shifted. It was incredibly
surreal. We also performed an investigation at the home of David Oman, which is
located near the entrance of the estate where Sharon Tate and her friends were
murdered by the Manson Family. His home has been featured on a variety of
“ghost” shows on T.V. Walking up the road leading to the house in the dark, we
realized, this is the path the murders walked that night. It was heart
wrenching to think about what their intent was as they walked up that same road.
Some people think visiting places like that is morbid, and I
suppose it can be. But for us it’s not a celebration of death or murder, it’s
not even really about looking for ghosts or proof of the paranormal. It’s about
connecting with the past in a way that might allow it to inspire creative works
that can invoke thought. We don’t focus on the ugly part of death, but on the
beauty of life and that unknown ever-after.
There’s a quote
attributed to George Santayan that I love. “Those who
cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." That inspires me,
especially as a children’s author. I want to make reading fun, so I love
creating a good story that keeps the reader turning the page, and I like to use
the voices from the past to inspire my work…to bring those voices alive for the
next generation of readers. Sometimes I can do that through a work of fiction
like the SHADOWS SERIES, and other times, it’s through nonfiction, like with my
next book about the Holocaust which is part of a series called TANGLED HISTORY
that is due out in the fall of 2016.
Writing LIVING IN
SHADOWS for me was a journey through my own questions about spiritual energy.
Throughout my life, I’ve seen things that I couldn’t understand, things that I
can only classify as paranormal. Through my personal faith, I’ve come to a
place of accepting these things as a sign that we live on beyond this lifetime.
Some people think ghost stories are scary, but I think they’re cool because it
only confirms to me that we live on. And when we do have what seems to be an
interaction with a spirit during one of our investigations, I am humbled and
feel honored that they would choose to interact with us.
I feel so lucky that
I get to make money as a writer. And I love that I can blend my passion for
history and the paranormal into my work. As strange as it may sound, ghost
hunting has made me a better author, a more thoughtful human and it has allowed
me to connect with my readers on a much more personal level than I could
otherwise, and that is a huge blessing.
Living in Shadows
The Shadow Series, Book One
Jessica Freeburg
YA Paranormal
Clean Reads
June 16, 2015
Amazon | B&N | Clean Reads
Vivian
is able to see things other people can’t.
Things like shadows that move without a maker and hover over people,
feeding their depression and fueling their self-destruction. She also sees kind spirits, guiding and
guarding their loved ones against the shadows.
When
Vivian’s mother and brother die in an accident, the only option is to reunite
with her estranged father at his new home in another state. Unfortunately, there are shadows in the
house, and Vivian tries to avoid them during this time of heartache and
anger. Her brother’s spirit warns about
an especially strong shadow at the top of the stairs, one inhabiting the
bedroom of a girl who disappeared fifteen months ago.
Once the
spirit of the missing girl reaches out to Vivian, she learns the girl was
murdered in that bedroom while staring into the eyes of a trusted person
possessed by the shadows. The girl’s
spirit is restless, her undiscovered body lies buried in a shallow grave, not
far from Vivian’s home.
With her brother’s
assistance, Vivian searches for answers in hope the girl’s spirit can move
on. But the shadows are intent on
protecting the killer’s identity. They
stalk Vivian. Her life depends on
releasing her own pain and anger, because the shadows won’t stop until she
stops searching…or until death finds her too.
Excerpt
Vivian’s feet planted on the second step from
the landing, causing her father to stop abruptly to avoid crashing into her
back.
Rebecca was still walking toward the room.
“I’ve always thought this pink room would be perfect for a girl.”
“Stay
away from the door, Vivian. This shadow is evil. You can’t let it know you can
see it!” Thane disappeared before the dark spirit could see him speaking to
Vivian.
“Where’s your bedroom?” Vivian pretended not
to know as she turned toward her father.
“It’s just at the end of the hallway,” he
replied pointing away from the room where Rebecca was standing in the open doorway.
She’d already flipped the light on. Pale pink wallpaper dotted with tiny white and fuchsia
flowers burst into view behind her.
A shadowy figure darted across the dimly lit
room like a large, black dog rushing to examine an unfamiliar house guest, pausing
just inches from Rebecca. It was at least a foot taller than her, even as it
stood in front of her hunched over awkwardly, partially hidden from Vivian’s
view by the bedroom wall flanking
the doorway in which her stepmother stood. Its head cocked sharply to one side
as it seethed like an angry cat.
Vivian wanted to scream for Rebecca to get
out of that room. Instead, she took a deep breath and said calmly, “If you
don’t mind, I’d like to have a room closer to yours.”
Rebecca and her father exchanged looks.
Vivian held her breath, while the vaporous shadow figure reached a jagged,
bone-thin finger toward Rebecca’s face and gently stroked her cheek, its bulk
still partly obscured by the wall that separated the room from the hallway.
Rebecca shifted her gaze to Vivian, unaware of the touch.
Most people never knew the spirits were
present. They didn’t hear them, they didn’t feel them, and they didn’t see them
like Vivian did. Sometimes Vivian wished she was one of those people. Life
would be so much simpler.
“Of course.” Rebecca flipped the light off as
she stepped out of the doorway. The vapor sucked itself sharply back into the
shadows of the room. An unearthly shriek pierced Vivian’s ears as Rebecca
pulled the door shut behind her.
“We just thought you might like a bit more
privacy, but there’s a room right next to ours.” Rebecca smiled at James as she
walked past the stairs where Vivian’s body had rooted itself.
Vivian closed her eyes against the
high-pitched screeching, as if not seeing would somehow stop her hearing, as
well.
About the Author
Jessica Freeburg has always been
inquisitive and loves the challenges of all that life, and the afterlife, has
to offer. Her fascination with history and the paranormal fuels many of her
creative works. She embraces the fringe and relishes in the examination of what
others may take for granted. As the founder of Ghost
Stories, Inc., Jessica has performed paranormal investigations at a variety of
reportedly haunted locations. LIVING IN SHADOWS: BOOK ONE OF THE SHADOWS SERIES
is her debut novel. Her second book, a middle grade nonfiction about the
Holocaust will be released in the fall of 2016. She is a news
correspondent for the wildly popular paranormal radio show DARKNESS RADIO. She also serves on the editorial staff of FATE
Magazine and is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s
Book Writers and Illustrators for the state of Minnesota. In addition to
writing books, she enjoys working in screenwriting and documentary production.
She lives in Lakeville, MN with her husband and three children.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @jessicafreeburg https://twitter.com/JessicaFreeburg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessicafreeburg/
Author Website: www.jessicafreeburg.com
Ghost Stories, Inc. Website: www.ghoststoriesinc.com