Spookyhouse: A Guest Post by Jill Baguchinsky, author of Spookygirl + US Giveaway!

We asked Jill Baguchinsky, author of Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator, “Have you ever experienced paranormal activity?” Here’s what she had to say:

Writing about Violet, the teenage ghost hunter in Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator, nets me lots of questions about ghosts — especially whether I’ve ever seen one.

Sadly, I haven’t (yet!), although I believe in the possibility of their existence. There’s a lot in this world we don’t understand and can’t yet properly measure or record.

Although I’ve never seen a ghost, I’ve had a few experiences that could be described as paranormal. Some of those experiences took place in the home of some friends of mine outside of Augusta, Georgia. The property has been in their family for many years; the original house burned down and was rebuilt decades ago. Most of my friends tend to be spookytypes, and this place reflects our typical shared aesthetic– strings of skeleton-shaped twinkle lights on the back porch, gargoyles on the bookshelves, things like that. Several other friends and I have stayed in this house on a number of occasions, and let me tell you — something’s going on there. 

One of the property’s owners, who grew up in the house, describes its energy as feeling “exceedingly malevolent” when she was younger, although now she sees it as more mischievous — “entities that like to touch, throw things in the kitchen, or, more uniquely, imitate […] voices.” She also believes the back bedroom is inhabited by shadow people — supernatural entities that appear as moving shadows in the viewer’s peripheral vision, only to melt into the surrounding darkness if stared at directly. I’ve slept in that bedroom, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed that none of her shadow people ever made an appearance while I was there. However, my most physical experience with the possibly paranormal did happen in that room. I was once shocked awake in the middle of the night when the bed moved. It was a single, lurching shake, as if someone had violently shoved it. I told myself it was probably just a hypnic jerk — that sensation you get when you’re half-asleep and you feel like you’re falling — but I’ve experienced plenty of hypnic jerks, and this felt entirely different.

I’ve also met at least one of the house’s ghost cats. The property’s owners are passionate about animal welfare, and a few of their rescue kitties seem to have stuck around even after passing away. I’ve been head-butted by invisible felines more than once while sitting in the living room, and I’ve heard one or two very distinctive meows coming from inside the house even when no living cats were present. A friend reported hearing something cat-size playing with the wires behind the television. When she peeked, nothing was there.

I’ve also had a run-in with the mischievous kitchen entities. A friend and I were reading in the living room late one night when we were startled by a very loud, very distinctive banging coming from the kitchen. We investigated, checking the kitchen, the nearby laundry room, and the carport outside, but found nothing. As soon as we settled back in the living room, the banging began again, only to stop when we returned to the kitchen. This happened three or four times, and it definitely had me thinking about Buster, Violet’s impish pet poltergeist in Spookygirl. The same friend reported that something once forcefully knocked a box out of her hands while she was in the study, and she and several others have heard the mimic-entity calling out from empty rooms, impersonating the owners’ voices.

Most interestingly, two friends have mentioned seeing ghostly female figures wandering through various parts of the house at night — one in the back bedroom, another in the living room. I’ve yet to see anything like this myself (and believe me, I’m impatiently waiting!), but both friends reported that the figures did not seem malevolent or threatening. They were just . . . there. The one in the bedroom stepped through a doorway and disappeared, and the other inspected part of the living room, almost as if she were keeping watch over the property. As far as I know, neither figure has been identified. In a house like this, though, they don’t seem too out of place.

Believe me, if I ever get my hands on some proper ghost-hunting equipment like Violet’s, I know where I’m going first.

~ Jill Baguchinsky

Connect with Jill:
http://www.jillbaguchinsky.com
http://twitter.com/JillBaguchinsky
http://www.facebook.com/SpookygirlPI
http://mintconspiracy.blogspot.com

So, the question is… Have you ever experienced paranormal activity? Fill out our giveaway form and tell us in the comments! 5 lucky winners will receive a copy of SPOOKYGIRL to call their own.

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Winner of the Breakthrough Novel Award Contest–Jill Baguchinsky’s quirky, creepy debut.

Violet doesn’t remember much about her late mother, but she is certain of one thing: she too can see
ghosts and communicate with the dead. But when Violet discovers paranormal activity in the girls’
locker room, she finds herself ill-equipped for handling the school’s ghostly echoes. Through Violet’s
own investigation and with the help of some unlikely allies, Violet discovers there is a lot she doesn’t
know about her special skill–and more still that can stand in the way of its power. With sharp wit and
determination, Violet sets out to uncover the truth behind her school’s haunting, to finish the investigation
that led to her mother’s sudden death, and to learn why the only ghost she has ever wanted to see is the
one that has eluded her forever.