Debut author Jessica Freeburg is in the spotlight today with her paranormal Young Adult novel, LIVING IN SHADOWS.
As a shaman, I encounter some pretty spooky situations and entities. Jessica delves into ghosts and the dark side with LIVING IN SHADOWS, so of course, I had questions.
This is your first novel. Where did
you come up with the concept?
Writing LIVING IN SHADOWS was really an exploration of my own thoughts on
life after death and why some people seem to have more paranormal experiences
than others. I based Vivian’s ability to see spirits on the Biblical concept of
“gifts of the spirit” and specifically the gift of discernment – meaning
someone processes the ability to not only see spirits, but also to know if
those spirits are good or evil. It’s funny that I wrote Vivian’s character with
that principal in mind, but my friends who are not religious loved the story
because it was super-creepy. That piece of my faith was in my mind as I wrote
it, but there’s no mention of it in the novel. I’m proud that it can appeal to
someone who shares my faith, as well as those who don’t. My goal was really
just to tell a story that would send a shiver up people’s spines – maybe make
them a little jumpy when they hear a noise they’re not sure about.
Has being
an author always been your career goal? I know we were both influenced by our sixth grade English teachers.
I’ve always loved writing. In six grade, my English teacher
selected me as a student to attend a special workshop for kids who showed
promise as writers. I was so excited. Unfortunately, we had terrible weather
that day, and we spent most of the afternoon on our knees in the boy’s bathroom
while the tornado sirens blared.
Writing has always been the way I express myself. I wrote
poetry and songs during my teen and college years. Mostly songs about
heartbreak and why boys sucked. And I started several novels over the years,
but never got past the third chapter on any of them. I figured I would be a
teacher, which I loved. But then I started having babies and realized, I wanted
to be home with them. That’s when I let myself think about writing again. When
my oldest child was two, I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators (SCBWI), and that was really when I decided, I would publish a
book or die trying.
Where do you see yourself as an
author in five years?
The last two years have been incredible for me
professionally. I joined the editorial staff at FATE Magazine and officially
became part of the team at Darkness Radio. So I hope I’m still doing those two
things five years from now because they’re fun, but also so inspirational to my
writing. I will have my next book released in the fall of 2016 from Capstone,
and I have two more books planned for THE SHADOWS SERIES. There are some
super-cool negotiations going on with another book I’ve completed that I’m so
excited about, but probably can’t spill the beans on yet. So in five years, I’m
hoping to have that many books under my belt.
I also plan to keep working with my Ghost Stories, Inc. group. It’s hard
to say where that will take us in five years, but for sure it’ll take us to
some cool, creepy, historic locations where we’ll get inspired.
What is Ghost Stories, Inc., and how
does it work into your career as an author?
I think Ghost Stories, Inc. may be unofficially the weirdest
children’s writers and illustrators group ever created. We go to historic and
often reportedly haunted locations to become creatively inspired. Sometimes
that involves a paranormal investigation, and sometimes it’s just being in a
space with a rich history that inspires us.
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.
Thanks for answering my questions, Jessica. I can't wait to read your book!
BACK COVER BLURB:
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.
Buy Links:
Amazon Barnes & Noble Clean Reads
Author Bio:
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
