Get the first chapter of Spookygirl as a free Kindle download on Amazon.
The populars at Palmetto High call sophomore Violet Addison "Spookygirl," and it's not hard to see why. As if living with her funeral director father in a tiny apartment above his mortuary weren't enough to make her a social outcast, there's a rumor going around that Violet can talk to the dead. Unfortunately, that rumor's true. Violet's not interested in crossing anyone over; she's as cool and impatient with the deceased as she is with the living. The dead can be incredible pests, though, and despite her reluctance to help the spirits who seek her out, soon she's reuniting a ghost jock with his goth girlfriend and investigating a hellgate in the girls' locker room. Each experience puts her closer to discovering the truth behind the paranormal investigation that resulted in her mother's death.
Along the way, Violet begins to recognize that real people with interesting secrets hide behind the high school stereotypes she assigns her classmates and teachers. She needs all the allies she can find -- after all, surviving high school is tough enough without a bunch of dead people spooking around.
Ghostbusters meets a gothed-up Glee in this mix of high school drama and supernatural snark. Although Violet deals with heavy issues -- the difficulty of being different and not fitting in among one's peers, the reality of death, the loss of a family member -- she does so with a sharp, dark sense of humor that keeps her narrative engaging and relatable for young readers.
Spookygirl is a 53,000-word young adult novel. Although it is slated as the first volume of the Riley Island Paranormal series, it stands on its own as a complete story.
Looking for more info on Spookygirl? Contact me at jbaguchinsky (at) gmail-dot-com.
