Haunted Halloween with Michelle Zink and a giveaway!

By: Michelle Zink

I’ve always been a believer in the paranormal. Even when I was small, ghosts and spirits seemed perfectly possible. And I’m sure having a New Agey 1970‘s mom didn’t hurt, either.

But I was never one of those people who was comfortable with the idea of communicating with spirits. If they’re out there, I’d think, I hope they leave me alone!

And they did until one night when I was about thirteen.

I was sound asleep when something - I still don’t know what - woke me up. But I didn’t wake up a little at a time. I didn’t wake up gently. Instead, I sat straight up in bed, my heart racing. A glance at my clock told me it was exactly 1:00am and then, my eyes were forced to the foot of my bed where I saw something coming toward me in the dark. A figure, somewhat large, moving swiftly toward my position on the bed.

You’d think I would have jumped out of bed in fear, but I was so terrified that I actually threw myself back against the pillow where I remained stock still in the seconds it took the figure to reach me.

My heart was still slamming against my chest when I felt the pressure at the foot of the bed. It was as if someone were sitting right on top of my legs. Then, I had the very real sense that the figure was male though all I could see was a smudgy, shadow in the outline of a person.

I was scared. More than scared, really. Way more than scared. I felt menace emanating from the figure and felt, without really knowing how or why, that I was in danger. But I couldn’t seem to move. I was frozen, not only by the pressure of the figure on my legs but by the feeling that if I moved, something terrible would happen.

After what seemed like hours, I finally got up the courage to turn my head. I glanced at the alarm clock, the red 1:14am beaming its light into my room.

And that’s the last thing I remember. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the morning. There was no slow drift back to sleep. No gradual reassurance that I was imagining things. Just the very real pressure on my legs, the clock, and a swift, sudden descent back into sleep.

The encounter haunted me for me months, but I told myself it was a one-time thing. As long as I didn’t think about it when I was getting ready for bed, I could still sleep with the light off.

Except it wasn’t a one-time thing. Throughout my teenage years, the figure appeared sporadically in the middle of the night, sometimes standing behind a young woman in white who seemed oblivious to his presence. I never stopped feeling like I was in danger. I felt like he was trying to send me a message. Trying to tell me something. But to this day I don’t know what it could have been.

Once, when I was about fifteen, I went to a psychic with a friend. It was all fun and games until the psychic told me she sensed a dark presence trying to infiltrate the positive energy in my spirit. She asked me if I’d seen anything strange or had the feeling that I was being watched by ghosts or spirits. When I told her about the presence that had been following me since I was thirteen, she asked me if the woman who sometimes accompanied him looked anything like me. I was shocked to realize that she was right.

The girl was, in fact, me.

Which only made it scarier when he continued to show up in my room, his arms wrapped around the girl from behind while she smiled beatifically, totally unaware of the ominous presence behind her.

Sometime during my late adolescence the spirit stopped appearing. I haven’t seen him since I was about seventeen, but I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

And I still try not to think about it before bed, as if thinking of him alone will conjure his presence.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1st, 2009)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 352 pages

Series:  Prophecy of the Sisters, book #1

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans, and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her.

  Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1st, 2010)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 340 pages

Series:  Prophecy of the Sisters, book #2

The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she'll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister's role in the prophecy, and that's not the only thing she wants: There's also Lia's boyfriend James.

Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn't know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing.

Prize: 

• 1 winner will receive a signed copy of BOTH Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate, as well as a CD of the Prophecy and Guardian scored by Kenneth Zink, and Halloween goodies!

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter. 
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is INTERNATIONAL and ends November 7th.
• Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
• The form must be filled out to enter.  

- Michelle, I can not thank you enough for the book and goody donation and for taking the time to write a story!

Find Michelle Zink

Michelle Zink  /   Blog   /   Twitter   /   Goodreads

Purchase Prophecy of the Sisters

Amazon  /  The Book Depository  /  Barnes & Noble

Book Trailer:

I also wanted to mention that Michelle and Jessica Verday are doing a Ghosts & Graves tour and it starts today!

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Date: October 24

Time: 2:00-4:00 pm

Location: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

540 North Broadway

Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

The Otis Library

Date: October 25

Time: 6:30-8:00 pm

Location: The Otis Library

261 Main Street

Norwich, CT 06360

Easton Public Library

Date: October 26

Time: 7:00-8:30 pm

Location: Easton Public Library

515 Church Street

Easton, PA 18042

Harleysville Books LLC

Date: October 27

Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Location: 674 Main Street
Salford Square
Harleysville, PA 19438

Borders Express
Date: October 28
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Location: Borders Express
298 Exton Square Mall
Exton, PA 19341

Jefferson Market Library
Date: October 29
Time: TBA
Location: Jefferson Market Library
425 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011

* Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post.

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! 

Please read full entry rules here.