Haunted Halloween: Jennifer Archer + A Giveaway!

It was a dark and stormy night…

Not really; the morning was actually bright and clear. I was in the kitchen making blueberry muffins for my oldest son who, home for a brief visit from college over spring break, was sleeping in. I was thrilled to have him nearby. The university he attended was 1100 miles away, so he didn’t come home often. Flights from Montana to Texas were expensive and difficult to arrange, especially on short notice. Because of that fact, he’d missed his grandfather’s funeral a couple of months earlier, and I knew that had bothered him greatly.

My husband and I had not told our son that we’d stored his grandfather’s ashes on the top shelf of his bedroom closet. In fact, we hadn’t told anyone where we put them. Some people are easily freaked out, and we didn’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable when they visited. We especially didn’t want our son to be uneasy while sleeping in his childhood bedroom, so we kept the location of the ashes to ourselves. But not for long.

On that cheery spring morning, he wandered into the kitchen, yawning, and muttered, “I just had the weirdest dream.”

Sliding the muffin tin into the oven, I said, “Tell me about it.” I was eager to hear what he had to say. Ever since my son was little, his dreams have been vivid and play out like movies.

“I dreamed I heard a noise, and I sat up in bed,” he said. “My closet door opened, and Granddad walked out.”

The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I closed the oven and faced him. “I have something to tell you,” I said. “You remember that Granddad was cremated, don’t you . . . ?”

~ Jennifer Archer

Title: Through Her Eyes

Synopsis: Every ghost has a story to tell ...

The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But its the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar--a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal--that have the most chilling impact on her.

Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality-- before she loses touch with her own life forever.

Available from HarperTeen April 2011

Preorder here: Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Where to find Jennifer online:

Website | Blog | Twitter

CONTEST! Yes, it's a contest!! Jennifer was amazing in writing up her true story, but also in donating an

ARC of Through Her Eyes!

Here are the rules and how to enter:

You MUST complete the form to enter. No entries in comments please they won't count. Comments are welcome, so share your love with Jennifer!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This contest is open to to US residents only. Sorry!
Contest ends: Oct. 15th, 2010

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!! BUT KEEP COMMENTING IF YOUR TAKING PART IN THE COMMENT CONTEST!

ENTER HERE

Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions, please see my policy page or feel free to email me with any questions. Also, a HUGE thank you to Jennifer for her time, story and donation.

Check out Jessica's Haunted Halloween post with Andrea Cremer.

She's giving away a copy of Nightshade!

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

Please ready full entry rules HERE.

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this page.