Haunted Halloween: Sara Bennett Wealer Story + A Giveaway!

Paranoid About the Paranormal
By Sara Bennett Wealer

I really wish I had an awesome story about my experiences with the paranormal. Wait, no I don’t. Because if I had such a story, then that would mean I’d actually had an encounter with the paranormal, and I that is one thing I DO NOT WANT.

Or do I?

You see, I’m one of those people who is fascinated by paranormal activity and, from time to time, thinks it might be cool to come face-to-face with a ghost. Only problem is, I know if I ever did see a ghost I’d be too terrified to uncover my eyes, and then I’d miss the whole darned thing.

Back when I lived alone, I was so terrified of things that go bump in the night that I was known to call the police on a regular basis and have them check out my apartment. Once I lived in the second story of an old house, above a space that the owners were remodeling into a gift shop and meeting room. Nobody told me that newly refinished hardwood floors pop and crack, so just imagine how freaked out I was at what sounded like someone moving around downstairs at 3 a.m. One night I snuck out of my apartment in 6 inches of snow and crept around the house in my pajamas and boots, peering into the windows, trying to see who (or what) was making all that noise. I’m surprised nobody called the cops on ME!

These days I can say with confidence that the little house I call home is not haunted, except by the spectre of unfolded laundry. Now it’s horror movies that freak me out. When you’ve got children and grown-up responsibilities, especially in an economy that feels like it’s constantly on thin ice, then you know that enough terrifying things are possible without bringing the dead or the undead or whatever unholy else into the equation. I avoid scary movies like the plague.

Until I get on YouTube and start watching snippets of them.

I guess I can’t resist peeking through my fingers just a bit, which might mean a spirit could have a ghost’s of a chance of being seen by me if one ever decided to visit.

I hope one doesn’t, though.

Or maybe I hope it does…

Title: Rivals

Synopsis: What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

Available from HarperTeen on  Feb. 15, 2011

Preorder online here:

Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | HarperCollins

About Sara:

Sara Bennett Wealer grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the “Little Apple”), where she sang with the choir and wrote for her high school newspaper. She majored in vocal performance at the University of Kansas before deciding she had no business trying to make a career as an opera singer. She transferred to journalism school, where nobody cares if you can hit a high C or convincingly portray a Valkyrie. Sara now lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two daughters. She still sings when her schedule allows—most recently with the May Festival Chorus, the official choir of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Where to find Sara online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook For Rivals | Facebook for Sara

Enter for your chance to win a Signed copy of Rival!!! Note that this is for a promised copy, that once Sara gets her author copies one will be mailed out to you then.

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 Sara!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This contest is open to to US residents only. Sorry!
Contest ends: Oct. 21th, 2010

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions, please see my policy page or feel free to email.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Sara for her time, post and for the donation. We're happy that you were able to be part of our Halloween Event.

Check out Jessica's Haunted Halloween post with a guest post & story from @The_Omega_ of the Black Dagger Brotherhood! (note this is from a online twitter role playing group. See her post for additional information.

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.

Sara's Current Giveaways:

Sara's giving away 5 advance reader copies of RIVAL to teens. If you want to mention it, then more information is available here: Sara's Giveaways. Make sure you check there often, because I think she has some other contests up her sleeve!

Sara, thank you so much for taking the time to write out this post and for allowing me to share it with everyone. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. 

*covers are always subject to change.

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