Haunted Halloween 2012: Guest Post - Awaken author Katie Kacvinsky + A GIVEAWAY!

A Ghost Came to Visit (a true story)
By Katie Kacvinsky

During my freshman year of high school, one of my best friends, Sara Wiegert, died. It happened unexpectedly. She suddenly got sick one weekend, was diagnosed with acute leukemia, and was rushed to a hospital outside of town where she passed away within twenty four hours. I never got to say goodbye to her. Our entire school was shocked and devastated.  I did what came naturally:  I wrote about Sara and all of the memories I had with her.  I filled journals documenting all of our times together so I would never forget.

For years, Sara showed up in my dreams.  She was always outside, and we would go on walks while she filled me in on what she was doing.  I always promised her high school was lame and she wasn’t missing much. She told me heaven was nice, but it was boring and she missed her friends and family.

My freshman year of college, I was lying in my loft and missing Sara, so I pulled out one of my journals and read about our adventures together. I fell asleep, lying on my back, with the journal beside me. I woke up a few hours later and there was a warm presence all around me.  I felt someone’s hand rubbing my stomach.  I knew someone was up in the loft with me, but I wasn’t scared.  I actually felt comforted. I opened my eyes and there was a presence there, this cloud of gray matter right next to me. I tried moving my feet, but then I realized there was another presence on the other side of me, perched at the end of the bed. 

I instantly realized two things.  Sara was there, and she brought a friend with her. Instead of freaking out, I felt honored. I knew she was introducing me to one of her friends in heaven, probably telling her some of the same stories I had just read about. All this time, her hand kept rubbing my stomach.

I stretched out my legs and knocked something hard off of the side of my bed, but nothing ever fell to the ground.  The hand and the gray matter vanished and I sat up in my loft, my heart racing.  I said her name out loud a few times.  There was never an answer, but I told her I knew it was her.  I’ve believed in ghosts ever since.

Title: Awaken (Awaken, #1)
Author: Katie Kacvinsky
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 309 Pages (May 23rd, 2011)
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

Find Katie Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Order Katie's books Online:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

ENTER to WIN a SIGNED copy of AWAKEN!!!

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• Giveaway ends: October 22nd, 2012 (12:01AM EST)

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Katie, as always Thank you SO much for stopping on my blog today and sharing your scary story. That sounds scary and soothing at the same time. Very emotional, so thanks for sharing something so personal with us. Also, thanks for donating a copy of Awaken for giveaway!

Don't forget to stop by and check out who Jessica is featuring today for Haunted Halloween!

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