Why did you pick Savannah GA., as the location for The Haunting Season?
Savannah has been dubbed America’s most haunted city. It’s true that it’s a city built upon it’s dead. Plus, there are a lot of tragedies that have happened in Savannah: Two cases of yellow fever, war, murder, pirates. It’s ripe for spirits who aren’t at rest.
You write very a very convincing horror/paranormal tale, do you believe in the paranormal?
If we’re talking about ghosts and/or other spirits, yes. Werewolves and the zombie apocalypse? No.
Have you ever experienced anything out of the ordinary?
There have been a few instances in my life that made me believe that ghosts/spirits exist, both good and evil.
Your setting is Siler House, did you visit any of the purported haunted houses in Savannah for research?
There are two houses that inspired Siler House. One is fictitious: Hill House. The other is real: the Sorrel-Weed house in Savannah. In America’s most haunted city, the Sorrel-Weed House is considered to be the most haunted of all. Caretakers who have stayed there overnight have since vowed never to return. The T.A.P.S crew has said that the Sorrel-Weed house is the real deal – very haunted. The house was also featured on Most Terrifying Places.
I’ve been to the Sorrel-Weed House twice. I can tell you, that place gives me the creeps. Big time. There’s no way I’d want to be in a room by myself, much less spend the night there.
A picture I took inside the house that is, without a doubt, the staircase from the third floor to the music room inside Siler House. To think that Jess and Allison stayed just down the hall from here is creepy as hell.
As a character Jess wants to see ghost again, as she has lost her ability after her fathers death. Would her need have been so powerful if not for her fathers death? Was him dying alone a factor?
Yes, her father’s death was a powerful factor in Jess’s need to confirm she could still see ghosts – to the point of obsession, really. Not that she would have admitted that. But, it was also a way for Jess to hold onto the last of her teen years as a child instead of the young woman she was becoming. It had been normal for Jess to see ghosts throughout her teens — ghosts that meant her no harm. Reconnecting with what she once thought of as a safe time in her childhood meant more to her than even Jess realized or understood.
Which character in The Haunting Season was the hardest to write?
Jess. It was hard to make her motive to stay believable, without either making her seem as fearful as Allison nor too carefree when things start to go horribly wrong, despite her absolute need to reconnect with not only her father and grandmother. Of all the characters, Jess was more in that awkward, in-between stage of childhood and adulthood than her peers, who had to grow up faster than she did. The fact that things are seemingly no longer in her control (her parent’s divorce, her father’s death, growing up) made Jess more determined to stay calm and be rational when Allison was not.
What folklore elements did you employ in your book and what research did you do?
Iron. Iron has always been believed to hold off evil spirits and ghosts. it’s why they say the gates of Hell are iron.
Powder blue. The color of the sky and closest to heaven, powder blue was thought to ward away ghosts. It’s why little boy’s rooms are baby blue – to protect male infants from evil spirits.
Cherub faces in the molding in rooms. It’s believed that the carved faces of cherubs in corners where dark shadows lurk prevent evil spirits from hiding there.
Ouija boards. Used to talk to the dead, but often a way to open a portal between us and the netherworld. Not usually a good thing since my research on them seemed to suggest that cases of possession often involve the prior use of Ouija boards. True or not, I wouldn’t let one of those things in my house. Ever. No way, no shape, no form, no how.
Although, it may be too late. We had one in the house when I was growing up. I don’t like to think about that now.
SPOILER ALERT Skip the following question, if you have not read the entire book.
Was Allison’s sacrifice at the end of the book, her trying to make amends?
In part, yes. But mostly, Allison saw it as two-sided – a way for her to end her torment. She knew that the demons would come back for her, eventually.
END OF SPOILER ALERT
The loss of Ben was devastating to Gage’s parents; but after so long what did they expect Gage to bring back?
Grief does odd things to people, and the loss of a child was too much for them to bear. Gage’s parent’s never moved on from the denial stage. They expected the impossible – for Gage to somehow bring Ben back alive, well, and healthy. I feel for their grief and immense sorrow that Gage had to carry such a burden. It made him drown himself in other things just to try and find some sense of normalcy in his life.
Do you think the inhabitants of Siler will ever be at rest, or is it possible for them to rest, or have their spirits been irrevocable alerted? Are they trapped souls or are they the echo’s of the evil that attached itself to Riley?
Allison was correct in that Siler House truly is diseased, down to the soil it sits on. Siler House will never rest, nor will it ever be cleansed. Those who walk its halls are as evil as the demon Riley and the house itself.
Author Muto is providing a signed copy of The Haunting Season, which we are Raffling off.
A RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY OF SIGNED PAPERBACK BOOK OF THE HAUNTING SEASON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle has always loved storytelling. When she was a child, her favorite stories were of monsters and things that lurked in the dark. Telling stories often frightened her classmates and got her into a lot of trouble with her teachers. They had no sense of humor.
As an adult, Michelle traded her love of writing for the corporate life where she was an IT professional. Today, she’s doing what she loves best – writing and storytelling.
Michelle grew up in Chicago, but currently lives in NE Georgia with her husband and their two dogs. She loves scary books, funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, dogs, and changes of season.
WHERE TO FIND MICHELLE
GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | TWITTER
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