Interview: Jeannine Garsee, The Unquiet

Hello there.

You ever heard of the book The Unquiet?
You should be ashamed if you answer is no, but you're forgiven, you can check my review of it or check it's goodreads page here.

But if you haven't read it and are interested (it's amazing and creepy) then check out my interview with the author, Jeannine Garsee:

First of all, OMG are you planning on writing a sequel?!

I would LOVE to write a sequel--in fact, I'll been playing around with one...but it's really up to the publisher. I'm hoping they'll ask me for one. I left a lot of loose ends on purpose, hoping I could wrap up up in a sequel. I know people are wondering what happened to Lacy, and there is still the question of the old lady (Miss Prout) who "disappeared"...and the writing on Rinn's cast, of course. So keep your fingers crossed!

Bipolarity, suicide, depression; you take on some difficult topics in your book. What was your research? Have you met people dealing with these?

My primary research was my job. I am a registered nurse and I work in a psychiatric ward and work with people with all of these illnesses on a daily basis. I also did some research on my own because Rinn is only sixteen; as all of my patients are adults, I knew there'd be additional issues for a teenager dealing with mental illness.

One of my favorite things in this book is the ghost, Annaliese. For the people that haven’t read the book, can you tell them a little bit about the real story that inspired you to create her?

When I was in kindergarten, I started at a school that had an "abandoned" pool as well as a tunnel that ran alongside it. The story was that, during the construction, a child fell into the pit and was killed, and it was her ghost that haunted the school. I absolutely believed it, as did all my classmates, and we were all terrified to walk through that tunnel alone. I promised myself way back then that, if I ever became a writer, I'd write about this ghost--and of course I did. :)

Have you ever been to a haunted place?

I actually grew up in a house that my family believed was haunted. It wasn't an old mansion or anything like that, just your average suburban bungalow. But doors would open and shut by themselves, pictures would fall from the wall with seemingly no cause, and at times I'd hear footsteps in the hall outside my bedroom even when no one was home except me. Once, my mother swore someone grabbed her shoulder when she was alone in the basement, doing laundry. We'd occasionally hear a "whining" sound, the strangest thing ever, and could never pinpoint the source.

What is the scariest thing a ghost could do to you?

I think the scariest thing a ghost could do to you is make you believe you have mental problems. I remember hearing the "whining" sound when I was home alone, and, too afraid to stay in the house, I waited--petrified--for my parents out on the patio. Imagine if you knew something strange was going one, and no one but you seemed aware of it. It'd certainly cause you to question your own sanity! And if you persisted in telling people about your ghostly encounters, it's very possible they'd think you were delusional--and that, of course, leads to other problems for you. I never talked about my ghostly encounters for years (the haunted house wasn't my only experience) for that very reason. Once I realized others have also been touched by supernatural, I was less leery about discussing my own experiences--although, I must admit, I still get some horrified reactions.

If you could come back as a ghost what place would you haunt?

I'd like to be a kind of "Phantom of the Opera" ghost. I love the stage, love plays and musicals, etc. I like to be able to haunt a theater AND enjoy the performances at the same time!

Thanks for your time, Jeannine :)

You can check her website: Jeannine Garsee

She is also on: Facebook & Twitter