PW #210: Middle Grade Horror: GHOST HUNTER

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor Name: Stephanie Faris

Mentee Name: Mimi Powell

Title: GHOST HUNTER

Category: Middle Grade

Genre: Horror

Word Count: 36,000

Pitch:

Newly dead Hunter thinks her embarrassing grave is the worst of her problems, until she discovers she only has three days to warn her ghost-hunting mother about the true evil that lurks in their house, the monster that killed her. Too bad her mom, who is supposed to be a famous medium, can’t actually see ghosts, let alone hear them.

Excerpt:

I hated these stupid “haunted” houses.

I rolled out of bed, shivering. Cold sunlight streamed into the room, but it did nothing to brighten my mood. I scowled. We’d only been here a couple of days, and I was already having nightmares.

My eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of the spidery creature that had skittered out of the shadows last night and loomed over my bed. All I saw were the piles of boxes that I still hadn’t unpacked. I smoothed my skirt down over my black tights, thankful that I’d at least fallen asleep in comfortable clothes. Today, I was definitely going to have to find where I’d packed my pajamas.

“It’s been weeks.” I heard Mom’s voice on the stairs. “And there’s been nothing!”

I should tell Mom about the dream. With a quick shake of my head, I pushed the thought away. She’d only spend hours examining any possible psychic significance it might have. It was just a stupid nightmare, I told myself. Taking a shaky breath, I stood and rubbed my eyes. I needed cocoa.

I shuffled out of my room, cringing against the brightness of the hallway. Mom directed a pair of beefy guys in work shirts as they carried a large box with “Fragile” written all over it in big black letters. In one hand, she held a cellphone cradled against her ear.