When June Haunts May (The Haunting of Pinedale High #10)

One visible spirit.

Two phantom thieves.

Three courageous friends.

When June Haunts May

The Haunting of Pinedale High #10

by Celaine Charles

Genre: Cozy YA Paranormal Ghost Story

June Brookes has haunted the library at Pinedale High for decades, without attention. Until one day, new sophomore, May Blakely, notices. Could this be June’s chance to cross over to the hereafter? If only she knew what needed to be finished from her old life.

Angsty May prefers solitude. Her deadbeat dad may have ditched her in this small town, but she has no interest befriending this strange girl, or the cute boy across the street.

June’s hereafter hustle goes haywire when two phantom soldiers plot to hijack her passage to peace, at the expense of hurting fellow students. June saves May’s life, igniting their joint efforts to protect the school. Can May help June to her happily ever afterlife?

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“Have you ever seen her in a class?”

What was he getting at? “We don’t have any classes together. But I don’t have any classes with you either.”

“Okay, so how about the fact that she was cold as ice when I touched her shoulder?”

The chills she’d sensed from June had felt like relief in the blazing sun, but she had noticed them. “What are you saying?”

Reid pulled her underneath a yellowing oak in an empty yard. Ignoring her look of annoyance, he glanced over his shoulders before whispering low and close to her ear. “Did you know Pinedale High is haunted?”

First the woods and now the whole school? May stepped back, hands up in feigned surrender. “Okay-okay, I get it. Prank the new kid. You know, I’m sorry I even thought about checking in on you. I don’t have time for this.” She about-faced and strode down the sidewalk without him.

“Wait, what? I’m not pranking you.” He caught up in only a few strides, his long legs veering her off to the side. “Please, hear me out.”

May’s mind flipped through any example of a high school boy wanting her to hear him out. This had to be a trick. “No, you listen to me. I’ve been the new girl far too many times than I care to count. And I get it. I’m easy prey…perhaps even a challenge.” She thumped him in his too-close-to-her chest. “But I’m not playing.”

“I think June’s a ghost. I’m not kidding or pranking you. And I need you to listen.”

Flashes of her strange interactions with her new friend…if she could even call her that…flickered through May’s mind. They’d only known each other for a couple of days, but she had sensed something off.

She turned away from him, trying to put everything together. Bouts of June’s chilliness, yes. But earlier, it had been strange how fast she’d flown down the spectator stands. Before that, she struggled to push open the main school doors.

May had attributed June’s glossy hollow eyes to the lighting, but maybe it was because of something else. She closed her own eyes for clarity, kicking her foot into the grass. Maybe allergies?

She tucked her hair behind her ear, running the strands between her fingers as more details registered. June’s peculiar way of speaking was odd, and her clothes that first day, like a blast from the past. She was still wearing her penny loafers…with pennies inside.

May dropped her backpack, shook her head at Reid, who was waiting for her to process. But her brain wasn’t cooperating. “Ghosts?” The word spat off her tongue like she’d swallowed a flick of her cat’s tail.

“I know I sound insane. I’m not. I promise.” He glimpsed her with creamy brown eyes. They were the color of Great-Grandma’s sweet tea, and she was overheating inside and out, ready for a tall glass.

“Is this why you’ve been crying at the pond during lunch?”

“What?” His face scrunched, cheeks burning past the eighty-degree temperature outside to a brighter shade of full-blown embarrassment. “No. I mean—I’m not crying at the pond. What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

They stood at an impasse, shock etching along both their eyebrows and drawn lips. Her mind raced for something to say, and if she had to guess, he was in the same boat.

Don’t miss the rest of the Haunting of Pinedale High books!

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Celaine Charles lives in the enchanted Pacific Northwest, teaching elementary school by day and writing by the stars at night. She’s an award-winning, multi-genre author who balances her dual life creating poetry, fantasy, and contemporary romance shorts, while blogging about her journey on Steps in Between. In addition, she’s embarking on the world of children’s picture books.

She’s published collections of poetry through Egret Lake Books and Palmetto Publishing Group, and fiction through The Wild Rose Press and Eliza Storm Books.

Celaine is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Storyteller Academy, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and reads poetry regularly with the Museum of Northwest Art, Writing’s on the Wall series.

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What inspired you to write this book?

I wrote, When June Haunts May, from a calling and a challenge all mixed together.

One of my publishers, The Wild Rose Press, put out a call for their authors to query young adult, haunted high school stories for their new series, The Haunting of Pinedale High.

Parameters were put in place, such as the location and setting, Pinedale High in North Carolina, complete with the school colors and mascot. The ghosts who died in an accident in 1953, along with the principal and custodian, were already established. They didn’t want horror or anything fantastical, other than the ghosts. Although, each author could take their own perspective as to how they created their unique version within these guidelines.

The problem? I am terrified of ghosts! I don’t watch or read scary stories, horror, or even thrillers. Sleep is already a struggle for me, so I don’t need more reasons to stay awake at night.

However, I love a good writing challenge! How could I write a scary ghost story that wasn’t so scary? That’s what I set out to do. Because of that, I almost missed the deadline. Although I’d dreamed up the characters long before, it was at the last minute I finally pitched and was approved to join the series team. At that point, I had six weeks left to draft the actual story. The race was on.

I watched the Netflix movie, Girl Haunts Boy, and three seasons of School Spirits to get myself in the mood—finally discovering my own unique take on a ghost story.

Between my research, writing critique group, private editor, press editor, and having the summer off (as a teacher), I was able to create this sweet story on time. It really does take a village!

What can we expect from you in the future?

The future is somewhat bright (and I hope it stays that way). As our real world seems to be crumbling a way, I find myself wanting to slip further into my story worlds, where I have a little more control. I’ve also had the itch to finally publish children’s picture books. This was how I first saw myself as an author. I’d written children’s stories in my younger years but never went on to do anything with them. Recently I’ve entered two stories into unpublished literary contests. One story won first place and the other (at a separate time) won second place. But I can’t seem to land an agent for this genre! I will keep trying because as a teacher, I see the impact a relevant story can have on my students. Stories matter…and if I could make one child smile by reading a story I’ve written, that would fill my soul!

I’ve also found a new love for romance! Writing my short rom-com style stories with other author friends for our holiday romance anthologies, The Holiday Chronicles, I have been bitten by this new form of storytelling. It’s contemporary (with no fantasy…which was tricky at the start), but I’ve done it three times now, and it was so much fun. My team and I have planned to write twelve books in this holiday series over the next several years. I’m also researching to attempt my own full-length romance. Only time will tell!

I will surely continue to write more in all genres, young adult fantasy, poetry, romance, and children’s. I can’t imagine not writing or creating books. It’s who I am!

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

*I can do hard things.

*I can write faster than I ever imagined.

*I can find my own writing style.

I always learn new things from every book I write, either about my craft or about myself. Usually, I learn multiple things in both categories. When I drafted, When June Haunts May, my usual flow of learning points poured down in sopping heaps and bounds.

Working full time as a teacher for my day job, my mind has always bubbled with work thoughts. They’re never far away when working with children. But this story hadn’t come from anything battling in my already occupied mind. It came from a call from my publishing house. The Wild Rose Press had already established guidelines for their Haunting of Pinedale High Series that I needed to consider. I had a short deadline, required parts that had to be set up in my manuscript, even though I would draft my own unique storyline. The most blaring obstacle? This was a haunted high school story, and I was—am—afraid of ghosts.

What kind of challenge had I gotten myself into?

It wasn’t that I was stubborn…it was more that my mind wouldn’t turn off. I kept thinking of my characters who had already come to mind, and I wanted to bring them to animation in this series. That meant I had to do the work. I had to do the hard things, like facing my fear of ghosts, and accelerating my timeline because I’d taken too long to pitch my idea. Once the query was accepted, I only had six weeks to pull it off!

That crazy timeline, along with my fears, forced me to find my own kind of ghost story. A spooky story that had enough mystery and danger, without being too scary. Well…I found it! And I love it! And I can’t wait for you to read it!

It took my whole summer, along with lots of help from my critique group, private editor, press editor, and inspiration from Netflix shows like, Girl Haunts Boy and School Spirits, to get me in the groove. But I did it and writing in this crazy fast, twisted way, taught me that I can do hard things. I can write faster. And I can find my own creative writing way.

The moral of this story…sometimes we have to work right through our fears! Don’t slow down to let them know you’re there.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Being an indie/small press author, I supposed the biggest thing I want my readers to know is…THANK YOU! It means the world that you chose my book in the vast ocean of book choices we have today.

It’s incredibly difficult to find readers when there’s just so much out there. It’s like those restaurants with the quadruple fold out menus with too many choices to choose from. Sometimes when there’s so many choices, you can’t make a single choice. Then we end up reading only what a friend or coworker or bookstagrammer says to read next. That’s okay too, but a lot of authors get missed in all the fuss.

From me to you, number one, thank you for reading. I am humbled, honored, and grateful. Number two, if you like my book, please pass it onto a friend or coworker or bookstagrammer. And number three, write a review if you can. Even a few short lines of what you liked makes a big difference for indie/small press authors like me. With the plethora of changing algorithms, it’s these reviews and ratings that get our books in front of other potential readers.

Finally, I hope my readers enjoy the journey my stories take them on. My goal is to shine a little light in the darkness of today’s world. With so much going on in reality, a little reading escape goes a long way!