Part One

     Rude Awakenings is the first novel in a two-part series that takes place primarily in Weston, West Virginia, the site of the former Weston State Hospital. It is technically classified as a "Thriller," though I simply prefer the term "Ghost Story."

    Utilizing the hospital, its history, as well as its infamy, Rude Awakenings tells the story of Dr. Emily Flesher. Born and raised in Weston, Emily falls in love with the hospital and virtually adopts it as her "second home." She vows early in life that she will one day work there doing the work that she longs to do: helping other people.

     Emily’s dream comes to pass in 1992. However, her foray into the world of psychiatry and nursing does not get off on a steady foot. A deadly turn for the worse in Emily’s first assigned patient offers her a fleeting and terrifying glimpse at what sinister secrets the Weston Hospital may be hiding. The equally as sudden death of her first patient leaves Emily badly shaken, though more determined than ever to pursue her career.

     Reassured by her coworkers and superiors that all rumors surrounding the hospital are utter nonsense, Emily continues to work at the hospital until its closure in March 1994. She leaves Weston to complete her Doctorate in Psychiatry in Charleston and the hospital is, in effect, "put to sleep."

     The hospital is abruptly shaken from its slumber in 2002. Following a tour of the hospital by a potential buyer, unusual things begin happening. Former members of the hospital’s staff begin dropping dead for no reason and strange lights and sounds are reported coming from within and around the hospital’s campus.

     Now a licensed MD, Emily remains blissfully unaware of the odd goings-on in her old hometown, that is until one of her former coworkers shows up on her doorstep...and drops dead before her very eyes. To ensure her protection against whatever is causing the rash of deaths, Emily is unwillingly whisked away to Canada by members of the North American Association for Paranormal Investigations, an organization dedicated solely to the study and neutralization of paranormal activities.

     While in Canada, the terrifying secrets of Emily’s once beloved "second home" are brought to light, along with her own long-suppressed feelings of guilt and failure. Emily herself is enlisted...or rather drafted...to help purge the hospital of its restless and vengeful spirits.

     Can Emily help battle ghosts and spirits while at the same time fighting a battle with the demons of her own past?