Paranormal Perceptions ~ The Doppelganger
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Sinister Entity, author Hunter Shea (@huntershea1).
From the Meriam-Webster Dictionary :
Doppelganger : 1. a ghostly counterpart of a living person
2. Double or alter ego
In today’s world of pop culture, it seems you can’t turn on the TV without coming across a show about ghosts or the paranormal. When I was a kid, we had In Search Of. That was pretty much it when it came to source material for things that go bump in the night or beasts that haunt the woods or lakes. Now, I think every channel has a ghost-themed show except the Food Network – and I can see a Haunted Kitchens of America on the horizon.
With all of the talk about ghosts and ghost hunting, there has been one topic that no one discusses. Doppelgangers. These are rare sightings and interactions with a paranormal double of another person, or even yourself! Famous people from Mark Twain to Abraham Lincoln and Percy Shelly all claim to have seen and interacted with a doppelganger. They are considered death omens, which is one reason I think folks tend to shy away from the subject. If you see someone’s double (and not just someone who looks like them), odds are they’re dead or about to die. The same rule applies if you see your own. Scary stuff.
I first heard about the phenomena in the mid 90’s when I attended a lecture by famed ghost hunters/psychics/demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren. They helped popularize the Amityville Horror and Lorraine can be found today on Paranormal State.
At that lecture, they talked about a French Canadian potato farmer who was being plagued by his own doppelganger. His unearthly double ransacked his house, destroyed his farm and terrorized the family. I’ll never forget the audio recording they made of the farmer as he told his bizarre tale. He was scared, exhausted and broken. It had a profound effect on me. So much so, the idea of a doppelganger kept popping up in my feverish mind even 18 years later.
I finally had to dive headfirst into the world of the doppelganger and emerged with my new novel, Sinister Entity. In it, a 16 year-old girl is being terrorized by the doppelganger of herself – a mute spirit with black eyes that emerges from her closet. What does it want? Why is it coming to her room? The girl’s family calls upon a young, brash ghost hunter who lost her own father to a horrifying paranormal incident when she was just a little girl. Can she decode the riddle of the doppelganger? And is there something far more malicious pushing its way through the veil between the living and the dead?
A paranormal adventurer myself, Sinister Entity is laced with events both true and fantastic. If I’ve done my job, you’ll never consider your reflection in the mirror the same way again, and empty closets will be filled with terrifying expectation. Sweet dreams.
About the Author :
Hunter Shea is the author of the novels Sinister Entity, Forest of Shadows Swamp Monster Massacre and Evil Eternal. His stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Dark Moon Digest, Morpheus Tales and the Cemetery Dance anthology, Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on. He lives in New York with his family and vindictive cat. He waits with Biblical patience for the Mets to win a World Series.
You can read about his latest travails and communicate with him at
https://www.facebook.com/huntershea1
https://twitter.com/huntershea1