Courtney McInvale of Colchester grew up in an old haunted house in East Hampton where paranormal occurrences were the norm. There, she developed psychic abilities and a passion for history, legends and local lore. This led her to start up Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours and Ghost Walks of Mystic last Fall, which then led to the recent publication of her first book: "Haunted Mystic," in the "Haunted America" History Press series.

In the following Day interview McInvale talks about her new book and why she selected Mystic as its subject.

Q. Why did you choose Mystic of all the towns in Connecticut - or even New England - for a book on haunted houses and buildings?

A. Through my tours, I became familiar with local history and people telling me stories. I picked Mystic because it's on the water and a walking city and we don't have many of them anymore. Mystic very much keeps history alive and has all these old shops and businesses still operating. While doing research in Connecticut in general, I noticed that there was a big pocket of hauntings in Mystic, and also Mystic has the first massacre that ever took place in North America (the massacre of the Pequot Indians in 1637), so when you're looking for haunted history, a massacre usually draws your attention.

Q. How did you do your research and choose these locations?

A. Tom D'Agostino writes books on haunted houses in New England and I noticed he had some locations in Mystic. I started calling and emailing people in Mystic - restaurant managers, barkeepers, storeowners, anyone who would talk to me. I got a couple responses and went to all these places and just sat down with people and listened to their haunted experiences. I also worked a lot with the Mystic Historical Society. That was invaluable.

Q.Can you highlight some of the structures you wrote about in the book that have the most interesting or frightening haunted stories?

A. One of my personal absolute favorites is the Olde Mystic Inn - it's a beautiful Colonial that used to be a homestead dating back to the 1780s, built by the Dennison family. It also had two schoolhouses located on the property starting in the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s. One of the schoolhouses has its own story of the 198-pound bell going missing - it's still missing to this day! I talked to Michael, the owner, and he said he and his guests have had apparition sightings and have heard footsteps - he's had psychics come in and they were able to sense more of the numerous spirits in the inn.

Q. Can you describe a few other haunted sites?

A. The former Emporium (presently the Mystic Arts Center): It's the most actively haunted location in town. A lot of paranormal investigators have stayed there over the years and captured all kinds of supernatural activity - both on video and audio. It was once a Civil War office and went on to serve four different purposes before it closed its doors as The Emporium. It's really a fantastic location and so rich in history.

The Mystic River - in my Local Legends and Folklore chapter: Water is a conduit for spirit activity, so a lot of these legends are attributed to the water. There's a legend about a ghost ship. People became concerned that the bridge wasn't going to open for it but didn't realize they weren't seeing a real boat. Also, the legend of the Mystic Pigman - half man, half creature that boys saw throwing a screaming woman into the water in the 1970s. There are a lot of strange little stories and tales in this chapter.

The Ancient Mariner Restaurant and Anthony J's Bistro: Anthony J's is in an old building and the Ancient Mariner is in a much newer building, but both have spirits of frequent customers or friends that have died and are coming back and seemingly playing tricks on the owners of the restaurants, moving things around, windows opening and closing on their own. These are very recent hauntings.

Q. Do you think reading these stories will keep people from frequenting these establishments?

A. Actually, instead of scaring them away, it draws people in because they want to see if something happens to them when they go there.

Q. Are you working on another book?

A. I'm talking with the History Press now on a book incorporating more ghosts in Connecticut. Maybe one on Revolutionary War spirits or haunted hotels. I love doing research on history and ghosts.

"Haunted Mystic," is $19.99, softcover, illustrated.