Waking Ghosts is my literary homage to A Separate Peace by way of a sordid John Green novel. It deals with several prominent issues facing the world today: online communities, gaming, bullying and mass shootings. It also touches on themes inherent to the human condition, not simply our current time period: manipulation, greed, vengeance, and violence. I intend this book to pull no punches and depict the pitfalls facing not only our youth in this day and age, but to all readers. I have found that too many contemporary YA novels are light and entertaining, but I want to write something with a message and a voice that may be a challenging read for some, but rewarding for all.