haunted

having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

"became more and more haunted by the stupid riddle"

"was absolutely obsessed with the girl"

"got no help from his wife who was preoccupied with the children"

"he was taken up in worry for the old woman" showing emotional affliction or disquiet

"her expression became progressively more haunted" inhabited by or as if by apparitions

"a haunted house"

''Haunted'' (2005, 404 pages) is a novel written by author Chuck Palahniuk and released on May 3, 2005. The plot uses a frame story and is told through a series of short stories with a chapter in a main narrative between each one. The novel itself purports to be an anthology of the aforementioned short storyshort stories written by the characters of main narrative, while in fact they are, as a whole, used as a device to advance the character and plot development of the novel.The synopsis on ''Haunted'''s dust jacket describes the book as a satire of reality television. According to Palahniuk, though, the novel is actually about "the battle for credibility" that has resulted from the ease at which one can publish through the use of modern technology.refmetro

"Guts" - The book is best known for the short story "Guts", which had been published previous to the book in the March 2004 issue of ''Playboy'' magazine as well as on Palahniuk's website (Palahniuk offered to let them publish another story along with it, but the publishers found the second work too disturbing). It is a tale of violent accidents involving masturbation.While on his 2003 tour to promote his novel ''Diary (novel)Diary'', Palahniuk read "Guts" to his audiences. It was reported that over 35 people fainted while listening to the readings (although it is possible that many of these incidents were staged by Palahniuk's fans for humorous effect). On his tour to promote ''Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories'' in the summer of 2004, he read the story to audiences again, bringing the total amount of fainters up to 53, and later up to 60, while on tour to promote the softcover edition of ''Diary''. The last fainting occurred on September 25, 2004, in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan. Palahniuk is apparently not bothered by these incidents, which have not stopped fans from reading "Guts" or his other works.In a September 2004 reading of "Guts" at Cooper Union in New York City, no listener admitted to fainting. When Palahniuk showed surprise, many members of the audience replied, "This is New York!" in a nod to the alleged inability to shock the city's denizens.spoiler "Guts" begins with the narrator telling the reader to hold their breath for the duration of the story, which may have something to do with the faintings.The narrator then describes three unnerving incidents involving adolescent boys masturbating. First, he describes a boy inserting a carrot into his rectum to stimulate his prostate while masturbating, and then hiding the carrot in a pile of laundry. His mother later takes the laundry away and presumably discovers the lubricated carrot, but never mentions it to him. Next, the narrator describes a young boy inserting a thin stick of candle wax into his urethra to stimulate it while masturbating. The wax slips back into the boy's bladder, requiring surgery to remove it. Finally, the narrator describes an incident in which he sat on the water intake at the bottom of a swimming pool while masturbating. The suction caused his rectum and lower intestines to prolapse and become tangled in the filter, forcing the narrator to gnaw through his own innards in order to free himself and avoid drowning.In all three cases, although the parents of the boys involved knew about the incident, they never discussed it afterwards, causing all three to figuratively "hold their breath" while they waited for the reaction that never came.Purportedly all three of these incidents are based on true stories. According to Palahniuk, the first two tales came from his friends' experiences and the third he heard while shadowing sexual addiction support groups. In one of these groups, he met a extremely thin man. When Palahniuk asked him how he stayed so thin, he told him "I had a massive bowel resectioning." When Palahniuk asked what he meant, he told him the story which was the basis for the third episode in 'Guts'.

References -

notemetro Atchison, Chris. "metronews.ca - Author comes back swinging: Fight Club writer says we're Haunted". ''Metro Toronto''. June 20, 2005.

External links -

haunted-book.com - Official book website

chuckpalahniuk.net - Information about ''Haunted'' at ''ChuckPalahniuk.net''

chuckpalahniuk.net - Audio recording of Chuck Palahniuk reading "Guts"Category:2005 booksCategory:Chuck Palahniuk booksCategory:Single-author short story collections

American Paranormal Investigations
API is a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating unexplained happenings for no charge. We are located in Sacramento, CA. Currently we are filming a new television show, California Haunts.
http://www.ap-investigations.com

Ghost Island - the most haunted island in the world
The world's Most Haunted Island is home to thousands of ghosts, spirits, poltergeists and apparitions haunt the Isle of Wight. Powerful unseen energy or 'ley' lines run under this British island, situated just 70 miles from London, which now attracts thousands of ghost-hunters from all over the world. Ghost-hunter and author Gay Baldwin has been investigating and researching sightings here for 30 years. Read her reports and see photographs at www.ghostisland.com
http://www.ghost-island.com/

Merchant's House Museum
New York City's only family home preserved intact -- inside and out -- from the 19th century.
http://www.merchantshouse.org/

Amateur Spirit Seekers
Photos, audio clips, and video clips of spirit activity in the Niagara Region
http://www.amateurspiritseekers.com/

Utah Ghost Hunters Society
Contains the latest and most up to date information on how to record EVP, How to photograph ghosts, and how to us the tools of the trade. Also contains some of the very best EVP ever recorded anywhere
http://www.ghostwave.com/

LeesLimousine
Luxury transportation for weddings, proms, corporate affairs, birthday and other celebrations in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Specialty tours include Haunted History, Gangster, Winery, Christmas Lights, City Lights and more. Vehicles include 18 & 22 passenger stretched Lincoln Navigators, 11-12 passenger stretched Chrysler 300, 7-8 passenger stretched Suburban and 6 & 10 passenger stretched Lincoln Town Car limousines as well as 23-25 passenger limobus.
http://www.leeslimo.com/

Haunted Places Directory
Contains paranormal travel guide. Haunted hotels and other sites listed according to US state.
http://www.haunted-places.com

Amazon.com
Departments include books, music, videos, home and garden, electronics, and toys.
http://www.amazon.com/

Haunted.net
Party ideas, tips, games, graphics and links.
http://www.haunted.net

Haunted Attraction Magazine Online
E-zine for the terror and horror attraction industry.
http://www.hauntedattraction.com/