When you pick up your favorite novel, did you ever stop to think that maybe the author knows what he or she's talking about from first-hand experience?

Okay, maybe Charlaine Harris doesn't know any vampires and Jim Butcher has never been a wizard. But when it comes to haunted houses, novelist Deborah LeBlanc knows her stuff. That's because in her free time, LeBlanc investigates the paranormal with her local chapter of the Louisiana Paranormal investigators.

And when we say limited free time, we mean limited free time. In addition to being the president of Horror Writers of America, author of six novels (Including the forthcoming Water Witch) and founder of Literacy Inc., LeBlanc also founded and runs two corporations (one of which is a management consultation firm that specializes in funeral companies). And somewhere along the way, LeBlanc trained to be a treateur (the Cajun discipline of spiritual healing).

You could say that LeBlanc knows how to multiask. You could also say that the Grand Canyon is a little hole in the ground.

So what would make a woman with such an active schedule want to spend her time poking around a haunted house, looking for things that go bump in the night?

Spend five minutes with the whirling dervish of a woman, and you'll know. LeBlanc radiates energy. Whether addressing a crowd at a science fiction convention (where I first caught up with her) or conducting an interview over the phone while in between appointments (where we finished our talk), LeBlanc possesses a rare combination of daring, and the confidence to back it up.

Firefox News: How did you get involved in paranormal investigating?

Deborah LeBlanc: That actually came by accident. I had a friend who did that sort of thing before it became well known. She'd just landed a gig for MTV scouting locations for programs. She was checking out Fort Ganes, and called me because I was always up for an adventure. After that, I was hooked.

FFN: After you were hooked, what then?

DL: I'm a Doubting Thomas by nature. So I had to check it all out for myself. I got my own equipment, and then got in contact with my local group. Finding an experienced group was important because not everyone who explores the paranormal is viable. Some folks rely on feelings, rather than taking measurable scientific data. They're not interested in documentation.

FFN: And you're still involved with it now?

DL: I've hunted with just about every group in the country. It's great fodder for stories.

FFN: What are some memorable experiences that you've had while investigating?

DL: Once, I was in a house with my local group. The house belonged to the first Miss Louisiana, and she invited us in to explore. While we were there, I was pushed off of a flight of stairs. I've also seen things move, but not a full bodied apparition.

FFN: Have you ever gone into a haunted house and just known that something was there?

DL: Instinctively, your body starts to pick up signals when you know something will happen, like a heaviness in your chest. For me it feels like my body is filled with metal and I'm standing on a magnet.

For me, when I feel that, I know we'll pick up something.

FFN: Do you have a theory what's going on in these places?

DL: I believe that there is another dimension that exists with us in time in space, we just can't see it. We call it a spirit world for lack of better labels. Sometimes we think we can capture evidence on audio, but most of the time we're oblivious to it.

FFN: You're a Trateur, which is a little like faith healing, isn't it?

DL: It's similar to the laying on of hands in that it's based on simple faith. Both of my grandmothers were Trateurs in the Acadian culture. As a child I asked my grandmothers to teach me, and they told me that a female could not be trained by a female. So when I was older, I sought out a male Trateur to teach me.

FFN: How much older?

DL: I was 31.

FFN: Has the faith that's required to be a Trateur been a help or a hindrance in exploring the paranormal?

DL: Neither really. The existence of the paranormal doesn't prove or disprove the existence of God either way. I'm of the mindset that God is bigger than we can cram into a book. The fact that there may be spirits doesn't cause my faith to diminish. Why shouldn't it? Just because something is interpreted one way doesn't mean it can't be interpreted any other way at all.

FFN: You mentioned earlier that you were involved in scouting locations for MTV. What do you think of some of the ghost hunting shows on TV?

DL: Depends on the group.

FFN: Well, the most popular one right now is Ghost Hunters. Which is the group based in Atlanta.

DL: I've watched the show, and I've been on panels with those guys. I think they're a great group, and they started with a great idea. I think that when you get TV involved, things tend to be a little bit sensationalized. I scouted locations for MTV for a while, but it seemed to me that they were pulling away from the truth, so I had to step away from it.

FFN: You mentioned that the investigations made for great fodder for your book. What have you seen that's inspired your writing?

DL: My novel, A House Divided was specifically written based off of a story from a house that I investigated. It was an old home that was rumored to be haunted. It was empty at the time, but when I checked it out, I realized that the house was only half a house. At some point, someone had split it in two, and made two houses out of it. The other half was on the other side of town.

The other half had a mother living there with two small children. She gave credence to the house being haunted. I didn't see anything in there, but that was the catalyst for the story.

FFN: Well, I see that we're out of time. Thank you for taking a few moments to talk to us today.

DL: You're welcome.