The Ghost of Her Ex
Aletta Thorne
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Ghost Stories
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Aletta Thorne
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Ghost Stories
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: October 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77339-829-7
ASIN: B07JLRLR45
Number of pages: 193
Word Count: 56,000
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Tagline: What happens when the ghost of your ex just can’t leave you alone?
Book Description:
Just because she’s sixty-three, cynical, and a church musician, Emily Rauch is hardly done with life—or love.
Now that she’s traded in her old barn of a place for a tiny house in the hills, Emily’s ready for a new start.
Throw in one enormous pipe organ, two ghosts, a pot dealer named Santa Claus, the reappearance of Emily’s bad-boy college squeeze, and a blizzard...what could possibly go wrong?
Excerpt:
“…You are a
woman of … appetites, Em. You like to eat and drink and…”
woman of … appetites, Em. You like to eat and drink and…”
“…and fuck.”
Emily shocked herself by saying that. Dropping an f-bomb when you were just
randomly turning the air blue was one thing. But this was no fuckity-fuck-fuck.
This meant actually doing the deed…
Emily shocked herself by saying that. Dropping an f-bomb when you were just
randomly turning the air blue was one thing. But this was no fuckity-fuck-fuck.
This meant actually doing the deed…
But she hadn’t
shocked Al. “Indeed. And fuck.” He nodded, his lips tight. “I left you in the
lurch.”
shocked Al. “Indeed. And fuck.” He nodded, his lips tight. “I left you in the
lurch.”
Emily sighed.
“Yup. Yup. Guess you did. But we talked that stuff to death two decades ago.
Shit, Al! It’s just … just … I don’t know what it is. Alexa, play Widor organ
music.”
“Yup. Yup. Guess you did. But we talked that stuff to death two decades ago.
Shit, Al! It’s just … just … I don’t know what it is. Alexa, play Widor organ
music.”
“I don’t know
any songs by Widor,” said Alexa.
any songs by Widor,” said Alexa.
“Alexa, argh!”
Emily made neck-choking gestures toward the black cylinder on her counter.
Emily made neck-choking gestures toward the black cylinder on her counter.
“Bee-boop,” said
Alexa. Her illuminated blue ring danced and turned itself off.
Alexa. Her illuminated blue ring danced and turned itself off.
“I know our
lovely and talented daughter meant well with that thing,” said Al. “But The
Echo sucks at classical music unless you get lucky. Works better just to ask
for radio stations.”
lovely and talented daughter meant well with that thing,” said Al. “But The
Echo sucks at classical music unless you get lucky. Works better just to ask
for radio stations.”
“You’re too good
at that. Do you haunt many Echo owners?”
at that. Do you haunt many Echo owners?”
“Just Gordon.”
Al laughed ruefully. “That young fella of his bought an Alexa for him. Alexa,
play WQXR.”
Al laughed ruefully. “That young fella of his bought an Alexa for him. Alexa,
play WQXR.”
“Playing WQXR.”
Alexa provided them with the middle of Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances.”
Alexa provided them with the middle of Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances.”
“Not bad,” said
Emily. “No static. It barely comes in up here on the FM. And they’re a public
station now, so no more pre-need funeral ads, I guess. God, funerals!”
Emily. “No static. It barely comes in up here on the FM. And they’re a public
station now, so no more pre-need funeral ads, I guess. God, funerals!”
“Yeah. That. I
gather you had a spectacularly bad day…”
gather you had a spectacularly bad day…”
“Do you get
special ghost email about that or something? Ghost Facebook?”
special ghost email about that or something? Ghost Facebook?”
Al’s laugh,
again, was rueful. “Hard to explain. It doesn’t work like that. I never really
thought of you as a femme fatale, Em.”
again, was rueful. “Hard to explain. It doesn’t work like that. I never really
thought of you as a femme fatale, Em.”
“I wasn’t the
one who fatale-ed him! I honestly didn’t intend to have anything else to do
with him! Or not much else, anyway. Look, I was being a sex-positive,
independent woman caring for her own needs. He went home to his girlfriend,
tried for a little more of the old slap and tickle … and crumped.”
one who fatale-ed him! I honestly didn’t intend to have anything else to do
with him! Or not much else, anyway. Look, I was being a sex-positive,
independent woman caring for her own needs. He went home to his girlfriend,
tried for a little more of the old slap and tickle … and crumped.”
“And now you’re
playing his funeral. And he came to the organ loft today to bother you.”
playing his funeral. And he came to the organ loft today to bother you.”
Emily began to
laugh, too—a bit too hard. There was nothing else left to do. “Oh, fuckity
fuck!”
laugh, too—a bit too hard. There was nothing else left to do. “Oh, fuckity
fuck!”
“What?”
Then there were
tears in her eyes again. She laughed until she ran out of air. “I never even
unblocked him on my phone. I never even friended him on … Facebook! It was
supposed to be a nothing. A one-off. A…”
tears in her eyes again. She laughed until she ran out of air. “I never even
unblocked him on my phone. I never even friended him on … Facebook! It was
supposed to be a nothing. A one-off. A…”
“I sort of
remember Brad. He was at the reception when you played in Brooklyn, right? Was
he a good organist?”
remember Brad. He was at the reception when you played in Brooklyn, right? Was
he a good organist?”
Emily wiped her
eyes. “He was terrific. But loud and flashy—at least when we were kids. A
show-off. I don’t think I’ve actually listened to him play since before I met
you. He loved boat races as much as he loved music. Not to mention chasing
women. I used to regard that as a challenge when I was in school: break the
womanizing horn-dog’s heart and win the Battle of the Sexes. Ah, Al, we’re so
nuts when we’re young.”
eyes. “He was terrific. But loud and flashy—at least when we were kids. A
show-off. I don’t think I’ve actually listened to him play since before I met
you. He loved boat races as much as he loved music. Not to mention chasing
women. I used to regard that as a challenge when I was in school: break the
womanizing horn-dog’s heart and win the Battle of the Sexes. Ah, Al, we’re so
nuts when we’re young.”
Al took Emily’s
hands. “‘Nuts’ is harsh. I think we’re young when we’re young. You know?”
hands. “‘Nuts’ is harsh. I think we’re young when we’re young. You know?”
“I do know.”
“Em, I’ll tell
you this… Brad’s going to be … around. Womanizer or no, he probably liked you a
lot more than you thought. I get that. Plus, he doesn’t know he’s dead, right?”
you this… Brad’s going to be … around. Womanizer or no, he probably liked you a
lot more than you thought. I get that. Plus, he doesn’t know he’s dead, right?”
“He seems a bit
unclear about that. He’s got to know I’m practicing for his funeral. You never
seemed unsure about being…”
unclear about that. He’s got to know I’m practicing for his funeral. You never
seemed unsure about being…”
“Being dead. I
had lots of warning. I was sick for a long time.”
had lots of warning. I was sick for a long time.”
Emily nodded.
“That sucked. You sure didn’t deserve it.”
“That sucked. You sure didn’t deserve it.”
Al pecked her
cheek with his usual hurried and dry kiss. “No one deserves it. Your friend
clearly has unfinished business,” he said. And then he disappeared.
cheek with his usual hurried and dry kiss. “No one deserves it. Your friend
clearly has unfinished business,” he said. And then he disappeared.
About the Author:
Aletta Thorne believes in ghosts. When she’s not making up ghost stories for grownups, she is a choral singer, a poet, and a DJ. But she’s happiest in front of a glowing screen, giving voice to whatever it was that got her two cats all riled up at three AM. Her house is quite seriously haunted—even scared the ghost investigator who came to check it out! After all, she lives just across the Hudson River from Sleepy Hollow. Aletta Thorne is also the author of The Chef and the Ghost of Bartholomew Addison Jenkins.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I am a dedicated “pants-er,” so my characters totally take over. I know I’m heading for an HEA, but I never know exactly how. I just let them work it out. They haven’t failed me yet.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
My favorite books make me laugh—hard—when I’m reading them. They’re also intense emotionally and have characters that feel like real people. They take place in towns and cities that I live in by their last pages. I think THE GHOST OF HER EX has all that. It’s got a cast of characters in their 60’s, mostly, old baby-boomers who are really tired of being respectable. They are church employees, but very naughty indeed. There’s a pot dealer named Santa Claus. He was super fun to write. Plus—ghosts! THE GHOST OF HER EX is more Topper than it is Ghost, or Truly, Madly, Deeply—but it’s got elements of all three in its plot. There’s also a funeral scene that’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever written. My main character, a pipe organist, curses like a sailor. And there’s a blizzard. What’s not to like?
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I publish young adult novels under another name and I’m about halfway through writing one of them, a time-traveler. So obviously, that’s unpublished at this point. And I also write poetry and have a chapbook (a short collection of poems) about long distance trains that’s still looking for a publisher. I’ll be starting to write my next ghost romance after Christmas.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer 100 percent of the way. I’m old enough so that I started writing on typewriters—still have the two-spaces-after-a-period thing so deep in my muscle memory that I can’t shake it. But the ability to revise easily and check things on the internet is everything!
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Ghost stories aren’t just for Halloween! This book is set in the weeks just after Christmas. I do believe in ghosts; I live in an old house that’s been investigated for them and has two fairly harmless ones. Have a ghostly, hilarious holiday!
Good Morning! Thank you for the book description.These tours are great and we have found some terrific books so thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI love your work. I can't wait to read this. I have it on my holiday wish list. (jozywails@gmail.com)
ReplyDelete