If it’s fall, bring on the ghosts!

Autumn is my favorite season. Crunchy colorful leaves underfoot, crisp mornings and warm afternoons. Sure, the days get shorter but that means plenty of long evenings where there’s little to do but cozy up and read, read, read!

This is also the season of spooky things. My ghost-hunter series so far consists of three novels: Spirited Quest, House of Seven Spirits, and Spirit in Time. The series follows Jillian Winchester as she seeks out ghosts and helps them tell the stories they are desperate to have known. So far, Jillian, who lives in the Pacific Northwest, has traveled to Vermont, Australia, and California – and the most recent book even takes her back in time.

The books are written as stand-alones, but are also fun to read in order since there’s a bit of a romance that develops over time. These aren’t spooky stories; they just have that paranormal element with an occasional bit of fantasy thrown in.

If you’re hankering for a new series, here’s a glimpse into each of these books:

 

Spirited Quest

Blurb:

Paige Norman believes in a tangible, explainable world. When her ghost-hunting niece comes for a visit, she tries not to scoff. But someone, or something, is stirring up trouble at the Deerbourne Inn and her niece, Jillian, is at the center of the mystery.

Paige is certain the handsome Aussie photographer is behind the unexplained disturbances, and she warns her niece to stay clear. Meanwhile, Jillian gets to know the otherworldly Lady of the Deerbourne, who foretells an encounter with "two men." Then the pranks turn dangerous. Has her niece attracted a stalker or has she conjured an evil presence? Can the culprit be the man who has captured her heart? 

 

Excerpt:

 

He nodded a friendly greeting to her, his gaze grazing past to include others on the porch. “G’day, ma’am. G’day all.” 

An Australian. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh, to be twenty-five, even thirty-five, again. His gaze settled on her niece, and as always happened to men where this girl was concerned, his jaw slackened, then tightened. 

Next to her, Jillian grew still, lifting wide blue eyes to the newcomer. The moment passed. He was through the front door and into the lobby, and the door closed behind him. 

“You’re in for some nice company this week,” Paige commented with a smile. 

A frown flickered across her niece’s face. “I’ve seen him before.” 

“You’ve met?” 

“Not exactly. He appeared to me in a dream.” Jillian’s blue eyes were troubled as she gazed at the Inn’s front door. She lifted one hand and rubbed the back of her head, then gave a shiver. “There was blood and I was afraid.” 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2U1Q61b

 

IBooks: https://apple.co/2FPadg1

 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spirited-quest-julie-howard/1130412180?ean=2940161285923

 

House of Seven Spirits

Blurb:

Some secrets are deadly, and ghost-blogger Jillian Winchester and her photographer boyfriend discover it's true when they set out to investigate an Australian family who disappeared without a trace in the 1880s. 

An abandoned sheep station rumored to be haunted by the long-dead Kinsley family is one challenge. The other is the beautiful but deadly Outback.

 

As Jillian probes deeper into the mystery, one thing becomes clear: She might not make it out of this quest alive.

 

 

Excerpt:

 

“Don’t go up there,” Mason warned. “The wood’s apt to be rotted in places. The floor may not be safe.” 

She glanced over her shoulder at him and hesitated. Her California beach home was eight thousand miles away—a fifteen-hour flight plus a day’s drive along bumpy bleak roads. She hadn’t come this far to only examine the structure’s exterior. Her work required total immersion. 

She put a foot on the first step and tested it with her weight. Mason strode around the car and halted just below the porch with arms crossed. “Jillian.” 

The last thing she needed was someone hovering, directing her on what she could and couldn’t do. When she worked, the “real” world faded in importance. His uneasy energy interrupted her focus. “I’m fine.” 

The stair was solid, at least. Not even a creak greeted her as she advanced onto the veranda. He cleared his throat as she took another step, but said nothing. 

Despite the heat, a sudden chill rippled up her bare arms, sending prickles all the way to her neck. For a split second, her world tilted and her senses were overwhelmed. The musty odor of freshly shorn sheep wool, clothes flapping on a line, young voices chattering, the sharp tang of blood. Just as quick, the images dissolved and all was still, dry and lifeless once more. She let go of a deep breath, and a feeling of exhilaration swept through her. 

Someone’s here. 

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ubgz73p

 

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/house-of-seven-spirits/id1497768327

 

Nook: https://bit.ly/39kJRgS

 

Spirit in Time

 

Blurb:

 

Time travel isn't real. It can't be real. But ghost-blogger Jillian Winchester discovers otherwise when an enigmatic spirit conveys her to 1872 to do his bidding. 

Jillian finds herself employed as a maid in Sacramento, in an elegant mansion with a famous painting. The artwork reveals another mystery: Why does the man within look exactly like her boyfriend, Mason Chandler? 

Morality and sin live side by side, not only in the picture, but also within her. As her transgressions escalate, she races the clock to find the man in the painting, and hunt down a spirit with a disconcerting gift. 

But will time be her friend or foe?

 

 

Excerpt:

 

“Are you a ghost?” A young girl stood where the guard had been only minutes before. She spoke matter- of-factly, her dark eyes alive with curiosity. 

The house was still whole, she was alive, and the world hadn’t ended. Jillian scanned the room for damage, then blinked. This must be a dream. The long dining table—bare just moments ago—was now laid for a meal. Glasses sat upright, forks and spoons lined up in perfect order, and a tall flower arrangement appeared unscathed. A crystal chandelier above the table remained perfectly still. 

The guard and Asian man were nowhere in sight. 

The girl, dressed neatly in a calf-length white pinafore embellished with pink ribbons, didn’t appear rattled by the cataclysmic jolt. 

“What happened?” Jillian asked, still crouched on her knees. “Are you okay?” 

“You don’t belong here. Mother will be angry.” 

Even though the floor had ceased to shake, the roiling continued in her head. Might this very real looking girl be a spirit? Most apparitions wavered in some manner, their appearances paler and less there than the tangible world around them. This child appeared solid in every way, from the tips of her shiny chestnut hair to the toes of her lace-up black shoes. 

 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LslC9S

 

iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781509235100

 

Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3qaFAF5

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spirit-in-time-julie-howard/1138556279?ean=2940162911340

 

Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime mystery series and Spirited Quest paranormal mystery series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. A fifth-generation Californian, she now lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and aging sheltie dog. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and editor of the Potato Soup Journal. Sign up for her occasional newsletter at juliemhoward.com.