Phantom Traces by Claire Gem
A history professor in a tweed jacket, a cheeky Goth chick, and a pipe-smoking, book-hurling ghost. Put them all together in an antiquated library and, well…
Professor Jack Wood’s silver-streaked hair definitely ages him, and he can thank Killer Dawn for that. He won’t be falling into the love trap again anytime real soon. But this new librarian has him curious, with her head-to-toe black Goth garb, piercings, and a defiant attitude to match. Definitely not his type of girl, but still…
Abigail Stryker’s got her work cut out for her. The last two librarians didn’t last a month before airborne books chased them off. But Abby’s determined to make her new life a go – and to stay as far away from older men as possible. Once was enough. Might be tough to do when the library’s best patron is none other than dreamy-eyed Jack Wood. And it seems the eccentric ghost may have taken a shine to her as well.
Description
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About the author:
By day, she works for Tufts University. Every other waking hour (even those when she should be sleeping) she spends exercising the creative side of her brain by flexing those ten digits glued to her keyboard. Chased by those pesky ghosts, Claire writes for her life.
What inspired you to write your book?
By the end of that month, I had a rough draft. With the help of many romance group critique partners, beta readers, and the wonderful editors at Soul Mate Publishing, Phantom Traces has blossomed. Addressing the themes of May-September romance and the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s, Phantom Traces combines a modern love story, a historical tragedy, and a spooky paranormal in a multilayered, fast-paced plot guaranteed to take the reader on an emotional ride.
Here is a short sample from the book:
PHANTOM TRACES
Claire Gem – Soul Mate Publishing
ONE
Abigail Stryker heard all the rumors about the pipe-smoking, book-hurling ghost
who chased off Harvey Library’s last two librarians. She took the job anyway.
The first, Liz Carter, resigned down at city hall sporting a golf ball-sized lump on
the side of her head. She suffered a whack from War and Peace, the unabridged copy. A few weeks later her successor, Norma Porter, abandoned her post on a chilly spring evening. A group of students from the community college were on their way in to work on term papers when they heard a scream. The door burst open, and Norma raced past them—almost through them—jowls and flaccid arms flapping as if the place was on fire.
Abby walked the block and a half from her apartment just before nine a.m. on her first morning as the Harvey’s new head librarian. No one else was stirring in Caldwell, North Carolina. A beautiful April morning, the square was still hushed, sleepy under the hazy chill that habitually settled over the Blue Ridge foothills.
So this is small town life. Huh. A bit of a change from the busy college town where I grew up.
After what happened, she wasn’t ready to be completely on her own, though she hated to admit it. Her Aunt Dianne just happened to have an empty efficiency over her shop on Main Street. Just up the street from the library.
Perfect.
So, Abby might have to deal with a restless spirit. He couldn’t possibly be as unsettled as she was, so it really didn’t matter. She needed a new start, and the Harvey Library seemed the perfect choice. Away from Boone, away from the memories, away from her parents and their “helpful” connections.
She suspected this ghost was nothing more than the fabrication of a town mourning Dana Laramy’s retirement. After running the place for almost thirty years, she’d become as permanent a fixture as the old school bell mounted in the lobby. There were no reports of any abnormal activity until the day she left. After that, talk surfaced about closing the Harvey Library permanently.
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