So, as you hopefully know by now, the title of my next book is The Ghost Who Wasn't Dead.
But how can a ghost not be dead? Surely, that's a prerequisite to ghosthood?!
Wellll....
Okay, so perhaps this ghost isn't quite as technically dead as you might expect, but you've probably guessed that already.
However, if you've read the first three books in the series already, then you've already sort of "met" this ghost, even though they’ve never appeared in person on the page.
I wonder if you realised...?
Nope, I don't think JD has it yet
The thing is, I've always been interested in the idea of people who are missing for long periods of time and/or are presumed dead - but what if they're not?
Where have they been?
Why did they leave?
Why are they back?!
And, most importantly, how do the people who are left behind cope with all of that?
So inevitably, at some point, I was going to explore that idea, and I've really leaned into it in this upcoming book (much to my character's dismay) and brought someone "back" from the dead.
I'm obviously not going to tell you who they are or where they've been, or the answers to any of the other questions above, but you just know it ain't gonna be pretty...
However, as with all things that look bad at first, good things will come out of it.
Friendships will be strengthened.
Characters will discover things about themselves they never realised they knew.
New opportunities will open up.
There may even be a little romance on the cards!
And of course, there's mystery and murder in there too, but I'll leave that for the book. Hey, it's a murder mystery, right? Kinda expected.
Oh, and again, if you've read the previous books then you've already met the victim, so... get guessing who it is ;)
Aw, don't worry, Chief, you only have to wait a few weeks
But The Ghost Who Wasn’t Dead isn’t just a murder mystery. It’s a dramatic and emotional family saga interwoven with layer upon layer of mystery, which is a little different to what I’ve shared before.
Which is why I thought it might be interesting to explain why I've chosen to do that in this book.
Because the thing is, not only is this “back from the dead” thing a concept I've been interested in for a long time, this book and the return of the "ghost" is creating a pivotal point in the series - although the effect of that won't fully manifest for a few books yet, because I'm an idiot and wrote and published a book out of sequence, and now I have to work around it.
Sigh.
Seriously, though, it's actually better this way.
No, really. A tremendous shift has just taken place in my character's lives, and though some people would act instantly, this lot need time for the dust to settle before they can see the way forward. They'll take some time to look after each other, readjust to what they've just learned, and then, when the world doesn't feel like it's upside down any more, they'll assess their lives and move forward in a direction that will get them where they want to be.
Because sometimes our history blocks the way to our future, and the only way to deal with it is head on - however painful that might be.
There's a wonderful future on the other side of for so many of these characters, and I'm really excited to see where they go next - in fact, I already know some of it and have sprinkled a few hints throughout the book if you look carefully…
That's for another time, though.
Oh, but you know that's why I'm here...
Thank you so much for reading, I can't wait to share my latest book with you :) The Ghost Who Wasn't Dead will be released on 9th December 2022 - make sure you sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when it's live!!
If you want to get notifications about all my blog posts (and I'm doing a mini series in the lead-up to launch day), then please go to the main blog page and pop your email address in to the form there :) This is separate to my main mailing list, making it a great choice if you want blog updates but not a regular monthly email!
Anyway, I shall be back here tomorrow with the first of three posts about the other books in the series, so I hope you'll join me then :)
Love,
Saff xx
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