Hair in intricate braids and coils? Check. T-strap heels and lipstick on? Check. Protective obsidian bracelets secure?
Okay, so I don’t really need that last one, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do. And this girl has to make a living. Holding séances and exorcising ghosts might sound like a strange job for a skeptic like me, but the one thing I always deliver is results. With the right chants, a few tricks of light, and a healthy dollop of imagination, I can make any well-meaning family believe that a ghost has been laid to rest—and get paid pretty well for my efforts, if I do say so myself.
In fact, that’s what I’m heading out to do now. With my trusty vintage medical bag by my side and the keys to my converted hearse dangling from my fingertips, I’m ready to put to rest any number of bumps and thumps in the night. And if it just so happens I don’t hear any thumps while I’m there?
Well, let’s just say a brick dropped on the floor and well-timed moan will make sure everyone realizes how necessary my arrival is.
I know what you’re thinking—and I hear you. There’s nothing honorable about tricking people into believing their homes are haunted, but it’s not like I have any other choice. I’ve never had a real job, and there are a huge number of medical bills on my kitchen counter. Someone has to pay for my comatose sister’s upkeep, and since my brother is an elementary school gym teacher, that someone is me. It’s always been me.
Fortunately for everyone involved, I actually like my work. Spiritualists have been taking advantage of people’s grief and fear for centuries. It’s almost as though I’m a walking, talking piece of history. That’s why I dress the way I do (dark and effervescent), talk the way I do (like a Victorian schoolmarm), and take any job that comes my way. It’s all part of the show.
And when you get down to it, a show is what I provide. It’s the only thing I can provide. After all, it’s not as if ghosts are real.
Right?
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a signed copy of Séances Are for Suckers. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends November 3, 2018. Good luck everyone! Bonus Question: Have you ever been to a séance?
You can read more about Eleanor in Séances Are for Suckers, the first book in the NEW “Eleanor Wilde” mystery series.
When something goes bump in the night . . . it’s most likely a plumbing problem, or something equally mundane. But fake medium Eleanor Wilde is happy to investigate and cleanse your home of spectral presences—for a fee. Hey, it’s a living . . .
Ellie has an ailing sister to care for, and working as a ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts helps cover the bills for both of them. When she’s lucky, it also pays for the occasional tropical vacation. Her brother doesn’t exactly approve, but Ellie figures she’s providing a service. On her latest job, though, she may be in for some genuine scares.
The skeptical, reserved, and very rich Nicholas Hartford III has flown her all the way to his family’s ancestral estate in England—supposedly haunted by a phantom named Xavier. Nicholas thinks it’s all just as much a crock as Ellie’s business is, but the fact remains that something is causing the flashes of light, mysterious accidents, and other apparent pranks in the chilly, eerie castle. His mother is sure that Xavier is real, and he’s willing to employ Ellie if she can get to the bottom of it and put a stop to the nonsense.
While the food and accommodations are somewhat disappointing (dorm-room furniture? Really?), Ellie is finding it an adventure to get to know this eccentric family and their houseguests, and to poke around in the nearby village for clues. But when an actual dead body appears—and subsequently disappears—at Castle Hartford, she’ll have to apply her talent for trickery and psychological insight to solve a
flesh-and-blood murder.
Purchase Link
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Meet the author
Tamara Berry is a part-time author and part-time freelance copywriter/editor. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture. Tamara also writes romance novels as Tamara Morgan. Visit Tamara at tamaraberry.com.
All comments are welcomed.
I’ve never been to a seance but I used to play with a Ouija board. Interesting premise for the protagonist to be a con who doesn’t believe in ghosts but makes her living on the beliefs of others.
No I have never been to seance but I enjoyed the episode where she pretended to be a medium and held a seance. Thank you Dru Ann for doing a review of Seances Are For Suckers. I’d love to get my hands on a copy so my fingers are crossed.
I have never been to a seance, even though I would love to go to one. This series is one I am looking forward to. I love the cover!
I’ve never been to a seance, but I do like things that go bump in the night! This sounds like an amazing series.
I’ ve never been to a seance
I have never been to a seance. I love the idea of this series and can’t wait to read it.
Sounds like a really good read. Can’t wait to check it out. I’ve never done a seance but would like to check one out.
I have never been to a seance; I think I might be too much of a scaredy cat 🙂
I have never been to a seance, but I would go to one if invited. I’m always up for something new & different.
I have never been to a seance and I’m not sure if I really want to go to one or not. I am really excited about this book though. It sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
No seances for me! This new series sounds very appealing.
Yes please Dru, I’d love to win a copy of this book. I love all things Paranormal.
I am a believer in ghosts but i avoid seances even if they sound fun 😉
Never been to a seance.
This book’s premise sounds really good.
Nope I have never been to a seance! Love the cover of this new book 📖! This is a new author to me, and her book sure does sound super exciting and spooky! Thanks so much dear Dru for the chance to win! 😊
I’ve never been to a seance. I think I’d prefer to experience one in a book rather than in real life.
I’ve never been to a seance
When I was in college the girls on my floor tried to hold a seance…we didn’t do very well. I suspect because we needed someone to be in charge like Eleanor!
This book sounds amazing and I really have to read it! I am guessing there are some “effects” that weren’t put in place by Eleanor. I can hardly wait to find out!
Thanks for a chance to win a copy!
Thank you for introducing me to what sound likes the beginning of an awesome series.
I have never been to a seance but the book sounds fascinating. Would really like to read.
Sounds like a fun scary read.
Can’t wait to read it! (I’ve never been to a seance, especially after hearing about Laura’s haunted shovel!)
No, I’ve never ever been to Séance. Nor have I used a Ouija board because there are some things in life I’d rather eat about than try!
Great info! I’d love to win this book!
I’ve never been to a séance but I find the whole idea interesting. I love the whole idea of this book, thanks for the chance to win and Congrats on the new release!
Not a Real one
Friends and I have messed around with one when we were younger
Thanks for the chance
😍🍯🐝😍
Shared on Twitter 😍❤😍
https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/1058874615001477120
**** WINNER ****
Séances Are for Suckers is Debbie S.
Congratulations!