Ghost in the GuacamoleWhen Dru Ann first asked me to write about my normal day, I had to pause and reflect on what was normal for me, Emma Whitecastle. There was my life pre-Granny and my life post-Granny. Neither of which were or are boring by a long shot.

Before the ghost of Ish Reynolds, better known as Granny Apples, came into my life, my days were filled with drama, but not the good kind. I had been married to Grant Whitecastle, the son of two Hollywood legends, and the reigning bad boy of talk show TV for years, followed by a very public and tumultuous divorce.

Then Granny happened, and a different kind of drama came into my life.

While at a séance with a friend, I was contacted by a ghost who was determined that I help her clear her name from a wrongful charge of murder. At the time, I had no idea that I had the ability to hear and speak to spirits, so I was totally thrown and scared. Then I learned that the ghost was my great-great-great grandmother. Once the connection was made, Granny pestered me until I gave in and helped her.

That was several years ago. Now Granny is an important part of my life, and an important part of our family. My mother has the ability to hear and speak with Granny, but she can’t see her like I can. With our assistance, other family members communicate with Granny on an almost daily basis.

Granny lived in the late 1800s in Julian, California, a small former gold rush town in the mountains north of San Diego. As my fiancé Phil Bowers likes to say, Granny is a real pistol. She’s nosey and obstinate and can be very demanding. She also loves TV, especially crime dramas and NFL football. Together we look into situations involving the deaths of ghosts, often stumbling into old murders and new ones. Sometimes ghosts come to us for help, as Granny did me, and sometimes the living contact me hoping to find answers.

Looking back, I’ll take Granny’s brand of drama any day over that of my former marriage.


You can read more about Emma in Ghost in the Guacamole, the 5th book in the “Ghost of Granny Apples” mystery series, published by Berkley Prime Crime. The first book in the series is Ghost a la Mode.

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 6 p.m. eastern on January 30 for the chance to win a copy of GHOST IN THE GUACAMOLE. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Meet the author
Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of three critically acclaimed mystery series: The Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apples series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. Sue Ann also writes short stories and is a motivational speaker and full-time paralegal living in Los Angeles. Kirkus has said of Sue Ann, “Like Stuart Kaminsky, Jaffarian juggles her franchises deftly, giving each a unique voice and appeal.” Visit her at www.sueannjaffarian.com, or on Twitter or Facebook.