Sadie, on the floor, clad in a silk robe of deep gold. Her face is far too pale. She is far too still. My thumb is on the phone, ready to dial 911. I step into the room, but before I can cross to Sadie, a force surges into me.
The cold envelops me first. This is no sprite. Its presence fills the bedroom with resentment and dread, the air so stale and sharp it pricks the inside of my nose. A trickle of hot blood runs down my lip and the quicksilver taste fills my mouth.
The thing shoves me against the shuttered doors of the closet. The flimsy wood buckles under my weight. I grip the frame and try to regain my balance, my breath, cursing myself for walking into an ambush.
This ghost is fierce and angry. It moans, the sound like an accusation. Then the room is silent.
In the quiet, I glance around. The thing is still here; that much I know. With my coat sleeve, I wipe away blood. My phone is where? I can’t fight this ghost on my own. In fact, I haven’t encountered one this aggressive for a while. I need Malcolm. Sadie needs an ambulance. But first, I need to cross the room to where my phone has landed, next to the vanity.
I’m halfway there when the air shifts behind me. It feels like a gathering storm. I launch myself those last few steps. All I need to do is send a text. The ghost slams into me, the force propelling me against the vanity and its mirror, with all its glass.
The room explodes in shards. My head slams against something hard. I crumple to the floor, lungs searching for air, fingers groping for the cell phone. The moment I reach it, an icy blast sends it skittering away.
My vision blurs both with tears and an approaching darkness. I need my phone. I need to tell Malcolm about this ghost.
But it’s too dark and too cold and my phone is too far away. I close my eyes. I tell myself it’s only for a second so I can catch my breath. But my eyelids are heavy, and the dark washes over me. I taste regret along with the blood in my mouth. What I want is to hear Malcolm’s voice. That feels like the most important thing of all.
* * *
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What the heck is Coffee & Ghosts?
Coffee & Ghosts is a cozy paranormal mystery/romance that is told over a series of episodes and in seasons, much like a television series. Think Doctor Who or Sherlock.
Ghost in the Coffee Machine, which I think of as the pilot episode, began life as a short story that first appeared in Coffee: 14 Caffeinated Tales of the Fantastic.
Once, a very long time ago, I wrote a murder mystery that involved a ghost. During the research phase, I came across a tidbit about catching ghosts using coffee and glass jars. The novel never went anywhere, but years later, when I saw the call for submissions for Coffee, something clicked. Katy, her grandmother, and their business of catching ghosts with coffee and Tupperware (a far more practical and, frankly, safer option) were born.
Not too long later I realized that I wasn’t done with coffee and ghosts—or rather, they weren’t done with me. They demanded their own type of storytelling as well.
Serial fiction is exciting and fun to write. It’s different from a novel in that each episode has its own story arc but also supports a larger one for the season.
I’ve recently consolidated the episodes into three season bundles. This makes both finding the episodes and binge-reading them much easier.
I can’t tell you how much fun it was to write Coffee & Ghosts, and I want to thank you for reading and coming along on this journey with me.
Coffee and Ghosts Season Two
The Ghost That Got Away
Coffee and Ghosts, Season Two
When Christmas brings both strangers and ghosts of the past to Springside, ghost-catcher and expert coffee-brewer Katy Lindstrom fears her new business, new relationship, and quiet hometown will never be the same.
She’s right.
The ghost of a jealous dead husband. A sexy siren of a spirit who has a claim on Malcolm. It will take more than some excellent Kona blend to permanently rid Springside of both the unwanted ghosts and the necromancers who brought them to town.
But Katy harbors a secret, the sort more than one necromancer is willing to kill for, and this time, the stakes are higher than she ever imagined.
This time, to keep Malcolm, Springside, and even the world safe, Katy must do the one thing she vowed never to do.
And once she does, there’s no turning back.
* * *
Season 2:
Episode 1: Ghosts of Christmas Past
Episode 2: The Ghost That Got Away
Episode 3: The Wedding Ghost
Coffee and Ghosts Season Three
Nothing but the Ghosts
Coffee and Ghosts, Season Three
Reluctant necromancer Katy Lindstrom is worried about mixing business with pleasure. All she wants is a few hours alone with her more-than-a-business-partner, Malcolm Armand.
Before they can sort through their feelings over a cup of Kona blend, another necromancer lands on Katy’s doorstep.
Malcolm’s father.
He brings with him tales of old betrayals and fresh lies. But a bigger danger lurks in Springside—a powerful ghost sent to destroy Malcolm’s brother.
This is just the start.
After Katy uncovers long-held family secrets, she finds herself entangled in past and present—and on a mission to find the truth. To unravel the mystery that links her family with Malcolm’s, she’ll need to bargain with a powerful entity and face retribution from the necromancer community.
Where Katy must go, Malcolm can’t follow. This time around, she’ll need to make the ultimate sacrifice. This time, to save Malcolm, Springside, and everything she loves, Katy will need to give them up forever.
* * *
Season 3:
Episode 1: Ghosts and Consequences
Episode 2: A Few Good Ghosts
Episode 3: Nothing but the Ghosts
About the Author
Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She spent twelve years as a Girl Scout and six in the Army; that she wore a green uniform for both may not be a coincidence. These days, she writes fiction (long and short) and works as a technical writer for a software company in St. Paul.
Her short speculative fiction has appeared in UFO Publishing’s Unidentified Funny Objects and Coffee anthologies, Flash Fiction Online, Cicada and Deep Magic. She blogs (occasionally) at Writing Wrongs.
If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review, no matter how short. All reviews are very much appreciated and helpful for prospective readers.
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Also by Charity Tahmaseb
young adult fiction (with darcy vance)
The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading
Dating on the Dork Side
young adult fiction
The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet
The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath
Now and Later: Eight Young Adult Short Stories
fantasy
Coffee and Ghosts, Season 1: Must Love Ghosts
Coffee and Ghosts, Season 2: The Ghost That Got Away
Coffee and Ghosts, Season 3: Nothing but the Ghosts
Straying from the Path, Stories from the Sour Magic Series of Fairy Tales
Copyright
Coffee and Ghosts Season 1: Must Love Ghosts
Copyright © 2015 by Charity Tahmaseb
Published by Collins Mark Books
Cover copyright © 2018 by Collins Mark Books
Cover design by Collins Mark Books
Cover art copyright © Natasha Fedorova/Depositphotos
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events por
trayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Coffee and Ghosts: The Complete First Season Page 22
