Chatham author releases novel in new genre on Feb. 14

Things have been kind of spooky for Chatham author Kelly Young this past year as she worked on her newest novel, titled Say It Isn’t So, Joe. The first book in the new Haunted & Harassed Paranormal Mystery Series, Say It Isn’t So, Joe is based on the popular short story, A Ghost Named Joe, published as part of her collection, Kisses in the Moonlight and Other Short Tales, Volume 2, which was released in May of 2020.

In the prequel story, a retired married couple helped the ghost of the former owner of their house find a missing item left somewhere in the house, so he could rest in peace. In the first full length book, set to be released on Valentine’s Day, the ghost named Joe has returned, and he won't leave Carmen and her husband Sebastian alone, until they agree to help the friend that he’s brought along with him.

The ghost of his friend Donna is convinced that she did not die of natural causes. Joe has told her that he knows just the people to figure out her dilemma, an no amount of protest from the couple will make the spectres realize that finding a missing necklace is nothing like finding a murderer.

It's a steep learning curve for Carmen and Bass. Despite their misgivings, they team up with the owners of the local Montgomery Funeral Home, and are soon up to their necks in suspects and intrigue. Can they solve a murder that no one thinks actually happened, and will Joe finally leave them alone if they figure the puzzle out? Or will they be the next ones lying in state at the funeral home?

Young, who is the author of the four-book Travel Writer Cozy Mystery Series, the thrillers Flurries Ending and The Six Thousand, two short story collections, two speculative fiction books and more, is excited to bring Joe back for a lengthier outing.

“Joe was very well received by readers when what turned out to be the series prequel came out,” she said from her home in Chatham recently. “Quite a few readers told me how funny they found the story and that they’d love to read more about him and his living helpers. I ran with the suggestion, and Haunted & Harassed seemed to be the perfect title for a humorous ghost-based series.”

Young once again took advantage of the National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo, which challenges writers to pen a 50,000-word book in the month of November. She claims that the structure of the international challenge provides the motivation to keep going and “not get sidetracked by everyday things."

“I’m excited to be writing in a new genre,” she said of the paranormal theme of the book, “although it is still a mystery at the core of it.” She added that she intends to return to the Travel Writer series next. “Along with the full-length novels, I’m planning a spin off short-story series I’m calling Travel Writer Day Trips, which will feature two short stories each, one for each month of the year. They will be centred around the series characters that readers have come to enjoy.”

The new book, self-published through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, will be available in e-book format, as well as in paperback and, new this year, hardcover on February 14.

Young is a member of Crime Writers of Canada, and Sisters in Crime, as well as the local Facebook groups CK Wrimos and Chatham Kent Authors. She has taken part in two of the Author Festivals held by the Chatham Kent Public Library, the last one virtual due to the pandemic, and has donated copies of all of her books to the library.

“As soon as I have copies of the new book in hand, one will be heading to the library for sure,” she promised. “Public libraries are so important, and are more than the books that you find on the shelves. They are a vital part of the community. I’m honoured that ours is willing to put my books on their shelves.”

For more information, please feel free to contact Kelly at kyoung.author@gmail.com or through her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kellyyoungauthor/.