Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Auralee Wallace to HJ!
Hi Auralee and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Haunted Librarian!
Thank you for having me!
Please summarize the book for the readers here:
THE HAUNTED LIBRARIAN follows Amelia Bates, a very lonely, very guarded librarian who can see ghosts. She’s spent most of her life feeling safer with books than people, so when she gets a job at a beautiful old library with a charming and sweet head librarian she thinks she’s found her refuge. Of course, she soon discovers that the library is haunted by three really annoying ghosts, and if she isn’t able to help them move on, they’ll ruin everything.
Really though, this book is about connection. Even the most introverted bookworm needs people. Not that I’m talking from personal experience or anything.
Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:
“Are we sure this guy graduated library school?”
“Look, we all get that you’re the ghostseer, and you’re the one who is supposed to be helping us, but the truth is you need us too. Can’t you see that?”
For the love of Jane Austen, Minnie was a Regency romance reader! How could that possibly be? That didn’t line up at all with her love of spiders.
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
- In earlier drafts, Simon, the head librarian, was a werewolf. But once I was deep into writing I realized a ghostseer, three ghosts, and an interdimensional portal threatening to swallow the building whole was probably enough for one book. (I still have a soft spot for werewolf Simon, though.)
- Another fun fact is that the library is based on a real courthouse in PEI. The island as a whole is incredibly beautiful. Red cliffs. Emerald green hills. Spectacular sunsets. What’s not to love? I highly recommend visiting.
What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?
Like the true bibliophile she is, Amelia is first attracted to Simon by his masterful handling of a rare book. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s tall, broad, and wears tortoiseshell rimmed glasses. As for Simon, well, we don’t fully get his POV, but I would imagine he’s drawn to Amelia’s super-serious love for the library and all things bookish.
Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?
Because of her ability to see ghosts, Amelia is extremely guarded. She grew up in the foster care system and quickly realized she was different from the other kids. As a result, she’s never shared much of herself with the world. She never wanted to. It wasn’t worth the risk. But meeting Simon changes everything. And just because she wants to share herself with someone doesn’t mean it’s easy. This is one of the few scenes where Amelia lets her guard down, so it left me a bit choked up…
Amelia imagined seeing the look on Simon’s face, seeing that unique mix of confusion, fear, and disgust in his eyes—the look she had seen throughout her life when she hadn’t been able to guard her reactions quickly enough or come up with a good enough lie to convince others her reality was the same as theirs. The look that said she was not normal. To see that on Simon’s face would be . . .
“I couldn’t handle that.”
“Really?” the professor prodded. “Would you go mad? Drop dead? Explode into a cloud of spiders?”
The corner of Amelia’s mouth twitched, which was funny because she was once again blinking away tears. “No, but my heart might break.”
Readers should read this book….
Readers should read this book if they want a cozy, spooky read that shows how found family can open even the most closed heart. I think everyone struggles with showing who they really are to the world. That’s Amelia’s journey.
What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?
I’m currently working on a few of projects. First, the third book in my Evenfall Witches B&B mystery series. I owe it to all the loyal readers I left hanging off the cliff at the end of book two. I’m also working on a werewolf book, but it’s still in the very early stages. I’d like it to fall into the cozy horror genre, so a little horror, a little humor, and a lot of heart. Finally, I’ve been working on a women’s fiction/horror novel for several years now. I’m hoping to get that out in the next year or two. Basically, I’m spanning the paranormal/horror genre from super cozy to intense, and I’m loving every minute of it.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: A copy of THE HAUNTED LIBRARIAN by Auralee Wallace. US entries only
To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one? Or do you know someone who has?
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Excerpt from The Haunted Librarian:
“I told you!” Braden screamed, tumbling from the chandelier. “I told you she could see us!” He rocketed toward the floor until he came to a dead stop hovering in front of her, brilliant victory beaming in his smile. “Damn, I thought you were never going to crack.” He crossed his transparent arms over his chest. “It’s over now though. We got you! You have to help us.”
Suddenly Amelia’s horror vanished. Because that was where he was wrong.
Outwardly, she didn’t react. She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t blink. She simply held Braden’s gaze until the smile faded from his face. Once that had happened, she said in a tone so icy, she gave herself chills, “Let us be clear. I am speaking to you this one time, and this one time only, because there is something you should know.”
Braden swallowed, making his ghostly Adam’s apple jump in his throat. “What’s that?”
Amelia stepped toward him until she was close enough to feel his cold, and somewhat sparkly, aura waft over her.
“I. Don’t. Help. Ghosts.”
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Book Info:
A lonely librarian finds love, friends, and a few ghosts between the shelves in this cozy, paranormal tale from beloved bestselling author Auralee Wallace.
It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier.
Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest haven: the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly).
But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library.
To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.
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Meet the Author:
After spending her formative years reading Grimms’ fairy tales and stirring up potions in the creek behind her house, Auralee Wallace knew she would grow up to be a witch. When that didn’t work out, she decided becoming a writer was the next best thing. Now, Auralee is the author of multiple novels, including the Otter Lake mystery series and The Evenfall Witches B&B mysteries. She lives in Ottawa with her husband, kids, cats and dog.
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