Lucy makes the most of death by studying the afterlife, only to face the bitter truth: she never truly lived.

For Dr. Lucy Monae, theorizing about the afterlife has always been preferable to living her real one. She would love to be friends (ideally, more than friends) with her bubbly coworker Esther, the only other philosophy professor under sixty. Thanks to Lucy’s loner tendencies, they’ve barely spoken outside of her dreams—until the morning she awakens in Esther’s bed.

Except Esther can’t see or hear her. In all her studies, Lucy never found concrete evidence that ghosts were real. However, death by boxed wine is admittedly on-brand, and the evidence is undeniable: she’s dead, haunting her unfairly attractive colleague.

Initially curious about ghosthood, Lucy grows bitter as the consequences of her death unfold. Just as lonely as Lucy was, Esther is the first to notice her absence, and the only one who cares. As Esther’s relentless optimism falters under the burden of Lucy’s death, Lucy must find a way to keep her dream girl from sharing her fate or risk losing her—and herself—forever.

This introspective, heart-wrenching "slice-of-death" novel blends paranormal romance with speculative fiction, along with dark academia vibes, sapphic yearning on a metaphysical dimension, and way too many poetry references. While this is a closed-door romance, the heavy themes make this novel intended for adult readers. 

ISBNs

978-1-964386-16-4     Ebook - EPUB     

978-1-964386-17-1     Paperback     

978-1-964386-18-8     Hardback

Cover art and design by Otte Lotee.

Special Edition Hardcover cover/interior art and design by Otte Lotee, Aimee Foremar, Elena Tarsius, and Cozy DuBois.

Interior Formatting by Cozy DuBois.

Editing by Mikko Lahna at Quick Fox Editors.

**Spoilers Ahead**

Content Warnings:

Earthly Ties contains themes of life, death, acceptance, grief, and various heavy topics that may be upsetting to the reader. While the main character of Earthly Ties is not formally diagnosed with depression, Lucy’s thoughts and behavior reflect someone struggling with mental illness. Any darker or troubling thoughts she expresses do not reflect my views as the author, and I encourage all readers to prioritize their mental health, both while reading this book and in general.

• Depiction of mental illness, specifically depression, alcoholism, and C-PTSD.

• Ableist/Sanist language.

• Pandemic setting (a fictional illness, not COVID).

• Prejudice and systemic racism, specifically within academia and the justice system.

• Lighthearted jokes about white people, in the context of an interracial relationship.

• Dream sequences involving kissing and off-page sexual intimacy, where consent is not discussed in advance.

• Unintentional, one-sided voyeurism due to the supernatural elements of the character.

• Content warnings for events that take place before the story include: Off-page implied death of the main character; Alcohol dependency and parent with alcoholism; Deaths of parents and mentor figure; Family/support system abandonment; Emotional abuse from white parent to mixed-race child rooted in racism, religious prejudice, and mental illness.