It’s been a year since Casey’s wife died, leaving him the youngest widower in Naples, Florida, and in the throes of a seemingly bottomless depression. Now Casey lives only at night, stuck in his once cozy home, drinking himself blind and listening to the sounds of Ellington, Coltrane, and Davis. Casey’s friends and family have just about given up on him, and he’s certainly given up on himself. That is, until Billie Holiday—or someone who looks just like her—finds her way into his life.
Maybe he’s been listening to too much jazz, and he’s definitely been hitting the bottle, but there’s no mistaking that beautiful, had-some-tough-times voice. She calls herself Eleanora, and what everyone else sees as an imaginary friend, Casey sees as the only thing that can bring him solace. And by the grace of this strange and wonderful woman, he receives something he’s yearned for every waking moment: a chance to spend one last night with his wife, and to overcome the crushing guilt he’s felt since the day she left him.

Billie's Ghost

Literature & Fiction

Hautmann, Chad

Literary

Plume

"Quirky and funny and heartfelt and rich" -Ft. Myers News-Press "A compulsively readable mixture of fast-paced plot, likable protagonist, and subtly deep theme." -Magdalena Ball, CompulsiveReader.com "Highly entertaining, often thoughtful, and strategically humorous" -Ft. Myers &amp; Southwest Florida Magazine In the hazy Florida sunshine, it felt like a great idea... ... move in across the street from his ex-wife and young daughter, to try and win them both back. At first, all that comes between them is the speeding tourist trolley which sends unsuspecting suburbanites diving for safety. But assorted trials quickly multiply for Gibb Chapman: his mother keeps stealing cars to get his attention; an angry religious group is picketing his house; and a misplaced boot gives his crumbling roof an unplanned skylight. But all Gibb wants is to win back the love of his life by proving that he has never stopped adoring her. Magic And Grace is a lively and life-affirming tale of self discovery set against the backdrop of a beachside holiday town in Florida.

Magic and Grace

Genre Fiction

Fingerpress

Contemporary

Vanmeter Pub

Gibb Chapman had it all: a lovely and loving wife, a new daughter, a beautiful home in a Florida beach town, and a monthly stipend from his wealthy, eccentric mother.  He thought it couldn't get much better-until the novel he'd been writing for years is published to much hype and hoopla. But when he lets his new celebrity status go to his head, Gibb finds out just how quickly fortunes can change.  His perfect life comes to an abrupt end with a lip-splitting left-hook from his betrayed (and aerobicized) wife.        Assorted trials quickly multiply, as if he is being tested by vengeful gods with a wicked sense of humor:  Can he keep his mother from stealing another car?  Can he get the angry religious groups to stop picketing his house?  Can he keep his daughter safe from speeding tourist trolleys?  And can he win back the love of his life by proving that he has never stopped adoring her?      MAGIC AND GRACE is an adult comedy/drama, a coming-of-age novel about people coming into middle-age--and maybe finally resolving the issues that have dogged them until now.

Evermore Books

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