WITCHING AFTER FORTY: VOLUME ONE
Witching After Forty follows the misadventures of Ava Harper – a forty-something necromancer with a light witchy side that you wouldn’t expect from someone who can raise the dead. Join Ava as she learns how to start over after losing the love of her life, in this new paranormal women’s fiction series with a touch of cozy mystery, magic, and a whole lot of mayhem.
This Volume includes:
A Ghoulish Midlife
Cookies for Satan (Christmas novella)
I’m With Cupid (Valentine novella)
A Cursed Midlife
A Girlfriend for Mr. Snoozerton (Novella)
WITCHING AFTER FORTY VOLUME TWO
Volume Two of the bestselling After Forty series is packed with five more adventures starting Ava and Friends.
Witching After Forty follows the misadventures of Ava Harper – a forty-something necromancer with a light witchy side that you wouldn’t expect from someone who can raise the dead. Join Ava as she learns how to start over after losing the love of her life, in this new paranormal women’s fiction series with a touch of cozy mystery, magic, and a whole lot of mayhem.
This Volume includes:
Birthday Blunder (Novella)
A Haunted Midlife
An Animated Midlife
Faery Odd-Mother (Novella)
A Killer Midlife
WITCHING AFTER FORTY: BOXSET 3
Volume Three of the bestselling After Forty series is packed with five more adventures staring Ava and Friends.
Witching After Forty follows the misadventures of Ava Harper – a forty-something necromancer with a light witchy side that you wouldn’t expect from someone who can raise the dead. Join Ava as she learns how to start over after losing the love of her life, in this new paranormal women’s fiction series with a touch of cozy mystery, magic, and a whole lot of mayhem.
This Volume includes:
A Grave Midlife
A Powerful Midlife
A Wedded Midlife
A Newly-Webs Midlife
A GHOULISH MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 1
Widow and empty nester, Ava Harper, never dreamed of turning forty without the love of her life. Nor did she know she would bury her favorite aunt, who raised her after the death of her mother, a few years later. Then again, she doesn’t have the power of foresight. No, her powers are much darker. Powers she has kept behind lock and key.
With her only son off to college and her life savings depleted, Ava returns home to Shipton Harbor, Maine. She’s only there to clean out, fix up, and sell the family home. But like everything in her life in the last five years, things change. Plans get canceled.
Arriving in Shipton Harbor is like stepping into another world. Her high school rival is married to her best friend and is set on making up for every devious thing she did when they were teens. The magic in the house reawakens, making it impossible to sell. It doesn’t want new owners, apparently. And to top it all, the sheriff looks like he belongs on the cover of a romance novel.
When an old friend of the family turns up dead, Ava must delve deep into the powers she’s repressed all her adult life to find the killer. Only a necromancer could’ve killed her friend.
Now she must open up to her own wells of dark magic to find the murderer while working with the hottie sheriff she’s sure has his own secrets.
COOKIES FOR SATAN: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 2
Part-time bookstore clerk, part-time author, necromancer in training, and full-time caretaker of a ghoul are titles that Ava Harper never dreamed of applying to herself.
Even with all the crazy going on around her, she’s determined to make this Christmas as normal as possible–without raising the dead or some other fiasco.
When her best friend’s wife comes up with the idea to throw a community-wide holiday party, Ava is all in. After all, the holidays have been a dark time for her ever since her husband died. This year will be different. She has a new start in life with family and friends, new and old.
Then someone has the bright idea to conjure the real Saint Nick to surprise the kids. But the surprise is on Ava when the spell goes wrong and she summons the devil himself.
Christmas in Shipton Harbor will never be the same again.
I’M WITH CUPID: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 3
Ava Harper’s life has taken more twists and turns over the last few months than a mountain highway. It started when she arrived back home in Shipton Harbor, Maine. She wears many hats: Part-time bookstore clerk, part-time author, necromancer in training, full-time caretaker of a ghoul, soon to be girlfriend to the town sheriff. She’s still in denial of the latter. Now she has to add neighbor to Lucifer himself to that list.
Fine. Whatever. She can make her peace with living next door to the devil. But then, when she’s finally out on a first date with the hotter-than-sin local sheriff, who shows up to crash the date?
Luci himself. And he has a date of his own.
To add to all the crazy in her life, she answers her door to find an animated skeleton standing on her doorstep, hoping she can help him find his murderer.
What else can go sideways this Valentine’s Day in Shipton Harbor?
A CURSED MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 4
Necromancer trainee, bookseller, novel writer Ava Harper is settling into her new life with friends and her houseguests. And she definitely isn’t thinking about a certain hunky sheriff who pops in unannounced at every turn. And mostly ignoring her devilish new neighbor, a lingering Christmas present from herself.
She has bigger things to worry about. Like learning her newly woken powers. And convincing her house that she isn’t selling it so it will stop scaring off any visitors. Plus, she’s teaching a ghoul to use a computer. Why shouldn’t he? He can’t talk, he might as well be able to use social media.
Her life gets more complicated when the local coven decides Ava has dodged them for long enough. She doesn’t have any interest in joining the coven. She’s everything they turn their nose up at. A necromancer with a weird ability to heal people.
But they want her.
When other coven members fall victim to freak accidents, Ava is sure something dark is at play. And the more Ava learns about the so-called accidents the more her past haunts her.
Once again, she puts her trust in her friends–and the deliciously mysterious man in charge of the local law enforcement–to get to the bottom of whoever is targeting witches.
BIRTHDAY BLUNDER: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 5
Olivia has to throw Drew a birthday party with the help of the magical menagerie.
And it all goes wrong.
Despite her best intentions, Olivia can’t make things happen today. Winston, Ava’s semi-aware house, doesn’t like the fact that Olivia is there baking while Ava isn’t home.
Hey, at least Ava can be sure she doesn’t need a security system.
A GIRLFRIEND FOR MR SNOOZERTON: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 6
Ava doesn’t mind raising the dead. It’s all a part of being a necromancer. And people keep telling her she’s one of the strongest to ever live, but she doesn’t believe it.
Except she can also heal people, living or dead, which is unheard of.
And now, her cat, Mr. Snoozerton, has brought home a girlfriend. A dead girlfriend. Snoozer wants Ava to animate the pretty feline, but is that really the right thing to do?
Ava doesn’t have much of a choice. Snoozer isn’t taking no for an answer. And he’s pretty much the boss of the house. How can Ava say no?
A HAUNTING MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 7
Ava Harper may be a raiser of the dead and a not-so-famous author, but she isn’t vampire hunter. Not even close.
With the decision made to stay in Shipton Harbor, she returns to the home she shared with her deceased husband in Pennsylvania to put it on the market. But saying goodbye to the memories of the home they raised their son in is a lot harder than it had sounded in her head.
In the months she’s been in Shipton, new neighbors moved in across the street from her Philly home. Now, Ava has nothing against vampires. But when people in the neighborhood start turning up dead, she can’t help but to check into the newbies in the hood.
Since she doesn’t know enough about law enforcement red tape, she calls her best friend to come and help. However, Sam is working a case with a neighboring town and Sheriff Drew takes it upon himself to show up at her door instead.
One of the fanged ones isn’t happy with Ava poking around and tries to scare her off the case. But he is no match for two necromancers, a tiger-ghoul, and a sheriff/hunter.
And now, as if dealing with how the sheriff makes her knees weak isn’t bad enough, the house she is trying to sell is haunted.
Just another day in Ava’s life at this point.
AN ANIMATED MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 8
Ava Harper’s resume keeps getting updated. It started with witch, then necromancer, author, bookstore clerk, vampire wrangler, and most recent, medium. Yes, you heard that right, she can talk to ghosts.
New powers bring more responsibilities and things to add to the list of magic she needs to learn. Especially when Ava finds out her mother isn’t in a happy place.
What else can she do but try to rescue her mother from the in-between place she’s been suffering all these years?
That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. She’s going to need the help of all of her team, from her ghoul Alfred to her mischievous cat, Mr. Snoozerton—and his new girlfriend. And Olivia, her best friend, of course. She might even have to call her son home from college for this level of magic.
But Ava’s life wouldn’t be Ava’s life if things didn’t go a bit awry. Luci tries to help, but just infuriates all of them, as usual. Larry (the skeleton) is still hanging around, and he’s lost a finger bone, have you seen it?
It might be a lot of hullabaloo, but Ava is determined to figure it out and bring her mother home. And Drew, the town sheriff and Ava’s boyfriend is at her side every step of the way and almost every waking hour and sometimes sleeping hour. Could the sheriff be plotting something of his own and try to tame the necromancer/witch hybrid?
FAERY ODD-MOTHER: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 9
Olivia Thompson has lived a big life. Married straight out of high school, she had two kids, went through a messy divorce, but then, she had a second chance. She found love again with one Sam Thompson, Shipton Harbor police officer and all around good guy.
Then came Sammie, her late-in-life son, and a few years later, Ava, her now best friend and partner in crime. Ava changed Olivia’s life for the better, introducing her to the world of witchcraft, necromancy, and all sorts of other paranormal goodies.
Olivia was always on the outside of it, though, helping her witchy best friend through her supernatural life.
Until Olivia discovered that her birth mother is a Fae. And then, shock of her life, she discovered her birth father is none other than Lucifer himself. Or maybe he’s Loki. He’s been called both.
Now, Olivia must come to grips with her new reality, meet her new magical family, all the while keeping her grown kids from losing it over this new development!
Is it bad that she’s low-key so excited about it all?
A KILLER MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 10
Necromancer-witch hybrid Ava Harper has accomplished many things in the year since moving back home to Shipton Harbor. She’s checking things of a bucket list she never knew she had.
Met—and started dating—a hot cop
Caught a murderer. More than once.
Sent a couple of lunatics to Hades with the help of her devilish neighbor.
Visited Paris.
Saved a bunch of shifter kids.
Animated her cat’s girlfriend.
Sold her old house and found closure.
Discovered her aunt’s ghost.
Saved her mother’s ghost from a dark evil blob.
The list goes on and seems to be never ending. Now Ava is faced with a new entity to deal with. Faeries! Who knew? They’ve dropped a bombshell on Ava and her best friend Olivia. While they come to terms with all the insanity their lives have thrown their way, Ava gets more news from her mother.
Mommy dearest learned some interesting and relevant information while in the Inbetween. She has news about Ava’s father that will change the course of Ava’s life and take her down another new, exciting path.
Will this new thread in Ava’s life prove to be more dangerous than she could’ve dreamed of? Maybe. But it’s more likely that the truth about her father will be killer.
A GRAVE MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 11
Ava Harper is ready to settle into her new life of witchcraft, necromancy, and being a bonded mate. All she wants to do is help her best friend learn about her powers and write her next bestselling book.
Unfortunately, new events conspire to keep her on her toes. Wasn’t almost dying bad enough?
In addition to dealing with the chaos in her personal life, now a group of necromancers want to make sure Ava doesn’t abuse her changing power.
As she focuses on calming down that drama, a new and separate threat appears out of nowhere to make things more difficult.
And all this while trying to plan a wedding. Really, it’s all getting deadly depressing. Ava will have to rely on her strength, her family, and her friends to make sure everyone comes out of this alive.
A POWERFUL MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 12
Half-witch, half-necromancer, Ava Harper has finally accepted her destiny, her inheritance, and her insane power. Yet, there is still so much more to learn.
And it’s time to use it to do some good. Necromancers are being held captive at the vampires’ headquarters in Milan.
No big deal for our Ava. She’s the most powerful necromancer in like… possibly ever? She can handle those fanged suckers.
Things go a little crazy and Ava gets some help from a very unexpected ally. Together, the group of friends and ghouls have to free the world from the influence of a couple of very corrupted vampires.
That’s not to mention the rest of her to-do list: wedding planning, figuring out the souls in the Viking blade, helping Olivia deal with her family’s new magic, and don’t forget the mess Crystal left with the shifters.
It’s all going to be okay. Ava is powerful, right? She’s got this.
A WEDDED MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 13
Ava and Drew are getting married!
SQUEE!
But it’s not going to be easy. C’mon, this is Ava we’re talking about.
As her powers go completely bonkers, everything that can go wrong suddenly does. After all, she’s a witch and her beloved is technically a witch hunter.
Drew’s family isn’t helping matters either. Everyone Ava loves turns out to be a creature that freaks them all out.
Witches? Check.
Vampires? Check.
Shifters? Check.
Ghouls? Check (Check, check.)
Add in the devil, a snarky talking cat, and the fae (boy, they are not helpful at all).
It seems like the only direction anyone will be marching is away from each other as quickly as possible.
The last thing Ava needs as she tries to get to the altar is an old nemesis turning up, so surprise, surprise that’s exactly what happens. As chaos wreaks havoc for the witches and hunters alike, Luci decides that now is the perfect time to go MIA. The devil is in the details, and it turns out no one knows anything about this demon king after all.
Will it be hell on earth or happily ever after for the newlyweds?
No one’s really sure yet…
A NEWLY-WEBZ MIDLIFE – WITCHING AFTER FORTY 14
Mr. and Mrs. Walker are off on their honeymoon! You’d think they’d get a break from solving supernatural mysteries while vacationing in the Scottish Highlands, but not Drew and Ava.
They’re thrown into a mystery when one of the guests at their resort is found dead. Not helping the locals isn’t an option. How could they live with themselves if they ignored all the problems and let someone else die?
AN INHERITED MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 15
Ava Harper-Walker has it all. She’s married to the world’s best man, has a wonderful family with her first grandbaby on the way, and a whole band of friends to call her own. She figures the reason for all her blessings is that other things continue to go absolutely haywire in her life.
The moment she and Drew return from their honeymoon, they have to rush off to battle a raging sea monster that escaped from Hell. And of course, Luci is nowhere to be found. He’s presumably searching for the last escapees, who continue to elude him.
But hey, it’s okay. Ava’s got this. She gets the disgusting sea monster—slime tentacles, Ew—back to its fiery prison, then returns home to find the Vikings have come to call. They want Alfred, and they want him bad.
Over Ava’s dead body.
When one of her favorite people goes missing, aka Alfred, Ava goes into mama-bear mode. Nobody is going to get away with stealing her friend and butler. The immortal Vikings are the first names on her suspect list, but was it really them?
The truth stone aids in the search, but Ava begins to doubt even that as everyone who has ever met Alfred becomes a suspect.
Not to mention Winnie. As Alfred’s main squeeze, Aunt Winnie is losing it. And that is putting it mildly.
When Winnie begins giving their family and friends the skeptical side-eye, Ava knows she’s got to find Alfred and fast. Not just for his safety, but for the safety of anyone who crosses Winnie’s path.
A FIENDISH MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 16
Ava Calliope Howe Harper Walker has led a full and eventful life. She moved home to embrace her magical heritage, and now she’s living a fuller, even more event-filled life. Things never seem to slow down.
Alfred is safe at home, but now he’s human, like, alive but still hasn’t woken up. If Ava wants to keep the wonderful Viking in her life, she’s got to wake him up.
Meanwhile, Olivia is on a mission to figure out what’s going on with her son. Sammie knew where Alfred was… how? And is he having nightmares or visions? Nobody knows, but Mama Bear Olivia is going to find out and make sure her son is safe and happy.
Oh, Luci. Our dear Satan Claus is having some hellacious problems of his own. He’s going to have to ask his friends and family for help with this one, despite being vehemently against any form of assistance when it comes to his infernal kingdom.
Ava’s powers are still on the fritz, but she’s determined to get this newest mess figured out. With Drew and Olivia at her side, she’s going to get this sorted and maybe, just maybe, life can finally calm down.
Ha! Yeah, right.
A NORMAL MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 17
Something’s gone wonky in Shipton Harbor…
Widow, author, and mother Ava Harper should’ve never moved back to Shipton Harbor.
Her mom and dad have been driving her crazy, and it’s so crowded in this old farmhouse on a cliff by the ocean. It hadn’t been big enough as a child and it wasn’t like it had grown while she was in Philly. If anything, it seems smaller.
After her husband Clay died, Ava couldn’t stay in the house she’d shared with him, so she packed her old Hyundai and drove home.
Regrets, regrets, regrets. Her life is so normal. Despite having family around, she’s lonely. Lately, it feels like something is missing. Even after running into her childhood best friend, Sam, Ava can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.Her life is fine. It’s normal, if a little boring. Why can’t she shake the nagging feeling that she’s missing something very important?
A GRAND MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 18
Ava Walker: Mom, Bonus Mom, almost-mother-in-law, and soon-to-be grandmother! The entire Howe-Harper-Walker clan is through the roof excited for Michelle and Wallie’s baby.
Nobody more so than Lucy-Fur.
In the midst of all the last-minute baby preparations, Zoey faces immense familial challenges of her own. After receiving a mysterious message from her cousin, Zoey goes on a journey to learn about her family and pride. Ava is at her side every step of the way.
Not all of the news is good.
Ava and Drew are determined to help Zoey and Larry find out what happened to Zoey’s parents. Zoey’s uncle, a gigantic man with an easy smile, doesn’t quite seem to be who he says he is. Could he be hiding some big clue that will help solve the mystery of Zoey’s parents’ deaths?
Only time will tell.
Sam and his new psychic powers would be very helpful in digging to the bottom of this if only they could pull him away from his own family research…With Olivia spending so much time dealing with her family, Ava’s support system is rather scattered at the moment.
Oh, well, Ava can always call on her friends to help if push comes to shove. After all, what’s the point of knowing the ruler of hell, ruler of the vampires, ruler of the hunters, and being the most powerful necromancer in the world if Ava doesn’t use those connections?
A MONSTROUS MIDLIFE: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 18
Ava’s life has been a delicate balance of the mystical and the mundane, but nothing could have prepared her for the whirlwind that is two paranormal infants. Holy naptime, Grandma.
It was enough to expect to help raise a super-powerful baby witch in the form of her new granddaughter Imogene. Now Ava and Drew are the adoptive parents of the world’s cutest baby ogre. Despite his monstrous appearance, Ava’s maternal instincts kick in, and she finds herself loving the most unusual baby she could ever imagine.
Ava only thinks her hands are full, but then Olivia is called away on a mission to hunt intruders in Faery. As Ava navigates the challenges of forty-something motherhood, Imogene’s untamed powers, and the antics of her beautiful new son, Shipton goes haywire. The entire town is plunged into a riotous spectacle of wacky magical mishaps, and nobody is around to help except the coven.
With her hands full, Ava must navigate the chaos, balancing the demands of her unconventional family while taming the unpredictable energies that threaten to upend Shipton Harbor.
As long as Ava doesn’t forget the diaper bag, she’s got this covered.
A WONKY CHRISTMAS IN JULY: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 19
Ava Walker, Mom, Grandma, adopted mom, finds herself juggling more than just her magical responsibilities. When tasked with planning a last-minute town Christmas in July event, things take a mysterious turn as Olivia, the hired band Pentagram, and even Luci and Lucy, vanish into thin air at different times for seemingly different reasons.
As if that weren’t enough, Imogene continues exhibiting powers that defy explanation.
Determined to unravel the mystical mayhem and reunite with her missing loved ones, Ava enlists the help of Drew’s sister Lily, who brings her new friend Gil.
Did we mention that Gil is a gnome?
The search for Ava’s missing friends and feline companions leads Ava to an unexpected resolution at a mystical location in Scotland, where magical secrets are unveiled, and the ties of friendship and family are strengthened… until she gets back home for the town party and Baby Butt causes some unexpected chaos.
A WONKY CHRISTMAS IN JULY: WITCHING AFTER FORTY 19
Now the cat is out of the bag and pretty much everyone in Shipton Harbor knows about magic. What else can Ava do but silence them and keep them from telling the world?
Does it go exactly to plan? Pffft. Of course not.