Earthly Ties

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.