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When a new book is released, I can't help it. I have to tell you. Because I'm excited. Not only is the new book out, it's the last one in the series. The realization of a goal. And that's not all. I'm going out into the world!

I'm going to be at the Elgin Literary Festival on Saturday, doing a panel with fellow authors EM Kaplan and AJ Pine. I'd love to meet you. Stop in and say hello. We'll also have copies of our books for sale if the spirit moves you. I hope it does, but this time of year it's nice just to get out and be among the living instead of squirreled away hiding from the cold weather and TALK TO PEOPLE.

So the new book? For those of you following the EPITAPH series, this one is Brian Benson's book. For those of you unfamiliar, the first in the series introduces one Benson and one McCormick and their respective families. Each successive book is about the siblings in each family, 4 Bensons and 4 McCormicks (five McCormicks, if you count the ghost in book 1).

So what's the new book about? Glad you asked! Gwen lives on a garden estate and Brian's the new horticulturist, but someone doesn't want Gwen to inherit her legacy. The book has a hedge maze, and interfering grandparent ghosts, and a heroine who can't get out of her own way. Want a sample? Imagine getting lost in that hedge maze, a maze you grew up in. How do you get lost in your own back yard?

   Brian raised his face to look at the tops of the hedges. “I’d offer to help you find your way—”
   “I don’t need help,” she snapped.
   “—But this isn’t my backyard,” he finished. “I might have been a bit hasty rushing in. Can you show me the way out?”
   Gwen drew a deep breath. “Of course. Follow me.”
   Every turn she took led her to a dead end. Every time she turned to backtrack, she bumped into Brian, until the situation became so absurd she started laughing. Apparently, her grandparents weren’t done playing with her.
   “I know it’s your backyard and all,” he said, “but it’s easy to see how you might get lost in the maze in the dark.”
   She wanted to tell him she wasn’t lost, that she could traverse this maze blindfolded, but that clearly wasn’t the case tonight.
   Instead of laughing, she wanted to cry. Gwen stormed down another path, and when she was met with another dead end, she did an abrupt about face and crashed into Brian’s chest once more. His arms circled her in the dark, as if trying to ground himself, to judge where she was.
   How long had it been since someone had hugged her? Okay, he wasn’t hugging her, per se, but she couldn’t seem to help herself from leaning into him, resting her head against his strong chest. Wrapping her arms around his waist. Breathing in the scent of dirt and manure and something more. Human contact. Tears welled in her eyes.
   Brian took a step back, setting her straight. “Umm, Ms. Haley?”
   Right. Inappropriate. “Gwen,” she whispered, her voice husky. “Why don’t you lead for a while. Clearly, I’m confused in the dark.” Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa.
   There. She’d asked for help. She swiped at her eyes and lifted her chin.
   “Okay,” he said, turning his back on her. He reached into his pocket, withdrew his cell phone and turned on the flashlight app. With only one wrong turn, he led them out of the maze in a matter of minutes.