THE CHRISTMAS GUEST A Novella

One lonely Christmas night, Emma reads the diary of a fellow student she invited to her family's English manor house for the holidays 30 years before. Narrator Esther Wane uses a vague American accent for Ashley's diary and captures her wide-eyed pleasure at the gothic setting she feels she's been transported to. Ashley falls for Adam, Emma's troubled brother, who is suspected of murdering a local girl. The sound of fluttering pages frequently reminds listeners that, despite her lively tone, Ashley is only a memory caught in a diary. The character of Emma takes over halfway through, navigating the fallout of Ashley's story in Wane's crisp, haunted voice. With thrills, romance, and a ghost, this novella is a big gift in a small package. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2023]