Jen deLuca is the author behind the charming new release, Haunted Ever After. Known for her knack for blending romance and whimsy stories, DeLuca’s latest novel invites readers into a world where love and ghostly encounters collide. Set against a picturesque backdrop with a touch of spookiness, this story promises to enchant and entertain. Jen DeLuca delves into the inspiration behind Haunted Ever After, her creative process, and what makes this book a must-read for fans of heartwarming, supernatural romance.
1. What sparked the idea for “Haunted Ever After,” and how did you develop the concept of love at first haunting in a seaside town?
I love ghost stories, and I’ve always wanted to write one. While brainstorming my next project, I had lots of ideas that all involved hauntings, and instead of pitching them at my agent one at a time until she told me to knock it off, I decided to create a setting where there were just ghosts everywhere. I spent twenty-five years living in Florida, with all the weirdness and quirkiness that comes with it, and the idea of sticking my haunted town there, where the locals could use it to make a buck, just filled me with joy.
2. Can you share more about the fictional setting of Boneyard Key and how its unique charm influences the story?
Boneyard Key is an amalgam of some of my favorite places in Florida, including Cedar Key, Saint Augustine, Cassadaga, and Mount Dora. Towns that maybe aren’t people’s first pick for a vacation in a state that includes Disney and Universal Studios. Places like this are unique: you can be inspired by an incredible sunset and buy the world’s tackiest T-shirt in the same place. Florida towns contain multitudes!
3. The town’s embrace of ghost tourism adds an interesting layer to the narrative. How did you incorporate this aspect into the plot, and what role does it play in the characters’ lives?
Florida is dotted with roadside attractions, many of which went out of business once Disney started buying up all that swampland in Central Florida. I see Boneyard Key’s embracing of its haunted past (and present!) as purely mercenary. It’s something that draws tourists, so they have no problem stocking their souvenir shops with anything and everything you can slap a ghost on. And it made for a good contrast between Nick and Cassie; he’s been there all his life, so ghosts are commonplace, while Cassie has to come to terms with the idea that these ghosts are real, and not just a fun tourist gimmick.
4. Could you introduce us to Nick Royer and Cassie Rutherford, the main characters of the book, and what makes their connection special?
Nick and Cassie have a little bit of Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls in their DNA. A grumpy café owner and the woman who needs his coffee desperately. They both have slightly prickly exteriors, but are kindhearted underneath. They’re also both lonely in different ways: Nick is very much the kind of person who can be surrounded by friends yet feel alone, while Cassie has felt isolated for a long time, even before she moved to Boneyard Key and begins to feel that isolation more literally.
5. How did you balance the paranormal elements with the romance between the characters?
In Boneyard Key, the ghosts are just part of the scenery. Secondary characters that may or may not have a hand in the plot itself. It was a lot of fun to write about two people falling in love while ghosts around them have their own opinions about the budding relationship!
One interesting bit of synergy that happened in writing this book was getting to examine the role of women in society from both the early twentieth century and today, and while a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same in terms of expecting the default to be wife/mother, and a woman being seen as less-than if she isn’t those things.
6. What inspired Cassie’s journey, and how does she evolve throughout the story?
Cassie’s journey, and Nick’s as well, were inspired by loneliness. Besides a pandemic that changed so much in our world, I moved three times in five years, ending up on the opposite side of the country where I lived for most of my life, in a city where I knew absolutely nobody. Making friends as an adult is hard! I took a little bit of that sense of loneliness out on Cassie, who feels more and more isolated from the friends she’d relied on, and comes to find a new group of friends—and of course love—in Boneyard Key.
7. How did you develop Nick’s character and his relationship with the town’s ghostly reputation?
When developing Nick, I thought a lot about characters who feel stifled in their small town and want to get out. I wanted to do the opposite with Nick. He’s descended from one of the original families to settle Boneyard Key. He stays not just out of obligation, but because he feels connected to the town and its past. He’s as much a part of the town as the town is part of him. So Cassie’s acceptance or rejection of Boneyard Key as a home feels personal.
8. Can you share any memorable scenes or moments from “Haunted Ever After” that highlight the romance or paranormal aspects of the story?
In HAUNTED EVER AFTER, ghosts communicate in all kinds of ways. Just as people are individuals in life, no two hauntings are the same. Ghosts communicate via text message and magnatic fridge poetry, and sometimes they’ll share a beer with you. One of them weighs in on Nick’s love life and has opinions on how he runs his café.
9. The theme of home ownership, particularly with a haunted twist, seems central to Cassie’s arc. How did you explore this theme throughout the book?
I was actually house-hunting when I started planning this book. I’d both heard and utterd the phrase “good bones” several times, and the more I heard it I thought it would be a fitting title for a book about a woman buying a haunted house. Eventually we went with something a little more fitting for a romance novel, but the concept of new home ownership coming with a haunted surprise remained.
10. As Cassie and Nick navigate their budding relationship, what obstacles do they face, and how do they overcome them?
Romance novels often use a third act breakup as a way to test the couple, giving them one final internal conflict to resolve before they come together. But with Nick and Cassie, I wanted the setting itself to test their commitment to each other in a big way. Their biggest obstacles stem from Cassie’s reluctance to accept the quirks that go into living in a haunted town and Nick being gun-shy when it comes to commited relationships. So the biggest test of the relationship combine those two things: Cassie being all in on the town (and therefore Nick), and Nick realizing that his fear of abandonment is less important than letting Cassie know she’s the most important thing in his life.
11. The small-town setting often plays a significant role in romance novels. How did you create a sense of community in Boneyard Key, and how does it affect the characters’ interactions?
My favorite thing about writing small towns is how much of a double-edged sword it can be. Everyone knows everything about everyone, which can be good and bad at the same time. I tried to make Boneyard Key feel like a lived-in town, with bars and cafés frequented by the locals, and populated with characters who know each others’ histories, who almost have a shorthand language with each other. And of course those interactions are in contrast to Cassie, the new girl in town, who on the one hand feels welcome but also is keenly aware that she’s an outsider.
12. Without giving away spoilers, what can readers expect from the resolution of Cassie and Nick’s story?
I’ll answer that with a line from the last chapter of the book: “Love me, love my ghost.”
13. How does humor factor into your writing style, and how did you incorporate it into “Haunted Ever After”?
I’m a sarcastic, dry humor kind of person, and try to bring that same kind of humor into my stories. One of my favorite things to do in my books is to create characters who have no filter and tell it like it is. In this book, that character is a ghost named Elmer, who already seems to be a favorite with readers.
14. Research often plays a role in crafting believable paranormal elements. What kind of research did you undertake while writing about ghosts and hauntings?
I wouldn’t say I did any specific research for this book, but I went to my bookshelf for books by Hans Holzer and Nancy Roberts. I’m also a sucker for a ghost tour, and have been on several when I travel, so I drew on those memories as well. But for the most part, I let my imagination have free rein and just had fun with the concept!
15. Finally, what do you hope readers will take away from “Haunted Ever After,” and are there any upcoming projects or ideas you’re excited to explore in the series?
I hope that readers feel like they took a little Florida vacation, made some new friends, and fell in love just a little! I also hope that readers want to return to Boneyard Key, as I’m working on the next book in the series. I’m really enjoying expanding the world in this next book, and exploring different kinds of psychic abilities and deepening friendships and connections with the residents of Boneyard Key, living and otherwise.