Ghost Lights

“Ghost Lights" by Cherie Claire, Happy Gris Gris Publishing

The latest book in the Viola Valentine mystery series by award-winning Louisiana novelist Cherie Claire hit bookstore shelves in September.

Claire, whose real name is Cheré Dastugue Coen, will be visiting south Louisiana this month to offer a series of workshops, plus participate in the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Baton Rouge.

In “Ghost Lights,” the eighth book in the series, psychic sleuth Viola Valentine can’t seem to escape those on the "other side." As she attends the Alaska wedding of her cousin Tabitha and her best friend FBI agent Clayton Ginsburg, ghosts thrust her into one of Clayton’s murder cases. Clayton warns her to stay clear of the covert investigation, but her journalistic instincts demand otherwise. Will this be the case that finally turns Viola into an apparition herself?

Claire is a native of New Orleans and, in addition to the Viola Valentine mystery series, is the author of 10 Louisiana-themed romance novels and five nonfiction titles about Louisiana under her real name. She has won numerous awards both as an author and as a journalist.

Cherie Claire will be participating in:

  • The Family History Book Showcase, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Opelousas Museum, 315 N. Main St., Opelousas.
  • Hosting the workshop “Lifewriting: Putting Memory on Paper” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Nunu’s Arts and Culture Collective, Arnaudville.
  • A guest of the CENLA Author Club beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Westside Regional Branch Library, Alexandria.
  • Hosting the workshop “Unleash Your Inner Authorpreneur: Independent Publishing Strategies” with Louisiana author Christee Gabour Atwood from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at the Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge.
  • On the panel, “Figuring It Out: Amateur Sleuths on the Case” with authors Danielle Arceneaux, Ellen Byron, Claudia Gray and Carolina Haines at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, Louisiana Book Festival, Baton Rouge.