I am thrilled to announce that Ghost of a Chance, the next book in my comedic urban fantasy series, The Many Travails of John Smith, is now available! Release days are kind of like birthdays, except you sometimes get to have more than one of them a year… and there’s almost never any cake.
In place of pastries, there is a brief moment to exhale, to beam at the sales dashboard that now shows another book, fresh and new and hopefully as-of-yet untarnished by 1-star reviews, and to post feverishly on social media so that everyone knows that book you’ve been talking about forever is ready to be read.
After that, it’s back to working on the next book. But that’s for tomorrow. Or–given how far behind I already am with One Tin Soldier–for later this afternoon. Today/this morning/this post is all about Ghost of a Chance. It’s my third book dealing with John Smith1 and his distinct style of mediation mayhem. It’s also the longest of the series and definitely the darkest, so those of you who look for content warnings will definitely want to read that section of this post to make sure all is well.
The Book
It’s been six months since John’s first (and only?) date with Anastasia Dumenyova, vampire and Secundus to the universally loved2 Queen Lucia Borghesi, and things have retreated from the brief high-water mark that was the end of Blood is Thicker Than Lots of Stuff. Mediation cases have dried up. Anastasia is nowhere to be found. Lucia is, to put it kindly, a pain in the brain. And then the ghost who has been haunting John’s family home drags him away for a meeting.
Vengeful spirits, Netflix-watching zombies, yoga instructor witches, bar brawls ended before they can even start, and a much-loved, if thoroughly trashed, Corolla that has no idea just what’s in store for it. I hope you enjoy reading Ghost of a Chance as much as I did writing it!
Advance Reviews
As I noted a few weeks ago, this book went out to NetGalley a little bit later than usual, so the advance review window was painfully short. Thankfully, a few readers rose to the challenge, and reviews have been trickling in! Once again, some reviewers hadn’t read the other books yet, but the overall response has been very positive. I couldn’t be happier!
Here are a few snippets:
“The author has let his imagination run loose with the characters and settings and penned a brilliant, vibrant, fantasy story. I think these have become the best books by an American author in this genre that I have ever read.” – John Derek, Goodreads
“Ghost of a Chance by Chris Tullbane is a fun and exciting fantasy novel. Filled with action-packed scenes colored with humor, blood, and guts, the reader goes on a captivating roller coaster ride of thrills and chills, with a side of laughter. John’s self-deprecating manner and inept and clumsy ways create a relatable and winning character.” – Susan Sewell, Readers’ Favorite
“The humor, the fun, yes it’s back! Once again paranormal can make you belly laugh. John Smith lives such a fun life. Even if it’s scarey weird and filled with creepy things.” – Renee W., NetGalley
“I hadn’t read the books that came before this, but other than brief mentions of things that had happened before, I did not miss anything. In fact, I’d like to go back and read about those mentions. I think John is adorable, and I want to pinch his cheeks. LOL! I loved this well-written book, and I am looking forward to future installments. Highly recommend.” – Penny N., NetGalley
Thank you as always to everyone who took the time to read an ARC and leave a review or rating!
Content Warnings
As always, I want to include content warnings for potential readers. Nothing I write is rated G3, so there’s always something that might trigger a potential reader. I think it’s better to call those things out now than have them sneak up on anyone! This is a general and non-spoilery overview of possibly sensitive material found in the book.
There is death, blood, and violence. A lot more than the first two books, frankly, though it is interspersed with the humor that will always be at the series’ core. There is also angst and emotional heartache and anger and rank seething malice. And someone almost inevitably gets punched in the groin4. There are also a fair number of sexual situations5, as well as the usual assortment of expletives… just to prove to the world that I really did write this.
Like I said, this is a darker book than its predecessors. Even so, I think it is still funny and, for the most part, good natured. It’s far lighter than my other series, The Murder of Crows, or anything that I would consider a hard-R.
Still, if any of the above throws up a red flag for you, please think twice about reading Ghost of a Chance. Check out the sample chapters to see if the book is up your alley or not! My goal with each book is to entertain, and I’d rather you not read something that I write than be upset by it.
Happy Reading!
And now I’m going to unplug and wait for the release day dust to settle get back to work on One Tin Soldier. I hope you enjoy John Smith’s latest misadventure! If you do, please leave a review!
Ghost of a Chance is available in digital formats and paperback formations and free to read on Kindle Unlimited.
You must log in to post a comment.