Afterlife Series by Terri Bruce

Thirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on Earth as a ghost, where the food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex...well, let’s just say “don’t bother... moreThirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on Earth as a ghost, where the food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex...well, let’s just say “don’t bother.” To make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen-year-old boy genius obsessed with the afterlife.This sounds suspiciously like hell to Irene, so she prepares to strike out for the Great Beyond. The only problem is that, while this side has exorcism, ghost repellents, and soul devouring demons, the other side has three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment. If only there was a third option …Excerpt:She got up and got dressed, her back to him.“I’m leaving,” she said. “Tonight. Now. As soon as I get my stuff.”He blew a cloud of smoke and didn’t say anything.“Well, it’s been nice knowing you!” she cried, stung by his lack of response.“What is it you modern girls say?” he asked sardonically. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch? If you wait twenty minutes I’ll get some pants on and come with you.”She whirled around. “I mean I’m going through the tunnel.”He stubbed out his cigarette. “I know what you meant.” He threw back the covers and stood up. For a second relief flooded through her. Then it faded. She shook her head. “Ernest, you can’t…”He was hunting for his clothes. “Don’t worry about it, Princess. I suspect if anyone tries to give me any grief you’ll clonk them over the head with one of these clogs of yours.” He tossed a shoe to her.She shook her head again, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “It’s not that. It’s just that…you and me…”He heard the uncertainty in her voice and straightened up quickly. “Don’t be stupid,” he said, but he sounded more alarmed than irate.__ less

Nothing in life is free. Turns out, nothing in the afterlife is, either.When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.Boy, was she wrong.She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them... moreNothing in life is free. Turns out, nothing in the afterlife is, either.When recently-deceased Irene Dunphy decided to “follow the light,” she thought she’d end up in Heaven or Hell and her journey would be over.Boy, was she wrong.She soon finds that “the other side” isn’t a final destination but a kind of purgatory where billions of spirits are stuck, with no way to move forward or back. Even worse, deranged phantoms known as “Hungry Ghosts” stalk the dead, intent on destroying them. The only way out is for Irene to forget her life on earth—including the boy who risked everything to help her cross over—which she’s not about to do. As Irene desperately searches for an alternative, help unexpectedly comes in the unlikeliest of forms: a twelfth-century Spanish knight and a nineteenth-century American cowboy. Even more surprising, one offers a chance for redemption; the other, love. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to have either if she can’t find a way to escape the hellish limbo where they’re all trapped. less