The Word Ghost

Funny, moving, romantic, and a little bit spooky - a brilliantly told story of love, family and the occasional ghost.

This is England 1973, and fifteen-year-old Rebecca Budde is in love with Dave. After one glorious summer, Rebecca is forced to move with her family to Brightley, a village with a puddle for a pond, and no excitement at all. If only Dave were there.

Very weird things are going on inside their new house, and even stranger things are happening in the village at night. Someone appears to be living in Rebecca's wardrobe. Someone else is on the balcony, trying to get in. Things don't make sense anymore as Algernon Keats steps from the shadows, his sister not far behind him. There's no Dave, two ghosts, a pub, a dog and Alex March, a dark and brooding artist, living in the Manor House down the road, whose interest in Rebecca is both puzzling and thrilling.

What do Alex and Algernon want from Rebecca? What on earth does any of it mean? Is it possible to love a ghost? And what happens if he loves you back? The lights are out. Welcome to Brightley.

Rebecca thinks love is forever, but sometimes it's not. And nor, sometimes, is death. The Word Ghost is a funny, moving story about what it means to find love, lose love and discover who you are when you live in a village with no street lights and a decidedly dark side.

About the Author

Christine Paice is a poet, and writer. She has published two collections of poetry: Mad Oaks and Staring At The Aral Sea. Her children's book, The Great Rock Whale, was published by Hachette Australia in 2009. Christine's work has been published four times in the Black Inc Best Australian Poems series and she won the prestigious Josephine Ulrick Award for poetry in 2009. In 2010 Christine became the University of Wollongong's inaugural Janet Cosh Poet, resulting in the work Collecting the Collector. Christine facilitates creative writing and poetry workshops, and also works as a creative writing mentor. She lives with her family in Willow Vale, New South Wales.