In a fast-paced, sexy, ghostly adventure, a publicist at the top of her game must confront her secret mystical past.

To be a client of Gwendolyn Montgomery—New York’s most powerful publicist, at Sublime Creative—is to be infused with a certain oomph, a mysterious glamour. She seems to have created the ideal life with her handsome new boyfriend, the perfect match. But Gwendolyn has a legion of long-buried secrets that could unravel everything.

After a grisly, bizarre incident at the Brooklyn Museum, Gwendolyn begins to realize that something nefarious is happening tied directly to her past, right as Fonsi Harewood comes back into her world. Fonsi is a queer Latinx psychic from the South Bronx who’s caught up in a love triangle with a ghost and his mortal ex. He’s able to communicate with the dead, and he comes with a dire warning for Gwendolyn, that the barrier between humans and spirits is weakening.

Gwendolyn would prefer not to have anything to do with ghostly drama. Yet in order to get to the bottom of the spookiness derailing her life and threatening the world, she must face the demons she’d long left behind. The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is a sensuous, funny, mystical adventure that will leave you spellbound as you keep the pages turning.

BIO

Clarence A. Haynes, a native Afro-Latinx New Yorker, is the coauthor of actor/producer Omar Epps’s lauded sci-fi/fantasy series Nubia: The Awakening and The Reckoning. He is also the author of the middle-grade nonfiction work The Legacy of Jim Crow. Haynes has penned articles for Newsday, Huffington Post, The Root, and The Grio, among other publications. He resides in Brooklyn, New York.

REVIEWS

"Haynes’s spellbinding solo debut… Dovetailing of external and internal stakes keeps the pages flying. The result is an accomplished urban fantasy that’s sure to win Haynes plenty of fans." -- Publishers Weekly

"A solo debut fantasy that has a compelling, diverse cast of characters and a little bit of romance. His success lies in the two charismatic and multilayered protagonists, cousins Gwen and Fonsi, as well as in the frightening, bloody scares they endure from poltergeists and visions. Also an ode to queer and marginalized communities." -- Booklist

"A superstar publicist has to contend with the literal ghosts of her past when they attempt to ruin her life in this debut novel… Haynes has created a mystical, sensuous, dangerous world of spirits and power while also making characters that feel three-dimensional and knowable. Friendships feel real, family problems have the weight of generations of fights and secrets behind them. Like the best fantasy novels, there is room for a million more stories to be told... There are twists and turns but everything is grounded in a sense of reality, impressive for a world steeped in spirits. This is a strong debut for a new, interesting voice with things to say. A smart, sexy story filled with ghosts, history, and resilience." -- Kirkus Reviews

[H]  Legacy Lit  /  June 17, 2025

1.0" H x 9.1" L x 5.9" W (0.83 lbs) 240 pages