The start of a fun middle-grade series, The Ghost Handlers, follows Heather Tildy, an Atlanta teen with a troublesome habit of attracting ghosts. Middle-child Heather has enough to worry about with sisters, boys and school. Now that a trouble-making girl from the 1800's is poking her nose in Heather's business, her life has taken a supernatural turn for the worse! Before her life can get better, she has to figure out how to help the ghost move on. Debut author Hardegree is a veteran short-story author for the well-known Mossy Creek Hometown series. She plans multiple titles in this warm and funny young adult series. "Ghostly fun!" ~Gillian Summers, The Faire Folk Series "A fun package of crushes, quests for popularity, and summertime antics, tied together with a paranormal bow. Fans of Meg Cabot's Mediator novels will find much to like in Haint Misbehavin', the first of Hardegree's Ghost Handler series." ~Trish Milburn Heartbreak River (as Tricia Mills), Razorbill

What's a girl to do when her first-ever summer romance turns out to be . . . a little ghostly? For Heather Tildy, life doesn't get much better than watching cute boys ride skimboards during her family's summer vacation at the Georgia shore. Yes, she still has her she's a hypersensitive "ghost handler," a soon-to-be ninth grader with a bullying older sister, and the number-one lovesick fan of gorgeous lifeguard Drew Blanton. But she's living in a ghost-free zone for the moment, and that's great. Until she wakes up with a handsome teen ghost in her bed. Jack thinks he's still alive, so he's convinced he's the one who's found her in his bed. He drowned while he and his family were living at this very rented beach house, sleeping in the same room that Heather now occupies. So much for a fun time at the beach! Heather is now in charge of this cute, stubborn ghost-guy who doesn't believe that only Heather and her ghost-psychic Aunt Geneva can see and hear him. Just like the last time she got stuck with a wayward ghost, Heather has to dodge trouble and play detective. Jack needs proof that he's dead. How can she find the evidence he needs in order to move along with his life, er, death? And will she ever forget his oh-so-real kiss? Although Georgia author Maureen Hardegree concedes to having all the usual baggage of a middle child, she is Not a ghost handler. She does, however, believe in connecting with her inner teenager and in feeding her active imagination-it likes Italian food and chocolate. Visit her at MaureenHardegree.com.