Last Christmas (A Nikki Ashburne Short Story): Uncollected Anthology, #23

By Dayle A. Dermatis

Former Hollywood party girl Nikki Ashburne sees ghosts. In fact, many of them are her friends. Okay, they're kind of her only friends.

 

But when four 1980s British partiers disrupt her family's Alpine Christmas—a holiday already fraught with tension—Nikki must play mediator, otherwise for someone, it might be their last Christmas.

 

Another story in the popular Nikki Ashburne urban fantasy series. Come for the ghosts. Stay for the snark.

 

"Last Christmas" is part of Uncollected Anthology, Volume 23: Supernatural Soirees.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soul's Road Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393959588

Dayle A. Dermatis

Dayle A. Dermatis is the author or coauthor of many novels (including snarky urban fantasies Ghosted and the forthcoming Shaded and Spectered) and more than a hundred short stories in multiple genres, appearing in such venues as Fiction River, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and DAW Books.Called the mastermind behind the Uncollected Anthology project, she also guest edits anthologies for Fiction River, and her own short fiction has been lauded in many year's best anthologies in erotica, mystery, and horror.She lives in a book- and cat-filled historic English-style cottage in the wild greenscapes of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time she follows Styx around the country and travels the world, which inspires her writing.To find out where she’s wandered off to (and to get free fiction!), check out DayleDermatis.com and sign up for her newsletter or support her on Patreon.* * *I value honest feedback, and would love to hear your opinion in a review, if you’re so inclined, on your favorite book retailer’s site.* * *For more information:www.dayledermatis.com

Book preview

Last Christmas

Last Christmas

A Nikki Ashburne Short story

Dayle A. Dermatis

Soul’s Road Press

Contents

About This Book

Last Christmas

Ghosted

Chapter 1

Uncollected Anthology

About the Author

Also by Dayle A. Dermatis

Be the First to Know!

About This Book

Former Hollywood party girl Nikki Ashburne sees ghosts. In fact, many of them are her friends. Okay, they’re kind of her only friends.

But when four 1980s British partiers disrupt her family’s Alpine Christmas—a holiday already fraught with tension—Nikki must play mediator, otherwise for someone, it might be their last Christmas.

Another story in the popular Nikki Ashburne urban fantasy series. Come for the ghosts. Stay for the snark.

Last Christmas is part of Uncollected Anthology, Volume 23: Supernatural Soirees.

Praise for Ghosted

I nagged Dayle to write this book for years. And I have to say, that when you've anticipated a book for years, sometimes that book disappoints. Ghosted did not disappoint. I loved it.

…

It's a great set-up, and Dayle writes with a strong, powerful, fun voice. I blew through the book when I really should've been reading something else.

– USA Today Bestselling Author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Last Christmas

Iwas finally alone in the ski chalet, my feet propped up on the coffee table in front of the fire, a cup of cocoa with a generous splash of crème de menthe cradled in my hands, when the ghosts walked in.

I heard the front door open and a voice I didn’t recognize chirp, Omigod! at which point I reacted much like a sleeping cat who suddenly feels the cold, wet nose of a curious greyhound in its butt.

In other words, I shot out of my comfortable chair and spun around. Who the hell are you?

"Who the hell are you? When she said this, in an English accent, she flipped her head sideways, but not a single strand of her back-combed, teased, hairsprayed expanse of blond hair moved. A hurricane wouldn’t have caused a single strand to stir. We reserve this lodge every year."

Her puffy ski jacket was hot pink with turquoise diagonal stripes on the front, and her ski pants were the same color with pink piping. Her fingernails were painted a virulent lime green not found in nature (thank goodness), and her eyeshadow matched the turquoise of