Every story begins with a character who refuses to stay quiet, and The Black Funeral Hat is no exception. Before I ever knew the plot, I knew her: the grieving would-be author with a stubborn streak, a soft heart and a hat she instantly regrets. Today, I want to introduce you to the people who made this book impossible to walk away from.
Erin Smith
Erin Smith is the kind of woman who feels everything a little too deeply and hides it a little too badly. She's a would-be author with a head full of stories, a heart full of unresolved grief and a talent for stumbling into situations that would make anyone else want to lie down in a dark room.
She's the kind of person who will cry at a funeral and then apologise to the flowers for dripping on them.
She's not polished. She's not perfect. She's painfully human, which is exactly why she's so easy to love.
Her journey isn't about "getting over" anything. It's about learning to live with chaos, laughter and the possibility of joy again.
She's flawed, funny, fragile and fierce, and her story reminds us that love often arrives when life is at its most ridiculous.
Suzie
Suzie is the friend everyone wishes they had. She is fiercely loyal, unfiltered in the best way and equipped with a sixth sense for when Erin is about to emotionally combust. She's the grounding force in Erin's whirlwind life, the one who shows up with snacks, sarcasm and a plan, even when she has absolutely no idea what she's doing.
She's not perfect, but she's present, and that's what Erin needed most. Her heart is always in the right place, even when her mouth runs ahead of her brain.
Alex Sterling
Alex Sterling is the kind of man who turns heads without trying. There's an effortless magnetism about him, the kind that makes people glance twice, then pretend they weren't looking. He's handsome in a way that feels both classic and modern, with a presence that fills a room even when he's silent.
Alex isn't just attractive; he's famous too. Not tabloid-famous or scandal-famous, but the kind of well-known that makes strangers whisper his name with a mix of awe and curiosity.
The connection between Erin and Alex is immediate, powerful and disarming. Alex Sterling is the perfect blend of mystery, vulnerability and unfinished business.
Jack Faraday
Jack Faraday doesn't need to announce himself, though he does. He's steady, warm and quietly charismatic: the sort of person people instinctively trust. Where Alex Sterling is all mystery and magnetism, Jack is the opposite: open, grounded and disarmingly real.
He remembers small things. He's the kind of man who shows up with soup when you're sick, fixes the thing you didn't ask him to fix and stands beside you even when he doesn't understand what you're doing.
Jack is the kind of man who deserves a happy ending, even if he doesn't believe it himself.
