Art, ghosts, and of course coffee: Sounds like the perfect ingredients for a haunted romance set in New Orleans. Such a novel is Spectacle of the Extension, the debut by local writer Andy Reynolds, who’ll celebrate the release with a reading and show next Tuesday, September 17.

Spectacle of the Extension

The author describes his novel this way: “A young painter armed with a sarcastic tongue and the ability to pull amazing espresso shots, Em has moved across the country to shed her past and lose herself in her artistic process. One night the painting she’s been working on for months comes to life, its presence causing her to question the decisions she’s made and her relationship with reality. Is this creature merely a work of art, or something else entirely? As the creature travels through Em’s world and she is drawn ever deeper into its own reality, they both unearth secrets about each other and the worlds around them.”

Reading fropm the book on Tuesday will be Sophia Vibra Horodysky and Moose Jackson (of WWOZ), whose performance poem “The Loup Garou: A Lunar Cycle” was performed to much local acclaim in 2011. Jackson will also perform with his band Shock Patina.

Reading begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday (September 17) at the AllWays Lounge (2240 St Claude Ave., 504-218-5778). Admission is free.