Story Spotlight: “Scents Drifting on a Breeze” by Meyari McFarland
In “Scents Drifting on a Breeze,” Meyari McFarland introduces a museum worker with a crush, a mysterious funerary urn, and a ghost who’s been waiting for someone to listen.
While sorting through artifacts in a small museum, a queer woman begins to suspect one of the displays—a forgotten funerary urn—might be haunted. As she deciphers its presence and purpose, she also finds herself growing closer to her work crush, and to the ghost herself. A warm, romantic ghost story with emotional depth, soft-spoken magic, and a quiet act of restoration.
“Now, down this hall is Mrs. McAllister’s bedroom which is reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of her third and fifth husbands. Some have claimed to see the two men fighting over her hand on particularly stormy nights.”
A low chuckle echoed in Callie’s ears.
Except not really. It was more like it echoed in the back of her head instead of in her ears. A shiver ran down Callie’s spine.
She ignored the chuckle. Her shiver. All of it.
No getting distracted and losing her place in the lecture. The so-called ghosts, which Callie was one hundred percent certain were overactive imaginations, sold tickets and tickets helped pay for the restoration.
Also for Callie’s paycheck, so yeah. No getting distracted by what she absolutely was not going to admit might be a real ghost haunting the mansion.
About the Author
Meyari McFarland has been telling stories since she was a small child. Her stories range from SF and Fantasy adventures to Romances, but they always feature strong characters who do what they think is right no matter what gets in their way.
Her series range from Space Opera Romance in the Drath series, to Epic Fantasy in the Mages of Tindiere world. Other series include Matriarchies of Muirin, the Clockwork Rift Steampunk mysteries, and the Tales of Unification urban fantasy stories, plus many more.
Find Meyari at: mdr-publishing.com
Behind the Story
The McAllister Mansion may be fictional, but its bones are real. Meyari McFarland based it on three actual Victorian mansions in Everett, Washington—places she used to drive by often. One now houses a dental office, another has faded into a patchwork of apartments, and the third still boasts the garden described in the story. “The view is really amazing,” Meyari says, “especially when storms blow in off the Pacific and the Olympic Mountains and the San Juan Islands fade into the rain and mist.”
Read the Story
“Scents Drifting on a Breeze” appears in Haunted Places, available now from Blackbird Publishing.
📚 Buy the book from your favorite store
If you liked…
- The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo—for layered spirit lore, mystery, and love beyond death
- A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland—for romantic tension, emotional nuance, and cultural reverence
…then you’ll enjoy “Scents Drifting on a Breeze”—a soft, ghostly romance about presence, memory, and making space for what’s been forgotten.
📘 Also featured in Haunted Places: “Zero Proof” by Erik Kort, another queer, quietly powerful ghost story about found family, memory, and spiritual reclamation.