Release date: September 21, 2019
Subgenre: Urban fantasy
About Mary van Amsterdam and the Tragically Dead in Recovery:
Now that Mary van Amsterdam is dead, she can finally live.
The Amsterdam Afterlife empowered Mary, in a way she’d only dreamed of in the living realm. She's devoted herself to the Tragically Dead in Recovery—quirky dead animals, struggling to come to terms with the trauma of their untimely deaths. Their macabre appearance and occasionally prickly personalities reflect each one’s painful demise. Just when Mary thinks she has a handle on things, her eccentric sanctuary comes under attack by a rogue soul reaper who threatens to upend her posthumous ambition.Mary has her own emotional baggage. Mortally separated from her friends and family, she’s moving on. There's little time for reflection on her past. Her hands are full, supporting a troubled dead horse on his Deathday, and making a journey to Prague to rescue a newly deceased raven. Troubles multiply when Mary finds herself face-to-face with the stalking menace, reopening painful emotions from her tragic time among the living.
Can Mary stay on track and protect her vulnerable companions?
Follow Mary and her menagerie of misfits, as she discovers new, mystical abilities to manage the new, menacing threat. Will this change the course of the Amsterdam Afterlife forever?
Excerpt:
Just hours after Mary fell asleep, a glowing green orb raced
through the cool Amsterdam air.
It pulsed, whizzing through the moonlit system of canals and
squares at a time of night when only the most fortified ventured
out.
Banking high around the corner of Herengracht, its glare reflected
off the gleaming water and pulled a fine spray from the undulating
surface. After soaring under a small bridge, it ascended through
trees, wove around the rows of hooks, gables, and spires, darting
lively along rooftop crests toward its destination.
Above Mary’s house, the orb jostled to a stop. At five stories plus
an attic, the seventeenth-century structure stood taller than its
neighbors along the canal. And unlike its peers, featured enormous
windows on its angled roof. Through three vast skylights, blue
moonlight poured into the attic suite.
The bright sphere hovered in place for a moment, and descended,
sinking smoothly without resistance through the shingles, wood
frame, and plaster. Once inside, it slowed to a stop above its
target: the official Guardian of the Tragically Dead in Recovery,
Mary van Amsterdam.
For seventy years, since her death, Mary had occupied this
well-appointed attic suite. Considering herself more of a healer
than a guardian, her home was a haven for those she cherished most.
With the souls of these innocent friends nestled safely throughout
the floors beneath her, she was active in one of her recurring
dreams, helping untangle an unsolvable obstacle. A deep pulsing
sound broke through her dream state. It wasn’t unpleasant, but as
designed, the orb disturbed her just enough to rouse her toward
awareness.
She slowly recognized the source of the disruption and opened her
eyes to see the illuminated object hovering before her. Sitting up,
in the foggy edge of sleep, she brushed her hair aside, and
attempted to recover her conscious faculties. The messenger orb
pulsed green and white light indicating Standard Importance. She
consented receipt with a wave of her hand. The image of a kind,
familiar face appeared out of the orb: fellow guardian Jerome, the
Guardian of the Studious Dead in Research.
“Dearest Mary,” Jerome said, “we kindly request your presence at
the tower. We have recovered a soul in dire need of your
exceptional gifts. It’s a case of fog and cool rain.”
From the orb a thin light beam cast onto her notebook and
transmitted details about the history and recent trauma of the soul
to which she was to attend.
“Oh, the poor thing. Well, I guess that’s all the sleep I get
tonight.”
Mary sighed and gestured to the orb to record her reply. It turned
orange. As it recorded her words, the amber glow pulsed with each
syllable.
“Thank you, Jerome. I will leave at once.” She swiped her hand
across it to the left. The object resumed a green glow and shot up,
passing back through the ceiling, then sped off into the night.
The early hour put a cold pit in her stomach, but this discomfort
was mild compared to the recollection that she’d promised Darkhorse
she would walk him to the Key House later that morning. Momentarily
disheartened by the conflict, she collapsed back onto the bed,
wishing she could crawl back under the warm covers and never come
out. As much as she loved Darkhorse, her dedication to easing the
suffering of a freshly arrived Tragically Dead spirit outweighed
the need to tend to his recent backslide. It was her highest duty
to heed the summons of a fellow guardian to receive and orient a
Tragically Dead new arrival.
Amazon | StoryOrigin
About M.P. Wilhelm:
Marc P. Wilhelm was born and raised in Northglenn, Colorado. When he
graduated from art school, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area and
began a career in video game design. For two decades, his career as a
professional game designer led to the development of iconic game
franchises and an appointment as a professor in a top-ranked game design
program.
Creating experiences with or without a controller has always been his passion. After two years living in the canal district of Amsterdam, Holland, he was inspired to create the Amsterdam Afterlife and its Tragically Dead in Recovery. The forthcoming multi-book fantasy series is planned for release in the Fall of 2019.
When not writing, he's making art, traveling, creating music, reading, playing games, or on a hike with his silly dog, Bravo.
Creating experiences with or without a controller has always been his passion. After two years living in the canal district of Amsterdam, Holland, he was inspired to create the Amsterdam Afterlife and its Tragically Dead in Recovery. The forthcoming multi-book fantasy series is planned for release in the Fall of 2019.
When not writing, he's making art, traveling, creating music, reading, playing games, or on a hike with his silly dog, Bravo.
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