[WINNER OF A WATTY AWARD 2019 IN THE LITERARY FICTION CATEGORY!!!!] "We always want to know what the dead would tell us if they could tell us anything at all. We invent ghosts. Ouija boards. We make mediums and psychics stinking rich, getting them to talk to those who aren't around anymore. I could just play that game. I could play the messenger of Death. Even if just for a while; I could make something out of the miracle that I am." Cover art credit: Janice Sung

[2020 Watty Award Winner] Alice Rhodes, an aspiring actress who gets a heart transplant, has to live her heart donor's life like it's a movie role, in order to find her identity and the life that awaits her in Hollywood. ***** A heart transplant causes Alice Rhodes to remember her heart donor's life. Intrigued by the strange people from her new memories, she goes looking for them, only to find herself in the middle of an investigation of the absurd disappearance of an important woman. With her personality changing into her heart donor's, Alice navigates a mysterious world where nothing seems to make sense and yet everything is strangely connected. It's not long before she realizes she may actually be looking for herself in the missing woman, and as she yields to her new heart, she's longing for the one she lost. Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content and themes of depression, sexual assault, and violence. © Robert Peterson 2020