Jason Dekker doesn’t believe in ghosts but is haunted by memories of Amsterdam. A move to the White Mountains of New Hampshire with his dog, Calvin, promises a fresh start. College friend Tessa Bernstein enlists his help at Cloverkist Inn, where strange occurrences are scaring off customers and staff. Is someone trying to drive Tessa out of business, or are darker forces at work? Does an enigmatic boy who bonds with Calvin hold the key to a secret dating back to the Civil War? The unsolicited arrival of psychic medium Valraven creates further turmoil when his investigation into paranormal activity clashes with Dekker’s skepticism. Loyalties shift and deep emotional wounds resurface as past and present converge with far-reaching consequences. Ghosts of memory may prove more difficult to exorcise than any phantom at Cloverkist.
David Swatling grew up in upstate New York and studied drama at Syracuse University. He has done experimental theatre in Poland, performed mime on the streets of NYC, and made his Off-Broadway debut in The Passion of Dracula. The early 80s in the East Village are best forgotten, except for a brief appearance in the Madonna film Desperately Seeking Susan. He fled to Amsterdam in 1985 where he continued working in theater and film, including performances in two docudramas: Victim of the Brain and Ten Monologues from the Lives of the Serial Killers.
He also worked for 25 years at Radio Netherlands Worldwide as a newsreader, reporter, and producer. His culture program,
Aural Tapestry, was chosen as one of the Ten Best Shows on World Radio. His documentaries have won international prizes, and he is a three-time winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Journalism Award. He hosted a live LGBTQ radio show, wrote for Amsterdam's first gay weekly,
Trash in the Streets, and reported for
The Daily Friendship newspaper during Gay Games '98. He currently edits material for Pride Photo Award and regularly blogs about LGBTQ issues--from Amsterdam and elsewhere.