Whatever Comes Next

Death is not the end of love.

Three years after her only child’s death, Rachel Frieden still strives—and often fails—to grasp meaning in life, often dancing on the edge of suicide’s cliff. With her primary role of mother cruelly stolen from her, Rachel bounces between increased resentment toward her husband and distracting moments with her lover. Nothing matters anymore.

Meanwhile, in Midlan—an ethereal realm between life and beyond—Rachel’s daughter exists as a Guarda spirit with abilities far beyond the constraints of her nine-year-old human form. Miriam remains inexplicably connected to her grieving mother, her One. But before Miriam can move on to Whatever Comes Next—the Heaven-like phase of her afterlife journey—she must help her mom navigate the paralysis of mourning and find joy in living again.

Told in alternating-point-of-view chapters, the dual character arcs follow Rachel and Miriam in their respective spheres of existence as they try to make sense of their surroundings in the aftermath of soul-crushing loss. Will the parallel paths that mother and daughter travel allow them to welcome whatever comes next without losing each other across the boundaries of life and death?