As Alive, So Dead is a collection of memoirs by a woman with a unique ability: she can see and talk to ghosts. Because of this, she is able to write a book that shows the human side of the paranormal-stories about ghosts told from the perspectives of the ghosts themselves. Recounting the stories of those who have died in a variety of ways, As Alive, So Dead looks at death through the eyes of the victims of murder, suicide, and accident, as well as glimpses into the afterlife of Native Americans, patients kept alive on life-support, and even animals. Far from the sensationalized tales of most ghost lore, As Alive, So Dead presents real stories of troubled people-both the living and the dead-not simply the terror of sinister manifestations. As Alive, So Dead is a lesson on death and the immortality of the spirit that only someone who can actually speak with the deceased could teach. Originally published in 2000 with a limited run, As Alive, So Dead sold out immediately and had been out of print ever since. Over the next decade, Mary Ann Winkowski inspired and served as a consultant to TV's Ghost Whisperer, which starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and ran on CBS for five seasons. She also published four additional books, including When Ghosts Speak; Beyond Delicious: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook; and two works of fiction based on her experiences. Despite this, the one thing she has been repeatedly asked by fans and clients over the years is where they can get a copy of her first memoir: As Alive, So Dead. Finally back in print, these requests can now be filled. The second edition of As Alive, So Dead has been reformatted for better readability and includes the last names of Mary Ann and her ghostwriter, David Powers, who previously left their last names off the book and published it simply as Mary Ann and David Christopher.
Mary Ann Winkowski was born in Cleveland, Ohio, with the ability to see and talk to Earthbound spirits. She has since used her abilities to help countless people around the world affected by Earthbound spirits or negative energy. She also inspired and served as a consultant on the CBS television show Ghost Whisperer and is the author of When Ghosts Speak; Beyond Delicious: The Ghost Whisperer's Cookbook; and two works of fiction based on her experiences, The Book of Illumination and The Ice Cradle. Mary Ann still lives in Cleveland with her husband, Ted, and Just Fred, their red-and-white cat. She also has two grown daughters. Visit Mary Ann online at maryannwinkowski.com. David Powers earned a degree in Creative Writing from Ohio University. He has worked as a freelance music critic, a section editor at an alternative newsweekly, and is currently a technical writer, creating help files for a leading software developer. His fiction has appeared under the name David Christopher in magazines such as Lost Worlds, The MacGuffin, and England's Enigmatic Tales. He recently launched "OH Hellmouth," a fiction blog inspired by "weird" Ohio, at graveworm.com.
