Distracted by Death: New York Stories

I used to have an obsession with death. Lately, I have come to think of it as more of a distraction but it still definitely sparks my imagination. I’ve just published a new collection that contains all of my novellas and short stories in one place, titled Distracted by Death: New York Stories on the Smashwords independent author site. Smashwords is great. One of the reasons I choose Smashwords is to have book files transformed into different types of ebook formats easily. Then you can choose which version to download based on what type of device you’ll use for reading.

Distracted by Death: New York Stories is a horror fiction collection. A few of the novellas were published alone previously, and many of the stories come from my first book Death and the Dream. The price of the collection (1.99) is lower than if the others were individually purchased.

From the Catskill Mountains of my childhood to New York City and its science research labs, the tales uncover psychological horror in ordinary people’s lives. The characters, young and old, explore the fine line drawn between life and death. I bring my biomedical science background to some of my stories, many of which feature a female scientist character. Working in Genetics and Molecular Biology for many years, I found science had some horror to it.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s included in the collection, Distracted by Death:

Mouse Chimera: A letter from a young city scientist written to her Mom as a lab notebook entry the night she is accidentally locked inside an experimental mouse colony.

Lab After Dark: A researcher who is isolating DNA finds her activities may be linked to the custodian Leon’s health.

The Doctor’s Dreams: On New Year’s Eve, a doctor has mysteriously gone missing. Looking for clues, her brother discovers her secret dream diary and types up her nightmares.

Mosquito Song: A New York City scientist, Antonia, flies to Puerto Rico to investigate genes linked to an unborn baby’s death.

After the Layoff: Mom and workaholic chemist, Eve feels like a decapitated, single head of household after a surprise layoff at work.

The Finest Mask: A gene hunter travels from London to New York City in search of an illusive gene for perfect skin to prevent the ravages of infections and disfiguring scars.

Underground: A detailed account of an unfortunate event underground in the New York City subway system.

Summer off: A young city girl, Sandy, visits her Aunt in Horseman’s Valley and cooks up trouble when left to her own devices.

Brooklyn Song: A Mom juggles responsibilities of a toddler and a baby at the Brooklyn Income Maintainance Center.

Mother’s Love: In an old farmhouse upstate, teen Greta does unthinkable things trying to regain her Mother’s love.

Before the Funeral: A New York loner carries on a monologue in a city park, practicing what to say to her family when they arrive for a funeral.

Rabbit Nightmare: A university student dreams of rabbits, a boy, and her German professor in a nightmarish journey.

Way to Heaven: A three year old, Luna, tries to reach heaven while hiding in an old shed.

Shepherd’s Night: A young couple come upon a German Shepherd unexpectedly while driving in a snow storm.

Good Neighbors: An older woman living in New York City takes her niece on a walk in the Village to show her the “good neighbors” at Christmas.

Spring Awakenings: Noticing city plants just awakening in the spring soil, a hitman on his day off experiences sudden, unexpected forgiveness.

Rain Dream: After a long rainy day of outside work, a city scientist becomes obsessed with watching live lobsters displayed in a tank where she has dinner.

Rose Death: Old Viola, a music teacher reaches the end of her days in a garden awaiting a child’s visit.

I hope you will come have a look at the new collection and like some of the stories. And please leave a review to share your impressions.