This break between books was weird. It wasn’t from a lack of trying. There’s always something in the way so to speak. Often, I find it is myself.
Next of Kin started it’s life as a collection of short stories under the working title Self-Help: Horror Stories. I wrote the first story, Dying, and immediately stopped because I was at cross roads. I loved my character Dying, and the sort of tired, mischievous, angry woman she is. However, isolating yourself to burn alive so you can come to life is a tough to sell under a title like Self-Help: Horror Stories. If not that, negligent to those looking for real support.
So I shelved the other ideas I had to pursue writing this collection instead. I had always wanted to explore fiction chapbooks. I had also wanted to refine my flash fiction skills. Every word counts. It was a complex, at times grueling, challenge to get these abstract ideas down into a bite size story.
Next of Kin is interesting for a number of different reasons.
Firstly, it is a fiction chapbook. The stories are more like poetry and the structure is a bit different than a normal short story. There are 10 stories in the book, each focusing on a different relationship and aspect of death.
Secondly, Next of Kin only discusses death and relationships. It looks at not only the physical nature of it, but how grief effects everyone differently. The stories are interconnected by each family member going through the their own grief separately and together as a group.
Lastly, this book is an exploration of the feminine aspects of death. When many people think of dying, they assume a reaper with often many masculine characteristics. While this may be true for some, how women carry this loss and life afterwards is different. When death is violent, sudden, and harsh a male reaper is often depicted. When death is a long-fought illness, or a relief it is a more feminine figure. This book explores the heartache, anger, rage, and comedy through a woman’s perspective.
I’m excited to be able to bring these stories to life in this collection.
Next of Kin is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
RE Bunch 