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Home Fiction Creative Nonfiction Nonfiction Books Workshops Consultation Press About Ericka CV Friendly Links	San Andreas: Short Fiction on Shaky Ground Synopsis "Strange things happen in San Andreas; earth movement and small magic." ~"Anomalous Fields" In the thirteen linked short stories of this collection, all set in the mythical San Francisco Bay Area city of San Andreas, the earth is unstable. These stories explore the shaky grounds -- physical, emotional, and, in some cases psychological -- we face in our lives. In "The Wall at Serenity Gathers," a middle-aged couple living next to a cemetery regains their passion. Mikhail Iossel (Every Hunter Wants to Know, Amerika) writes: "'The Wall at Serenity Gathers' is a terrific, powerful short story -- quietly poignant, economically written, fast-paced, full of energy, very strong and accomplished indeed." In "Mishpocheh," a woman tends her ex-father-in-law and dreams about planting a poison garden. Ann Stapleton (NewPages.com) writes: "Ericka Lutz's 'Mishpocheh' (family) is an intricate exploration of how, miraculously, human beings hold on to one another, despite the world's attempts to make us let go." In "The Baby Slot," an old man suffering from dementia steals a newborn baby. Missouri Review says: "An extraordinary piece." In other San Andreas stories: A teenage girl romances an autistic boy. A fat man struggles with his sister's postpartum depression. A woman hears the elephants speak -- but only before and after earthquakes. A lost deer runs through the city, irrevocably changing two small girls. A woman on an all-night bus ride encounters a perpetually-traveling young poet. A psychologist teaches a professional hand-holder how to fly. Author and NPR commentator Marion Winik says about this collection: "...remarkably readable, unforced, your characters are very strong, your dialogue is perfect, and the way you write about the rich and dearly loved (and feared) natural world is inspiring." Regional yet universal, with lingering characters and surprising moments of sweet, wry humor, San Andreas powerfully evokes the vulnerability of the human condition. Ericka Lutz brings a distinctive, delicate, and grounded voice into these tales of twenty-first century Northern California. ~175 pages Contact: Ericka Lutz
(c) Ericka Lutz, 2002-2006