It starts Halloween eve when Mark pours the few remaining candy bars from his bowl into that last trick-or-treater's nearly empty bag. In a strangely familiar voice comes: "Thanks mister. Here's a treat for your trouble." And the faceless Spiderman places a small pen in Mark's empty bowl, while HEADLESS HORSEMAN skitteres across the back of his mind. The pen left in Mark's bowl has two words inscribed: Shrugg Inn. That night he wakens to witness a frightful scene of numerous faceless Spiderman aliens in his neighbor's yard--aliens who are gone without a trace the next morning. Though physically untouched, Mark has experienced a depth of fear he'd never expected to feel in his lifetime. The next weekend Mark and his girlfriend, Beth, "throw a dart at the map and head out" to get away from it all for a day. The pen left by the trick-or-treater subtly influences their route. Finally their car stalls beside the highway near a driveway into the woods. By the driveway stands a sign: "Shrugg, 1 Mile". In Shrugg, Mark is befriended by Morgan Magoo, the top scientist of a group of aliens hiding in another dimension. Mark spends three days in Shrugg, while his girlfriend sleeps a few hours in the car by the highway because "time goes differently in Shrugg". Things seem pleasant in Shrugg, though not all their clones are happy and the council is considering eliminating the Earth' population "by peaceful means". The aliens are meek folks who fled a dying planet and came planning to peacefully share Earth with whoever they found here, but they see Earthlings "polluting to death" their refuge. They also fear revealing their presence to such warlike barbarians. The final chapter, ("Band Aids Are Green"), has a surprising twist I wouldn't divulge in the face of heinous torture. Kirkus calls it a "promising novella", saying: "It's hard for new sci-fi authors to dodge long established tropes, but Schindler manages it...This book is a quick easy, read. Once estab-lished, the plot moves smoothly...Schindler has some enjoyable out-of-box ideas. One smashwords reviewer says: "A gradual but well-paced build to an unusual and unexpected climax. The characters and conversations are authentically sketched, and the plot is full of surprises. It's the best kind of modern science fiction: The fantastical arises from what is mundane all around us. A fine effort from this author." Another reviewer says: A very good read! The clever, imaginative plot moves along quickly with unexpected twists and turns. The engaging protagonist leads the way into a surprising adventure which creates a novel I couldn't put down until I reached the end. Hope the author will soon take us on another incredible trip to Shrugg.
About the Author: G. A. Schindler was born in 1946 in Detroit, where he grew up with three brothers and a sister. His father, a factory worker, sang in the Detroit Rackham Choir and was an avid gardener. His mother, (97and doing fine thank you), was active in civic affairs. He received a degree in education with an English major from Eastern Michigan University. Some time spent teaching convinced him that it wasn't his calling, so he traveled to San Francisco. During three years in the bay area he met and married his wife, Susanna. They recently celebrated their forty third anniversary. In the mid-seventies, they moved to New York City, nearer her family, and three years later they traveled to Michigan to settle down near Detroit where they live today. Mr. Schindler was a cab driver, apartment building manager, and locksmith in California and New York, then a social services worker seventeen years in Detroit. He's quite proud to describe himself as "low man on the totem pole" in his family, where he has a "lowly" B. A., his wife an M. A., and their son a Ph.D. Hybridizing daylilies and writing have been his main hobbies. He inherited a love of gardening from his father, "but my dad was far more diverse. I keep it simple and specialize. Each year I plant several hundred seeds and once-in-a-while find a flower worth introducing." He describes himself as "always a poet since high school, but not too prolific". He studied journalism in college and wrote articles and a column in the EMU school paper. He turned to songwriting in the eighties. Though satisfied that he penned some fine lyrics, he found no avenue for publication. Since he retired, he's joined some writing groups and found more time and energy to spend on writing. Summer in the garden, winter at the computer and occasional travel, make him wonder how he ever found time for work.