ORLANDO — Freeline Productions has released the horror novel A Distant Plague, written by author Michael W. Freeman, right in time for the upcoming Halloween season.

The book is available in a paperback edition on Amazon and as a Kindle eBook.

What is the novel A Distant Plague?

The book opens with a familiar, very topical subject: the affordability crisis.

“Nicolas Turovsky hadn’t known Simon Royle for very long, only about a month. They clicked right away, and seemed to be on the road to becoming loyal friends. It felt like an odd twist of fate to Turovsky, who got to know Simon because he was days away from ending up on the street. Of course, when Turovsky first responded to Simon’s ad for a roommate, he had no clue how radically his life was about to change. If he had, Turovsky might have searched for another roommate, and fast.
But Turovsky, a middle aged man earning a decent but hardly spectacular income as a writer/editor for an urban magazine, The Inner City Journal, had a crisis on his hands. His home was disappearing.”

Rapid changes in Nicolas Turovsky’s ordinary, routine life, including the loss of his longtime apartment, force him to seek out new opportunities, including a promising job in a different city. But his life only seems to be getting worse. Nick struggles to cope with intense feelings of depression and anxiety that overwhelm him — for no apparent reason.

At the same time, Nick is haunted by visions of an elderly man who seems to be mysteriously following him. This grim emissary brings with him ghostly apparitions of Turovsky himself, a doppelganger that appears both sinister and menacing. Struggling to figure out why he’s having these ominous visions, Nick seeks out the help of a college professor who specializes in urban legends and doppelgangers — and another man undergoing similar eerie experiences. 

Together they discover a bizarre and weirdly familiar myth dating back to Germany in the 1300s, the years of the Black Plague. But is it really just a myth? It becomes a scary riddle for all three men.

This grim novel could be read in multiple ways: a ghost story? A profile of mental deterioration? An allegory on coping during a terrifying crisis? Enter the world of A DIstant Plague as it takes you into the far side of a sinister darkness.

It’s the perfect book for Halloween fright!

In the article The Psychology Of Fear: Why We Love Halloween, Spinnaker magazine notes it’s all about the safety of controlled fear.

“Halloween provides a unique opportunity to engage with perceived fear in a controlled setting. Haunted houses, horror films, and spooky decorations evoke feelings of fear without the associated risks of real danger. This safe exploration allows individuals to confront their fears and anxieties in a manageable way. For many, the thrill of being scared is exhilarating, leading to a sense of accomplishment and even catharsis,” the article notes.

So, grab some Halloween candy, hot cider and your favorite spooky costume, relax on the couch next to your carved pumpkin, and enjoy the spooky world of A Distant Plague.

Published by Freeline Productions, the book is available on Amazon.

“In some ways, I think the Covid pandemic influenced how I wrote this story, along with the fast-growing number of young friends in the Orlando area who were losing their apartments as prices skyrocketed,” Freeman says. “I wanted to explore a story about a plague that could be supernatural, or could be about a man coping with severe depression.”

WHO IS THE BOOK’S AUTHOR?

Michael Freeman was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he lived for 38 years before relocating to his current home in Orlando, Florida. Michael knew from an early age that he wanted to be a writer, influenced by the many comic books that he voraciously collected, as well as movies and his vast collection of paperback novels.

His writing career started in 1988, when he landed his first job as a news reporter for a weekly newspaper in Massachusetts. In 1991, Michael became a political reporter and film critic for his hometown newspaper, The Fall River Herald News, and the rest is history.

Michael has since worked as a reporter and editor for some of Florida’s top newspapers, including The Orlando Sentinel, The Sun Sentinel, The Lakeland Ledger and The Jewish Journal, the nation’s largest Jewish weekly.

Michael has also written for online publications and been a content writer for numerous businesses, including his own company, Freeline Productions.

Playwriting has been another passion of his. His first play, Hooked, premiered at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in May 2009; his most recent play, Breakfast With Andy, was performed at Orlando Fringe in May 2022.

Michael’s previous novels have included Bloody Rabbit, Koby’s New Home and Of Cats And Wolves, which are macabre, ghoulish, often horrific, and sometimes funny.

Today, Michael lives with his husband Mel and cat Beau in sunny Orlando.

Contact Freeline Media at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.