Ottawa, Ontario -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/04/2013 -- While most of history’s great fiction comprises of longer books, the short story has seen a booming resurgence of late. With her suspense-laden narrative that packs more than a literary punch, Canada’s Madeleine McLaughlin is emerging as a dominant force in the short fiction marketplace.

Her most recent novel, ‘The Mountain City Bronzes’, gives readers a quick and satisfying adventure without the time investment required of a longer novel.

Synopsis:

When Kevin learns of his mountain town's evil past, he must struggle to understand his father's part in it and how it affects himself.

Excerpt:
The jail was a great refuge in June, but even in the winter, I found it pleasant to play in. There was so much fun imagining the structure when it was full, back in the gold rush. I could almost hear the walls and floors resounding to the voices of the thousands of lawless men that lived back then. In the large, empty vastness of our jail, I loved pretending I needed to find escape routes.
One day after tromping through the halls for an hour, I found a locked door.
Why is it shut tight? What is behind that door?

As the author explains, shorter fiction has its place in modern society.

“The global readership is becoming increasingly busy, with more work demands and less time to kick back with a book. These time constraints make shorter fiction perfect for the 21st century reader. The challenge for the author is to take all of the emotion and plot twists of a regular-length novel and squeeze it down to a more manageable size,” says McLaughlin.

Continuing, “The Mountain City Bronzes truly is a mini adventure. My aim was to give the reader a complete story in a shorter space of time, while not losing any of the facets of what makes fiction great.”

Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent string of rave reviews.

“Terror, followed by profound despair.

I do not usually read horror, but there are times when an inner voice tells you, you need to read this story, and that is how I came to read The Mountain City Bronzes.

I'm trying, as I write this review, to think of an adequate definition for how I now feel with the ending of the story reverberating in my mind and soul. I cannot find ONE word to describe it.

What I do know is that any book that can grasp me, and hold onto me long after I've finished reading it deserves five stars.

If you are looking for a quick read that will sucker punch you all the way to the centre of your being, this is such a book.

Kudos Ms. McLaughlin. Keep these eerie books coming. From Ladybug Lin Reviews.

Helene Prevost was equally as impressed, adding, “Madeleine McLaughlin has written a chilling story about a boy's burning curiosity to discover what is behind a mysterious door in a prison his father used to work in. As the boy learns the mystery of the Mountain City Bronzes, he unearths part of the city's dark past as well as the role his father played in it. It gave me shivers. If you like dark fiction, give this story a try.”

With the book’s popularity increasing, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.

‘The Mountain City Bronzes’, published by MuseItUp Publishing, is available now: http://amzn.to/10B9qjF

About the author, in her own words:
I think the fact that I see things from two sides has to do with being born in a duo town. In 1958 it was called Fort William and it had a twin town, Port Arthur. Later, these two towns were amalgamated to become Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's way up north where the snow blows free but I don't remember that, we moved only a couple of years after I was born.

Well, I do remember a snow fort my dad built for us three kids. I was the last. Snow forts are fun, by the way, but I think I had more fun where I grew up, after we moved to White Rock, BC. We lived half-way up a big hill. At the bottom was a beach and the Pacific Ocean was always there, reminding me that if only one could get to the other side of where the eye couldn't see, there would be a whole new world there with people.

I wrote poems and stories back then and drew picture of my stuffed animals. After I grew up I felt a need to leave the west coast, it felt so cut off, because of the Rockies, I suppose.

I came to Ottawa in a round-a-bout way and have been here ever since. I worked at other jobs, none very satisfying, and also developed my painting and sculpture. I felt awful a few years later when I developed eye troubles but soon felt better again when I began to write again. I guess I need to create to feel good.