The Gathering Brood, with approximately 65,000 words, will either amuse readers or horrify them. This work of fiction is about five adult siblings who have all been requested by their mother to attend a Fourth of July gathering to celebrate her being in remission from cancer. The contemporary story takes place in a single day, with flashbacks showing why these dysfunctional adults are procrastinating across the miles in an effort to spend as little time together as possible, each with secrets or frailties they don’t want exposed. There’s Allen who had been a famous child actor now failing to hang on to his celebrity. Emily has doubled in size since she’s seen her family. Natalie, with a five-year old daughter, is in mourning after the loss of her husband. (Or does she just hunger for attention at being a widow?) Denise wants more than just being a mother to difficult teenagers. And, finally, there’s Lottie, who is determined to hide the scars from her suicide attempt. As dramatic as this all sounds, there is humor throughout, leaving the reader to wonder if the family will ever actually congregate.