Short Stories/Novellas
Fresh out of jail and off drugs, Fred Redish embarks on a new life. First up: getting to know his two young sons, who are under the custody of his mother-in-law. Problem is, she poisons them against Mohawks in general and Fred in particular. How can he get his boys back before he loses them forever? This story debuted in Indian Country Noir, published by Akashic Books "One of the more impressive entries is Melissa Yi’s moving 'Indian Time,' about Mohawk Fred Redish’s painful attempts to visit his young sons under the care of his white mother-in-law."--Publishers Weekly review of _Indian Country Noir_ Named one of the best short mysteries of 2010 by criminalbrief.com "Beautiful writing, complicated characters, dark themes. It will stick with me." --CC Geddes "a gut-wrenching ride. And I mean that in the best possible way....[V]ery powerful...exquisitely told." --Louisa Swann
Dr. Valerie Chia strides into St. Joseph's emergency room expecting the usual Montreal Monday morning chaos. Nothing she and the other day doctor can't handle, with the help of the nurses and a little coffee. She discovers that the overnight doctor left the waiting room stuffed with patients. Okay, fine. Then other day doctor doesn't show up. Hello. This hospital gets 50,000 visits a year and she's supposed to handle everything plus clear the backlog in the waiting room? Start paging for backup. One of the overnight patients crashes. The shiny new resident doctor, Hope Sze, wants to try the intubation. Against her better judgement, Val agrees to give her one try. What else could possibly go wrong? Debut episode (half-hour pilot script) of a medical radio drama featuring Dr. Hope Sze, written by Melissa Yi, a.k.a. Melissa Yuan-Innes, the emergency physician and author of Code Blues, Notorious D.O.C. , and The Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World and Other True Tales From the Emergency Room . Unlike Dr. Hope's other adventures, this one does not feature a murder...unless Hope can't save the patient's life. May also be purchased as part of the novella package Student Body .
“What fabrications they are, mothers. Scarecrows, wax dolls for us to stick pins into, crude diagrams.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin How do you solve a problem like your mother? A ferocious flash fiction story, now a finalist for the Derringer Award. Accompanied by an exclusive essay by the author on the exhausted genesis of the story at Kris Rusch and Dean Smith's Oregon mystery workshop, the writing life, and the Derringer short list. "Because." Originally published in Fiction River: Crime; hailed as "high quality" by Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Read it and weep.
When Dr. Hope Sze trades the crime-ridden city of Montreal for a fishing trip with her dad, she expects misty lakes and crimson maple leaves. In other words, a perfect family fun day. Then Hope’s mother—never the sharpest scalpel in the neighbourhood—drags along crazy uncle Leonard, transforming Black Donald Lake into a very dark place. Family Medicine: a novella originally commissioned as three separate Gone Fishing stories for Kobo’s international reading contest ( Cain and Abel, Trouble and Strife, Butcher’s Hook ), now collected together for the first time, along with a behind-the-scenes narrative by the author, including never-before-released ruminations on writing. Praise for Terminally Ill , by Melissa Yi: “The three intertwining mysteries and Hope herself provide a narrative by turns entertaining and insightful.”—Publishers Weekly
Chris would do anything for his hot, young wife. Even yoga. Even yoga at sunrise, on a Montreal ship, to celebrate spring solstice. He steps on board, braced for incense and some uncomfortable body twists, unaware of the true mastermind awaiting him. A short story originally published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.