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Stories from The Age of Distraction Series: Contemporary Novellas "We're so connected, we're disconnected." The art of storytelling--and its survival--is a fundamental theme in Patricia Mahon's new series of edgy novellas, cleverly weaving excerpts from timeless masters of fiction and thought within each volume. The juxtaposition of classic authors against contemporary muses cements the concept that storytelling is an art crucial to the preservation of the human epic: it is our narrative. In Volume One, The Island, a speech writer (Morgan) and a school teacher (Percy) lament the loss of human engagement and creativity due to the disconnect of the digital age. Joined by a Silicon Valley turncoat and techno-savant, the trio set out to create a global writing platform, an app that allows worldwide, real-time participation in a collective story. The concept goes viral but the irony lies in a virtual reality so strong, it takes the three on a journey of discovery, pitting fantasy against reality--this volume's destination is the first of many more to come. Coming Oct 2016: Volume Two, The Vineyard, lands Morgan and Percy in a remote tasting room in California wine country, in search of Bartholomew, a legendary, illusive "grape whisperer" known for coaxing perfect ripeness and imparting the "whispered vintage" of the vineyard. After a rainstorm wreaks havoc, our protagonists are stranded without electricity among strangers forced to pass the time drinking wine and recounting tales, hoping their clues will uncover the myth or the man. Coming Spring 2017: Volume Three, The Abbey, takes flight to a small Irish town, nicknamed The Village of the Monks, where Morgan's family lineage is rooted. Following the clues of her late grandmother, an iconic storyteller, the pair head to a haunted old church and meet vibrant Irish characters along the way. It isn't long before spirits of the past begin to reveal the Abbey's tumultuous history of tragedy and suppression, rewarding Morgan and Percy with much more than a family ghost story.