Route 413 is a cozy cosmic horror (imagine if H.P. Lovecraft had a sense of humor and optimism). This 90k novel combines the weird vibes of works like Welcome to Night Vale, Good Omens, and Everything Everywhere, All at Once with my personal experience as a city mail carrier during the pandemic.
Bridger Hahn, an unbelievably professional mailman, has a route that takes him through hell, fairyland, and into a retirement community for dead and dying gods. If he can survive the constant attacks of an unfeeling universe, his mother’s inherent evilness, and the growing affections of the omniscient narrator, Bridger has the chance to find happiness, true love, and become the next Santa Claus.
Route 413 tackles themes of toxic families, fighting isolation with trust, and choosing joy while smashing together monsters and myth from all over the world. For example, Bridger confronts the Ong Ba Bi (Vietnamese bogey-man) about his hell-hound, plays board games with the Hudson River (who has not forgotten he was once worshiped as a god), and encounters the personification of modern horrors like making an unscheduled phone call.
Stories from this universe have already been published:
“Paper Future Tellers and Elder Gods” in the literary magazine Monologuing
“Night of the Flying Saltines” in the anthology Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Selections appear on Paperback Radio:
L.J. Longo 