The Old State Hospital for Women
A series in three books (for now), told across two timelines 130 years apart, converging on one hospital that has never let anyone go easily.
An intense, slow-burn erotic tale of institutional cruelty, dark desires, and unbreakable friendship.
Content note: this series contains depictions of psychological and institutional abuse, coercive control, and explicit sexual content. Intended for readers 18+.
Book 1: A Tale of Woe
Claire didn’t choose the Old State Hospital. Human Resources chose it for her — one more step in a career that has not quite gone the way she planned.
She tells herself she is only here temporarily. But the dress code keeps tightening. The treatments become stranger. The Doctor’s attention keeps sharpening.
Claire is not, however, alone. Her fellow patients are there for her — especially Myst: onetime runaway, long-term patient, now studying psychology, who knows this system and how to survive in it.
And at night, the walls of time itself start to leak.
Status: complete and on sale now. Part I — the first nine chapters — is still free to read online; if it hooks you, the whole book is a click away.
On sale now — buy on Smashwords. Also available on zbookstore and Maliven.
Download the preview (PDF) · EPUB
ISBN (ebook): 979-8-9978853-0-4
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In this book you will meet:
- Claire — our everywoman — who has always done everything by the book, now trapped in a world where the rules are all working against her
- Myst — Claire’s roommate — who has never followed any rules
- Liz — Claire’s sister — trying her best to help, but nothing in here is how it looks from the outside
- The Doctor — cold and professional, or calculating and manipulative? yes!
- Pam — a nurse — friendly, warm, but always follows the rules — even when the rules are weapons
- Laura — group therapy leader — the uncaring face of the institution
- Ol’ Bill — leering creeper, provider of always-unwanted commentary
- Anna — patient — the one who always says what everyone else is thinking
- Nikki — patient — really shouldn’t even be here
- Jess — night-shift nurse — sees a lot more than she’ll ever tell
- The fill-in doctor — holiday/weekend/vacation guy — just doing his job
- Brenda — another nurse — follows the rules, cold and mechanical
- The Boys — orderlies — the physical enforcers of the rules in this place
- Mary — is she a dream? or is she real?
Book 2 (working title: The Object of My Desire)
The story braids into three threads at once.
Claire, Myst, and now Mary struggle to survive and support each other.
Book 3 (title TBA)
Where all the threads converge. Coming after Book 2.