From Gene's preface to DANCE OF THE BLUE LADY- "Seventeen stories, mostly written during the last seven or so years--so, it's my latest shorter fiction for sure. They range widely across the genre spectrum; some science fiction, a dab of fantasy, splashes of horror, even a mystery; and some might claim they are all really mixed genre-- nothing new there, and I have no problem with that designation. Included is a quiet story about a sick little girl's imaginary friend; and perhaps my most explicitly scary horror story--packed with both graphic sex and violence. One story is very short, only 1350 words, and one is very long, over 17 k words, approaching a novella in length. Theme often deals in some way with various aspects of loss, but in tone, voice, point of view, and story structure they are as varied as their genre(s). The last story, "Dance of the Blue Lady," as one might suspect because of the collection title, is one of my all time favorites. I've included a blurb with each story".