Night Clinic

Night Clinic

by David Gelber

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

"Night Clinic" is a collection of short stories which tell the unusual events which occur at the free clinic attended by Dr. Barnes and Nurse James. Monsters, magical beasts, villains along with ordinary folks come to the clinic looking for health and hope.

"Night Clinic" is a unique melding of medicine and magic.

EXCERPT:

“Speaking of bizarre and crazy, you are aware that the Interga¬lactic Convention is in town again? Star Trek, Star Wars, and every other outer space franchise all together. So I’m sure we’ll get our share of phaser burns, blaster bruises, and transporter malfunc¬tions. Oh, and to get us off on the right foot, Derek is back with his annual ‘Trouble with Tribbles.’ I’ve left all the usual instruments in the room for you.”

“Not again,” I moaned. “You would think that after four, no five years, he would learn.”

I picked up the chart and gave it a careless glance. Before I saw the words I knew the problem. I walked into the exam room and saw Derek, a regular visitor, lying on his side on the exam table. Seated on a sterile tray were a rigid sigmoidoscope and a tenacu¬lum.

“Derek, we’ve got to stop meeting like this,” I scolded. “And think of the poor Tribbles. They’re supposed to be comforting, I know, but you’re just supposed to hold them.”

 “I do hold them, Dr. Barnes; for a little while. But, the way they coo and vibrate and shake, the possibilities are endless.”

“I hope it’s as simple as last year,” I remarked.

I put on a glove and lubed up my index finger and checked up in Derek’s rectum. Sure enough there was a furry object vibrating just inside. Past experience told me not to try to grab it with my hand; it would just slip away. I greased up the scope and passed it into his rectum. Immediately I visualized a furry yellow ball which was shaking and making low Tribble noises. I reached in with the tenaculum and grabbed the object in its mid portion like a pro and pulled scope and tenaculum out with a single, gentle pull. The Tribble, which was a toy available at the convention, popped out.

“Just one this year?” I asked, although I already knew there would be more.

“No, three,” he replied.

I repeated the routine, pulling out one purple and one red Trib¬ble, both larger that the first and still vibrating.

“I’ll dispose of these for you, Derek. And, please, stay away from Tribbles. You know they’re nothing but trouble.”

He gave a short grunt as I walked out of the exam room.

“What’s next, Nurse?”


And now, a word from the author:

To Write…

To write, perchance to dream. It’s not exactly Shakespeare, but my time spent writing starts with time spent lost in thought, letting my imagination run to and fro. This process led to my first book, “Future Hope,” a futuristic story which contrasted a dystopian earth in the year 2156 with a perfect utopia. In another book, I rescued the Minotaur of mythological fame, saving him from the sword of Theseus and setting him on a journey through history.  And, finally, “Night Clinic” was born.

The first “Night Clinic” story began very early one morning at the hospital while I was waiting to start surgery. I wondered where the “people of the night” went for routine medical care. Evella, Goddess of the Night, Mr. V. M. Pire, Mr. Hyde and a pack of werewolves, all creatures of the night, descended upon Dr. Barnes and Nurse James and the Night Clinic was never the same.

Each Night clinic short story came from my imagination; each time focused in a different direction. While operating one Saturday morning, the surgical tech assisting me said I was Captain Surgery, perhaps referring to my superior technique. Consequently, the character Captain Surgery was born. Of course, he needed a sidekick, someone to give anesthesia to his patients. We went through several names: Sleeper, Sandman, Snoozer, but I finally settled on Cloud, a sophisticated, slightly mysterious name which perfectly complimented the far bolder Captain Surgery. This duo makes a few appearances in the “Night Clinic” series.

“Footprints Across Night Clinic” was born from an idea to have a mysterious creature appear at the clinic. It was only after I started writing that I made the creature a baby dragon. This actually borrowed from stories I invented for my children when they were very young. We had (and still have) a purple and orange stuffed dragon. It is a living version of this child’s toy who is “born” at the clinic and adopted by Vince, the clinic custodian.

I dreamed up a lot of different scenarios. A mysterious box is delivered to the clinic addressed “A.T. to A.P” and all sorts of people show up inquiring about it. Star Trek finally meets Star Wars and the result is almost tragic. Mythological beasts and monsters appear, spies, a serial killer, a deranged Raven and so much more sprang from my mind and found a place at the clinic.

Night Clinic presents a completely unique concept as all these mystical and magical characters come to the clinic seeking medical care. It is an incredible package that is sure to keep any reader entertained.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

David Gelber, a New York native, is the seventh of nine sons and one of three to pursue medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1980 and went on to graduate medical school in 1984 from the University of Rochester.

He completed a residency in General Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and Nassau County Medical Center on Long Island, NY, in 1989. Dr. Gelber now is in private practice in Houston, TX.

Gelber has been performing surgery for more than 25 years, but over the last few years he began to pursue his passion for writing, initially with his debut novel, "Future Hope", followed by its sequel “Joshua and Aaron.”

These were followed by two books about surgery “Behind the Mask” and “Under the Drapes.” The apocalyptic “Last Light” and historical fantasy “Minotaur Revisited” round out his published works, while numerous articles have appeared on his blog “Heard in the OR.”

Now he presents “Little Bit’s Story” and his collection of magical medical short stories, “Night Clinic.”

He has been married to Laura for 28 years and has three college aged children. He and Laura share their home with five dogs and numerous birds.

Books Published

Future Hope ITP Book One

Joshua and Aaron ITP Book Two

Minotaur Revisited

Behind the Mask: The Mystique of Surgery and the Surgeons who Perform Them

Under the Drapes: More Mystique of Surgery

Last Light (e-book only)

Blog:

Heard in the OR    (http://heardintheor.blogspot.com)

 http://www.davidgelber.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2747647.David_Gelber

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Clinic-David-Gelber-ebook/dp/B00O3R8760/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416357751&sr=1-1&keywords=night+clinic+david+gelber

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/night-clinic-david-gelber/1120433341?ean=9780982076392

David will be awarding a $50 Amazon/B&N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the rafflecopter link below to enter. You can find his schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/10/vbt-night-clinic-by-david-gelber.html.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Minotaur Revisited

Welcome to David Gelber's blog tour.  David's going to talk to us about the making of a page turner. David, thanks so much for including me in your tour. is giving away  a $100 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the conclusion of his two tours.  You can find his schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/12/virtual-book-tour-minotaur-revisited-by.html

                               The Making of a Page Turner

 

It was suggested to me that an interesting topic for a blog article would be what ingredients are necessary for “making a page turner.” First I had to ponder the meaning of this request. The phrase “page turner” has different connotations. It could mean “a mechanical device which turns pages.” Such a useful device would free a reader’s hands for more important tasks, such as reaching for a cold drink. It would also eliminate the need for said reader to lick his fingers to facilitate the page turning process, thus saving saliva and preventing soiling of the printed page.

 

But, the “page turner” need not be mechanical. A servant could render the same task. Picture the page turning servant. He stands above the reader, fanning him with a large palm frond, when, suddenly the master/reader makes a subtle gesture. The skilled page turner deftly reaches around his employer’s shoulder and turns the page, all without missing a beat with his fan.

 

However, I do believe that the request referred to the written word, specifically stories which grab a reader’s attention and hold it tight, while forcing the enthralled booklover to stay glued to the book, turning page after page to find out what happens.

 

What, then, is the recipe for baking the perfect page turner? Start with a story, something that people care about. Lost puppies, families torn apart by war, lovers who are doomed by a terminal illness, the end of the world; you get the idea. Perhaps a family of puppies suffering from a terminal illness which threatens to cause the end of the world. Maybe, but that sounds a bit too complex.

 

Now, add in the proper characters. Ordinary people forced by circumstances to act in an extraordinary manner is one tool, a favorite of mine. Or, a mysterious character with a secret past who may just be a spy or the lost king, anything that keeps the reader guessing. Add a touch, or a heavy helping of romance and stir well. Create a roller coaster of highs and lows and juxtapose them so that the now thoroughly immersed bookworm just has to find out how our protagonist is going to get out of this mess or triumph over the evil villain.

 

To spice up the story, add a villain, one who hates our hero or heroine, perhaps with good reason. Maybe our hero has his flaws; is trying to live down a shady past. All the better. Purely good or evil characters can become a bore; multidimensional characters are far more interesting.

 

Finally, add a dash of comic relief. A dog or parrot or supposedly simple child who has the wisdom of the ages. Mix everything together, bake at 350 degrees for one hour and, voila, a page turner is created, we hope. Or else it may be a soufflé.

 

An example from my body of work: Minotaur Revisited follows the Minotaur of Greek mythology on a journey over thousands of years. He is trapped in the Labyrinth, which immediately makes him a sympathetic creature, even though he is of monstrous appearance. He is thrust into situation after situation which threaten to destroy our hero. He meets people who only want to use this sensitive monster for their own evil purpose, he suffers over and over, but in the end finally finds true happiness. Along the way he has numerous and varied sidekicks and companions to keep the reader interested and turning the page. These secondary characters are either sympathetic or villainous, thus making the reader care.

 

Making a page turnerhas one essential ingredient. It’s all about making people care.

 

MINOTAUR REVISITED

By

David Gelber

 

BLURB:  

 

Legend states that the Minotaur was confined to the Labyrinth, slain by Theseus and then laid to rest by thousands of years of Greek mythology. But, the truth is far different. Read the Minotaur’s own words as he recounts his full life as god, king, warrior, matchmaker, midwife, monk, sage, father, mother, husband and, most of all, witness. The fierce Minotaur lived to see and be a part of the best and worst of humanity during a life spanning thousands of years. Part bull, part human, the Minotaur struggled to find his place in this world and, in the end, left his unique mark on history.

 

David Gelber, a New York native, is the seventh of nine sons and one of three to pursue medicine. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1980 and went on to graduate medical school in 1984 from the University of Rochester.
 

He completed his residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, followed by three years as attending surgeon at Nassau County Medical Center in Long Island, N.Y. Gelber has since joined Coastal Surgical Group in Houston, Texas.
 

Gelber has been a surgeon for more than 20 years, but over the last few years he began to pursue his passion for writing, initially with his debut novel, "Future Hope" (Emerald Book Company, January 2010). The novel speculates about future Earth and what the world might have been like if man had not succumbed to temptation in the Garden of Eden. "Joshua and Aaron" is a sequel to "Future Hope" and follows the battle of wills that transpires between unsung hero Joshua Smith and satanic Aaron Diblonski.
 

Dr. Gelber has added two books about surgery, "Behind the Mask" and "Under the Drapes", both of which provide the reader with a view of the world of surgery rarely seen by those outside the medical professions.
 

"Last Light" is an apocalyptic short story which starts off asking the question: "What would happen if nobody ever was sick or injured?"
 

"Minotaur Revisited" is an entertaining romp through history seen through the eyes of Quint, the famed half bull half man monster of Greek Mythology. It was in October 2012.
 

Gelber was raised in reformed Judaism, but joined the Presbyterian Church 15 years ago. He is married with three teenage children, four dogs and 24 birds of various species. His interests include horse racing, mechanical Swiss watches and, of course, writing.