Queens Tribune

Queens has been stage to many a weird occurrence. The boulevard bearing its name has itself been topic to much fodder. But never has it seen two ghosts haunt its stretch.

Teacher, former journalist and now author Michael Gold created that vision in his short story collection “Horror House Detective.”

The Kew Gardens native started the collection with “On the Road Rage,” a short story that appeared on publisher Silverthought Press’s Web site. The story follows two apparitions stalking the boulevard, causing accidents.

“There were certain things in Queens,” Gold said. “Queens Boulevard was one of the first things that drove me nuts.”

Five of the collection’s six stories are staged in Queens, ranging from the Forest Hills Gardens to the now-closed Woodhaven Lanes.

“A lot of it was my experience here,” Gold said. “And yes, there was no question there was certain things about Queens that really bugged me. It’s very much not Manhattan. There are a lot of tough people here. That was a big part of where the book came from.”

After submitting “On the Road Rage” to Silverthought, Gold posted two more stories, and caught the attention of Silverthought’s exec Paul Hughes.

“Based on the strength of those three short stories, I asked Michael if he’d be interested in filling in the gaps, writing some more shorts based on those characters,” Hughes said. “I was impressed with the results and decided to publish the collection.”

Despite the stories being able to stand alone, most center around Harold Schreiber, a housing contractor and vigilante. The character started as a fictionalization of Gold’s father.

“I wanted to write a story about my father as a detective. He was very into justice. He was in the business world, but he was always honest.” Gold said.

The initial stories about his father morphed over two years into a fictionalization of his entire family, with four unruly kids causing family strife.

Writing the book itself presented a problem. Already a second grade teacher with a 3-year-old daughter, Gold got up at 4 a.m. to write every morning.

“I would pick up my little daughter Miriam at day care, bring her home in her stroller, feed her dinner, set her up with a Dora or Sesame Street DVD, then promptly fall asleep on the couch in the living room,” he said.

His daughter, in a fit of angst, would wake up her father only to have him pass out again. The scene became routine during the book’s writing.

For the fledgling but long-time aspiring writer, his work of pulp fiction has been received with mixed reviews by his family. Dad liked it. Mom didn’t. His wife?

“She read two stories and said, ‘Michael, I love you. But I can’t get through this,’” he said.

Gold has already finished his second work, a novel based on rival religions going through violent extremes against each other. It’s based, of course, in Queens.

Reach Reporter Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.