Barry Burnett

Biography

My story started in Detroit. After an early exit from high school, I was a bronze foundry worker by day and art student by night, then moved on to a GED, Wayne State University, and med school. This was followed by a residency in Colorado, an alternative practice in Boulder, and a fellowship at UCLA Public Health. My partner lured me to her beloved NYC, where we had the second of three great kids, I taught for a few years, and was certified in Preventive Medicine before dragging her back to this near-fictional isle in the great literal West.

Currently, I hold a half-time position as a family doc, making it the world's best day job, a solid dose of life and patient care that still leaves time to write (and, yes, a few healthy-lifestyle things that are fun enough to do but boring to read about — except, perhaps, in the context of a lively, character-filled story).

Aside from a few published studies, I began my writing career with the Zen of Science column for Nexus, covering topics from sex to homeopathy, yoga, massage, meditation, acupuncture, social connectedness, and the psychology of cancer survival. A decade ago, I fell into fiction and have been addicted since. This led to the novels Resonance, Thrilling Romance, The Mortalist, a handful of short stories, and now, How To Live Forever. The last has been the best: the characters became friends, if rather odd ones, and I’ve been fascinated by aging and longevity since, well, forever.

Please see the Read page for easy links to short stories (gratis), the new eNovel above (currently gratis), and the previous book as a trade paperback (unfortunately non-gratis) at Amazon. Thanks for reading!

Where to find Barry Burnett online

Books

Casey Travels West
Price: Free! Words: 4,190. Language: English. Published: April 23, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Horror » General
(5.00 from 1 review)
The aliens have gone, after their offer of an immortality among the stars proved too good for anyone to refuse. Except Casey, who now finds herself crossing an abandoned landscape, looking for a reason to keep on living. Just someone, anyone to talk to would be a start. Anyone, that is, except the Farmer.
The Arkitect
Price: Free! Words: 5,180. Language: English. Published: April 19, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
For a solid century, the Arkitect has been overseeing the construction of the Ark, humanity's escape from a techno-ravaged world. She's too old to accompany the billion-fold survivors, of course, but she doesn't seem to mind. Is she an unreformed Earth-hugger? A Gaia-worshiper? Find out for yourself, in a not-too-short story that's dark, bitter, dry... and evil fun.
How To Live Forever
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 133,030. Language: English. Published: February 8, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Humor & comedy » General, Nonfiction » Health, wellbeing, & medicine » Medicine » Holistic medicine
Meet David Black, a young family doc whose solo practice has spectacularly tanked. So has his marriage; the two are not unrelated. His best friend, Oz, wants him to reinvent himself, offering their fellow Boulderites everything they need to live forever (or at least long enough for Oz to profit and retire). David balks. At first. What follows is a romp of a read, a comedy with heart...

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