L. M. Shafer holds an Associate Degree in Applied Science, and lives in rural Southern Indiana with her cat children and Floyd, the beagle. She enjoys singing Southern Gospel, heating with wood, is a vegetarian and a bit of a tea fanatic. She also has a second novel in the works.

The Night Shift Worker
genre: Horror: reality horror
The Night Shift Worker is Michael Namath, a vampire, whose ordered world disintegrates when he discovers that he is just as susceptible to contracting AIDS through blood as any human. To obtain blood, Michael poses as a human. He has an apartment, reads avidly, works at night as an orderly in a Louisville, Kentucky, hospital, experiences as much job stress as humans and has annoying bosses. All goes well for Michael until he witnesses the death of Trevor Jenkins.

Trevor, a teenager, has become HIV infected through blood given in the course of surgery. He has developed AIDS and his dying words to Michael warn him to never take blood. At first, Michael disregards Trevor's words but becomes haunted by them and begins missing feedings out of fear. Although obsessing about whether AIDS is a danger to him, his growing hunger and weakness leads him to kill Alicia Evans, a co-worker in love with him only to discover that he was in love with her.

Michael does, indeed, contract AIDS and becomes a medical miracle, but Dr. Adkins discovers that Michael is a vampire. Unfortunately, there is little he can do about it for fear of reprisal against his family.

The Night Shift Worker contains little offensive language and is sprinkled with humor to lighten the dark subject of AIDS. The book entertains while illustrating the need for awareness and great caution in this age of AIDS in which we live. It also explores human nature in terms of our relationships with each other and our sometimes bizarre actions and emotions.
http://www.puzzlesbyshar.com/adventurebooks/bookselection/worker.html
ISBN: 1-55313-088-X (electronic)