The Schoharie

Aaron Bonner, a volunteer firefighter of Native American descent, tries to convince the sheriff of the town of Fort Hunter that a vengeful Indian spirit is the reason for the increasing havoc that takes place after a massive Thruway bridge collapses from the flooding of the nearby Schoharie Creek. The sheriff, Ben Harrigan, has his own problems, one of which is Aaron who is dating his daughter while seeming to have a mental breakdown, just like his father did when he had tried to sabotage the construction of the same bridge thirty years ago... In April of 1987, the NYS 1-90 Thruway suffered a bridge collapse due to unprecedented flooding of The Schoharie Creek in rural Central New York. Several lives were lost. This is a fictional story that was inspired by those events but do not depict the actual people or actual events. I dedicate this book to the real heroes; police, firefighters and volunteers, and to the families of the victims of the 1987 collapse as well as to the people of Central New York who make it a unique place to live.

"A crisply written, creepy novel about unnatural disasters, THE SCHOHARIE offers up shocking twists and terrifying scenes that will satisfy any horror fan."  -IndieReader Rating - 4.1

"As a Dedication at the beginning of this horror novel states, THE SCHOHARIE is based on true events - the 1987 collapse of a bridge on the I-90 Thruway in rural New York, as a result of unprecedented flooding of the Schoharie Creek. Author Diane M. Johnson has taken that event and transformed it into a haunting horror novel, populated with believable characters and an eerie atmosphere, complete with near-constant rain.

The reader must second-guess which visions and fears endured by the characters are old-timer suspicions or manifestations of mental illness, and which represent actual hauntings or sorcery. Throughout its pages, this story features intense violence and sickness experienced by both people and animals, including car crashes, drownings, gunshots, dismemberment and an aggressive strain of flu. The brutality is handled starkly and straightforwardly, and the disasters can be shocking and upsetting.

THE SCHOHARIE is crisply written, with a momentum that builds as the bridge collapse and flooding threaten the lives and sanity of the main characters. The main figure, Aaron, is particularly complex, yet sympathetic. The author describes his inner life with empathy as he confronts his past and his personal demons, while working out the puzzle of the horrors that have gripped his hometown. He is not perfect, but the reader naturally roots for him to succeed."

~Jennifer Dixonfor IndieReader

Diane is a native of Central New York now living in Southern California where she reads for various screenwriting competitions. This is her first novel, originally written as a script.