Professor Blake Pitcher Publishes New Novel, The Bird Room

Herkimer County Community College Professor Blake Pitcher has released his newest novel, The Bird Room, a story that connects the struggle of rural America with the shadow of the supernatural.

The Bird Room follows Raine Penton, a man who would endure anything to succeed at his new job, including mind-numbing orientations and grueling hours. Until he’s asked to kill.

His would-be target is Ian Swift, a teenager struggling to survive in a rural landscape of economic depression and opioid use. Just another nobody—except his soul unlocks a portal to a powerful mythological entity, worshiped by an underworld cult. Raine’s employer, a secretive government contractor, wants him first… or wants him dead.

Pitcher describes the book as “genre-bending sci-fi set in a fictionalized upstate New York.”

Pitcher’s previously published works include Letters from the Apocalypse, the sequel Return from the Apocalypse, and the story collection Autonomy.

Pitcher has taught design and communications courses at Herkimer since 2006. He holds an associate degree in Professional and Technical Communication from Herkimer County Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technical Communication from SUNYIT at Utica/Rome, and a master's degree in Information Design & Technology from SUNYIT at Utica/Rome.

The Bird Room is now available through Amazon and most major online booksellers.