Divided Road
The chance of a lifetime or their final performance?Owen Stanton has been a member of the Kiwi band Flightless since high school. So far, he's managed to walk the fine line between playing fiddle for the band and pursuing his classical violin career. An opportunity arises to audition for a prestigious string quartet, and Owen takes his family's advice to go for it. After all, it's not like he's going to make the cut, right? And if he does, the decision won't have to be made until after the band's highly anticipated performance at a popular New Zealand music festival. Jared Murphy joins Flightless when their keyboard player faces a family crisis and needs to take a break. Soon he and Owen are writing music together and creating something beautiful between them. It's a shame it won't last. After all, Jared's only standing in.When the once in a lifetime invitation comes for the band to play at Rocktoberfest, decisions need to be made, even if taking the right path may end up in divided roads. Divided Road is a book in the multi-author Road to Rocktoberfest 2024 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see what trouble our bands get into next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your kindle and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!
The Backup Plan
ThadFailing to make it in pro ball left me absolutely devastated. Baseball has been my life, my dream, but it's time to move on.Becoming a sports agent was always my back-up plan, and now that I'm interning at the biggest queer-focused firm in the country, I'm doing my best not to let my bitterness toward baseball affect my future. That's really difficult when I'm assigned to babysit Kelley Afton, hotshot rookie pitcher for Philly. He has everything I ever wanted, and he doesn't even appreciate it. I didn't become an agent so I could soothe the ego of diva athletes.His constant need for validation from others frustrates me to no end, but that's probably a good thing. Because if he didn't have that, I'd find him irresistibly my type.Attraction could lead to crossing lines which would put my position at King Sports in jeopardy, and I can't have that.I don't have a backup for my backup plan.
Masquerade
Newly single Meadow Liu is house-sitting for his friend, artist Selma Shimizu, when he stumbles upon The Masquerade, a translated novel about a masked ball in 1930s Shanghai. The author's name is the same as Meadow's own in Chinese, Liu Tian--a coincidence that proves to be the first of many strange happenings. Over the course of a single summer, Meadow must contend with a possibly haunted apartment, a mirror that plays tricks, a stranger speaking in riddles at the bar where he works, as well as a startling revelation about a former lover. And when Selma vanishes from her artist residency, Meadow is forced to question everything he knows as the boundaries between real and imagined begin to blur. Exploring social, cultural, and sexual identities in New York, Shanghai, and beyond, Mike Fu's Masquerade is a skillfully layered, brilliantly interwoven debut novel of friendship, queer longing, and worlds on the brink, asking how we can find ourselves among ghosts of all kinds, and who we can trust when nothing--and no one--is as it seems.
Cherry
Set in the Winnipeg skinhead scene of the early 1990s, Cherry is an unsettling account of a woman's negotiation of violence, memory, and identity. Mayor deftly employs the technique of pastiche to craft her story: newspaper articles, notes, photographs, letters, and even appointment slips are used to signify the multi-layered nature of her narrative. Cherry is a punk rock bricolage, a poetic novel, a loss of innocence story, and an ode to the city of Winnipeg.
Surfing Glaciers
Hamilton is not the usual expat American in France. He is a wealthy teacher at an international school in Paris, and his best friend, Emma, is married to the son of a famed French family. However, everything changes in the blink of an eye when Hamilton's family unexpectedly appears in Paris, to celebrate Emma's birthday.
Under the Spotlight
Eli Ruewen has always lived in the shadows-until Juno August forces him into the spotlight.Being invisible is a skill Eli perfected long ago. After all, it's easier to blend in when you're constantly moving for your parents' circus and dealing with the challenges of coming out as a trans male. But surviving high school unnoticed is no simple task, especially when Juno August, with her intense curiosity, refuses to let Eli remain in the background.As Juno pushes Eli to open up, secrets begin to unravel, and Eli finds himself struggling to balance the desire for connection with the need for self-preservation. Can he stay hidden, or will he finally learn to let someone in?Discover Eli's journey of identity, friendship, and self-discovery in a story that reminds us all that sometimes, it's okay to be seen.
Fallen Thorns
"A great death is in the air."Arlo is lost. He thought he had everything figured out.Go to university, fall in love, get a job.But life doesn't always work like that, and before he has a chance to figure it out, he dies.In the space of a night, Arlo is plunged into a new world of immortality and finds a group of people who swear to always have his back.Dying is never easy, but they promise him eternal safety.But something is after him. Something no one could have ever predicted.He craves to figure out his purpose before he falls into something he can never come back from.
Three Decades of Stories
THREE DECADES OF STORIES is a unique collection in one volume of Patrick Gale's two editions of dark, moving, often witty and eccentric stories, GENTLEMAN'S RELISH and DANGEROUS PLEASURES.It also includes the acclaimed long story, CAESAR'S WIFE. Ranging from a lonely prisoner governor's wife, to a housewife desperate for a makeover; a father's trip to his former school to a long-term mistress offered an unexpected marriage, this is a volume that highlights Patrick Gale's skill of digging beneath the surface of relationships and exposing the often brutal mechanisms that drive them. What readers say about THREE DECADES OF STORIES: 'While all of these have been released in other compilations it is great having them all in one place' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Nice to have them all in one volume and they are great stories to revisit' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Misplaced
In an alternate reality where body parts are as easily changed as clothing, what happens when things go missing?Nan chases down a stranger to return a missing mouth and finds themselves in the coat-strewn apartment of a makeshift family: Jessica, a charismatic older woman, her adopted son Adam, and Reena, the icy-eyed enigma Nan does their best to avoid.As rumours of stolen parts and illegal brain tampering hang over the city, Nan and Jessica investigate the origin of the disembodied fingers left at their doorstep. The more they uncover, the more Nan realizes that their body and their memories might not be their own- and Reena's mysterious past may be the key.Will Nan be able to figure out which bits of themselves to trust, or will it all go to pieces?
Fatal Foul Play
When Milo agreed to accompany his friend Mark for a weekend getaway with six other men in northern Arizona, he did not anticipate a snowstorm stranding them all in their lodge. But they make the best of it. Their biggest concern is how they're going to entertain themselves until the snowstorm ends. Complicating things for Milo is his secret attraction to Mark, not to mention Mark's renewed attraction to his handsome ex-boyfriend, Brick, who seems like he wants to rekindle the relationship. But all is not as it seems in their cozy snow-covered lodge. When one of them is found brutally murdered, tension between the friends escalates. It seems that everyone has their secrets, and some of those secrets are proving deadly. Suspicion mounts as each person wonders who is behind the killing, and why. With no way to contact the authorities, it's up to Milo and Mark to discover which of their friends is the murderer and stop him before they become the next target.
Upon the Midnight Queer
Holiday tales, retold queerly...A silk hat turns snow into life and a chance at love for a man with little hope of either. Two men with a connection sparked in passing attempt to withstand everything the tumultuous Toronto of 1981 throws their way, with their only remaining hope being Christmas Eve itself. A much-maligned queen of the snow teaches a young boy how to use his magic to find others of his kind. And a reindeer shines a light of its own, and with the help of the daughter of Father Time, brings gifts-and hope-to all those usually left behind.Holiday magic connects these tales and more-tales heard and seen and sung before, familiar and joyous, or tender and bittersweet-all to the last told upon the midnight queer.Upon the Midnight Queer is the second short story collection from Lambda Literary Award finalist 'Nathan Burgoine, and includes the brand new Little Village Holiday Novella, "Folly."
Ulwich Preparatory Academy
One year left & everything has changedUlwich is an all-boys prep academy with a reputation for producing young men that excel in all aspects of life. But the exclusive school isn't as rosy as it appears on the surface. Mitch and Andy were once friends-best friends. Four years later, they have another chance. But is two semesters enough time to remedy years of hurt?Calvin has always known what's up at Ulwich, and he's had Benjamin Price's number for years. They aren't supposed to want each other, but they can't seem to stay away either.As senior year at Ulwich draws to a close, the darkest aspects of the school are forced into the light. After everything they've endured, can these young men still be the gentlemen they were meant to be or is the damage too great?
Feast While You Can
For readers of Nightbitch and We Ride Upon Sticks, an "exciting new hybrid horror-romance" about queer love in a small town that serves as an unsettling reminder that the horrors of modern life is a monster ready to possess us all (New York Times Book Review). Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. Upon Jagvi's arrival, an ancient evil is awakened, and a monstrous force infiltrates Angelina's life. Only Jagvi's touch repels it -- the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco's life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?
Death Understood
When a brutal murder threatens the national security, Intelligence Agent Denise Cleever must follow the bloody trail deep into the Red Heart of Australia. Headed by the charismatic brother and sister team of Becky and Rhys Hiddwing, the powerful Hiddwing Institute is an ultraconservative think tank whose dark tentacles are insinuating themselves into the very core of Australian society. Seven years ago, family patriarch Oliver Hiddwing and his sister Clara disappeared on an expedition in the remote Outback--never to be seen again. Now Becky and Rhys want Oliver and Clara declared dead so they can inherit the vast fortune and invest it in the continued expansion of their right-wing empire. Deep undercover at the Institute, Intelligence Agent Denise Cleever tries to get as close as she can to the truth without becoming entangled in the organization's treacherous grasp...until a shocking discovery brings with it the realization that the truth--and her only chance of survival--lie in the unforgiving harshness of the Australian Outback. Death Understood is the second title in the Denise Cleever thriller series. Originally published by Naiad Press in 2000.
Cardinal Rules
The end of May approaches, and college is done for the spring semester. DJ plans to spend the summer reflecting on his traumatic childhood and trying to heal with relaxation. It isn't until his very close friend invites him to go with them for a getaway at their hometown's Pride party to live it up for the weekend. To help him feel comfortable, he invites his only family; his sister, Sierra.At first, DJ enjoys making new friends and getting involved with the community. His tensions and anxieties melt away with the drag shows and brunches that lead up to the block party. His adventures slowly become interrupted by a stalker lurking around the festivities to torment him. It's not just any old stalker.It's a cardinal!One by one, guests go missing at the hands of the deranged killer. Can DJ save himself and his acquaintances before the masked cardinal takes their lives? Will this ride be canceled from all of the mysterious murders?Cardinal Rules takes elements from '80s and '90s slasher horror, filled with blood, gore, and a little glitter. It's time to put pride back in murder!Second Edition, previously published March 2021
The Price of Cookies
Two brothers face their mother's impending death.A convenience store clerk balances compassion with duty.A grieving soldier receives a package of cookies meant for someone else.In this series of connected flash fiction pieces, people navigate the trials of life with tears, arguments and, above all, love and compassion. "Lives interwoven and cookies that arrive too late."This bravura collection of linked stories provides a profound lesson in empathy, of pouring yourself into someone else's life, someone else's pain, to see it from the inside, looking out." - Will Ferguson, Giller Prize-winning author of 419About Finnian BurnettFinnian Burnett is a professor, writer, and lifelong learner. They hold a doctorate in English pedagogy from Murray State University and teach college English, creative writing, and early British Literature. They've run the Golden Crown Literary Society's Writing Academy since 2015 and served as the Director of Education for several years. Under their former name, they published several novels with Sapphire Books Publishing, including two rainbow award winners. Their novella-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man was released through Ad Hoc Fiction. They are a US transplant to Canada and after years as a permanent resident, they finally had their citizenship ceremony. They are now an official Canadian! (And yes, they cried during their ceremony.) They live in beautiful British Columbia with their wife.
A Heart Full of Hope
Opposites attract, repel, and bicker like fools in this adorable small town lesbian romance about finding what truly matters in life.Smalltown handywoman Hazel Lee has learned to live her best life regardless of what the universe throws at her. But her patience is sorely tested when a bossy, big-city executive blows in and starts questioning Hazel's motives for helping an elderly friend.High-powered businesswoman Imogen Alexander has her career all set. Then her elderly uncle takes a bad fall in his home. Imogen figures she can surely run his life as tightly as her work, but she doesn't count on an annoying local woman being all up in his business.Hazel has one leg, two jobs, and a whole bunch of opinions. Worse, now meddling old Uncle George seems intent on match-making the women together.But what could an icy standoffish executive in hot skirt suits possibly have in common with a cute butch with charm to burn?
Imperfectly Perfect
Two settled souls. One happenstance. But will fear get in their way?Savannah Logan wants nothing more than a quiet life with her daughter. But when her brother dies of cancer, her world is thrown for yet another spin. Fighting through her grief, she takes on the hospital and doctors, suing them in a battle that will only benefit her brother's family. But she finds herself more than intrigued by the lawyer's assistant. The only problem is that Savannah refuses to make the same mistake twice, and what she needs is friendship, not love.Fallon Schroeder has sworn off love. But the curvy, ray of sunshine that just walked through the office door has caught her attention. Proposing a no strings attached relationship is the best she can offer, and when Savannah accepts, Fallon is all in. The only problem? Every day, Fallon finds herself a little more in love with Savannah and her energetic daughter.Can these two women overcome their fears and find love? Find out in this spicy sapphic romance novel that touches on domestic violence, spousal abuse, and deep, lasting grief.
Ripcord
A novel about escape and connection, class, sex, and queer intimacy in the American Midwest. The oldest story: an insider pretends to be an outsider and receives praise for his empathy and imagination and intelligence. Maybe some asshole even says bravery. An outsider pretends to be an insider, is exposed as a fraud, a liar, and burned to the ground. In Ripcord, Nate Lippens continues his meditations on escape and connection, class, sex, and intimacy. Stuck in Milwaukee, the narrator cobbles together a living by bartending and catering weddings, enmeshed in a semiaffair with a younger, married man. Cruising apps while tallying his youthful romantic failures, he fantasizes about disappearance but finds both solace and frustration in his friendships with Charlie, an aging punk who was prominent in the 1990s Chicago queercore scene, and Greer, a painter who never broke through but continues making work.
The Step Don't (Peach State Stepbros #2)
ASHAll stepbrothers need Step Don'ts.Colin and I have ours.Like, don't pit our parents against either of us. Don't hog the TV. And definitely...Don't.Keep.Secrets.These rules have done more than help us keep the peace between us.After all these years since our parents got together, I can't imagine my life without Colin.To most people, he's the hot, straight tight end for Peach State.But to me, he's my backward-cap-wearing, football-loving, piggyback-ride-giving best friend and fellow Alpha Theta Mu frat bro.Life's pretty incredible living together at the same frat house, but suddenly, I find myself keeping a particularly naughty secret.I tell myself Colin wouldn't want to know what his bi bro does in private, but then why do I feel like I'm committing a huge Step Don't?COLINThere's nothing I'm more of an expert in than my stepbro, Ash.He's a quick-witted, nerd-boy genius who's always there to help a friend cram for a test or capture bugs for me when they invade my space.He's my favorite person.Making him happy gives me a rush...but for the first time, he's keeping a secret from me.When Ash cops to his Step Don't-his new extracurricular of doing dirty things on camera-I'm confused.He is too, so we work together to figure out why this excites him so much.In places we're likely to get caught.After all, what's a little exhibitionism between stepbros?I didn't even realize I could be into guys-or be so intoxicated by these new experiences-but exploring my bisexuality with Ash is the best thing that's ever happened to me.And with each touch, each time we up the stakes, I discover I want more than just Ash's body.I want his heart too, even though that surely must be the biggest Step Don't of all.
The Brothers Bishop
Yates, the award-winning author of Leave Myself Behind, crafts another poignant and elegant work--the powerful story of two brothers who discover just how difficult it is to go home again.
Purpose
If Jax could write his own story, he would add a true friend to spend his life with. Jax Braeden has always felt different. Life at home is rough, and he struggles to find someone to truly connect with. All of this changes when a shy boy named Liam Hayfield steps into his life. With Liam by his side, Jax braves the rough waters of high school, figures out his sexuality, and learns the true meaning of love and friendship. But Liam's life is filled with secrets, and once they start to unravel, they both find themselves in danger. One day, Jax and Liam wake up at a mental health clinic, unable to remember who they are or what they mean to each other. Will they find their way back to one another . . . and to themselves?
Hounded
Bailey Lotter is the black sheep of Leigh, or so say the townsfolk. Each year, the day before his birthday, himself and three other randomly selected people have to partake in a gruesome act to prevent a curse from striking the farming community he lives in. On the eve of his 21st, Bailey has had enough of the superstitious lot. But when he fails to go through with the ritual, an unimaginable terror does indeed menace the population. It's up to Bailey and his friends to banish the threat that stalks the streets in the night, before they hang for their folly.
Oh, How We Laughed*
Oh, How We Laughed** Cried, chuckled, suffered, retreated, enjoyed, blanked, masked, cringed, smiled, consumed, planned, protested, disappeared, felt, ruminated, withdrew, celebrated, raged, meditated, screamed, froze, danced, existed...Jace Reh and Theo Brown bring together artwork, poetry, and prose from Queer, Disabled South Australians for the anthology, Oh, How We Laughed*. Creativity and laughter are universal. They aren't a constant but are a strong point of connection. We experience fear, joy, loss, exhilarating highs, depressive lows, and so much more. How we express those emotions might be different or not at all, yet amongst all this we can always strive for a laugh.The creative works featured in this anthology draw from a wide range of experiences and expressions. They share thoughts through fiction and pure creative forms. They delve into sharp realisations and convey these in direct non-fiction texts. There are pieces that feel like mere glimpses into single moments of the creators' lives. They all collate into this anthology, which is designed as an exhibition in printed form. The works are presented for readers to browse at their leisure, focus as intently as desired, or be guided from start to finish as curated to balance the peaks in emotions and pace of the individual styles.Oh, How We Laughed* is the second book in the Blue Feet Anthology series and is edited by Alex Dunkin. The first book in the series, Green, is an anthology by South Australian emerging creative researchers.Oh, How We Laughed* is a showcase of creative expression featuring Theo Brown, Freddie Foeng, KJ Hepworth, Rainier Hotchkiss, Sally Ann Hunter, J.A.M., Fig Kershaw, Victoria Knight, Tabitha Lean, Leon McAloney, Tushar Patel, Jace Reh, Tikari Rigney, Denver Rurrk, and Cameron Rutherford.Cover art by Tikari Rigney.
Pucking Mobbed
Storm was exactly that. He was a force of nature who took the hockey world by storm. It destroyed everything. His connections gave Storm everything except his hockey career. He worked his fingers to the bone for that. Getting picked up by a pro team at seventeen and finding himself thousands of miles from the only person who loved him was terrifying. Three years later, Storm wonders if it wasn't also the dumbest move he ever made. He's not sure any of it was worth the cost because he lost Barrett. Barrett doesn't tolerate much. He doesn't have to. As the son of a known mobster, he's not tested often. His only soft spot is Storm, and the guy abandoned him for some stupid game. Barrett knows Storm is talented and deserves the life he leads. But Storm made his choice when he chose his career, knowing Barrett couldn't follow. That hasn't stopped Storm from tormenting him and refusing to let him go. Maybe there isn't a fair answer. There doesn't feel like a compromise exists. So why can't Barrett walk away? Pucking Mobbed is the tenth book in Charity Parkerson's Thin Ice series. These books are steamy sports romances meant to heat up your day. This series is best enjoyed when read in order.
The Bait
When three men turn up in their sleepy little town of Tallowwood, Harry and Asher know something's wrong. Not because someone could find them, but the fact that Asher's informant and oldest friend, Yunho, failed to alert them. Messages and phone calls unanswered; Harry and Asher go to Thailand to find Yunho is missing.Harry and Asher find themselves thrown back into the game of shadows and murder, in a race across the globe to find him and find who's behind the kidnapping.The list of their enemies is long, their web of entanglement even longer, and Harry and Asher are about to find out who is predator and who is prey.
Her Last Secret
In 1930's Paris the music is jazz, the art is experimental, and American ex-patriots of color are welcomed. Aspiring journalist Vera Clay packs her suitcase and travels from Philadelphia to France, where her Aunt Evangeline set new roots a decade earlier. While the language, culture, and self-acceptance feel foreign to Vera, the possibility of love is familiar. It is Paris during the 1930's. Cigarette smoke curled above the heads of caf矇, book store, and jazz club habitu矇s carry rumors of an approaching firestorm. Some Parisians prepare to defend their lives and country. Others join the tidal wave of hatred threatening to immolate most of Europe.
Great HEX
DARRAGH CULLEN WOULD TRAVEL TO THE MOON AND BACK FOR HIS BOYFRIENDS. AND HE MAY JUST HAVE TO.An early Spring has every witch in Atlanta hot in anticipation of the rites of Ostara, a time when the Solar Equinox promises as much power as it does heat. HEX, Darragh's magic shop, is as busy as its ever been, and he's ready to welcome the shift with open arms. Alongside the company of his lovers.So what if Learco Clarke has been acting strange? It's only natural for the temperatures to rise as the Earth shifts to welcome the sun back from his Winter away.So what if Cernun Kyteler's aura feels new and harsh against his own? Spring, after all, sets the stage for rebirth and renewal.Darragh loves his boyfriends regardless. And he's about to find out just how far he'll have to go to keep that love.Great HEX is the third installment in the HEX'd Series.
Interesting Facts about Space
A fast-paced, hilarious, and ultimately hopeful novel for anyone who has ever worried they might be a terrible person--from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. Enid is obsessed with space. She can tell you all about black holes and their ability to spaghettify you without batting an eye in fear. Her one major phobia? Bald men. But she tries to keep that one under wraps. When she's not listening to her favorite true crime podcasts on a loop, she's serially dating a rotation of women from dating apps. At the same time, she's trying to forge a new relationship with her estranged half-sisters after the death of her absent father. When she unwittingly plunges into her first serious romantic entanglement, Enid starts to believe that someone is following her. As her paranoia spirals out of control, Enid must contend with her mounting suspicion that something is seriously wrong with her. Because at the end of the day there's only one person she can't outrun--herself. Brimming with quirky humor, charm, and heart, Interesting Facts about Space effortlessly shows us the power of revealing our secret shames, the most beautifully human parts of us all.
Hate To Love You
Two unlikely roommates, hot summer nights & a forbidden sapphic romance.Ryleigh: When Alana suggested I move into the second house on the Lovers Estate, I took her up on it. Even though that meant sharing the space with Alana's little sister, who happened to hate my guts.Wrenn: Of course my older sister just had to open her big mouth and invite her friend to stay with me. It was bad enough having to see her in my sister's wedding, but to see her at my kitchen table? I thought after we hooked up that it might be the start of something, until the next morning when I woke up alone. Now all she wants to do is talk about what happened and I just want to avoid her.Ryleigh and Wrenn are sure they still hate each other but as the summer nights heat up, so do their feelings.Hate to Love You is a small town, Femme/Femme, Roommates to lovers, best friend's little sister, spicy romance. Hate to Love You is book 2 in the Lighthouse Lovers series and can be read as a complete standalone.
The Dream-Slaves
To fight the gods-you must first become a slave.Our universe is dead. All that's left are memories. But the powers indigenous to the new world are fighting back.Alexander, a handsome immigrant fleeing trouble in his poor native land, doesn't even have a claim to his own name in the magic-rich city of Norio, where they call him Aleixo. But his name may be the least of what the sorcerers of Norio take from him, when a seemingly random invitation to cater-waiter at a party of the wealthy and famous sweeps Aleixo up into a maelstrom of imperial politics and a millennia-long war between humans and gods. The empire of Norio rules the world because of its monopoly on magical high-tech devices called dream-slaves-and now the head of imperial intelligence has proof that Aleixo isn't human at all, but a dream-slave assassin, smuggled into Norio by the empire's enemies.Rescued by a cabal of sorcerers from a foiled attempt to kill him by a renegade sorcerer, Salvador, and his mysterious other-human ally Ydris, Aleixo finds his identity and humanity stripped from him in harrowing psychedelic adventures that transform his memories and bind him to a history of conflict, activating fabulous abilities he never dreamed he had. The world Aleixo lives in isn't what he's always believed it was: the forces that rule his destiny are not just economic class, race, gender, sexuality, body, nationality-they are much more sinister, and much more powerful. The greatest powers have secretly colonized his planet, and made its history strangely similar to our own. Aleixo discovers he may be the last line of defense against the dystopian present and future of Earth. He leads the struggle for emancipation as he grapples with who and what he is: is he human, or just a dream?
Zigzag
Philip Gambone's long-awaited second book of short stories takes off from where his highly acclaimed first collection ended, taking us now into the lives of older gay men, their adventures and challenges, heartaches, and joys. Set largely in Boston, these sixteen loosely interconnected new stories are about men who have experienced and witnessed a lot: marriages and break-ups; rekindling old loves and starting new romances with unlikely partners; the search for sex in an online era; the loss of familiar gay culture; the death of loved ones due to old age, sickness and AIDS; and always the adventure of living in a world where they have to make up the rules as they go along.Gambone takes us to a radical faerie wedding, a closeted French teacher's classroom, the weekly caf矇 gathering of a group of older gay bohemians, a randy eighty-year-old portrait painter who insists his clients pose in the nude, a gay man who discovers his brother is HIV positive, a man in a wheelchair who hires a straight, 23-year-old companion, another who periodically hooks up with a married man half his age, and a long-married gay couple whose weekly visits to a sports caf矇 in Boston's Italian neighborhood presents a delicious and dangerous temptation.Some of these men fight the temptation to live nostalgically in the past; others embrace the new opportunities that come with deeper insight and age. Whatever the case, in each story, Gambone explores how, as older gay men, each of his characters ultimately arrives at a place of greater equanimity, self-acceptance, wisdom, and even spiritual growth.As George Stambolian said of his first collection, "Philip Gambone has done something extraordinary-he has written with honesty, humor, and compassion about the lives of ordinary gay men. His characters speak to us in voices that are almost hypnotically real. They charm us with their words only to catch us with startling revelations of truth."Now these "ordinary gay men" have reached a new, more complex stage in their lives, where the pull of multiple responsibilities, conflicting desires, and cross-generational connections both enriches and tests the identities they've built up over the years. Exhilarating, heart-warming, sexy, and very real-these stories zigzag through the twists and turns of each character's life toward a place where gratitude, peace, clarity, and joy radiantly triumph.
Twilight Manors in Palm Springs The Great New Orleans Powder Puff Caper
Brian & St矇phane are Back, Spreading Mischief, Mayhem, and Loads of LaughsBuckle up for a wild ride in the fifth installment of the Twilight Manors series! Brian and St矇phane embark on an unforgettable journey to New Orleans via Amtrak-St矇phane to dazzle at a Powder Puff Convention, and Brian to soak up the city's vibrant chaos. But their adventure takes a jaw-dropping turn when the train is hijacked by the outrageous Barbie Liberation Front!As the pair are plunged into the heart of Texas, they encounter a bizarre cast of characters: a jubilant hooker, a man with an unusual affection for sheep, a curious peeping Tom, a woman claiming to own Ingrid Bergman's DNA, and a footsie-loving Mennonite woman. Each character adds to the madness.The craziness escalates upon their arrival in New Orleans, where the convention reveals its own set of troubles. Someone is kidnapping chihuahuas, and the stakes couldn't be higher.Join Brian and St矇phane as they navigate through a whirlwind of opera, voodoo, tortoise painters, biker gals, killer chefs, and the biggest ding-dong on this side, or any side, of the Mississippi. Oh, and don't miss St矇phane taking a cure for his homosexuality-SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't work!Dive headfirst into Twilight Manors in Palm Springs: The Great New Orleans Powder Puff Caper for a side-splitting, page-turning adventure you won't want to miss!
Love Immortal
Perfect for fans of vampires, romantasy, and dark academia!Jonathan Evergreen is a talented sophomore at a prestigious, isolated college in Vermont, who dreams of a career in book conservation. But Jonathan's life isn't as rosy as it may appear. Disowned by his family after they caught him with another boy, he struggles to overcome heartbreak and support himself through his studies. To make matters worse, his advisor and the only ally in the institution run by old money and family connections mysteriously vanishes, and a new enigmatic professor, Dacian Bathory, takes his place.Even though Jonathan is instantly drawn to Dacian, feeling a deep, intense connection between them, Dacian's hot and cold behavior leaves him puzzled. But things change when Dacian unexpectedly helps him secure a job at the college's Rare Books library from which an antique book recently went missing-a book that Dacian seems to have a deep interest in.As their attraction grows, sinister events start to unfold around campus: people disappearing in the dead of night, a group of legacies showing signs of increasingly disturbing behavior, and a dead body washing up nearby, completely drained of blood. Plagued by unsettling dreams that feel too close to reality, Jonathan suspects that some of these events might be connected to Dacian.With the stakes escalating and his own life on the line, can Jonathan unravel the truth about Dacian and confront the darkness before it consumes them both?
Just Business
Caitlyn Pierce has been working at Black Corporation for four years and is determined to succeed, but a new face comes into play. She finds out it's the chairman's daughter, River Black, who is the new CEO. She immediately finds her attractive, but her new boss's aloofness makes it difficult for Caityln to get the closer connection that she hopes for. As she is trying to get River to recognise their compatibility, secrets of the Black's family history are revealed that force Caitlyn to ask herself if River is the person she thought she was.A sapphic love story that explores the challenges of a workplace romance and the complicated dynamics of a family.
Short-term Daddy
Jarek is burned out on life. One summer night with a sweet soul changes everything. While Luca is used to being considered odd, he's embraced the title. He's found happiness in the simpler things. It's not like he has a choice. He's dirt-poor living in an expensive town. Barely scraping by isn't even enough to describe how dire his straits are. Then a chance meeting at the park turns his entire life on its head. He's never been more terrified. This one will hurt when it's over, and Luca already knows how it'll end. As a highly sought-after attorney, Jarek hasn't taken a breath in years until one night he simply decides to stop. When he spots an adorable man playing with blocks in the middle of the park with zero shame, Jarek can't stay away. He keeps searching for ways to convince Luca to see him. Jarek can't even say exactly what he hopes to achieve, but he only has one summer to figure it out. After that, Luca will be gone forever. That's not an outcome Jarek is sure he can handle. Short-term Daddy is the first book in Charity Parkerson's Little Lost series where adorable, sometimes bratty, and scared Littles meet the men of their dreams.
When the Rose Speaks Its Name
When the Rose Speaks Its Name: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology is a collection of original writings and illustrations inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. Each work interprets the iconic character through a queer lens in celebration of the deep bond between Holmes and Watson-a relationship which has captured the hearts and minds of readers for generations.
Just Business
Caitlyn Pierce has been working at Black Corporation for four years and is determined to succeed, but a new face comes into play. She finds out it's the chairman's daughter, River Black, who is the new CEO. She immediately finds her attractive, but her new boss's aloofness makes it difficult for Caityln to get the closer connection that she hopes for. As she is trying to get River to recognise their compatibility, secrets of the Black's family history are revealed that force Caitlyn to ask herself if River is the person she thought she was.A sapphic love story that explores the challenges of a workplace romance and the complicated dynamics of a family.
Priest Kid
Sarah has always idolized her Episcopal priest mother. Until she falls in love with a nonbinary radical just like her. Our verdict: Get it.-Kirkus "Heart-wrenching, heartwarming, charming, but most of all fun-a meeting of the most complex of relationships, plagued by the same aches." Based on the award-winning queer screenplay, Saint John the Divine in Iowa, but told from the daughter's point-of-view, Priest Kid tells the story of a loving Midwest Episcopal family in which you don't have to come out...until you do. If you liked Written on the Body, if you watched the L Word Generation Q and liked the relationship between Finley and the minister, this book is for you. "I took refuge in the beautiful, truly haunting words of this novella. Lyralen Kaye has a gift for making it seem effortless to talk about grace and the role we undertake in the world to embrace what that means. Backstories are blended with asides, while the strong narrative voice propels us forward and manages to set us right within the thought and feeling we were just about to experience. The work is tremendous, complex, and full of soul and heart." Katherine Vaz, award-winning author of Our Lady of the Artichokes
Brumeterre 2 - The Submissive
Victory sometimes has a bitter taste... That's the cruel lesson Ember has learned!Thanks to her strange powers, she has triumphed over her enemy, but her sweet friend Seraphina, seriously injured during the battle, is wandering between life and death.With her companion Jareth, Ember is ready to do anything to save her. Can human medicine do nothing? Never mind, she'll resort to the most occult potions and the most powerful spells, whatever the cost! - We're ready to face hell if we have to!And what if that's what's really waiting for them out there, in the mysterious world beyond the Mists? WARNING: this book contains real pieces of black humour, sexual freedom and subversive tone! (16+)
Rain Star
A woman lover is my fuse my motorbike, my sunny day, my sea swim, my champagne, wedding, my rainy days is here. I'm house sitting, I'm a lesbian. My ex is away, it's weird. I walked into this woman's life and have never ever gone way. 23 years of laughter holidays in Wales, cars, parties, friendships, parties, food, Indian takeaways, Ferrari's, cocaine, and fireworks. No. Campfires. Diversity committed and action works for SGI Buddhist network.
An Unsettled Range
Stories from the Range: Book ThreeThe last thing Liam Southard expects when he flees his abusive father is to be taken in by a couple of gay ranchers. Soon he has a new job and a new perspective on his sexuality, and his life starts to turn around. Then someone pulls a gun on him.In Troy Gardener's defense, the gun thing was a mistake. Between his marriage falling apart and living in his uncle's isolated hunting cabin, he's been a little edgy. He wants to make it up to Liam, and once he discovers how much they have in common, he wants even more. But with Liam's father popping in unexpectedly and a mining company threatening the ranch's water supply, the only guarantee is that life is never going to be boring.
Outside the Wire
Larry, drafted just out of high school, fights to survive a year in Vietnam's Central Highlands and come home alive, while Buddy, lucky in the draft, remains seemingly safe at home. But the war, and the separation it decrees, forge changes in both. Tour of duty over, Larry returns home a different man, a ghost of himself dealing with the consequences of war and an addiction to drugs. Buddy struggles to help and understand, but despite his love for Larry, he too is haunted by what happened to Larry in Vietnam. Together, the two must find a return to what they were before, and figure out if their futures will be together or apart.
Lowest Common Denominator
For readers of Tove Jansson and Eileen Myles, Lowest Common Denominator is an ecstatic coming-of-age novel by the Finlandia-prize-winning author of The Red Book of FarewellsWriting in the wake of her father's death, the narrator of Pirkko Saisio's autofictional novel (translated from Finnish by Mia Spangenberg) transports us to the 1950s Finland of her youth, where she navigates life as an only child of communist parents. Convinced she will grow up to become a man, a young Saisio keeps trying and failing to meet the expectations of the adults around her. Writing with her trademark wit and style, each formative experience--with the Big Bad Wolf, a bikini-clad circus announcer, and Jesus Christ "who has a beard like a man but a skirt and long hair like a woman"--drives her further and further from her family and others. Struggling to understand her place in the world around her, it's in language that she discovers a refuge and a way to be seen at last.
Something Close to Nothing
First comes surrogacy, then comes the messy gay breakup in Tom Pyun's tragi-comic debut novel that asks, is it ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up?Winston Kang and Jared Cahill seem like the perfect couple. When they check in for their flight to Cambodia, where they're headed to meet the surrogate carrying their baby girl, even the woman at the airline counter recognizes it: "I'm so happy that marriage is legal for you guys," she says.But while Jared is already planning for their second kid--half white like him, half Korean like Wynn--Wynn isn't ready to give up his dreams of becoming a hip-hop dancer to become "the hostage of a crying, pooping terrorist." So he does what anyone in his position would do: He leaves Jared at the airport.Wynn sets off on a journey around the globe, trying to figure out what it means to put himself first, from auditioning for Misty Espinoza's comeback tour to organizing a Prince-themed flash mob. Oceans away, Jared starts to panic that no one in his life can talk to Meryl about her period or what it's like to grow up Asian American.Told in alternating points of view, Pyun's sardonic and addictive page-turner confronts questions of race, identity, and privilege, pulling at the loose threads of the American Dream and facing the question of whether it's ever too late to finally face yourself and grow up.
Maybe Now
After six years of success at Technovations, Ryan accepts a one-year assignment in Auckland, New Zealand. This assignment will advance his career, but his husband Aaron dreads the prospect of a one-year separation.While Ryan is in New Zealand, COVID strikes. His life remains mostly unaffected, but the stress of the pandemic, the social isolation, and their separation take an emotional toll on Aaron. Ryan's brother Brandon, a senior at Arizona State University, moves in when ASU shifts to online classes. Aaron welcomes Brandon's companionship and support, but their dynamic changes as the pandemic drags on and Ryan's return is repeatedly delayed.When Ryan returns, he finds his marriage in ruins. Their situation is further complicated by Ryan's high school boyfriend moving to town, the return of Ryan's estranged father, and a visit from two LDS missionaries. Ryan, Aaron, Brandon, and everyone else must navigate these upheavals to rebuild their lives and find happiness in a changed post-pandemic world.Content Advisory: This book contains adult language and references to same-sex sexual activities. It does not contain explicit sex scenes. If it were a movie, it would be rated R. This book may not be suitable for readers under 18.
