Snapdragon Revolution
In the ruins of Occidental University, Reuven Hoffman, a man burdened by the weight of his past, finds himself lost in memories of a bygone era. Before the world was scorched by revolution and pestilence. A complicated love triangle places three Occidental University students in peril, forcing them to each come to terms with their inner demons and tearing at the edges of their grip on reality. All the while, the destitute masses, burdened with hunger and sickness, hover in the backdrop, preparing to rise and fight - and do whatever it takes to see their oppressors torn down. Snapdragon Revolution is a haunting reflection of the world's current socio-political crisis. Peeling apart the layers of classist struggles and exploring the raw wounds of the human condition therewithin.
God is an Apricot
Gabriel knows he's sick. It's in his blood but he refuses to accept it as a anything more than a flu a few antibiotics can clear up. Instead, he sweats over his masterpiece, a contemporary reproduction of Swan Lake performed in the Shepherds Hill Recreation Park south of Adelaide. What begins as an artistic distraction swiftly becomes a fever-fuelled obsession.Robert Moore's metaphysical tour de forceps, God is an Apricot, is a surreal exploration of creative mania. It's a head-first dive from Gabriel's fantasy of putting on one last big show and into a mind trip of the glorious and unreal.
Prep School Scandal
Book Two of the Prep School Blues series.Summer's over and the prep school kids return for their junior year. Larsen's back with his ex-girlfriend Gabrielle, and his popular crowd of friends. And he couldn't have less time for Jack if he tried. Not that he tries. But the arrival of a new student turns the tables. Edgar Alexander, Senator's son and musician, transfers after a string of expulsions from other schools. Edgar's got a scandalous reputation that he more than lives up to. Plus he's got his eye on Jack as more than just a friend. When Larsen sees what's happening between Jack and Edgar, he's less than thrilled. As tensions rise between Larsen and Edgar grows, Jack will be forced to make a heartbreaking choice.
HEX, Blood, & Ritual
VAMPIRES AREN'T REAL.At least that's what Darragh Cullen keeps telling himself.But when the bodies begin to pile up on his trip to New Orleans, he can no longer be so sure.With the BOG Witch Convention overtaking the Crow's Court Hotel, hundreds of magicalcreatures are on site when the exsanguinated bodies of humans and witches alike appear. Any of the attendees or staff could be the killer--or become the next victim.Darragh has four days to discover the truth before the whole of the magical world is changed forever. And if immortal beings are stalking the halls, forever could become a startling reality.
Wilder Animals
Ariadne Willow isn't going to shed any tears over the suicide of rival private investigator Clark Wilcox. He was an oafish misogynist drunk who was more likely to break the law than defend it. She assumes he got involved in something shady and took the quick way out. Unfortunately she's going to have to care when the police show up to reveal Ari was the last person to speak with him.Meanwhile, Ariadne's painful transformations into the wolf have reached the tipping point, leading her to consider desperate measures. Dale is open to anything to ease Ari's pain, but she can't help but worry what would happen if she becomes a full canidae.Because no modern canidae has ever had a lasting relationship with a human.
Reverse Tomboy
Naomi Soloveitchik has taken the first steps towards medical transition and with them, the womanhood she hopes to embody. However, she does not really understand what that means for her relationships, both to friends and lovers, but also to her own body. She wrestles with the more masculinized forms of womanhood she had admired and aspired to all her life, asking herself if it is possible for a trans woman to be that kind of woman. As she attempts to find her body and her body's place in this new, exciting, and at points terrifying world she encounters a cast of characters both from her immediate past, who haunt her and leave her wondering what their roles served to do to her, and new ones who she must learn if she can trust enough to love.In addition to the central story, also included are a small collection of poems and a brief essay on trans femme butch identity.
Not My Fault
A Sapphic Renee Rapp coded fake dating rockstar romance.Emily: When my manager insists I need to 'calm down' my image for the sake of getting bigger gigs, I immediately reject the idea. But as I'm passed up for a big opportunity in my career, I begin to think she's right. In an attempt to listen to her, she suggests I find someone stable to be in a relationship with along with a list of ideas to help fix the way people see me. I have no idea where to start, I'm too busy to have a real relationship while building my career as a singer. Until I'm photographed with the hot tattoo artist who did my latest ink, a friend of a friend and I get a crazy idea that just might work.Gus: If you ask me about my relationship status, I'd probably say it's complicated. That is until I meet Emily, mostly known as her stage name of 'LULY'. She's a lesbian singer, friend of a friend, who might just be the answer to my relationship troubles. When she proposes the idea of fake dating, I politely decline. Until the girl I like is suddenly more hot and less cold. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, I can make her jealous and I get to make out with a hot woman for the press.Everything was going according to plan, it's not my fault we started to fall for each other...If you love Renee Rapp, Sapphic romances, fake dating, and tattoo artists with a heart of gold then you'll love this book! Please note this is book 2 in the Behind the Scenes series, while reading Eras of Us will give you more background on the characters, it's not necessary to read first.
Miss Vee and the terrible trailer park
Miss Vee is sixty, sassy, and trans. After finding a Roma caravan, she decides that camping is in order toot sweet! Miss Vee and her besties, married couple Jaqi and Luci Crow, decide to take a long weekend and test out Vee's new vardo.The beautiful trailer park on the website was a lie, there are no amenities, no beach, and no refunds!When Victor, the bald chihuahua, finds a sneaker to play with and Vee finds its owner's body nearby, things go from awful to bloody awful. Now the Provincial Police and the RCMP are battling their way to the top of the useless cops championship. And Vee is losing her ladylike patience.Fortunately, there's handsome and charming Carl, who takes a real interest in Vee. But when people start disappearing, What's a lady to do?
Tranhumance
"Every time I pick up Transhumance, it's like being absorbed into a literary mycelial network. A sensory plunge [...] I think this book should be read by everyone." -Hania Elkington, writer, The Innocents, Netflix; Fifteen-Love, Prime VideoA man and his dogs carve a garden out of the mountain. Somewhere in between, humans, heirs, animals, and ancestors crisscross his path in spells and stretches. The valley lies far below, where the stone arc that spans the entry gorge has fallen. He works the land slowly, as the world fractures into its aftermath. Everything is bristling.Transhumance is a queer novel about working the land, ritual, and handiwork, in the era of catastrophe. From prehistory to post-society, this is a story set in small worlds transfixed by the virus of endings, where everything is infected with meaning.Andrew F Giles writes poetry and prose, with work in many journals and anthologies. Transhumance is his first novel. He teaches remotely, and works and lives at Greyhame Farm, a smallholding in Asturias, Spain.
The Game Night
Ten years ago, at their senior year party- a night that was supposed to be one of the best of their lives- something horrible happened. Five friends promised to keep a secret no matter what, and to cut ties immediately- never to talk again. But now, one of them has suddenly organized a reunion- and they're all having second thoughts. Maybe keeping their secret was a bad idea, because now they're all paying for it in one way or another. Their little reunion party is awkward at best, and deadly at worst. Because someone thinks they should be paying the ultimate price, and now none of them may get out alive. Are you ready to play a game?
Bull Riders Don't Swoon
GriffJamieson Carr is my best friend, the one bright light in my mostly dark life.He's sunshine, easy smiles, and a world-class bull rider.Me? I'm just a surly bull fighter with a sixth sense around animals. He thinks I'm the reason he's so good, but that's not true at all. Jamieson is a shining star who doesn't need me at all.I should be glad I'm the lucky one who gets to stand beside him...but I've always wanted more.JamiesonGriff Shepard saved my life. Of course, that's best friend goals don't you think? Without him, I wouldn't be half the bull rider I am today. He's my good luck charm, closest confidant, and partner-in-crime all rolled into one.Griff might be a little grumpy, but he's always got my back and joins in when I sing. Who doesn't love a good sea shanty?I thought I knew everything about Griff. Until a road trip... and one kiss.Bull Riders Don't Swoon is an emotionally charged romance between two best friends who work together in rodeo. A grumpy bull fighter who pines for his best friend finally shares his secrets-all of them. A road trip that turns into romance, heartfelt confessions, and an unnatural obsession with blueberries. Bull Riders Don't Swoon will definitely have you swooning when Jamieson realizes the power of love.CW: alcoholic parent, off page mention of abuse.
Lies Between
Gretchen is a young married woman longing to start a family. She is an avid list maker and looking to perfect the life list she has always pictured: 1. Get married 2. Get a great job 3. Buy a lovely house 4. Have a beautiful baby After a failed attempt to become pregnant, Gretchen begins to lose sight of everything except her desire to be a mother. Tangled perceptions about her sense of self, her recent 100-pound weight loss, and her sexuality do not help. Caught in the cycle of frequent fertility appointments and her near constant effort at conceiving, Gretchen blurs the lines between friendship, commitment, and her own integrity. What will Gretchen do to ease her feelings of failure and complete the perfect life she has pictured?
Lies Between
Gretchen is a young married woman longing to start a family. She is an avid list maker and looking to perfect the life list she has always pictured: 1. Get married 2. Get a great job 3. Buy a lovely house 4. Have a beautiful baby After a failed attempt to become pregnant, Gretchen begins to lose sight of everything except her desire to be a mother. Tangled perceptions about her sense of self, her recent 100-pound weight loss, and her sexuality do not help. Caught in the cycle of frequent fertility appointments and her near constant effort at conceiving, Gretchen blurs the lines between friendship, commitment, and her own integrity. What will Gretchen do to ease her feelings of failure and complete the perfect life she has pictured?
We Are Made of Scars and Starlight
"A powerful story about the fierce love of friendship, and finding the courage to love and accept yourself." Elissa Grossell Dickey, author of The Speed of LightWhen twenty-five-year-old Kai Larssen agrees to pose as his best friend Mariah's date at a family gathering, he doesn't expect to fall-hard-for her twin brother, Ray. Anxious, magnetic, and achingly off-limits, Ray is everything Kai has ever wanted. But coming out to Ray means risking Mariah's privacy-and their friendship.Back in New York, Kai and Ray grow closer, and Kai finds himself trapped in a tangle of half-truths and unspoken feelings. As the lies pile up, Kai must decide: is love worth the cost of betrayal?Told in luminous prose, We Are Made of Scars & Starlight is a tender, heartbreaking novella about mental health, disability, and queer desire in the heart of the modern city. Poignant and full of hope, it's a story of self-discovery, chosen family, and the courage it takes to be seen.
The Role Players
Dick and his lover, Jonathan, finally manage to take a vacation, and it is, to some extent, a sentimental journey for Dick--it is to New York City, the site of former adventures, and where his former lover is now settled in with a new lover, Max, who happens to be involved in a theater company. Dick and Jonathan fly in for opening night, but also arrive soon after one of the original cast is murdered--gunned down with a shot in the back, and ending up face down in a vacant lot. It seems Dick can't even have a vacation without playing his usual role of sleuth, and there's a different kind of role playing happening as well...
The Good Cop
All Tom Brady wanted was to be a good cop; to keep a low profile and prove to a notoriously homophobic police department undergoing its own internal upheavals that gays deserved the right to be among them. But when he and old friend Dick Hardesty go out for a quiet evening, an incident leads to Tom shooting two thugs attacking patrons of a gay bar. Dick finds himself trying to protect Tom from being outed, while heading off a violent antipolice rebellion by the gay community.
The Bottle Ghosts
Hired to find a missing man--an alcoholic--Dick Hardesty discovers that an unusual number of alcoholic gay men have vanished within a relatively short period and never heard from again. Clues lead him to a support group for gay couples, where one partner is alcoholic and the other is not. Dick and his partner Jonathan infiltrate the group by claiming Jonathan is an alcoholic. When two more men from the group appear to suffer the same fate as the previous victims, Dick is determined to find out why...and who is responsible.
The Popsicle Tree
Following the death of the parents of Jonathan's four-year-old nephew Joshua, Dick and his partner find themselves in a new role: parents. As if fatherhood didn't bring enough of a set of challenges, the mother of one of Joshua's new friends is murdered, sending Dick on a trail to find out who killed her and why. With a list of suspects ranging from a lesbian ex-partner to the boy's race-car-driver father, Dick is soon embroiled in a case so complicated that child-rearing begins to look easier than solving the case.
Mom, Dad...I'm Drowning
All my life, I was told one thing-difference must be hidden, erased, extinguished. "Orpheus, you don't belong. You can't belong. You don't deserve to belong. You will always be alone."My relationship with my parents was devastating. The older I got, the deeper I sank into darkness-the very darkness they pushed me into. I had no one left. But just as I was losing myself in the shadows, a hand reached out to me-Odysseus.Was it friendship? Was it romance? I don't know. But it was something real. A love without judgment, without conditions. A love unlike any I had ever known.But life can be a ruthless player, weaving its cruelty like a silent storm. One moment, you're standing; the next, you're drowning in a vast ocean, struggling to stay afloat as the waves drag youunder.Mom, Dad... I'm drowning. But you're nowhere to be found.​Who am I?​I am pain that shutters you.I am the terror that grips you at the thought of death.I am the sorrow that crushes you when love is gone.I am what you fear your son might become.​I am Orpheus. And this is my story.
The Paper Mirror
At the gala opening of a new library filled with homosexual writings collected by the late Charles Burrows, known for both his taste in writing, as well as his eccentricity, Dick Hardesty and his partner Jonathan are enjoying a rare night out since four-year-old Joshua joined their household. The evening takes an abrupt turn when cataloger Taylor Cates is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in the library. The library foundation enlists Hardesty's help in determining the truth of what happened--accident, or something more--which leads Dick to opponents of the creation of the library, and into the world of a long-dead, secretly gay writer, whose remaining family is determined to conceal his sexual orientation.
This Is Who I Am
Love doesn't always follow the recipe...Cass Little has built a life defined by two passions: food and control. As head chef she's used to perfection-except when it comes to her own body. Menopause has taken its toll, leaving Cass struggling to accept a body she barely recognizes. She's convinced that love, like her libido, has long left the building.Estelle Raymond is back in Clearwater Bay to grieve her father-and escape a lifetime of expectations. A brilliant mathematician, she's comfortable being asexual, but wary of the way love so often demands she be someone she's not.But something about Cass-a woman who loves fiercely but fears she's not enough-awakens a desire for connection Estelle thought she'd buried. And something about Estelle-a woman who refuses to compromise her truth-makes Cass question everything she thought she knew about passion.When old wounds and new desires collide, Cass and Estelle must learn that love isn't always about reciprocity-it's about trust, acceptance, and finding comfort in the unexpected.Set in the small coastal town of Clearwater Bay, This Is Who I Am is a heartwarming sapphic romance about queer identity, self-acceptance, and the messy, beautiful ways we learn to love again.
Slow Guillotine
Winner of the Barbara DiBernard Prize in FictionSlow Guillotine follows three broke weirdos whose collective desire to make and think about art is constantly interrupted by their art-industry-adjacent minimum-wage jobs. Throughout the novel, the three friends' day jobs in a failing independent bookstore, a sterile gallery in downtown Manhattan, and miscellaneous living rooms across the Long Island birthday-party-clown circuit interweave with their attempts to come to terms with their precarity, gender-dysphoric embodiment, and the floating dream of collective liberation.Spanning one year and told through an obsessive first-person present tense, Slow Guillotine brings the bildungsroman structure through the autofictional looking glass, questioning how "coming of age" could be feasible in a society of debtors, wage laborers, and renters.
Ferocious
When a scrawny, pink-haired ragamuffin tries to rob me at knifepoint, I respond the way any sensible person would and invite him to dinner-where he proceeds to threaten my entire ten-year plan simply by being his effervescent self. Much to my annoyance.There's no room in my life for a gorgeous criminal named Rowan. I need to check off the next item on my list: Find the right, respectable husband. I can't be an accessory to a life of crime.And yet, my perfect plan's been a bust. Yes, I have millions of social media followers, a prestigious job, and an expensive car, but I'm realizing I want more from life. My casual hookups aren't making me happy. I'm ... lonely.While Rowan's a tattooed menace, he does something to my heart, and I can't seem to stay away from him. Let's not get started on how I like seeing my marks on him. Everywhere.Rowan isn't who I'm looking for, but it seems he's not who we think he is, either. Which creates an entirely different set of problems with much, much higher stakes.I'm in way too deep to get out. If I even want to.Ferocious is a stand-alone contemporary M/M romance about Rowan, a rideshare-driving twink with a penchant for violence, and Charlie, a grumpy lawyer. It features first times, primal play, kidnapping and other crimes, and a philodendron that likes to ride in the car. HEA? Definitely.
The Role Players
Dick and his lover, Jonathan, finally manage to take a vacation, and it is, to some extent, a sentimental journey for Dick--it is to New York City, the site of former adventures, and where his former lover is now settled in with a new lover, Max, who happens to be involved in a theater company. Dick and Jonathan fly in for opening night, but also arrive soon after one of the original cast is murdered--gunned down with a shot in the back, and ending up face down in a vacant lot. It seems Dick can't even have a vacation without playing his usual role of sleuth, and there's a different kind of role playing happening as well...
Locke & Co.
Immortal Allery Locke has been tasked with finding the key that opens doors to other dimensions. Find it and hand it over to the wardens for destruction. There's only one problem-the key is a woman. Whenever the key-Deni-opens a door, it allows monsters, demons, and all manner of unsavoury supernaturals to cross over and wreak havoc. Allery must keep Deni from falling into the wrong hands, because if rogue wardens get hold of her, it will cause an interdimensional war. Can Allery make the impossible decision? Kill her lover, or risk the end of the world.
Roon & Raud and the Case of the Deadly Derby
In the quirky town of Laurel, longtime partners Roon and Raud have settled into a comfortable retirement filled with community activism, morning coffee rituals, and affectionate bickering. Their lives were turn upside down when they took in Tristan, a young trans man rejected by his family, who's still proving himself to the world.Just as they're adjusting to their new living arrangement, chaos erupts at Laurel's annual "Running of the Cats" festival-a bizarre local tradition where owners race alongside their feline companions. What should have been a day of quirky small-town fun turns deadly when Elara Voss, the event's frontrunner, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. The police quickly arrest Echo, a non-binary street musician whom Roon, Raud, and Tristan had just met at a local caf矇.The trio is convinced that Echo is innocent. With Echo behind bars and the police unwilling to look elsewhere, the trio take matters into their own hands.Disguising themselves as members of the fictitious "Benevolent Order of Old Belles," they begin questioning everyone connected to Elara and the mysterious Laurel Reliquary-a historical artifact Elara had recently discovered. Their investigation leads them to a cast of suspicious characters: Blake Latham, a librarian; Marissa Langston, a museum curator; Professor Arthur Caldwell, an academic; and Lydia Harper, an antique shop owner. But in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, nothing is quite what it seems.As they dig deeper, the trio discovers that everyone connected to Elara appears to be hiding something. Their amateur sleuthing takes them from the library to the museum to an antique shop filled with questionable artifacts, each stop revealing new layers to the mystery while raising more questions than answers.Meanwhile, Tristan finds his own identity journey intertwined with the investigation. With Roon and Raud's encouragement, he attends a meeting at the Laurel Trans Wellness Coalition, where he finds a community that understands him in ways his biological family never did. This newfound confidence propels him to take increasingly active roles in their detective work, using his internet savvy to help uncover connections the others might miss.With each new clue, the trio's bond strengthens. Roon and Raud, with their decades of activist experience and street smarts, provide wisdom and courage, while Tristan brings fresh perspectives and technological know-how. Together, they form an unlikely but effective detective team, navigating danger with a combination of determination, wit, and their own peculiar brand of chaos.Officer Washington, the one sympathetic ear in the police department, warns them to be careful but quietly appreciates their persistence. As the evidence mounts and the suspects' stories begin to unravel, the trio finds themselves racing against time. The Reliquary's significance grows more mysterious and potentially more valuable than anyone initially suspected-valuable enough that someone might be willing to kill for it.With Echo still languishing in jail and the real killer walking free, Roon, Raud, and Tristan must navigate small-town politics, academic rivalries, and their own limitations to expose the truth. Their investigation puts them directly in the path of danger as they inch closer to discovering not just who killed Elara, but why the Laurel Reliquary might be worth murdering for.In this unconventional cozy mystery, three outsiders join forces to prove that justice has no age limit, family is what you make it, and sometimes the most unlikely detectives are the ones who see what everyone else misses.Be sure to check out Book 1 in the series, Roon & Raud and the Case of the Missing Ex-Husband
Roon & Raud and the Case of the Missing Ex-Husband
Marie "Roon" Kenne and Maude "Raud" Hayes have spent forty-five years perfecting the art of domestic bliss-which mostly involves Roon keeping Raud from leaving the house without underwear and Raud making coffee strong enough to revive Frankenstein. Their biggest drama these days comes from Erline, their theatrical betta fish who has opinions about everything.Then Roon's ex-husband Hank calls.Well, technically he leaves a voicemail that's equal parts heartbreaking and terrifying: "Honey, it's me. I'm not sure where I am. I don't like it here. It's smelly and dark. Will you come and get me, please?"Hank suffers from CTE and hasn't exactly been Roon's problem since their brief marriage of convenience ended in 1970. But when someone that confused goes missing, you don't just delete the message and pour another cup of coffee-even if that coffee is made by an Italian machine that cost more than their first car.What starts as a simple welfare check turns into something much darker, involving greedy sons, suspicious baristas, and family members who'd sell their own grandmother's dentures for the right price. Lucky for Hank, Roon and Raud aren't your average septuagenarian sleuths-and when they take in Tristan, a transgender teenager with his own complicated story, this unlikely trio proves that sometimes the best families are the ones you choose.A cozy mystery that's as warm as morning coffee and twice as satisfying, perfect for readers who believe that age is just a number and love comes in all shapes, sizes, and decades."When life gives you lemons, don't waste time making lemonade. Just say screw the lemons and shake up a margarita instead."Book 1 in the Roon & Raud Mystery Series
Here in My Heart
In the golden glow of a South of France autumn, two very different lives collide.Professor Sylvie Boucher is sharp, elegant, and chasing a major promotion. The last thing she wants is to chaperone a bunch of Californian gap-year students-until she meets Adelaide Poole.Ade is an awkward, earnest marine biologist more at ease with sea life than people. But Sylvie captivates her, and to Sylvie's surprise, the feeling is mutual.As warm days fade into cosy nights, their connection deepens. But with an age gap, diverging paths, and an ocean between them, can a fleeting spark become something more? A warm sapphic romance about unexpected love, self-discovery, and finding someone who truly sees you.
Three's Company
Before the divorce, Liz's ex-wife was her wife's best friend. When Maggie was desperately looking for a place to live, Liz invited her to move into the in-law apartment over the garage. Lucy, who's now married to Liz, didn't protest and was looking forward to rekindling her friendship with Maggie. Liz never wanted to divorce Maggie in the first place. Now, they're all about to get more than they ever expected."Three's Company is a book that asks: what if the love of your life isn't one person but two? What if forgiveness turns what once broke you into what finally makes you whole? This daring addition to the Hobbs series isn't just about steamy threesomes; it's about radical honesty and choosing a love that defies convention. Most importantly, it's a beautiful reminder that love-at any age-can still surprise, heal, and hold more than we ever imagined. In this sense, Three's Company-like the entire Hobbs Series-is a gift for readers hungry for mature sapphic stories that trust them to face life's messiest truths with open hearts." - Women Using Words
Love Under Fire
British Agent Alex Hartley is desperate to prove herself, and the chance to lead a high-stakes mission to find a missing US ambassador is her shot. But she has to work with the last person she'd choose: a brash, bull-headed Texan with no time for protocol.Mitch Brennan likes doing things her way, and it doesn't involve following orders from a by-the-book Brit. Now they're stuck together in unfamiliar territory, forced to rely on each other as the mission spirals into chaos.As tensions rise and danger closes in, Alex and Mitch must learn to trust one another, or they risk losing more than just the target. Out here, failure isn't just personal...it's deadly.
Breakout for Love
Flick Colonna is stuck behind a desk at Department 6, itching for action but haunted by the fallout of her last mission. When a high-stakes rescue lands on her desk, ready or not, she's thrust back into the field.Zamira Saliev thought she'd escaped her past, but then she's kidnapped by the regime that shattered her family. She's left with no way out. And no one's coming to save her.As Flick fights to extract Zamira from a country on the brink, danger, secrets, and shared scars threaten to derail the mission. Getting out alive is one thing. Trusting each other may be the harder part.
Problem At the Park
Lemon Lister's dog, Milo, has a bad habit of finding dead things. Which is why Detective Zahn enlists his help to find a missing San Francisco police officer. And Milo doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately, the corpse Milo finds in Golden Gate Park belongs to Lemon's girlfriend-Jade's- ex. Now Jade is in jail on suspicion of murder. Lemon and the unstoppable Basset Hound with his discerning nose must find the real killer and exonerate Jade.
The Blue House
What is the cause and drive of the impulse to create art? What happens to an individual who is gifted with talent, but finds himself thwarted? Does that creative spark become some kind of death wish? These are the questions Sky Gilbert explores in The Blue House. Taking the form of a memoir, the novel relates the story of Rupert Goldmann, a cello virtuoso by the age of twelve, who becomes a composer, and whose life collapses into depression and possible madness when no orchestra will perform his symphonies. Rupert's musical life includes years of lessons from the great pianist Vladimir Horowitz, who flirts awkwardly and ineffectually with Rupert, and a full-fledged romance with the celebrity composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. But as his life narrows, Rupert finds himself immersed in dreams and fantasies, which are interrupted by a superficial and talentless gay rights activist and theatre director, and Simon Reycraft, an early explorer of artificial intelligence, who offers the suicidal Goldmann a legacy of computer-generated music -- posing a significant question for our times: Can art be created by a machine, technology without a soul?Rupert Goldmann's "memoirs" trace the story of his life as a child-prodigy cello virtuoso, his flirtations and relationships, his experiences as an unrewarded composer, and his eventual, much-interrupted attempt to retreat into the world of his imagination.
Wild Hearts
Love stories are among the most ancient and timeless tales ever told. In Wild Hearts we have collected eight stories celebrating the theme of lesbian romance from across a variety of settings and genres, all presented through an anthropomorphic lens. From love on the high seas, to forgiveness from beyond the grave, each story captures the warm and enduring power of sapphic romance.
Trouble and Her Friends
1994 Lambda Literary Award-Winning Novel for Lesbian and Gay Science Fiction and Fantasy India Carless, alias Trouble, managed to stay one step ahead of the feds until she retired from life as a hacker and settled down to run a small network for an artist's co-op. Now someone has stolen her pseudonym and begun to use it for criminal hacking. So Trouble returns. Once the fastest gun on the electronic frontier, she has been called out of retirement for one last fight. And it's a killer. Less than a hundred years from now, the forces of law and order crack down on the world of the Internet. It is the closing of the frontier. The hip, noir adventurers who got by on wit, bravado, and drugs, who haunt the virtual worlds of the shadows of cyberspace are up against the edges of civilization. It's time to adapt or die.
The Mariner Of Ryl
When Corelle tries to leave her time as an assassin behind, fate casts a wider net. Blood and tears soon mingle, and nobody is safe from either.With her homeland now in foreign hands, Corelle abandons Dur for a life at sea. Disaster strikes, and she stands at the gates of death. Fate refuses to abandon her, but the beast within Corelle is unleashed again on friend and foe alike.Exhausted, Corelle returns to the city of her birth, where her violent past comes calling. The loss of someone dear devastates her, and she will stop at nothing to exact revenge. As each enemy falls, internal anguish threatens to destroy her. It seems only Corelle's own death can conquer the greatest foe she has ever faced - herself.The third book in the Corelle Of Dur series, The Mariner Of Ryl, a sapphic fantasy adventure, takes us three years beyond the events of The Fan Of Ryl.Content Advisory - Violence, Incest, SA, Parricide (Murder of parents), Mild Sex, Graphic, horror-like nightmare scenes, Suicide ideation
The Vault
No hidden maps. No secret words written among the dotted specks of white. His fingers itched to touch the paint and peel it away to whatever lie beneath-to whatever felt both so horribly familiar yet strange. With about half the keys in Noa's possession and a horrible discovery that several members of a project to emulate lost magic through a device, it's looking far more likely that this mission to find the Vault isn't as much of a fabled fool's errand as she originally thought. Every piece is seemingly falling into place, heralding the coming of the dark with the light of magic dwindling to sparks. As Noa's priorities shift with the newly-planted thought that she's the one chosen to see this task through after the loss of her would-be-Seer and surrogate father, Lazarus, she decides that it might be better to distance herself from that growing bond she's found comfort in with Glacier. After all, his place is with his kingdom, and once they reach the end-whatever their fates might be-there won't be any place for a group of killers and thieves in his life. However, Noa doesn't realize that the other half of her quest's fated set might actually be standing next to her. Glacier is starting to unravel, thanks to that echo of power rippling along the surface of his soul. Power that he's not willing to accept, let alone acknowledge, with the crushing weight of what might be awaiting him back in Amarais. Being Miraltan is one thing, but a powerful Seer-a Mage-is another. And with one daemon-summoning adversary recognizing that potential, it's only a matter of time before he's hunted for his magic instead of just his blood.
Glass Hours
Step into the luminous, aching territory of transformation in this exquisite novel about buried longings cracking through the careful surfaces of a life lived too quietly. Evelyn Winters is suspended in the aftermath of her mother's death, her marriage to Charlene Foster dissolving into brittle choreography of unspoken grievances. While Charlene orchestrates their domestic life with meticulous control, Evelyn finds herself magnetized by what refuses containment: the wild terrain in her mother's garden, the hunger that gnaws beneath politeness, the raw animal of her own unexamined desires. Salvation arrives in seventeen blue leather journals, hidden for decades, containing her mother's secret life-a woman fierce, yearning, alive with suppressed artistry and clandestine love. These discovered pages become both mirror and catalyst. Inspired by this legacy of buried desire, Evelyn begins again to write, each poem a necessary excavation of her authentic voice. As her artistic awakening intensifies, her marriage fractures, creating space to examine what she's been afraid to want. A tentative connection with Iris offers the radical possibility of being seen whole. The novel crescendos with Evelyn's manuscript acceptance and a public reading where she claims not just artistic success but the right to exist in her own skin. Glass Hours is the archaeology of the self-the courage to let what's been composting in darkness finally break ground.
Stain of the Berry
Everyone has their Boogeyman. But who-or what-is scaring Saskatoon locals to death? Private detective Russell Quant is roused from his sleep only to fall into a nightmare case when the family of a suicide victim hires him to uncover the real cause of death. But what is real and what is imaginary? Quant works to narrow his list of suspects only to find the number of victims growing. Russell is mystified as a trail of fear connects him to a vast landscape of people including an elegant potash miner, dubious trailer park denizens, reticent farm folk, the Pink Gopher choir and a gaseous psychiatrist.Compounding Quant's bewilderment is the complete and perfect disappearance of his once very real friend-Sereena-who has become a ghost he simply can't find. With the Boogeyman always a few paces ahead, Russell struggles to keep the hounds of failure from baying. From Saskatchewan's summer storms to the menacing Lotus Land of Vancouver, Quant finally touches down in the Canadian Arctic where tragic hope resides. Russell returns home to bully attacks, a desperate chase through midnight woods and a sadistic abduction. As Russell Quant penetrates the truth of the Boogeyman, he finds himself on a perilous suspension bridge between idyllic childhood and grown-up violence.
Explorer’s Revenge
The first time I met Venture's latest team, I was a nobody, but it only took one crazy stunt to change my life and turn my idols into enemies...Five years later, I'm at the top of my game, competing with the best of the best. My stunts are bigger and better, so much so that even Venture's golden boys have begun to take notice.When we are all offered the same contract to find a legendary island, we must vie to be the first to the finish line. The jungle, however, can't be controlled or predicated, and when things go wrong, all you have is yourself and those around you.When Mother Nature decides it's time to reclaim her land, you either get out of her way or sink into the torrent, never to be seen again.Here we go, right into the storm.
Pumped
Love is co-parenting with my worst enemy.OwenEverest is an irresponsible, delinquent, attention-hungry man-child.Ever since my brother married his sister, we've hated each other with an unrelenting passion. It was bad enough when I had to see him at occasional family gatherings, but now I'm living in a nightmare and he's right here with me.EverestOwen is arrogant, uptight, snobby, and cold-hearted.I don't want to have anything to do with him, but I don't have a choice. After a tragic accident, we're forced to raise our niece together, but our grief and mutual animosity is turning the house into a pressure cooker. We have to make peace and learn to work together, if not for our sake, then for the little girl who's already lost everything.PUMPED is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract MM romance between a free-spirited personal trainer and his overbearing veterinarian brother-in-law. Expect reluctant cuddling, teasing as a love language, annoyingly hot backwards caps, pillow chastity barriers, pool wrestling, begrudging I love yous, and a little girl who has them both wrapped around her little finger. PUMPED is the third and last book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.
Two Ghosts
Matthew Ganda didn't intendto fall in love with Brett Hayes. But he did. Maybe it was the fire in his eyes. When Brett moved in with Matthew and his boyfriend Liam, the two endured an unorthodox affair of friendship and lust. But then it turned into an obsession, testing both Matthew and Brett to face their inner demons andfind out what the true beauty of friendship and love are all about.
Chasing Riddick
Finn Summers can't feel fear.This causes Finn to take unnecessary risks - especially when it comes to his favorite sport in the world: Surfing.When Finn hears a rumor about a beach called Leviathans - located in the small town of Stars Cove California - the promise of twenty-five-foot swells is too exciting for him to pass up.However, Leviathans beach has a dark history.A history filled with monster waves, lethal secrets and one very dead surf legend.Despite the warnings of the town locals, Finn is determined to conquer a beach so gnarly, the men who discovered it named it after biblical sea demons....Even if it kills him.**Chasing Riddick is an open-door MM romance. This book is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
Sunburn
"Tackling topics of queer identity, teenage angst, and religious guilt, this romantic novel burns with the intensity and yearning of first love." -- Harper's Bazaar THE INDIE BESTSELLER, with additional exclusive content inside. For fans of Normal People, a queer, coming-of-age debut of impossible first love, first loss, and first heartbreak... It's the early 1990's in the small town of Crossmore, Ireland, and Lucy knows what she's expected to do. Fall in love with the son of the farmer next door, marry him, pray for children, and never, under any circumstances reveal the truth-that she doesn't think marriage or motherhood or staying in Crossmore is for her. That the reason she knows this, is because of her close friend, Susannah. For years, Lucy buries her obsession, until one summer, right before graduation, when her friendship with Susannah escalates. Now, Lucy will do anything to keep their secret safe. Their relationship is both the best and worst thing that's ever happened to her-Lucy loves Susannah, but every day, it feels like Crossmore, Lucy's mother, and their social mores are closing in. And when Susannah decides she no longer wants to hide, Lucy must make a devastating choice. Tender and heartbreaking, Sunburn portrays the realities of growing up in a small rural town-from the long, hot summers, to the pressures of a conservative, traditional community where everyone knows each other's business. It'll leave you aching for your own first love.
Swallow the Shadows
It's Christmas Day, and Sloane West finds herself in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, moments too late to render aid to the G簷rdan Protector Coven. The Order has killed two of its members and left another unable to speak. When the RCMP finds a third G簷rdan murdered in Denwick Cemetery, Sloane realizes the Order has become too powerful to face alone. If the West Coven is to prevail in the deadliest investigation of her career, they will need to work with other Magical defenders and expose themselves to the Nogical World. Only then will Sloane and her allies stop the Order from unleashing every demon the G簷rdans have ever banished to the abyss. But convincing Magicals to come out of hiding and stopping a coalition of malevolent supernaturals from overthrowing the Nogical and Magical worlds aren't the only crises Sloane faces. She is about to discover who her father is, and it's a secret she might find impossible to swallow.
Malibu (Elite 8 Studios Book 2)
Falling for his client was never part of the plan.MalAdult entertainer. Escort. Camboy. Surfer-bro. Malibu.I've been called many names, yet no one knows the real me. Filming at Elite 8 Studios gave me the fresh start I was looking for, but now, my past is calling, and even working three jobs isn't enough to keep me afloat. With my anxiety and panic attacks getting worse and my debts on the rise, something needs to change.When I'm offered an outrageous sum for a new escorting gig, I can't pass it up. The catch? I'll be living in the client's penthouse for the next six months. And I'll be his-exclusively.I've been warned Henrik is difficult, but all I see is a man who's protective, caring, and lonely underneath that hard shell of his. He's also blind. And yet, somehow, he sees me for exactly who I am.Turning to this man I barely know for comfort is a bad idea-and falling for a client is even worse-but I can't seem to stop. With only a few months left on our contract, can I convince Henrik to give us a real shot?Or will I lose the only man who sees the real me?Malibu is an age gap romance between older client and younger escort, with hurt/comfort, mental health struggles, plenty of sugar daddy jokes, fiercely loyal friends, and one very HEA. It's book 2 in the Elite 8 Studios series but can be read as a standalone.
Teddy (Elite 8 Studios Book 5)
Waking up married is bad enough. Having feelings for my husband? Pure disaster.TeddyI wasn't looking for attachments. I certainly wasn't looking to get drunkenly hitched to my coworker's best friend, the very man I've been denying an attraction to for over a year.The thing is Kipp is gorgeous and kind and a self-proclaimed mess, and now that we're married-and living together-all I want is to take care of him.But Kipp is only just learning about his submissive side. It doesn't matter how good he is for me. It doesn't even matter that he turns to putty every time I call him doll.He's not mine to keep. Our husbands-with-benefits relationship is temporary, and once we get divorced, everything will go back to the way it was. Kipp and I may have shared our I dos, but let's face it...Falling for the man who wears my ring would only end in heartbreak.Teddy is a wake-up-married romance between a teddy bear adult entertainer and the hot mess he shacks up with. There's caretaker-Dom elements and a gentle exploration of kink, spanking (but not as punishment), only one bed, plenty of lighthearted mayhem, and one very HEA. It's book five in the Elite 8 Studios series but can be read as a standalone.
