Penny Candles
by Vivien Dean
In the year 2184, the US is divided. Half the country has moved on with the rest of the world, while in middle America, the survivors of the terrorist biological attack that split the country struggle just to stay alive. Though a century has passed, few people brave going behind the borders meant to contain the danger. Even the privatized military is reluctant to do so.<br><br>But that doesn’t stop recently discharged Sullivan Eberle. Only one thing drives him anymore -- the need to find Raphael…
Bad Seed
by Gareth Vaughn
Dane's a Decrypter down on his luck -- after accidentally dispatching the wrong creature, he's sent to a small town where the cryptids he hunts are sparse. Crypt Coffee becomes his business front, but instead of a thrilling new mission on the side, he's stuck sending ghosts back to where they came from. Dane can annoy customers, at least, and tries to scare off Professor Sean Sanderson when he starts poking around too much.<br><br>But Sean isn’t about to stay away. Not when he hears about the mu…
Aria of the Eclipse
by Vivien Dean
Nothing has ever excited Tylen Merodine more than being invited by the Regent himself to celebrate the first solar eclipse in his planet’s recorded history. It’s the party of the millennium, and if he has to restrain his normal exuberant instincts to fit in, that’s what he’ll do to be a part of it. His good intentions vanish, however, the moment he’s presented to the Regent. Because there, in a gilded cage, playing music unlike anything Tylen’s ever heard, is the most beautiful alien he could im…
What the Heart Thinks
by Vivien Dean
On a scale of one to ten, DJ Joe Salinas considers himself a four, five on a good day. Actor/part-time stripper Fess Kedley is definitely a nine, however, and Joe's pretty sure that slides into a ten as soon as the clothes come off. So when the outgoing Fess recognizes a shy Joe from his midnight radio show at a bachelorette party and proceeds to ask him out, Joe turns Fess down, convinced the man's either crazy or stupid.<br><br>The only problem is, Fess takes rejection as reason to keep on try…
#ISORoommates
by Leigh M. Lorien
The only thing Sora wants is to be left alone to do his art. When he moves into a house with three other people, he knows he’ll have to make some adjustments, but he didn’t count on one of his roommates being a neat-freak with no regard for personal boundaries. If there’s one thing Sora can’t stand, it’s other people telling him how to live his life.<br><br>Marc is excited to move in with new people. After his last break-up, he’s keen on being independent and focusing on his own hobbies. His new…
Sin to Get Saved
by Michael P. Thomas
Hubert knows he brings shame on himself and on the Lord by being a queer -- his grandad and the pastor of his evangelical church tell him as much all the time. So when he dies in a freak accident, he's as delighted as he is surprised to waltz right through the Pearly Gates, no questions asked. He even gets a beautiful angel named Bartholomew as his very own guide to the Afterlife.<br><br>But when the angel makes brazen overtures, Hubert realizes his soul may have taken a wrong turn. Hubert besee…
The Man on the Balcony
by Edward Kendrick
Mark is a man on the horns of a dilemma. He's in the midst of a five-year affair with a married man and he wants out ... but isn’t sure he can give up his lover.<br><br>Austin, who lives in the apartment building across the street from Mark, has his own problems. Two years earlier, the man he loved died in a horrible auto accident. Austin is still trying to come to terms with seeing it happen, and dealing with the aftermath.<br><br>After watching Mark from his balcony, making up stories about wh…
Free Willy
by Rob Rosen
Brad likes to go commando, and freeing his willy at work turns him on. Sometimes he even gets off on it, which only adds to the excitement.<br><br>But he must be losing his touch, because his coworker Lou catches him in the act. The two are workplace adversaries, always trying to one-up each other, and Lou constantly undermines Brad in front of the bigwigs. If he tells anyone Brad jerks off at work ...<br><br>To say Brad hates Lou would be an understatement. But there's no denying the man is sex…
His Song
by J.M. Snyder
Dane is destined for greatness, his boyfriend Krish just knows it, but first he needs to break into the local music scene.<br><br>Randy Blake is Dane's idol, a small-town musician with a sound Dane likes. When Blake asks Dane to stop by sometime, maybe have a private jam session, Dane is ecstatic. But it seems Blake has something other than music on his mind.<br><br>Krish struggles with jealousy -- he knows Blake would help advance Dane's music, but Krish just can't trust the man. A more pressin…
A Door to the Heart
by Thomas Grant Bruso
As Josh Tully returns home from running errands, he stumbles across a handsome man leaving his apartment complex. Distracted by the charming new stranger, Josh spills his groceries across the front stoop. As the new neighbor helps Josh pick up his belongings, a sudden surge of electricity sparks between the two young men.<br><br>When Eddie returns to Josh’s apartment with a fresh gallon of milk, a chance meeting turns into mutual attraction. But a severe case of pneumonia lands Josh in the hospi…
Stay Pure
by Iyana Jenna
College student and football star Zeke Mitchell hasn't been home since he entered the university two years ago. His hometown only serves to remind him of a boy he loves whom he can never have. If not for his estranged mother who suddenly wants to spend the summer with him, Zeke would never think of going back.<br><br>The life of Nate Abraham, the boy Zeke loves, is not a walk in the park. Known as a hero in the past, he’s accused of being delusional and living in a fantasy world now.<br><br>Can …
Words
by Paul Alan Fahey
Blake believes in love at first sight; Stanley isn’t so sure. Their lifelong romance begins with a random meeting in a bar and ends in happily ever after.<br><br>As the years pass, Stanley’s struggling literary career takes off, and Blake finds fulfillment as a counselor at a local community college. When the AIDS epidemic strikes their small town in the 1980s, their resolve and relationship are tested. The only way to survive the crisis is to draw strength in the love they share.<br><br>Later, …
Happiness Is a Warm Bum
by J.D. Walker
Austin Murray is fifty years old, owns a bookstore, and loves to walk on the beach at sun-up. He's a beachcomber, too, always in search of something unique to add to his collection. One such winter morning, an unkempt, sad-looking stranger roars into his life on a motorbike and his heart turns over for the first time, ever.<br><br>Murphy Vickers is world-weary, hurting, and unable to connect with anyone. He travels from place to place looking for work, but never stays anywhere very long. He's tr…
Crank Me Up
by J.D. Walker
Marius Rabineaux lives with his daughter Sherie in an apartment complex. Across the hall is computer tech Xavier McDay, whose niece, Tonya, is best friends with Sherie. Taciturn, clueless nerds have never been Marius's thing, so no matter how hot he may find ‘Uncle Cranky,’ Marius leaves well enough alone.<br><br>One evening when Marius picks up Sherie from her playdate with Tonya, Xavier insults his parenting skills. Later, Xavier turns up at Marius’ workplace and, instead of apologizing, furth…
Blackstone Manor
by Kassandra Lea
Io is a Masonry Gargoyle tasked with looking after old buildings to help maintain a balance, and he’s hopelessly in love with his alpha, Cinder. If only he wasn’t such a screw up. With Cinder’s birthday right around the corner, Io is convinced he has found the perfect gift -- Blackstone Manor, an estate that has captivated Cinder for years. He just needs to find the deed before the house is demolished.<br><br>Of course, keeping the gift a secret from the bitter beta Ran’imy may prove easier said…
In the Cool of the Evening
by Gordon Phillips
When recent college graduate Mark decides to visit to Europe to see the culture, a friend gives him a letter of introduction to an elderly man in Paris who “might be worth visiting.”<br><br>During their visit, the Parisian reads Mark a letter from a friend about a heart-breaking romantic gay encounter in a tiny Balkan town. Years have passed and the letter writer can’t find the town or person again, and has been haunted by this loss ever since.<br><br>The letter remains with Mark even after he r…
Devilish Good Time
by J.M. Snyder
Against his better judgment, Jacob goes to a Halloween party on campus where he runs into Bobby, a jock on the crew team he's been eyeing for a while. Problem is, guys like Bobby don't usually go for guys like Jacob.<br><br>Once they ditch Bobby's roommate and his girlfriend to find a little quiet time in New Jersey's Pine Barrens, it seems Bobby only has eyes for Jacob. But their tryst is soon interrupted. All those tales and legends about the Jersey Devil are just talk, right?
Opening Day at the County Fair
by J.M. Snyder
Jesse's a freeloader according to his father, a man he'll never please. Working on the farm is hard work and getting ready for the county fair a welcome respite from the daily grind. There he meets Davis.<br><br>The son of a local contractor, Davis is helping assemble the booths. He catches Jesse's attention immediately, and the two hit it off. If only they can ditch Jesse's sister long enough to get to know each other a little better ...
Hot Merchandise
by J.M. Snyder
It’s Friday night and the only music store in the mall, Da Hot Spot, is the place to be. Crammed with a young, rowdy crowd, the Spot pounds with a steady hip-hop beat that draws in the customers and keeps them milling in the aisles.<br><br>When an employee sees two guys casing the store, she advises manager Bill Jackson to call security. But the last thing Bill wants is to cause a scene, particularly one that might incite racial tension. In the hopes of settling things quietly, he asks the alleg…
To the Ends of the Earth
by R.G. Hendrickson
Joe is alone in his Brooklyn apartment, which he can't afford now. The pandemic complicates his plan to get a roommate. If only Michael could have stayed. Joe would join him on the west coast but he likes his job in NYC, in medical billing and coding. He does it online at home, at least for a while, but now he has to go back to the office and work in a plastic tent.<br><br>Vegan chef Michael detests meat, cooking it as well as eating it. Due to the restaurant where he works closing, he has to ta…