Bill W

Nice story, Chris. I hope Luis and Charlie 'live long and prosper' as a couple.

An intriguing short-story with an interesting look at the life of a young gay man who'd grown up in Dutch country in Pennsylvania, and then moved to San Francisco. The author tells how the young man settles into the area and meets people, and how he 'survives' as a gay man. The story is compelling and takes many twists and turns as it winds its way to a conclusion, although I feel the author needs to clear that up, since it's a bit confusing. However, it was still a good read.

I have a question about the final section. I'm assuming the Ben that Cheffy is referring to is Rueben, especially after his comment about the kitchen. I'm not sure if Reuben is living in Remington's old place, since they'd brought all of Reuben's clothes to his apartment during Remington's troubles, but I remember that Cheffy had never liked the flow in Remington's kitchen. However, since Cheffy said he'd had such a good time with the other guy that night, and seeing the other guy is also named Ben, I can't help but wonder which Ben Cheffy has spent the rest of his life with.

@drsawzall Or had Joe been caught up in the F.B.I. sting and Cheffy's now alone as well?

I've got a feeling that Ben is setting himself up for something he's not ready for.

Evocative comes from the Latin word evocare, which means to "call out" or "summon" to evocativus. Think of a batch of cookies summoning a memory from your childhood. To summon something you need a voice, and indeed, the Latin word for voice is vocare. Other related words include the noun vocation, which means "a calling." Entered English is mid 17th century as evoke and evocative. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of "evocative" in English was around the mid-17th century, with the earliest recorded instance appearing in 1657, in a translation by Richard Tomlinson. evocative is a borrowing from Latin. Examples of evocative: that smell is evocative of my childhood" "his words were highly evocative" "the building's cramped interiors are highly evocative of past centuries"

Having a secret that you can't reveal can be very excruciating for the person keeping the secret. And when a battle to exposes that secret, how do you react and what do you do next? If you enjoy a good paranormal romance that has excitement, tenderness, and drama, then this short story will be right up your alley. Be sure to read it, because I strongly recommend it.

Renee, I loved this story. Great fight scene between Dom and that other wolf, tender reveal of their feelings for each other, dramatic problem it creates for them knowing the Alpha's (grandfather's) view about two males being mates. If Landon challenges his grandfather, I, like Gary, would expect Dom to give Landon some of his strength to win the battle. Well done. Kudos.

Captain William Elijah Thomas (WET) is a young test pilot who gets some very interesting assignments, due to his superior piloting skills. This story is fast moving, action packed, and well-written, with a touch of humor tossed in for good measure, so if you're a fan of science fiction, then be sure to check this story out. I highly recommend it.

Going back to read the anthologies I didn't get to in the past has caused me to read your stories in reverse. I'm not sure if that's an advantage or disadvantage, but I'm enjoying your stories. Like Carlos, I nearly spit out my coffee when I read 'USS Rafael Cruz'. oh, and was your Terran Confederation Spaceforce responsible for Trump's designation of the new 'Space Force"? And is the combination of WET and Aegis your alter egos? This story was fast moving and action packed, interspersed with moments of levity from Bill and Aegis. Truly captivating. Thanks, Myr.

Unfortunately, there are many places in the world where LGBTQ+ individuals are forced to live in fear and under harsh conditions. Those emigrating to other nations often seem to carry the beliefs of their homeland with them, thus keeping the citizens from those countries living in constant fear, even though it doesn't conform to the laws and beliefs of their new country. Don't let this scare you away from this story, though, because even if this sounds foreboding, it is a romantic tale under incredible circumstances. This amazing and well-written short story that deals with those issues. It's is a high intensity, action packed, and emotionally wrenching tale about two individuals from Nigeria, and I highly recommend it.

Parker, thanks for this amazing story. You did a fantastic job evoking out the emotional responses from both your characters and your readers. Daniel and Ibi made a wise, if unwitting, choice of staying at the Seneca Casino, as well as having an aware and caring manager in Emmett Blueye. First of all, I think many ICE agents apply for those jobs because they want any excuse they can find to deport anyone that came here from another country. Luckily, Native Americans often use old tribal treaties from well over 100 years ago to establish their sovereign rights over their reservations/lands, and that includes buildings they own outside of the reservation. And having been screwed by the Federal Government in the past, they like to take any opportunity they get to even the score. I'm glad it work out well for Daniel and Ibi and thank you for the happy ending.

What is love? Where do you learn what love is or how to love? What happens if you never learn the answers to those questions? This short story is a psycho-drama that explores those issues. It's not your typical happily ever after short story, but it's a intriguing look at a highly unusual and atypical relationship. You can't help but feel the emotions on all sides throughout this skillfully written work. If you like the unexpected, then you'll love this story.

Here I am reading one of your older stories again, Val, and here's what I have to say. If you've never know or been shown love, then how do you know what love is? To what extent will you go to envision what you believe love is and what are you willing to do to be loved? Hank told us that his mother left when he was 10 and his father was indifferent, which means he probably never experienced love at home. This obviously affected his ability to make friends, because others looked at him as odd and strange, so he never really had any friends either. Growing up alone and friendless will take its toll, so he had to rely on fantasies, and those fantasies led him to commit unspeakable crimes - he killed Tristan, stalked and secretly photographed Danny, and then he kidnapped Danny. Yes, Hank was mentally ill, but would he have been that way if he had received love and affection while growing up? That's hard to say, but it might have save Tristan's life and prevented Danny from having to experience being kidnapped. Excellent story, Val, and you made me feel the emotions on all sides with your writing. It was an unusual story, but very well done.

Phillip McGinnis has an enemy that wants him dead, so what is he going to do and how is he going to survive? If that isn't bad enough, he's lost his sense of smell and can no longer do his job, so how long will he survive without an income? He could definitely use a bodyguard, but how would he pay one if he doesn't have any money coming in? His job isn't the kind where he makes a ton of money and allows him to have a lot saved up for emergencies, so what are his options? If you want to find out what his job is and why someone's trying to kill him, then you'll have to read this offbeat short story thriller. I highly recommend it.

I'd already read the Christmas Cookbook you wrote with Val and Addi, so your writing about a food critic didn't surprise me. It was an interesting blend with the law enforcement aspect, and Phillip made a great critic with his biting wit. If he can't continue on as a food critic, maybe he could try movie critic instead. Great job and the chase and ambush got the blood pumping. Very exciting and very enjoyable. Btw Cole, I tried to write a review that wouldn't give anything away, while also adding enough info to make it sound interesting enough for someone to want to read. I hope I did your story justice without misrepresenting anything.

@Myr, the blurb below the photo says he's sick of sleeping with insipid Mahhattan debutantes, but he looks barely old enough to be having sleepovers with his classmates, not sleeping with debutantes. 🤪 😲

Insipid comes from the Latin insipidus, the opposite of sapidus which means flavorful. Because spices and salts are left out, hospital food is usually considered insipid. The most common use of the word is in a metaphorical sense for dull or flat. Some common synonyms of insipid are banal, flat, inane, jejune, and vapid. While all these words mean "devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character," insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest. vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit. Insipid was first used in English during the early 17th century. The word insipid was first used in English in the early 1600s. The earliest known use of the word was in 1620 by Tobias Venner, a physician and medical writer. Examples of insipid: "a thin, insipid soup was placed before us" "airline food used to be bland and insipid" "the walls were painted an insipid beige" "mugs of insipid coffee"

Doesn't it go without saying that the young of all species sometimes rebel at the rules and obligations set out for them? And isn't it sometimes equally prevalent, or possibly even more so, in families in positions of power and authority? Maybe it's also true of paranormal entities as well. This story explores that premise and follows Sudal at a critical time in his life, as mentioned in the story description, but you'll have to read this imaginative and well-written short story to find out what happens.

I know I'm reading this extremely late, but the story leaves me with several questions. Was Sudal's failure due to his arrogance in flying alone prior to his appointed time? Were his wings too tired from not enough rest? Or possibly the golden medallion that had been placed around his neck caused his failure - too heavy of possibly imbued with a curse or another type of malediction? Or is this the gods reacting to his rebellious nature? I looked to see if you wrote any follow-up to this story and didn't find anything, but you can advise me, if I'm mistaken. Otherwise, I enjoyed this story.

"Capybaras are the largest living rodent in South American and I haven't seen one since I was a foreign exchange student in Brazil," Jason replied. "It was the family pet and was the size of a St. Bernard dog, but it was a really friendly and loving pet, and I was just thinking about it, since it's Valentine's Day! Some of the other kids were cruel and called it a 'rat-pig', but I loved Adriano. That was the capybaras name."

Redolent comes from Latin redolent-, stem of redolēns, present participle of redolēre (to emit or give out a strong odor) - equivalent to red (back, again) + olēre (to smell) (akin to odor). Possibly from old French to late Middle English. First recorded in late Middle English 1150–1500. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of "redolent" in English was in the Middle English period, with evidence of its usage before 1439, likely in the writings of poet John Lydgate; meaning the word was first used around the late 14th century or early 15th century. Examples of redolent in a sentence. The album is a heartfelt cry, redolent of a time before radio and television. The mountain air was redolent with the scent of pine needles.

We all make decisions in our lives, and some work out well, others are okay, and there are some that change the entire nature of our lives from that point on. This is a story that deals with the last type of decision and creates a roller coaster ride for the characters involved. This is a story that will play havoc with your emotions, from moments of awe and happiness for the characters, to times when you wish they could create a time warp and go back and change some decisions or actions. That being said, this is an excellent short story that will make you smile, as well as to shed an occasional tear or two, but when you finish reading it, you'll be glad you clicked on the link.

What a touching and heartfelt story. You handled the material wonderfully. You got the historical aspects of the story correct, from the AIDS to the homophobia, and I had to roll my eyes at your mention of Windows 3.1 and dot matrix printers - those were not the good old days. You also did a yeoman's job with the Alzheimer's, both accurately and with great sensitivity. I know because my father-in-law and an aunt both suffered from Alzheimer's disease and they both got to the point where on most days they didn't even recognize family members. So sad! Thank you for this well-written and moving short story.

Great explanation and rundown, Val. I'm sure there are many, like myself, who are not poets and will benefit from reading this. Thank you.