Josh Aterovis

I was imagining a fundamentalist church of some sort. I grew up Southern Baptist and there was plenty of good, old-fashioned hate from the pulpit. I am sure @Summerabbacat will have much to say! I too look forward to his takes on each chapter, among others! The comment feature is my favorite thing about posting my stories on GA!

I'm sure no one is upset at a little more adventure with Charlie and the gang...and your brilliant imagination. Welcome back! 🖤

I blinked at him, confused. “What does that mean?” He frowned, as if he’d expected me to understand immediately. “I see you truly do have a lot to learn,” he said with a soft sigh. There was no blame in his voice, but I couldn’t help bristling. He noticed instantly. “That’s not your fault, Jacy,” he said gently. “You can’t know what you weren’t taught. This will be a simplified explanation, but our ancestors believed most people are born with either a male spirit or a female spiri

This was published in a book of short stories that came out about seven or eight years ago. It has been rewritten since then.

I was eagerly awaiting your reaction to Daisy. You did not disappoint.

After work the next day, I rushed home to shower and change. Standing in front of my closet, I hesitated. What exactly was the dress code for uncovering your family’s deepest, darkest secret? For that matter, what was appropriate for a powwow? It had been a decade since I’d last been to one, and my memory was hazy — drums, dancing, the smell of fry bread drifting through the air — but I couldn’t recall what anyone had worn besides regalia. I stared at the handful of clothes I owned, none of

Lily is full of snarky comments. It's one of her best qualities.

The family car! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Never Alone has started!

Sometimes, I lie awake at night thinking about how our lives are shaped by external forces beyond our control. I don’t just mean the big things. Sure, a comet crashing to earth obviously causes an extinction level event. But often, it’s more like the rivers that carved the Grand Canyon — a series of little, seemingly unrelated events that come together to alter the course of your life. Those individual points might be hard to recognize at the time. Things that seem unimportant in the moment

Sixteen-year-old Jacy Elliott has always felt like an outsider. When a sudden flash of foresight saves a stranger from a fatal accident, he’s left questioning his sanity. A simple family-history assignment then unravels hidden truths, old wounds, and long-buried connections. Pushing past his mother’s evasions, Jacy uncovers a lineage he was never meant to know — and a bond with a stranger that feels inexplicably ancient. Never Alone explores chosen family, identity, and the first glimmers of an extraordinary gift.

Thank you!

You would be correct! He is a lucky lil thing, isn't he? This is actually a bit of a nod to some of my favorite murder mystery writers (Muller, Grafton, etc.) whose sleuths were always in mortal danger. Just amps up the tension! @refueling835 is correct. Carmen is actually the president of Pemberton University. And honestly, I don't think Killian will ever come clean with Adam about seeing (and hearing) Seth unless Seth asks him to. I think it would be pretty hard on Adam. And thank you so much. Yes, sadly, not much has changed in the last quarter of a century, at least not as much as I would have hoped when I was writing these the first time around... I was 21 when Bleeding Hearts was published. I wrote all five of the original books (Bleeding Hearts through A Change of Worlds) and most of the short stories in the next five years. A Kind of Death is my most recently written novel. I wrote it during the COVID lockdown. And RIP Amy...you were gone too soon.

Thank you!

Thank you so much! I hope you know how much I enjoy your commentary (and your sleuthing)!

You are correct! You get a gold star.

Tad is fifteen in this story, and Jake is the same age as Killian, so 18 or 19 is correct, but I more meant that Jake tends to like his guys his age or older... LOL

This story is complete, so if you enjoyed it (or even if you didn't...hey, at least you made it to the end!), please consider leaving a review. 😊 Thank you!!

Thank you so much! That's a huge compliment since character development and long-term growth (both emotionally and literally since my characters age) are things I look for most, both in my writing and the media I consume. Thank you for reading and commenting!

Thank YOU, @Seraph28! I loved hearing from you...especially knowing you remember the original version. LOL Do you think it changed much or was it pretty much intact as far as you recall? And Tad is definitely part of A Change of Worlds, coming in 2026. Jake pops up too, but Jake gets a proper spin-off romcom-style novel that I'm currently rewriting with Dabeagle (we co-wrote it ages ago...).

We said very little on the drive home from DC. Since Micah had suffered a slight concussion, I was driving. Tad sat in the back seat, silently staring out the window. I kept an eye on him in the rear view mirror just to make sure he was okay. He dozed off after we'd crossed the bridge back to the Shore. "He's awfully quiet," I said softly. Micah twisted stiffly around to check on the dozing boy, who looked even younger asleep than he did awake. "He's been through such a lot."

I think Tad is probably a little too young for Jake, but there is romance in store for Mr. Sheridan...

One chapter to go!

I stood uncertainly in the hall, trying to force my tired mind to think logically. My brain was putting up a valiant fight, however. When I'd left Micah there to watch out for Razi, I hadn't specifically told him what to do if Razi appeared. I'd simply hoped he'd know enough to invent a distraction. Micah wouldn't have deserted his post, so if he wasn't where I left him, it followed that he was most likely in the apartment. "Fuck!" I cursed under my breath. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Tha