Josh Aterovis

A lot.

Re-reading these books I wrote so long ago, I am really struck by all of the homophobic families. Of course, they were a direct product of my lived experience, but I am grateful that times have changed, at least somewhat, even if we do seem to be experiencing a bit of backslide currently. I'm glad many of us left that sort of life behind...

But is the smell just...a red herring?

I arrived at Chris's just before noon. I rang the bell and she answered the door almost immediately. "Wow, you made great time," she said, stepping aside to allow me in. She was in all black again, and it looked like she'd gone a little bolder with the eyeliner since the last time I saw her. I wasn’t convinced it did her any favors, but if she was into it, that was her business not mine. A small black-and-white dog came barreling down the hallway and skidded to a halt at my feet, looki

Some of you are dangerously close to solving the mystery...but no one has it exactly right so far...

My money is on Mrs. White...

I stayed hidden, crouched behind a bright red sports car, waiting for the limousine to come around the corner. It was a tense wait. I fully expected the security guards to return with reinforcements at any moment. I tried to remember if they carried guns. As soon as the limo appeared, I ran to the passenger side, yanked open the door, and leaped in. "Go!" I shouted. "Go where? What's happening?" Micah asked. "Just drive," I instructed the driver. Then to Micah, "I'll explain

I have been writing for over 25 years, and yet you have once again coined a new phrase that I have never heard in my entire career: aterovisian! I'm not sure whether I'm flattered or horrified. I think I'll go with flattered. You have such a way with words, my disco dancing feline friend. Congratulations!

You are not wrong/ Unfortunately, I think it is often easier to blame others than face the consequences of your own choices. And, to be fair, Jake hasn't had it easy.

I've always preferred complex, imperfect characters in the books and stories I consume. One of my favorite fictional characters in my teen years was Vanyel Ashkevron from Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy, part of her Valdemar series (which I used to read voraciously). He was the first gay main character I'd ever encountered and possibly my first literary crush...and he was very imperfect. It had a big impact on me, the way he became a heroic, beloved character over time, but there was a lot of character growth to get there. In many ways, Lackey was one of my most influential writers, along with Marcia Muller, author of the Sharon McCone series, and a few others. Personally, I find perfect characters boring. I get why other people like them, especially if you are reading purely for escapism, which is absolutely valid, but just not my personal cup of tea. I think of Killian as a pretty typical (if very driven) teenager. I like him a lot. I would have to considering he's taken up considerable real estate in my head for the last 25 years! 🤣 He's pretty flawed, but then again, aren't we all? At his heart though, he's drawn to solve mysteries because he has a strong desire for justice...and because he likes to help people.

Micah blinked at me, astonishment flickering across his face. He glanced at the man I knew as Neal, then back at me, clearly deciding he must have misheard. “What did you say?” “That’s Neal,” I hissed, tugging at his arm. The last thing I wanted was to be spotted by either Neal or Jake. But Micah went stubborn on me, planting his feet like a mule. “Neal as in…?” “As in your old boss. As in the guy in the photo in Jake’s room. As in the man I had lunch with in D.C. on Monday.

There may be a few more twists in store...

I woke up the next morning when I felt Micah getting out of bed. The sky was just starting to brighten with the first light of day. I sat up and rubbed my bleary eyes. "What are you doing?" "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was going to let you sleep in. I need to get back to work." "What time is it?" "It's like 6." "A.M.?" "Go back to sleep." He leaned over to give me a kiss. I tugged on his arm. "Come back to bed with me." "I can't, babe. I really

I adore you, my homicidal friend.

Thank you! I guess I was thinking more in terms of the mystery, but yes, more character growth for Killian is something indeed!

Noah stumbled back, tripped, and sprawled on his ass. He stared up at me with an expression of disbelief. "Noah, I have a boyfriend," I said softly. I reached out a hand to help him up. He stared at my hand for a few seconds before purposefully ignoring it and standing without my assistance. "You know," he said in a low, tense voice as he brushed off his bottom, "I'll admit I'm not blameless here, but let's get one thing very clear: neither are you. You've been sending out mi

Kane has always been pretty mature for his age, but he also has the benefit of not being the protagonist/narrator of this story, so who knows what he gets up to when he's not on the page...

No more bird woman gifs! I promise.

I pulled into Danielle's driveway only a little later than expected. Her neighborhood was a step up from Craig's, in that the houses were discernibly different from their neighbors in architectural style. She lived in a light-blue, two-story Cape Cod with an attached two-car garage, whose open door revealed a matching set of late-model Audis, one dark green and one champagne. In the drive outside sat a slightly older red Hyundai, which I assumed to be Danielle's. Unlike Craig, Danielle was

I want that on a T-shirt...

Yes, sometimes Killian gets it right.

New chapter posted!

I was still brooding over Jake the next morning. Something about that photo of Neal in Jake’s room wouldn’t let me go. The implications twisted my gut in ways I wasn’t ready to examine too closely. Still, I’d promised Kane we’d work on costumes today, and I didn’t want to let him down again. But I figured I might be able to squeeze in a couple quick interviews with Jake’s old friends first. I wasn’t expecting much — high school gossip tends to be shallow and fleeting — but it was a loose en

Chapter 19 is live now! Sorry the delay!

I stood frozen, my brain scrambling to process what I was seeing. Why did Jake have a photo of Neal hidden in his bedroom? What was their relationship — if any? Could my two cases somehow be connected? A hundred questions flew through my mind like a flock of startled birds, but I shoved them aside. Now wasn’t the time. Neal was watching me, his expression curious. I forced myself to move again, pasting on a pleasant smile and walking toward him with what I hoped looked like professiona