Stories

Part of the Lost Soul Series and The Boot World this is Ian and Kevin's story. In the summer of 2011, they move from a rented flat in The Northern Quarter of Manchester to their own house in Prestwich. As couples do they reflect on the past and look forward to the future. Unexpected news changes their lives and gives a glimpse into the past of their friend Manny.

This re-write of the original story posted in 2022, is more than an edit, added dialogue and description tells the story better and has been achieved with the help of raven1.

It may help, but it is not essential, to read the other stories in the series.

A novel in fifteen chapters.

Fourteen-year-old Daniele Ferrero and his best friend Giacomo are finally finishing middle school. As they embark on the endless summer holidays amidst the mountains and olive groves of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, they begin to grow closer. But will Giacomo prove worthy of Daniele’s affections?

Meanwhile, Daniele’s other best friend Marco is waiting in the wings, and he suspects that Giacomo’s motives are anything but selfless.

Zach thought he was fooling everyone and was only out to Jake, his kid brother. Then on his 15^th birthday, his dad gave him a rainbow pendant inscribed with the Hebrew word ‘Chai’, which means ‘Life’. His dad had had it made to give to his best friend, Cliff, who had AIDS, but never got the chance. Zach promised to wear it with pride, but hid it under his shirt, forgetting he had to undress for gym, a class he shared with Tanner, his secret crush.

Silas Drake never stays in one place for very long. He has nowhere to call home and no family, at least not that he has any desire to see again. He's a homeless gay teen and just trying to survive in a small Colorado town with not much beyond his name; only his survival skills from years of scouting, his dog, Adelaide, and the small bit of supplies to get him through each day. His life is in for a change when the last person he expected to see is standing in front of him.

Sometimes we have to embrace what life throws our way, whether we want to or not. These two poems are a tribute to aging and the losses that inevitably occur, and how we deal with both.

The story of Anthony Larkin, his struggle against injustice, and the evolution of gay rights in the UK.

Cory and Mark are BFFs who have faced all of life’s milestones together. They’re about to travel a dark path, until realizing the light will shine again on a different day. This story is an exploration of friendship and grief, and may be difficult for some to read.

A novel in twelve chapters.

It’s springtime in the Italian mountain town of Ravello, and the community is just starting to wake up for the new tourist season. But something isn’t quite right: businesses are being attacked, and the police are nowhere to be seen.

Into the midst of all this comes twelve-year-old Daniele Ferrero, a kind and gentle boy who dreams of being a hero but really just wants a friend his own age. One night, when he follows a boy he sort of likes, he gets caught up in a dangerous game that will test his faith in humanity.

Short pink tales.

A short story in four chapters set on the mountainous Italian coast. Seven years after ‘The Summer of the Firefly’, another teen struggles with his identity following a bust-up with his father and his best friend.