Stories

A sad visit to a new grave; an unknown mourner. What does it mean?

Owain returns to live in his home town, 20 years after leaving when he was disowned his parents for being gay. He needs to rebuild his life following illness and come to terms with his messy family history. There is much to learn and discover, along the way he meets Colin, a builder who has his own family issues. The two explore how to make a life the way that they want, irrespective of the weight of their family experiences.

The story takes place in Cheshire, UK. The main setting, Netherwich, is my invention based on elements of Crewe and Nantwich. The language uses some regional idiom.

Colin McKenzie sells used cars and spoils his dog. In his life he's seen a lot of stupidity and he's become cranky and opinionated. The boy who first made his heart beat faster works in town now, divorced, but there's nothing there for either of them. Then a storm brings new life into a stale world for Colin and after so many years...he finally lives.

After losing his wife to illness, a decorated war hero is determined to keep his family together, but his parenting skills are tested during the summer break by financial restraints, an increasing reliance on alcohol, and the discovery that his eldest son is gay.

Life after the past isn't what most of us dream of, or hope for.

The sleepy village of Crumbington is about to get a wake-up call.

When the new chairperson of the Summer Fête Committee pushes to create a naked calendar of the Crumbington football team, mouths drop open. Her further pronouncement at having snagged a celebrity host for the fête—rising television and movie star Clifton O’Keefe, and ex-resident of Crumbington—is met with indifference.

Not by Nathan Fresher, though, local baker and captain of the football team. He had been Clifton’s boyfriend in high school, until Clifton and his family disappeared into the night over ten years ago.

Being gay has always had its pitfalls, but nothing could have prepared us for the devastation of the last two decades of the twentieth century. Michael is very sick, but there is one more thing he feels the need to do as he lays in bed waging the biggest fight of his life. As an activist, he still wants to be of some use, no matter how little. It's not his nature to give up until he has to. This is a story about PRIDE, and what it represents to our community. Pride month means many things to many people. For some it is a parade and a chance to celebrate, but for others, it holds different connotations.

Axel the Kodiak werebear has finally found happiness with his home in Atikokan and his new cub Adam, but Adam's curiosity in his mysterious Papa's history has Axel bringing up memories that he has kept buried for centuries and will lead the pair on a 3,500 mile trek to Alaska to track down Axel's own Papa!

Donovan, a one time promising baseball star, enjoys his life and his close friends. After almost a decade of trying to forget his past, he's wrangled into joining a summer co-ed men's baseball league. That's when he meets Shane, a jerk with a great ass. They don't get off get off to a good start but will they be able to overcome their differences?

Most of Rick’s life was performed solo and in quiet. He told himself he liked it that way, preferring to keep even his closest friends away from his secrets. But an aggressive woman and a stranger in town found a way to bring out his inner music.

Small town life still exists like this. The pace is slow, and everyone knows your name. And your business.