Stories

This is a series of once and future dances, echoes and dreams from the long, discontented solitude enforced by the pandemic. I dedicate it to a man whose friendship and fire have burned constant through this everlasting night.

Ruprecht von Aalst, noble dilettante, diplomat and scholar, blunders into a political minefield: but is it an accident or someone else's design? More and more he comes to believe he's a prisoner of the past he studies, and that forces from his world's own lost history are breaking through into the present to steer it into a new future, but for whose benefit?

Henry has known Peter since he was a little boy. He watched him grow up, but rather than trust the man he listens to the stories of Peter's father, allowing them to influence him. What is the truth and will it make itself known before Thanksgiving is over?

The story was inspired by Prompt #211:

You’re a closeted gay man at a company gathering, for example, a conference of some kind. The company brought in a unique kind of entertainment and you’re attracted to one of the entertainers. With their costumes, you can’t tell if they’re male or female. You decide, what the heck, and ask them to meet you later. They’re not what you expected.

NOVEL. With the dynamic metropolis of Chicago as a backdrop, politics, corruption, murder and romance are woven into a tale about a variety of relationships. The primary characters of That’s the Chicago Way include a popular television news anchor, a resourceful college student, a personal assistant/lawyer for a crafty wheeler-dealer, and a junior associate of AOI Security. AOI is an international security firm that has been the part of several past stories.

We follow Ken and family, as Ken receives a letter concerning something that happened whilst at University.

Kyle Howard is a young district attorney who has a relentless passion for the law. But when news from home reaches him, he finds himself questioning his past decisions and wondering if he made an error in judgment. Can he live with himself if he misses his last chance to set things right? Five friends reunite after years apart to see if mistakes made in the past can be forgiven before it’s too late.

King Aaron Etaro struggles with his rule. His people are happy, but their ruler is miserable, putting aside his own pleasure for the needs of his kingdom. But when a strange fox appears on a moon-lit run one night, Aaron discovers the universe is not as it appears. Suddenly he is thrust into the uncomfortable position of choosing between his kingdom and himself, this time for the stake of his entire world.

Well known as a bully and antagonist by his peers, his arrogance is a thing of legend and scorn at the annual Congress of Alphas. Overconfidence in his own greatness led the beat down of his life. Self reflection takes him on a journey of how the unlikely wolf eventually became the alpha.