Stories

We all face a journey to find ourselves, our truth. Some get there early, others can never face the truth, and then there are those like him. The one on the edge of the dance floor, in the corner of the bar, watching, waiting, hoping. This is Jack's first story.

Set in 1982 in a British university town.

A Summer in Iowa is based on two key times in the author's life. In 1968, the author turned 12 and began junior high. It was a tumultuous time in which protests rocked America and MLK and RFK were assassinated. Fast forward to 1972, when the author turned 16 and was in high school. The author experienced his first time on his own while attending a summer science program at the University of Iowa. Although the romantic aspects of the story are fictional, much of the rest of the story is based on real events. A Summer in Iowa also serves as a prequel to the modern-day story in the author's New York Stories series, Reminiscing About the Future.

Joey Balas can’t read, can’t keep a job, and can’t seem to catch a break—until he’s handed a delivery job by his criminal brother that lands him face-to-face with a Cleveland mobster… and a murder he was never supposed to witness. Marked for death, Joey’s saved by the last person he expected: the hitman ordered to kill him.

D is cold, quiet, and done taking orders. Letting Joey live was a mistake he can’t take back—and maybe doesn’t want to. Now the two of them are on the run, tangled up in a mess of dirty secrets, family betrayals, and the slow-burning bond growing between them.

This tale features three college students. Let’s see what they get up to on Campus.

A shattered young Brit, Jimmy, flees his past for Canada, haunted by failure and abuse. On a rain-drenched Ottawa street, a spontaneous act of courage connects him to Hugo, a charismatic jock who challenges everything he knows about love and self-worth. This is the raw, hopeful beginning of an extraordinary journey of recovery, friendship, and finding the strength to walk toward a brighter future.

Jasper is everything fans of The Obsolete want him to be. Between the dance-y pop songs he writes, his flirty onstage persona, and the masterful way he plays along with the fans’ ships, he’s the perfect performer.

But when Ryan, an irresistibly attractive dancer, is added out of the blue to his vocal band, it puts the spotlight on something Jasper’s been ignoring all his life.

Can Jasper let himself get swept up in his own real-life, convoluted, fanfic love story while uncovering the real reason their manager added Ryan, & saving the band? Or will a photo scandal throw everything out in favor of some satisfyingly petty revenge?

This story is in response to the prompt challenging writers to write a story without using >> I << in it: Write a short story (at least 500 words) in first person without using the pronoun “I”.

I hope you enjoy this!

An alpha leaves his pack behind for only two reasons: to die or to find his fated mate. Ryder Asherman, the young alpha of Luna’s Sentinels, must follow the winding road that will take him to the big city, since that’s where his fate awaits.

But all his well-laid plans fall through when he realizes that finding his mate in this glass and stone jungle will be far from easy. His fated partner is out of his reach, locked away in the tallest building in the city from where he leads his army of human servants. Ryder will not give up; he must find a way to reach this man, no matter what it takes. (Full summary inside)

A young boy and his dog build a bond that takes them through life experiences.

Noah's plan for a cinematic Parisian romance goes spreadsheets-up when the city proves to be a nightmare. Resigned to a week of corporate training hell, he meets Matteo, an Italian who finds Paris just as disappointing. Together, they wage a sarcastic war on tourist traps and clichés. But in their quest to prove the City of Love is a scam, they find the one thing they weren't looking for: a genuine connection more real than any fantasy.