Mystery - Stories

Former policeman Dan and art critic Vaughan’s relationship has an unfortunate start, but second time around they find that life has something different in store for them. Amidst interfering family members and lively friends, their relationship develops. But then Dan’s employer, Francis Heyward starts to take an interest. Heyward is seemingly stupendously rich, a giver of notorious parties and the possessor of an enviable art collection. There’s a question of whether a line should be crossed, and whether Heyward can even be trusted at all.

Killian Kendall is used to being overlooked, even at home. That's about to change with the arrival of a new kid at school. Seth is openly gay and, for reasons he can't really understand, Killian finds himself drawn to him. When the boy is killed in a brutal attack, and Killian is injured in the process, he begins to questions everything. The police are eager to label the attack as a random mugging, but Killian was there. He knows better. With the help of the murdered boy's father and his friends, Killian starts his own investigation, but his search turns up hatred in small town America.

Matt is a new school ambassador at his high school in San Francisco. His first assignment is to welcome four exchange students. The new kids are not as they first appear.

Jacob continues his journey to form new bonds with his brothers while struggling to find his place after awakening to a brand new world. Will newfound friendships be broken? Will his first real love be lost? Those are the heart-wrenching questions Jacob must face with the ever-present fear of losing himself to light and shadow.

This is a collaboration with Aero1107.

John asked if he could use my main characters from "A Ticklish Thriller" in his story, "My Ticklish Grandsons," and create a backstory for Mikey and his family. I was extremely flattered and eagerly accepted and was even more surprised when he asked if I'd work with him on developing his story. Then that started an idea for a stand alone sequel to Thriller using his characters The Giovanni Clan which became "The Ticklish Brotherhood."

Orono, Maine had been panicked by a curious serial killer. The killer always leaves a fancy hat, called a fascinator, at the scene of the crime.

The few clues point toward a female perpetrator, which is fairly unusual. As little as 8% up to 17% of serial killers are women. The killing method is always different. The victims apparently have nothing in common. And the only common clue besides the hat is a few strands of hair, likely a woman’s. Other clues indicating a woman killer are left but are as random as the victims.

Is the woman who has that hair the suspect, or is it a case of massive misdirection?

A patient wakes up in a familiar hospital. His concerns? The doctor is a moving tree, the therapist has wings, and the waiting room is filled with every supernatural being known to existence. Oh, and he can't remember anything about himself.

Jemya Hanlon was born on Benteen, a planet settled 500 years earlier from Old Earth. But the lines of communication with the mother world were broken after only 200 years, and the colonists have been on their own ever since. Jem was raised in the cold northern lands of New Australia, the only continent where the settlers have a foothold. The nearby town of Nocksic Bay is a seaport, where the ships sail forth to hunt the great orx, a staple seafood of the settlers. Jem has longed dreamed of going to sea, and now he has his chance. And he is just in time to encounter a new mystery, one that may change the settler’s lives forever!

The ambition of courtier Gesi Ajai threatens the Empire of Lyra. Skilled general Raithion Maenaer meets Azula, a blacksmith, but their connection is cut short. Years later, Basileus Dio has thwarted Gesi's ambition, but Gesi now plans to take the throne by any means. Raithion and Azula must bring Gesi down and navigate treacherous court politics. Will they succeed?

To have someone to love is one of life’s greatest gifts, his grandma used to say. However, what grandma didn’t know, and Otis didn’t have the heart to tell her, was that getting there in this day and age required going through a painful phase called dating. Something he’s not very good at, to put it lightly. However, when someone moves in an apartment a few doors down from his, Otis begins to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Full summary inside.