Small Town Fiction - Stories

This is the third book in Andy’s continuing journey, following Trials and Tribulations and The Field of Love. New readers will get the fullest experience by starting with Book One, where Andy’s relationships, challenges, and inner strength first take shape.

After a devastating storm, Andy is caught between duty, fear, and the fragile hope that people still choose what’s right. Andy also learns that survival isn’t just strength — it’s connection, purpose, and the choices we make when everything is on the line.

Life is filled with surprises. We are constantly reminded that we are at the mercy of the universe; from the people we meet, to the events that shape us, to the places we find ourselves in. If we are among the lucky ones we will find our place in the world, and someone to share it with, and life will be sweet. But even then, everything is subject to change, and we either roll with the flow, or find ourselves fighting against the tide, because you just never know what might come at you from out of the blue.

Sugar, butter, flour. Love.

After losing their parents, 20 year-old Chase Hollow juggles odd jobs and late-night baking to care for his little sister, Prunella. He dreams of more — but dreams don’t pay bills.

When a job opens up as a bakery assistant at the upscale Keysbridge Inn, Chase applies on a whim… and finds himself clashing with the grumpy, polished Assistant Manager with a sharp tongue and colder stare.

But cookies and time have a way of softening edges.

Original story based on characters in “Cinderella Boy“ by Punko.

The Field of Love is the follow‑up to Trials and Tribulations, continuing the story of Pine Hills and the boys who call it home. Fifteen‑year‑old Sammy Day never expected a worn baseball field to change his life, but it becomes the first place he finds acceptance, friendship, and a sense of belonging. As Sammy, Andy Collins, Joey Adams, and their friends navigate questions of identity, they must also confront the darker truths of their Appalachian mining town — secrets, abuse, and a murder that still echoes through the hills.
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Johnny's dad is taking him fishing.

Two best friends. Ten years of lies. One reunion that changes everything. Kyle and Nile have spent a decade pretending they're fine—pretending they're successful, pretending their marriages weren't mistakes, pretending prom night never happened. When they finally stop performing, the truth is messier, funnier, and more terrifying than either expected. But maybe the boy you almost kissed is the one you were meant to end up with all along. A bittersweet, hilarious second-chance romance about coming home.

In a lawless land where bullets write the law, an arrogant city-dweller ventures into the Wild West seeking revenge. What he finds is a world ruled by outlaws—and a dangerous man who becomes his captor. Bound by circumstance and drawn by an irresistible pull, they clash in a game of wit, pride, and survival. But as the desert sun sets on their hatred, something far more dangerous rises between them. On the Wild West, to try and ride someone means to break them, to own them—or to lose yourself completely. Only one of them will be tamed.

Benny's parents are sending him to spend the summer with his great-aunt, because they can't afford to pay someone to watch him while they work. Benny is resistant, because he knows it means that he won't be with his friends over summer vacation, but his parents have no choice. The thing is, it doesn't turn out as bad as he fears.

Owen has been hiding his whole life. Closeted in a Catholic funeral home family, fake-dating his best friend Margot for three years, headed to a college he doesn't want. Then Ryder messages him on a dating app and everything shifts. Ryder is rough, honest, reckless, and completely unwilling to be someone's secret. As their connection deepens over one Ohio summer, Owen finds himself caught between the safe lie he's been living and the terrifying truth Ryder keeps pushing him toward. Something has to break. And Ryder's determined to take him on the ride of his life before it does.