Love Through the Shadows

by D.L. O'Neil

Ever wonder where hate comes from? From small slights or from deeply held beliefs? And what happens when hate runs headlong into the strongest emotion there is…love?

Fieldston, a sleepy town in eastern Pennsylvania, is gearing up to host a women’s music festival when a rash of petty crime and vandalism strike. When young women begin to disappear, something has to be done to keep locals and visitors safe. D’Shea Sinclair and women from the festival set out to unravel the mystery, discovering that there is more to Fieldston than a surface glance reveals. As the group uncovers and works to foil a dangerous plan, Sinclair finds herself presented with a second chance at love. If only she is brave enough to take the first step.

Set in 2018, this fictional tale explores the concepts of love and hate, the influence of national politics, and the power of a community coming together for the common good.

Published:
Genres:
lgbtq, mystery
Tags:
hurt/comfort, lesbian, second chance, series, small town
Excerpt:

Her car was speeding up, moving away from a past she didn't want to think about, hurtling towards a future that was nothing but murky grey to her now. She felt every molecule of air rushing past her, faster and faster. How did it get this like this? How did she go from a life that was so simple, so ordered, so routine to this? And what did it all mean? What caused the fear? The intimidation? The unrest?

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Faster now, she was going faster. She couldn't seem to slow the car although she knew that she should. The woods were now a solid green blur on her left. On her right, the greens of anise and dill reaching for the grey sky passed by, looking as though they were a single plant. Maybe this was it--maybe the chase was over. She’d run again and but this time she’d lost—everything. As though on cue the car leapt out of control and went airborne, careening toward the beautiful field of anise and dill. And then there was nothing.

COLLAPSE

Available in paperback and for a Kindle ereader

Standard Candle

by G.B. Lindsey

Denny Wyatt: friend.

Denny, who sleeps in threadbare tees that smell like his cigarettes, who coats his arms in the guts of engines, who kisses like he's sampling you, scenting you, until you forget that there are things you can't afford to forget.

Denny Wyatt: with benefits.

It's not dating. You've both done enough of that. You're both stuck in this town, you're both going nowhere, but at night, you have each other. It's sex. It's an arrangement. It suits you both.

Denny Wyatt: yours.

Tonight, the lie shatters. Denny Wyatt is so much more than friend, than lover, than any one word. But you'd better speak—better find the words—or he's gone.

Published:
Cover Artists:
Regina Wamba
Genres:
contemporary, erotica, fiction, gay, lgbtq, M/M, romance
Tags:
contemporary, gay romance, low angst, novella, second chance, small town

Androids and Aliens

by J. Scott Coatsworth

Androids & Aliens is Scott's third short story collection - eight sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from cyborgs to (comedic) alien invasions:

Rise: The rise in sea levels caused by climate change swallowed Venice beneath the lagoon half a century ago. But what if we could bring it back?

Ping: I was a real estate agent by day, and a museum curator in the evening at a sci-fi museum. What I saw one night changed everything.

What the Rain Brings: Miriam struggles to make a living in post-climate-change Vancouver. But her friend Catalina has it even worse in the Arizona desert. So Miri hatches a plan.

High Seven: Zan dreams of making full reals - immersive live virtual reality skins - but his low score may doom him to a life of cheap coding.

Full Real: Dek's given up his life of spying for the city. But one more case awaits him. Will he regret it more if he takes it, or turns it down?

Shit City: The Bay Area is being walloped by a hurricane, and seventeen-year-old Jason Vasquez has been relocated to a refugee city in the Nevada Desert. Will it be temporary shelter, or change his life?

Firedrake: Kerry has always wondered about his deadly powers. But a mysterious bunch of violet roses starts him on the path to discovery - even if he's not sure he's going to like what he finds.

The Last Human Heart: I'm one of the Remainers, the few cyborg humans still living on this busted planet. But if my still-human heart finally gives out, I may not live to find out the truth about who I am.

This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place, and the first publication of the Pacific Climate Tryptich - What the Rain Brings, High Seven, and Full Real - in any form.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth, Sleepy Fox Studio
Genres:
cli-fi, dystopian, fiction, lgbtq, romance, sci-fi
Tags:
future, gay romance, lesbian, second chance
Excerpt:
Reviews:Mike on Amazon wrote:

I'm having a hard time finding good sci-fi to read after finishing most of the old and modern classics, so I'm glad I stumbled onto this book. These stories remind me of stuff I used to read in magazines like Analog and Asimov. The worlds this book creates are compelling enough that some of these stories made me angry that they aren't full length novels or even series. I've never quite understood the magic formula that makes really good short stories impactful and complete despite their length and yet make you yearn for more at the same time. Whatever it is, Coatsworth nails it.

Wallace Rinkelhaus on Amazon wrote:

I love Scott Coatsworth's latest collection of "eight sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from cyborgs to (comedic) alien invasions" (back cover). I laughed and I cried, for broken and missing hearts, for hearts recovered, and love found and lost. I loved the golden threat of hope here, even if bad things happen. Thanks to climate change, hurricanes devastate the Bay area, and EF6 tornadoes completely an Idaho town. The US implodes.

In "Firedrake," Kerry, one of the Changed, has to deal his powers of fire-making. Then he receives violet roses--from who and why? And he begins a journey of self-discovery. "What the Rain Brings," Miriam is doing her best to survive, and help those who need it, in "post-climate change Vancouver' (backcover). But her friend, Catalina, is caught in a nightmare in Arizona. Can she help her? These are love stories, queer love stories, that celebrate the human spirit, and offer hope.

These stories are a tonic for the soul. Recommended.