Brewing (Dis)trust

Trust Series Book 1

by D.L. O'Neil
Paramedic watching firetruck leave station
Part of the Trust Series series:
  • Brewing (Dis)trust

JC Washington is laser focused on the debut of her new, all-natural energy drink. !ZING’s success will free her from her father’s unreasonable expectations. Abby Martin is running from her past, determined not to let anyone get too close. Those close to her always got hurt. When JC and Abby’s paths cross in a small northern California community neither is sure they can trust the other. Facing a series of unexplained incidents threatening to disrupt their lives, both women realize they need to trust someone. But who? Can that question be answered before anyone gets seriously hurt?

Published:
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Genres:
contemporary, family drama, fiction, lgbtq, mystery
Tags:
bartender, entrepreneur, lesbian, paramedic/fire fighter
Excerpt:

JC didn’t speak to her father for four years after admitting to him she quit college. The day she declared her independence from Cole Washington’s empire and all the things it stood for. Everything JC did since that day declared her liberation from the family business. Even though she now spoke with her father, their business separation remained. JC wanted none of his world.

She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. JC tried hard not to forget about that time in her life. It embarrassed her to think of things she’d done. How she’d treated others in pursuit of her father’s approval while growing up. The ways she’d chosen to get ahead. Every day JC awoke determined to live a life that made up for all of that. And to prove to her father that there were paths to being a winner that did not have to come at someone else’s expense.

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Footsteps drew her attention as Dre emerged from the warehouse. JC stared, arching an eyebrow and stifling a laugh. Dre’s cargo shorts and tee were covered in brownish-black goo. It was splashed on her face and in her neatly combed black hair, making it appear she’d fallen into a mud pit. “Do I even want to ask?” JC queried, struggling to keep the smile from her face.

COLLAPSE

The Cultist’s Wife

by BJ Sikes

A gothic horror set in 1908 Bahamas

She loathes him but the cult beckons.

1908, the height of the British Empire. Clara’s autonomy is shattered when her long-absent husband summons her to join him at his eerie sect’s headquarters, insulated on a sparsely inhabited island in the Bahamas.

After a harrowing sea voyage, Clara and her children disembark into an unfamiliar landscape and climate. The children explore the marvels and mysteries of Andros Island and develop friendships with a Bahamian family, while Clara struggles to find her place as a woman within the cult.

But what seems at first to be a spiritual haven for Clara reveals itself to be a monster-worshiping cult intent on draining her family of more than their fortune.

Must Clara give up her quest for independence to protect her children from the cult’s depraved attempts to consume their life essence?

Published:
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Cover Artists:
Sleepy Fox Studio
Genres:
Gothic horror, historical
Tags:
Cult, monster

Suck a Little Happy Juice

An Irreverent, By-the-Skin-of-Your-Teeth Guide to Being an Indie Author

by J. Scott Coatsworth

Being An Indie Author Can’t Be That Hard, Right?

So you want to be an indie author. Or maybe you're scared to do it all yourself and are looking for a publisher, but want to know more about the nuts and bolts of the book business. Either way, this book is for you.

Scott is a thirty-year small press veteran who shares his knowledge—from the snarky to the sublime—and answers your questions: What should you consider before you start to write? What about when you get stuck? And what can you do when you start doubting yourself?

This book is filled with practical advice, candid explanations, and emotional support for any writer navigating today's complicated publishing business, helping you to stay sane and define for yourself what being a “successful writer” means.

In your career, you’ll have highs and lows. It’s important to put all the highs in a bottle and save them. And when the publishing world gets you down, pull it out and suck a little happy juice.

“If I ever go off course, I will refer back to this guide to keep me going. The book's strength lies in its ability to demystify the writing and publishing process, making it a trustworthy companion for writers facing challenges. 5 Stars.” -Jaqueline Neves, Readers’ Favorite

"Suck a Little Happy Juice is the kind of advice title one wishes every aspiring writer had in hand. Whether it's addressing getting ready to write or giving concrete examples contrasting tepid writing with captivating alternative approaches and revisions, Coatsworth sets aside ethereal advice in favor of the concrete examples writers need in order to prove more effective and hone their skills.. If libraries and readers were to select just a few titles on the subject of becoming an author, Suck a Little Happy Juice should be at the top of the list." --Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Editors:
Allison Behrens, Jaime Lee Moyer
Cover Artists:
Sleepy Fox Studio
Genres:
non-fiction, writing
Tags:
writing
Excerpt:

So you probably saw this book on the shelf, or on a website somewhere while searching for some advice on how to be an indie author—someone who publishes their own work—and thought “Suck a little happy juice? What the $%#@!does that mean?”

Let me enlighten you.

I started my professional writing journey in 2013, and in May of 2015, I launched my own blog—a place where I could talk about life, the universe, and share with my readers the meaning of being a writer and an author.

A few years later, I transitioned from having a publisher to being a hybrid author, meaning I publish my own work and have some titles with by a traditional publisher.

In the last decade or so, I have written close to 450 columns on the blog, many of them about the ins and outs—emotional, spiritual and practical—of being my own publisher.

READ MORE

One of those columns in particular really struck a chord when I wrote it, and I knew it would eventually become the title of this book. It was called “Suck a Little Happy Juice,” and it was an exploration of the need to hold on to all the good things that happen during your indie author journey—reviews, kind words, great sales—and using them as a fuel and a panacea to keep yourself going when things get rough. From that chapter in this book:

We need to bottle up all those great things and put them away, ready to be opened at a later date when things don’t seem quite so rosy. When imposter syndrome runs us down, it’s time to grab that “bottle” of “all the great things,” off the shelf.

Got a rejection? Open that file and relive some of those wonderful things folks said about you and your writing.

Latest book sales in the gutter? Take a ride on the happy memory train.

Hit with a horrendous edit? Suck a little happy juice.

With life and the world in such a weird, precarious, and sometimes downright awful place, you have to grab the good when you have it.

This book a celebration of the joys of being your own publisher boss, a balm for those difficult times when it doesn’t seem quite so glorious, and a warm blanket for when you feel left out in the cold by the book business.

I hope that it makes your indie author journey just a little easier and more enjoyable.

COLLAPSE
Reviews:Jaqueline Neves on Readers’ Favorite wrote:

“If I ever go off course, I will refer back to this guide to keep me going. The book's strength lies in its ability to demystify the writing and publishing process, making it a trustworthy companion for writers facing challenges. 5 Stars.”

Diane Donovan on Midwest Book Review wrote:

"Suck a Little Happy Juice is the kind of advice title one wishes every aspiring writer had in hand. Whether it's addressing getting ready to write or giving concrete examples contrasting tepid writing with captivating alternative approaches and revisions, Coatsworth sets aside ethereal advice in favor of the concrete examples writers need in order to prove more effective and hone their skills.. If libraries and readers were to select just a few titles on the subject of becoming an author, Suck a Little Happy Juice should be at the top of the list."


Love & Limitations

by J. Scott Coatsworth

Love & Limitations is Scott's fourth short story collection and first one featuring contemporary MM and LGBTQ+ stories:

I Only Want to Be With You: Derrek likes Ryan. Ryan likes Alex. Alex treats Ryan like trash. So why can't he see who really loves him?

The Boy in the Band: It's hard for a trans kid in high school, just like it was for a gay kid two decades before. Can Ryan and Justin find common ground in time?

Translation: Dominic has a thing for Italian guys, especially his boss, Dante. His roommate Enrico has a thing for him. No matter how this ends, someone is going to get hurt.

Slow Thaw: As the Antarctic warms, so does the chilly relationship between scientist Javier Fernandez and new arrival-and trans man-Col Steele as they contend with a disaster on the ice.

Ten: After the death of his husband, Chris faces a gay mid-life crisis-at thirty-five-as he jumps back into the dating scene for ten dates in ten days.
This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place, and the first publication of the The Boy in the Band in any form.

Published:
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (https://www.otherworldsink.com)
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Cover Artists:
J. Scott Coatsworth
Genres:
cli-fi, contemporary, fiction, gay, holiday, lgbtq, M/M, romance
Tags:
climate change, contemporary, gay romance, MM
Excerpt:

Farview

by Kim Fielding

Ravaged by a horrific experience, Oliver Webb flees the smog-bound city of Greynox for a quiet seaside village and the inheritance he’s never seen: a cottage called Farview. He discovers clear skies, friendly imps, and a charming storyteller named Felix Corbyn.

With help from Felix’s tales, Oliver learns surprising secrets about his family history and discovers what home really means. But, with Felix cursed, Oliver growing deathly ill, and an obligation in Greynox hanging heavy around his neck, it seems that not even wizards can save the day.

Still, as Felix knows, stories are the best truths and the most powerful magic. Perhaps the right words might yet conjure a chance for happiness.

Published:
Publisher: Tin Box Press (http://tinboxpress.com)
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Narrators:
Joel Leslie
Genres:
fantasy, fiction, gay, historical, lgbtq, M/M, magical realism, romance
Tags:
bard, curse, gay romance, MM, seaside, small town

Winner of the 2021 BookLife Fiction Prize

Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist

Crow’s Fate

by Kim Fielding

You can’t fly away from destiny.

Crow Rapp assumes he’ll spend his life growing corn in rural Illinois, like the grandparents who raised him. But during a visit to a traveling carnival, he encounters a handsome stranger named Simeon Bell—and receives a prophecy of a horrifying future. When that future materializes soon afterward, Crow flees… only to find that no matter how far he goes, fate pursues him.

Simeon reenters his life a decade later and causes Crow to consider whether actively fighting his fate might be better than constant attempts at escape. In a world tinged by magic, where myths are as real as the sky above them, the men try to determine Crow’s true identity. Along the way, they test the powers of friendship and love and explore the boundaries of free will—ultimately discovering whether the force of destiny can be overcome.

Published:
Publisher: Tin Box Press (http://tinboxpress.com)
Editors:
Allison Behrens
Cover Artists:
Dianne Thies
Narrators:
Joel Leslie
Genres:
fantasy, fiction, gay, historical, M/M, magical realism, paranormal, romance
Tags:
gay romance, MM, quest

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.