Four years later, Toni’s judgment is overturned, but the damage is already done. She walks from the prison a free woman, but she’s hardly free. Actually, she’s hardly alive. A prison without rules can do that to a person. She was raised amidst garden parties, stables and tennis courts, but now a dingy flat in a decrepit building is what Toni calls home. It’s cold, dark and barren just like her heart, but it suits her. She doesn’t want to leave much behind when she’s gone, but the simplicity of her sheltered existence begins to unravel when a beautiful stranger comes into her life. How does anyone survive in a world that terrifies them? How do you learn to trust again when everyone is your enemy? How do you take your next breath and not wish it were your last? And if your past returned...what would you do? Author’s Note: Give Me A Reason contains elements of angst, and while it may be found under several genres, its primary listing is lesbian fiction.

    A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. – Luke 6:38Merry Christmas to all my readers! Since I can’t send a Christmas card to every last one of you, I offer this in its stead—an Original Sinners Christmas story. Maybe your holiday season be filled to the brim with love, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and poured into your lap, and may your blessings outnumber the snowflakes and the stars put together. And if your love and your blessings are lacking this year, be a blessing to someone else for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.With Christmas Love and a Spirit of Good Cheer,Tiffany Reisz

    His current boyfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level, which makes Rett hesitant and doubtful. Luckily, a job offer in a new town solves his problem for him, giving him the perfect excuse to run away yet again from the uncomfortable feeling of someone trying to get close to him, even if it means picking up after seven years of school and starting over.Most guys would kill for his new job, and Rett’s certainly desperate for the paycheck. But the irony of the new position isn’t lost on him — he’s never cared a whole lot for sports, and even far less about the world of professional sports, which is right where he’s landed. Then he finds out he’s not the only one that’s new to pro sports, and he gets closer and closer to one of the players as they try to make sense of the whole crazy thing together. And things seem good!But when his family, whom he had long since left behind, shows back up with a family crisis, his life starts to unwind and Rett allows everything around him to painfully self-destruct. It’s only then that he realizes he’s got to get back up, stand his ground, and teach himself the one thing he never truly learned growing up.He’s got to stop running away and finally learn what it really means to be a man.

    A few doors down, Rachel Chauvin is looking for the same, but her conservative style hasn’t yielded any keepers, either. Neither woman is willing to consider the other as a prospective partner, mostly because they’ve hated each other for nearly four decades.Change is in the air, and spring is giving way to The Summer of Our Discontent.

    Her love of flying leads her to join the Womens Airforce Service Pilots, determined to regain her passion and spread her wings, not suspecting that she would experience more than just flying.Helen Richmond, a Hollywood stunt pilot, has never experienced a love that lifted her as high as the aircraft she flew…until she meets Lily.Both women join the W.A.S.P. program to serve their country and instead find that they are on a collision course towards each other, but can it last?

    Their pet project is Jaclyn Wyatt, a single mother who, in their opinion, needs a little help in the romance department. Jaclyn doesn’t agree, but the trio secretly springs into action when a newcomer arrives. Morgan Chassion retreated to White Oak Lake to mentally and emotionally recover from losing her father, being dumped by her girlfriend and the final insult, losing her job. The past few months have not been kind and solace is what she needs, but complication is what she gets. Love’s potion is being brewed in White Oak Lake. The recipe is simple, two lonely hearts, a little time, and a dash of vulnerability. Add a little heat and the potion is complete.

    Jorie Andolini is one of those people and has spent a lot of time envisioning that moment. She bumps into a woman at a grocery store, the woman drops a can of peas, Jorie picks it up, their eyes meet, and two souls connect. But it’s actually a wasted trip to New York, a snowstorm, and a canceled flight home that puts her in the path of Lena Vaughn.Lena has found fault in every man she’s ever dated. Her dream of finding a husband is dwindling with every year that passes. Despite what her friends say, Lena doesn’t believe she has a fear of commitment, she simply hasn’t found a man she wanted to commit to. It comes as a surprise that in fact it is a woman who stirs those desires. For Lena, it’s not really a matter of sexuality, it’s just Jorie.Travel the road to happiness with Jorie and Lena. Two crazy old women, meddling friends, and cattitude are just some sights you’ll see along the way.

    All called it an accident, but Benji thought it more. However, even years later, he is buried deep in his grief, throwing himself into taking over Big Eddie's convenience store in the small town of Roseland, Oregon. Surrounded by his mother and three aunts, he lives day by day, struggling to keep his head above water.But Roseland is no ordinary place.With ever-increasing dreams of his father's death and waking visions of feathers on the surface of a river, Benji's definition of reality is starting to bend. He thinks himself haunted, but whether by ghosts or memories, he can no longer tell. It's not until the impossible happens and a man falls from the sky and leaves the burning imprint of wings on the ground that he begins to understand that the world around him is more mysterious than he could have possibly imagined. It's also more dangerous, as forces beyond anyone's control are descending on Roseland, revealing long hidden truths about friends, family, and the man named Calliel who Benji is finding he can no longer live without.

    She’s the best Dominatrix at the club and her clients always leave satisfied...#1 The young actress known as “America’s Sweetheart” who definitely isn’t innocent.

    Her friends and neighbors all think so. While she enjoys her quiet life running the town bakeshop in Applewood, Illinois, she wonders if there could be more. After losing the love of her life four years prior in a plane crash, Molly thinks she’s ready to navigate the dicey dating waters once again. However, you can’t always pick who your heart latches on to. When Jordan Tuscana, the beautiful younger sister of her lost love, returns to town, Molly finds her interest piqued in a manner she wasn’t prepared for.As secrets are uncovered, Molly and Jordan must figure out how to navigate the difficult terrain of their multi-faceted relationship. Especially when something much deeper seems to be bubbling between them.

    A story of deception and murder six long years in the making. After spending ten years in some of the worst parts of the world, he's ready to settle life down and open an art gallery in his hometown of Chicago. Trent Cooper, electrical contractor, is surprised by the last minute request for a fast-paced electrical remodel, little did he know he'd be immediately propositioned by the gallery's owner. Being gay in the construction industry isn't easy, nor is being father to his two young adopted children. Trent keeps his life in separate zones to avoid a short circuit. Will their high-voltage passion break the currents between them forever?

    She has a long-term relationship and a job she likes as a university librarian. Her life seems settled, content – except nothing is as it seems. Aggie Bishop's last girlfriend left her three years ago and she hasn't had a date since. Her life now revolves around work and taking care of her great-aunt Cory who doesn't want to be taken care of. Aunt Cory still lives in the run-down mansion that the rest of the family wants to sell if they can only get the old lady into a nursing home. Aggie is all that stands between them and her great-aunt. When Beryl finds a book with a romantic inscription dated 1945, the events that follow will change the lives of all three women forever. Spanning decades, this enchanting tale reminds us that some loves never fade and that sometimes, home truly is where the heart lies.80,500 words

    While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

    They are even better at keeping them from each other. Max Walker is a golden boy, with a secret that the world may not be ready for. This novel is a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity, and a coming-of-age story like no other.

    And he might have stayed that way, except he develops a friendship with out-and-proud Oliver Campbell from the wrong side of the tracks. Rusty thinks the friendship is just pity—Oliver is very bright, and Rusty is very not—but then Oliver kisses him goodbye when Rusty leaves for college, and Rusty is forced to rethink everything he knows about himself.But even Rusty’s newfound awareness can’t help him survive a semester at Berkeley. He returns home for Thanksgiving break clinging to the one thing he knows to be true: Oliver Campbell is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.Rusty’s parents disagree, and Rusty finds himself homeless for the holidays. Oliver may not have much money, but he’s got something Rusty has never known: true family. With their help and Oliver’s love, Rusty comes to realize that he may have failed college, but he’ll pass real life with flying rainbow colors.

    He practices marching band moves for hours in the hot Texas sun, deals with his disapproving father, and slyly checks out the new band field tech, Curtis Cameron. Before long, Luke is falling harder than he knew he could. And this time, he intends to play it right.Since testing positive for HIV, Curtis has careened between numbness and fear. Too ashamed to tell anyone, Curtis can't possibly act on his feelings. And Luke--impulsive, funny, and more tempting than he realizes--won't take a hint. Even when Curtis distances himself it backfires, leaving him with no idea how to protect Luke from the truth.Confronting a sensitive topic with candor and aplomb, acclaimed author J. H. Trumble renders a modern love story as sweet, sharp, and messy as the real thing, where easy answers are elusive, and sometimes the only impossible thing is to walk away.

    Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America is part memoir and part investigative analysis that explores the explosive and confusing intersection of faith, politics, and sexuality in Christian America.The quest to find an answer is at the heart of Does Jesus Really Love Me?—a personal journey of belief, an investigation, and a portrait of a faith and a nation at odds by award-winning reporter Jeff Chu.From Brooklyn to Nashville to California, from Westboro Baptist Church and their “God Hates Fags” protest signs, to the pioneering Episcopalian bishop Mary Glasspool—who proclaims a message of liberation and divine love, Chu captures spiritual snapshots of Christian America at a remarkable moment, when tensions between both sides in the culture wars have rarely been higher.Funny and heartbreaking, perplexing and wise, Does Jesus Really Love Me? is an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual pilgrimage that reveals a nation in crisis.

    He’s experienced too many betrayals, too many disappointments. He doesn’t want to be involved in anything. He doesn’t want to be popular. He doesn’t even want friends anymore, since they only ever let you down. He just wants to get through high school and the best way he can come up with to accomplish that goal is to simply be invisible.His self-imposed exile from high school life is threatened when Liam, the scary stoner, reaches out to him. What starts out as a strange and unsettling encounter with the unnerving, pot-smoking teenager evolves into the sort of friendship that changes the course of a person’s life.But as Liam drags the reluctant Justin out of his shell, Liam’s own secret is revealed. Fearless is the story of the myriad shades of love, how to find one’s courage and the transformative power of friendship.

    Blake has made a career out of writing novels that make her readers want to leave the lights on at night. What Blake’s fans and very few people realize is that Blake Taylor is scared of her own shadow and just about everything else. After a family intervention, a case of writer’s block, and the desire to be free of the confines of fear, she leaves New York and rents a house in Cypress Glade, Louisiana. Quinn Scott, a local, is hired by Blake’s agent to be a tour guide of sorts for her most famous and troublesome client. The job seems simple for a thousand bucks a month, but as she gets to know Blake, it’s anything but easy. Birds, squirrels, broccoli, and dogs are fearsome creatures. Find a comfortable spot, visit Cypress Glade, and watch as these two women learn to conquer fears that don’t always go bump in the night. Be warned, a few feathers may fly…

    But when a demon murders his brother, Caleb must avenge Ben's death, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, his only allies belong to an extremist group who would kill Caleb if they found out about his talent.Gray is a wandering spirit, summoned to hunt and destroy demons by drinking their blood. This hunt goes horribly wrong, and for the first time in his existence Gray is trapped in a living, human body. Caleb's body...and Caleb is still in it.Hotshot federal agent John Starkweather thinks he's seen it all. But when he's called to exorcise Caleb, he finds a creature which isn't supposed to exist outside of stories. For Gray is a drakul: a vampire.When John fails to exorcise Gray, the countdown is on. If he can't find a means of removing the drakul before 40 days pass, Caleb will be possessed forever. In the meantime, the three must find a way to work together. As they hunt down demons and save the innocent, the heat between the two men explodes into passion...and John discovers a different kind of temptation, one that calls into question everything he believes.

    Ideal for fans of Shuggie Bain and It's A SinDamian Barr sifts through the wreckage of a horrific childhood and manages to extract humour, generosity of spirit and ultimately joy. To say I loved it doesn't begin to convey the mixture of emotions - tears, laughter, anger - I felt while reading it." — Jojo Moyes. "This amazing book tells the story of an appalling childhood with truth and clarity unsmudged by self-pity. It grips from beginning to end." — Diana Athill. Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes meets Billy Elliot, Maggie & Me is a unique, tender, and witty memoir of surviving the tough streets of small town Scotland during the Thatcher years.October 12, 1984. An IRA bomb blows apart the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Miraculously, Maggie Thatcher survives. In small-town Scotland, eight-year-old Damian Barr watches in horror as his mum rips her wedding ring off and packs their bags. He knows he, too, must survive.Damian, his sister, and his Catholic mum move in with her violent new boyfriend while his Protestant dad shacks up with the glamorous Mary the Canary. Divided by sectarian suspicion, the community is held together by the sprawling Ravenscraig Steelworks. But darkness threatens as Maggie takes hold: she snatches school milk, smashes the unions, and makes greed good. Following Maggie's advice, Damian works hard and plans his escape. He discovers that stories can save your life and — in spite of violence, strikes, AIDS, and Clause 28 — manages to fall in love dancing to Madonna in Glasgow's only gay club.Maggie & Me is a touching and darkly witty memoir about surviving Thatcher's Britain; a story of growing up gay in a straight world and coming out the other side in spite of, and maybe because of, the Iron Lady.

    Whereas her older son, Chase, is a Lego-loving, sports-playing boy's boy, her younger son, C.J., would much rather twirl around in a pink sparkly tutu, with a Disney Princess in each hand while singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi."   C.J. is gender variant or gender nonconforming, whichever you prefer. Whatever the term, Lori has a boy who likes girl stuff—really likes girl stuff. He floats on the gender-variation spectrum from super-macho-masculine on the left all the way to super-girly-feminine on the right. He's not all pink and not all blue. He's a muddled mess or a rainbow creation. Lori and her family choose to see the rainbow.   Written in Lori's uniquely witty and warm voice and launched by her incredibly popular blog of the same name, Raising My Rainbow is the unforgettable story of her wonderful family as they navigate the often challenging but never dull privilege of raising a slightly effeminate, possibly gay, totally fabulous son.Now with Extra Libris material, including a reader’s guide and bonus content

    Still grieving over the sudden death of his lover, antiques dealer Flynn Ambrose moves to the old, ramshackle house on Pitch Pine Lane to catalog and sell the large inventory of arcane and oddball items that once filled his late uncle's mysterious museum.But not all the items are that easy to catalog -- or get rid of.

    So, when an opportunity comes along for village girl Lynn to be kidnapped and enslaved by a ruthless pirate queen, she takes full advantage of it. But Darren is neither as ruthless nor as piratical as she appears at first glance--and Lynn's not exactly what she seems to be, either. In between encounters with old girlfriends, a slow death involving marmalade, and bounty hunters with no sense of humour, Lynn and her new mistress attempt to work out exactly what they are to each other--and who's in charge.

    In this brief and evocative narrative, he shares for the first time his journey as a Latino immigrant and openly gay man discovering a new, emotional understanding of what it means to be an American. He tells the story of the call from the White House committee and all the exhilaration and upheaval of the days that followed. He reveals the inspiration and challenges behind the creation of the inaugural poem, “One Today,”  as well as two other poems commissioned for the occasion (“Mother Country” and “What We Know of Country”), published here for the first time ever, alongside translations of all three of those poems into his native Spanish. Finally, Blanco reflects on his life-changing role as a public voice since the inauguration, his spiritual embrace of Americans everywhere, and his vision for poetry’s new role in our nation’s consciousness. Like the inaugural poem itself, For All of Us, One Today speaks to what makes this country and its people great, marking a historic moment of hope and promise in our evolving American landscape.

    "He's going to find me before you do."One wrong step in Los Angeles leaves Alex Pascal scarred and traumatized, unable to continue the career she loves.In England, a drunk driver shatters Sarah Kent’s family.For Sarah, exploring the North Cascades is an opportunity to regain her health and her confidence, while Alex has already abandoned LA to make the mountains her home. Drawn to the beauty and history of Desolation Peak, Sarah is hiking alone when a storm leaves her stranded. Determined to track her down, Alex heads into the wilderness, never anticipating the terrible danger she will face. Because Sarah is already running for her life, fleeing from a ruthless criminal with a mission to complete and nothing left to lose. With everything stacked against them, neither woman expects to survive, let alone fall in love.All they have to do now is find a way out.

    Seas cover most of the land areas except high elevations which exist as islands where the remaining humans have learned to make do with much less. People survive on what they can take from the sea and with foodstuffs supplemented from an orbiting set of space stations.Jess Drake is an agent for Interforce, a small and exclusive special forces organization that still possesses access to technology. Her job is to protect and serve the citizens of the American continent who are in conflict with those left on the European continent. The struggle for resources is brutal, and when a rogue agent nearly destroys everything, Interforce decides to trust no one. They send Jess a biologically-created agent who has been artificially devised and given knowledge using specialized brain programming techniques.Instead of the mindless automaton one might expect, Biological Alternative NM-Dev-1 proves to be human and attractive. Against all odds, Jess and the new agent are swept into a relationship neither expected. Can they survive in these strange circumstances? And will they even be able to stay alive in this bleak new world?

    In the two years since she passed, he’s carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex. When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother’s suicide, he doesn’t expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother’s case. He certainly doesn’t mind spending more time with Doug—but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.As they investigate, they discover Christopher’s dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer….

    Still hung up on her college sweetheart, a one-night-stand gone wrong convinces her that she needs to make a change. An offer for a one-year guest lecturer position from a small private university provides her the opportunity she needs to escape, and she jumps at it. All Charlie expected to find when she left Manhattan for rural New Hampshire was a little peace. Instead, she finds Mackayla Thomas. Eight years have passed since Charlie foolishly walked away from Mackayla, and Mackayla is determined to never let anyone hurt her that way again. For Charlie, their serendipitous meeting is a sign that happily ever after might finally be within her reach. First, however, she needs to find a way to convince Mackayla to let the past go, and to give her a second chance.

    Bear Bergman is an acclaimed writer and lecturer who travels regularly across North America to speak on trans issues. Bear’s first two books, Butch Is a Noun and The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, are considered seminal texts on the subject of trans life. In his third essay collection, Bear enters, describes, and rearranges our ideas about family as a daughter, husband, father, and friend. In Bear's extended family "orchard," drag sisters, sperm-donor's parents, Sparkles and other relations provide more branches of love, support, and sustenance than a simple family tree. Defiantly queer yet full of tenderness and hilarity, Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter is a beautifully thought-provoking book that redefines the notion of what family is and can be.

    He lives in the park, preferring to avoid attention, but when thugs confront a stranger, Danny rushes to his rescue. He and the would-be victim, Harry, form a cautious friendship that deepens months later, when Harry persuades Danny to visit his home. Daring to believe he has found happiness, Danny finds his world turned upside down yet again when tragedy strikes. Until he runs out of options, Danny won’t trust anyone. Finally he has to accept the offer of a home, and Danny becomes David, but adjusting to a new life isn’t easy. When he meets the mysterious Jack, it stirs up feelings he thought were long gone. Can David dare to allow himself to love? Or will the truth bring his new world tumbling down around him?

    His father hides from his problems in alcohol, his mother hides from her misery in drugs, and his brother fled to the relative safety of the royal palace. Vellem found solace in the Royal Army Corp of Engineers, but true escape from a life of violence remains out of reach. Then his brother provides him with an unexpected chance: marriage to a prince of their country's oldest enemy to help bring about peace once and for all. The marriage promises Vellem not just a fresh start in a new land, but a challenge to his famed skills in building roads and bridges. But before he can settle into his new life, tragedy strikes, and Vellem isn't certain he's up to rebuilding the ruin left in its wake.

    Even so, it’s not long before Kieran is struggling to maintain his own anonymity while battling wits with a handsome cop, getting some flirting in with a hunky leather man, saving some drag queens, and escaping the worst blind date in history. It’s enough to make a fledgling hero want to give up before he even begins.One thing’s for sure: saving the day has never been so fabulous.

    They followed the warrior’s path: honor first, and service, and the safety of the tribe. Their own needs for love and companionship were secondary to the mission. Retirement from the army, however, proves challenging in ways neither expected. When old warriors retire, their armor starts falling away, and the noise of the world crowds in. That changing world sets up longings in both men for the life they might have had. After years of loving on the down-low, the idea of living together in the light seems like pure sweet oxygen to men who have been underwater a little too long. But what will it cost them to turn their dreams into truth?

    Her poetry: bad. Her job: bad. Her girlfriend: bad, bad, bad. It’s time to reboot her life. New neighbor Sparky McAllister could be just the woman to revive Victoria’s fortunes, but Sparky is working on an unwelcome reboot of her own—and Victoria is exactly the kind of distraction she has sworn to avoid. Will it be a bad moon or a love moon rising over Moon Street? 2nd edition

    I mean, anyone probably would. People want to know about things they don’t see every day, and that’s understandable enough. Everyone wants to know it from my perspective. To corner me looking all concerned, like it will finally allow me to tell some truth they think I’m hiding."Sublimation has been written as a companion story to the Acclamation series. We would therefore recommend checking out Acclamation and Reclamation novels for full story background.

    Turning her back on the music she once loved, she returns to her hometown. After a chance meeting with Anabella, a deaf girl with a unique appreciation for music and life, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her. Finding love, pain, and a new sense of self. Their passion gives them the strength to heal both of their pasts, and start again. This is the first book in the "Music of the Soul" series, all books are stand alone novels.

    Bob and Sam take their kind-of-adopted-now vampire daughter Mal to look at new schools. Mikhail is left to babysit the last of the remaining rescued children whilst they are away. When Sirens appear to steal her away, he is left facing the attack alone until a mysterious hero comes to his aid. Ryujin, or Jin to his friends, is a dragon shifter and his role as Captain of the Dragon Guards puts him in direct conflict with Mikhail. The minute he sees Mikhail he knows what he wants. Now if he can only get Mikhail to see the same. The Case of the Sinful Santa Zephariel, the Angel of Vengeance, Nick Klauson, nephew to Santa, Christmas magic, zombies in the school and a necromancer causing chaos...and at the centre of it all-Mal. Zephariel is the Angel of Vengeance and is tracking down his cousin Danjal for misuse of brimstone. When he walks into a bar and finds Nick Klauson drowning his sorrows, he is instantly drawn to him. Could this be his fated mate? When Nick and Zeph join forces to deal with zombies in Mal's school, sparks fly. Add in a demon, a wolf and a necromancer, and Sam and Bob have a hunt on their hands.

    An award-winning start on the Broadway stage led him to the silver screens of Hollywood, where his star began to rise, and his heart fell hard for professional baseball sensation, Manuel Guzman. But there was no script for living out loud with the man of his dreams in the world of 1964. Then Richard disappeared without a trace. Forty years later, Michael Spencer discovered a journal in his grandmother's attic that would change his life forever, and quite possibly, solve the mysterious disappearance of Richard Lewis Bancroft.

    Blake didn’t know whether he could be vulnerable enough to take on another boy. Since the move to the Big Apple, Blake and Ty have learned how to live with each other. Now they need to let go of their pasts and take the next steps outside the playroom.*Authors Note* Riveted is the final story in the Whispering Pines Ranch series. It was written as a thank you for all those who followed the series and demanded Ty get his happily ever after. Think of this story as the epilogue for Ty's Obsession. However, if you have no plans to read the WPR series, this story can be read as the first book in the Guards of Folsom series. It introduces Micah and Tackett from PUP and includes the first Chapter of PUP at the end.

    There they discover a city in the midst of revolution, bustling with gay men in search of liberation—few of whom are raising a child.Steve throws himself into San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene. He takes Alysia to raucous parties, pushes her in front of the microphone at poetry readings, and introduces her to a world of artists, thinkers, and writers. But the pair live like nomads, moving from apartment to apartment, with a revolving cast of roommates and little structure. As a child Alysia views her father as a loving playmate who can transform the ordinary into magic, but as she gets older Alysia wants more than anything to fit in. The world, she learns, is hostile to difference.In Alysia’s teens, Steve’s friends—several of whom she has befriended—fall ill as AIDS starts its rampage through their community. While Alysia is studying in New York and then in France, her father tells her it’s time to come home; he’s sick with AIDS. Alysia must choose whether to take on the responsibility of caring for her father or continue the independent life she has worked so hard to create.Reconstructing their life together from a remarkable cache of her father’s journals, letters, and writings, Alysia Abbott gives us an unforgettable portrait of a tumultuous, historic time in San Francisco as well as an exquisitely moving account of a father’s legacy and a daughter’s love.It has been named a Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award Honor Book for 2014.

    How do you stop a dangerous depression rooted in the same thing that makes someone what they are? Dark moods, blank apathy, and the undertow of self-loathing all simmer beneath Darren's dry and beautiful veneer, and Jayden feels powerless to stop them.Then a mugging gone wrong takes the music forcibly away, and Jayden is finally given the chance to change Darren's life -- and, quite literally, his mind.

    Believing it was broken beyond repair, Gabe and his best friend Jamie Carlson left Minnesota behind for San Diego sunshine and college. Now another crisis brings Gabe home to help his ailing father, and he finally has to face the guilt that kept him away for so long.Scott Stark also returns to Minnesota, with his young niece and nephew in tow, shouldering new family responsibilities. While Gabe comes to grips with his past, Scott struggles to accept his present role as a substitute parent, caring for two children, each with different needs. As Gabe and Scott get to know each other, reclaiming family life almost seems possible. Only two things stand in the way of love: Gabe’s unresolved relationship with Jamie, and Scott’s plan to leave Minnesota as soon as he can. Both men will have to accept past mistakes if they want to salvage a future together, and time is running out.

    He’s a star athlete, has great friends, and parents who love him just the way he is. What’s missing from his life is a boyfriend. That’s a problem because he’s out only to his parents and best friend. When Michael accidentally bumps into Christy Castle at school, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Christy is Michael’s dream guy: smart, pretty, and sexy. But nothing could have prepared Michael for what being Christy's boyfriend would entail.Christy needs to heal after years of abuse and knows he needs help to do it. After the death of his notorious father, he leaves his native Greece and settles in upstate New York. Alone, afraid, and left without a voice, Christy hides the myriad scars of his abuse. He desperately wants to be loved and when he meets Michael, he dares to hope that day has arrived. When one of Michael’s team-mates becomes an enemy and an abuser from Christy’s past seeks to return him to a life of slavery, only Michael and Christy's combined strength and unwavering determination can save them from the violence that threatens to destroy their future together.

    It comes from the Latin radix, radicis, meaning radish, a root vegetable.”—BK LorenWinner of the Colorado Book Award, these meditative essays range in subjects from a transcendental encounter with a pack of coyotes ironically juxtaposed with her neighbor’s claim that nature “has gone out of vogue,” to Loren’s mother’s slow yet all-encompassing deterioration from Parkinson’s, and the unexpected way the Loma Prieta earthquake eroded her depression by offering the author a sense of her small place in a wild and worthwhile world.Loren has an empathetic and gentle approach to the world. In detailing the intricacies of human relationships and consciousness—fear of death and time, cooperation born of clashing viewpoints, tradition’s beauty even when destructive, a love of language, a sense of loss amid the fast-paced materialistic world—she peels back the film of popular thinking in order to expose herself to the secrets so few of us ever see.

    Twinklefingers. Lucy Liu. Will the taunting ever end? Lucas Tate suffers ridicule because of his appearance and sensitive nature. When he’s not teased, he’s ignored, and he doesn’t know which is worse. He feels unloved by everyone, but the one comfort in life is his music. What he wants more than anything is to find a friend.Much to his dismay, both his mom and a schoolmate are determined to find him a boyfriend, despite the fact Lucas hasn’t come out to them. His mom chooses a football player who redefines the term “heartthrob,” while Trish pushes him toward the only openly gay boy at Providence High. But Lucas is harboring a crush on another boy, one who writes such romantic poetry to his girlfriend that hearing it melts Lucas into a puddle of goo. All three prospects seem so far out of his league. Lucas is sure he doesn’t stand a chance with any of them—until sharing his gift for music brings him the courage to let people into his heart.

    With their subtle wit, complex moral codes, and hot sex and submission, the books have created a full world in readers' heads, populated with a vast cast of characters. Over the years, Antoniou has filled in the background details on many of these characters and her world through short stories. Sometimes appearing in anthologies here and there, other times as "DVD" extras in ebooks, these stories give insights into the history of The Marketplace, the motivations behind the characters, and sometimes their fates after they were last seen in the novels.Contents:ClockingBoys Will Be BoysKaleigh LadMandarin StyleCalifornia DreamingFor Want of a NailA Leash Has Two EndsBrian on the FarmThat's Harsh!A Familiar RingThe Man with the Phoenix TattooInside StraightZoom In

    Warning: occasional course language and mild sex scenes.Sixteen-year-old Aaron has a secret that he’ll do everything in his power to withhold, but despite his best efforts, things begin to unravel and his life turned upside-down when his true sexuality is slowly revealed.This novel is approximately 90k in length.

    In this timely book, he shares that experience--addressing the standard objections to homosexuality and offering insight into the culture wars more generally.Is homosexuality unnatural? Does the Bible condemn it? Are people born gay (and should it matter either way)? Corvino approaches such questions with precision, sensitivity, and good humor. In the process, he makes a fresh case for moral engagement, forcefully rejecting the idea that morality is a "private matter." This book appears at a time when same-sex marriage is being hotly debated across the U.S. Many people object to such marriage on the grounds that same-sex relationships are immoral, or at least, that they do not deserve the same social recognition as heterosexual relationships. Unfortunately, the traditional rhetoric of gay-rights advocates--which emphasizes privacy and tolerance--fails to meet this objection. Legally speaking, when it comes to marriage, "tolerance" might be enough, Corvino concedes, but socially speaking, marriage requires more. Marriage is more than just a relationship between two individuals, recognized by the state. It is also a relationship between those individuals and a larger community. The fight for same-sex marriage, ultimately, is a fight for full inclusion in the moral fabric. What is needed is a positive case for moral approval--which is what Corvino unabashedly offers here.Corvino blends a philosopher's precision with a light touch that is full of humanity and wit. This volume captures the voice of one of the most rational participants in a national debate noted for generating more heat than light.

    It has now been added to Six Degrees of Lust, Second Edition.Sam Shaughnessy knows what he wants from Mac O’Bannon: monthly, uncomplicated casual encounters.Mac is on the same page. For two months they have been enjoying each other’s company, never forgetting that their agreement leaves zero room for long-term commitment.But a visit to a local gay club during a weekend getaway in South Beach tips the scale, and it isn’t long before Sam starts showing how much he really doesn’t like to share.Firmly placed rules get suspiciously bent, and by the end of the night only two things are clear: body shots are conducive to extreme displays of arousal and possessiveness, and anything can be blamed on tequila.

     ***The Christmas Grump*** For Rachel Lewis, a security guard at the mall, the Christmas holiday season is one big headache. She wants nothing to do with the celebration of love, peace, and family harmony. Her disenchantment with the holiday slowly begins to change when she meets seven-year-old Tyler and his mother. ***Kissing Ms. Santa Claus*** Rachel is counting the days until she and Lillian celebrate their first Christmas together as a couple. She is filled with longing for only one thing to make her holiday complete: a long-term commitment from Lillian. She sets out to find the perfect gift that will reflect her love and devotion. ***The Christmas Elf*** After her home state finally recognizes same-sex marriages, Rachel wants to propose to Lillian. Rachel is confident she has it all covered. She plans to take a second job as the mall Santa Claus to earn the money for Lillian's ring. But luck is not on her side, so Rachel finds herself with bells on her toes, playing a Christmas Elf. Note: "The Christmas Grump" and "Kissing Ms. Santa Claus" have been previously published in the anthology "Gingerbread Hearts".

    His gay BDSM stories are now widely celebrated for both their virtuosic drawing and their unparalleled passion. Produced by a veteran Japanist--Anne Ishii--"The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame" is a project that began some years ago, when Ishii was translating Chip Kidd's personal Tagame collection and decided to reach out to him. Inspired by filmmaker Graham Kolbeins' online work with gay comics, the project took on new ambitious proportions, materializing in this exciting celebration of one of the world's most poignant erotic artists. This hefty Tagame omnibus includes ten English editions of short stories dating from the late 1990s to 2012. The newest work is an original story commissioned by Kidd himself: Tagame's very first foray into writing directly for an American reader. Celebrated novelist and biographer Edmund White contributes an introduction to the volume.Gengoroh Tagame (born 1964) is a legend in gay comics throughout the world and in the American underground, where loyal fans have quietly shared foreign-language editions of his groundbreaking work in the outermost edges of bondage and pornography. Beyond the comic book format, Tagame's original artwork has been exhibited internationally and paired with the works of Tom of Finland. Tagame was also the founding Editor and Art Director of Japan's most widely circulated gay journal, "G-Men."

    With an overbearing obnoxious attitude, he allows few people to enter his otherwise private life. Most of the people that he encounters come from his internet blog, and pose no real threat to him or to his odd lifestyle. The Fat Kid is a self-proclaimed therapist who devotes his life to help people that have difficulties helping themselves, people he considers to be ‘broken’. When he encounters a bulimic teenage girl through his internet blog who threatens to commit suicide, he begins to reflect on parts of his life that he has spent years repressing. He continues to assist her, and many other ‘Broken People’ through his blog. When he meets an extremely independent woman who challenges him, his way of living, and his way of viewing life, he reluctantly listens. In doing so he challenges his past mistakes, his future, and ultimately he finds himself. Five broken people, five points of view, one story. From each of five characters perspective, this story unfolds and grips you from the beginning. If there is any part of you that feels broken, this book is a mirror held before you. In the end, you'll see your true reflection. From time to time, a book comes along, and makes you stop. It makes you stop and second guess who you are, what you’re doing in life, with life, and for the ones you love. This is that book. Through colorfully painted characters, “Broken People” forces the reader to reflect on self. There will be a broken part of you in one (or all) of these characters, guaranteed. Through The Fat Kid, his reflections on past experiences, and his online assistance to others, we are exposed to everything that high school kids these days deal with. Additionally, we are exposed to what parents should be considering, thinking, and doing - but often don't. The writings of Catherine Ryan Hyde, John Green, and Donna Tartt are similar. If you loved those reads, you'll certainly love Broken People. The characters in this book come to life before your eyes, and you become one with them. The result is a book that will have you laughing, crying, contemplating your own life, and the lives of your parents and/or children. A must read for parents and children alike, regardless of age. It gives teens and young adults an honest look at what parents consider, and provides parents with a realistic view of what teens are exposed to in today’s competitive social networking world.

    Stories that take some squinting to see through. Unconventional stories. Tales that threaten to break the heart by cruel twists of fate, the dogs of war, or demons that are all too real; whether they be of unrequited love or a karmic slap in the face. Happy endings take a time in coming, and some never arrive. But through all the darkness there is light, a glimmer of hope and wonder…if one has the will to see it.

    Athal, a proud and brilliant Germanic warrior is sold as a gladiator to fight in public arena shows, where he rapidly gains a reputation of being one of the deadliest and most powerful fighters. Claudius, the possessive and capricious emperor’s son, is invited to witness the gladiator spectacle, where he finds himself captivated by Athal’s strength and courage. Chapter One of Six!

    She could have done without the guardian bit that put a bull’s eye on her back. Being a guardian comes with so many risks and rules that immortality ought to be a fringe benefit. Whenever the New Orleans Supernaturals’ Crime Unit calls for her help she’d like to tell them to go to Hell—but they’re already in that particularly unpleasant part of the netherworld. Even a guardian has to pay her bills, and Cate has no intention of following in her mother’s footsteps as an enforcer for the Council of Supernatural Beings. Opening the Darkmirror Agency was a great idea. Her clients are mostly human, and they pay for everything from bounty hunting to process serving. But one day it all goes to Hell, figuratively. Then literally.Because that’s the day the Council’s detective Jacqueline Sloan slinks her way into Cate’s life. Jacq. So alluring. So powerful. So immortal. And up to her sexy neck in a secret that will unleash Hell’s Belle.Marie Castle’s unpredictable Darkmirror world is unveiled in this romantic, sizzling debut.

    Her single-minded focus on the rigors of training allows her to forget the shocking loss of her lover in a tragedy for which she blames herself.The only race Lainey Hughes runs is away from her past and into the bottom of a bottle. After a devastating injury in a war zone, she’s continued her photojournalist career in the natural beauty and warmth of Uganda. A trip to Alaska to cover dog sledding is not what she wants, but the lure of a paying gig proves too tempting.Lainey trusts her camera and Scotch trusts her dogs—and neither cares much what the other thinks…not at first.Love runs hot in the cold Alaskan night in this long-awaited romance from D Jordan Redhawk.

    His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising. What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

    A guidance counselor at a Miami second chance school, she longs to be a teacher but sends the students scattering like roaches, calling her beastly names. Principal Hector Rivera says she's too high society, unable to relate. His criticism would be easier to take if the two weren't having a rocky, not-so-private affair. Still reeling from a series of failed marriages can she prove to Hector -- everyone -- that she has what it takes to lead a class? Recruiting three unlikely students, she devises a secret plan to instruct Miami's greatest social misfits the one subject she knows best -- etiquette. But who's teaching whom? And in the end, to what depths will Desperation plunge to learn the truth about life, love, and being a lady? A romance of hilarity in the most nontraditional sense!

    They’re on the streets after their families have thrown them away, told them that they don’t matter, that they’re not normal. Well, guess what? Those families are wrong. This collection of stories by ten talented authors spans the spectrum (historical, paranormal, transgender, cutter, gay) to show that – it’s okay, there are people out there that care, and these teens are perfect just the way they are.All royalties from this anthology are being donated to Lost-n-Found Youth in Atlanta, Georgia. A wonderful charity working with these teens, helping them find their new place and get on their feet.

    Left to the state by her parents and taken under the wing of her selfish foster mother, Cream sets her focus on one thing: money. She dives head first into the exotic lifestyle of stripping. Starting out in gentlemen clubs, drama seems to follow her wherever she goes. Instead of facing the turmoil, she moves on to the next city, causing more chaos than what she left behind.She thinks she has life all figured out until she crosses paths with Payton, a daddy’s girl with lots of cash and a lust for women. Payton makes her learn things about herself that she never saw possible and with her new discovery comes a big change in her look and personality.Cream is at the top of her game, surrounded by money and beautiful women. Then, one wild night forces her to discover yet another truth about herself and face the reality of her lifestyle. Will she continue to dwell in her unstable comfort zone? Or, will she finally open her eyes?

    Davis Chandler is jaded from years of bad luck with women, but she thinks she's finally started dating the girl of her dreams. The only problem is they're both in love with the same woman. Nic McCoy is living a double life that is about to come crashing down on all of them.All three women are left trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of shocking realizations that leave them second-guessing everything about themselves and each other. As they struggle toward recovery, they each face life-altering questions about trust, redemption, and the possibility of finding love in the wake of betrayal.

    She finds a new roommate, Candice, and decides it is her duty to find her a boyfriend. Because "I'd so make an awesome matchmaker!" She inadvertently succeeds in her own hyper-loveable fashion. We also learn some of the reasons behind her dichotomy of genius and scatterbrained personality, and the reason she left her friends and family to attend Oxford.This is set in the same world as Music of the Soul but is a standalone story.The Misadventures of Victoria Davenport is a series of short stories featuring the hyper and loveable blonde Einstein, Vicky from A Deafening Whisper, and chronicle her adventures in England during her Oxford years. One misadventure will be released between each Music of the Soul book release.

    Well, more than a few. But with his characteristic ability to embrace the weird and the wonderful, he prefers to think of them as "experiences." Why label an adventure a regret if everything works out in the end? Whether getting high from an airplane stranger's candy, attempting to deceive the DMV with magic, or discovering he might be the central figure in an unfolding teen horror flick, Manning reflects on a lifetime of questionable decisions in this memoir and confessional. In the essay, "Dear Penthouse, " Manning ponders the appropriate response to a late-night booty call from an irritating neighbor. "The Best New York Sandwich" documents his day being homeless in New York City. Soft reflections about "The Final Blessing" from his father, and thoughts of growing older, are interspersed with odd tales of a family that believes in "Moon Recession Birthdays." Manning leaps from personal lunacy to handling homophobia to sheer wonder at the beauty of everyday people which makes for a giggly, surprising, and occasionally sweet-sad journey through a gay man's collected tales of a life filled with glorious mistakes.

    That is, until one afternoon in late August, when a German shepherd crashes through their living room window and demands that the boy be handed over.Barely escaping with their lives, mother and son flee California and head to Seattle, where Charlie discovers the secret Elizabeth has been keeping from him his entire life: that he hails from a family of witches, and will soon be initiated into the craft.Charlie moves in with an aunt and an uncle he barely knows, then has to adjust to a new school and a new life. Soon after, the coven strikes again, barely failing to capture him.At the same time, Charlie tries to deny that his feelings for popular high school junior Diego Ramirez have become something more than friendship. He learns the hard way that ignoring what his heart wants obstructs his development as a witch, making him defenseless against Grace and her growing threat.Will Charlie refuse to accept who he is, or will he acknowledge the truth, in order to stay alive and protect the people he loves?

    This book contextualizes the film within the longer history of drag balls, the practices of documentary, the fervor of the culture wars, and issues of gender, sexuality, race, and class.Lucas Hilderbrand is associate professor of film and media studies and queer studies at the University of California, Irvine.

    He has already written about the conflict in Syria, but is determined to go even deeper. With his editor’s help, he joins a band of freedom fighters led by Jalal. But it is Jalal’s brother, Nemat, who draws Carter’s attention. Nemat has left the family olive grove to join his brother in fighting the Syrian government in Aleppo. When Carter saves his life and is declared an honorary member of the family, Nemat couldn’t be happier, even though he knows his family will never understand his true interest in Carter. Carter and Nemat say their goodbyes after the end of the assignment. Carter’s stories garner a lot of attention, but he can’t stop thinking of the man he left behind. Then rumors of the use of chemical weapons give Carter another chance at a story, and he jumps at it. But much has changed in Syria, and any chance of getting Nemat out of harm’s way seems more impossible than ever.

    It is not until a Washington DC judge threatens her with a jail sentence, after an order of protection was issued, that she slows down her stalker tendencies. But, she discovers it is easier said than done. Native Houston, Mystros roommate and comrade, is all about clothes, shoes and her lust for a multitude of women. But after losing her job for trying to bed the boss, she soon realizes that her careless actions are coming back to haunt her. Church is a vixen who enjoys the company of women, but the only thing she loves more is money. When Mystro meets Church, it is love at first sight in her eyes. But, everything that looks good is not always good for you. Although Mystro is busy falling in love, again, Native can see Church for who she really is, and tries to warn her friend before its too late. The problem is that once Mystro has her mind made up, there is no stopping her, even if she goes too far. Hersband Material booms with craziness, drama and betrayal, as Mystro and Native attempt to discover who they really are.

    She’s had a pretty easy life. She’s sexy, she’s tough, and she has a trust fund that ensures she will never have to work a “normal” job. She has a circle of adoring friends and all of the hot, casual sex she could want. It’s a recipe for a great time. However, lately, Andy has started to feel that something is missing. Casual sex isn’t cutting through the loneliness. Her best friend falls in love with someone else, her ex-girlfriend makes an appearance, and she meets someone who isn’t willing to be a one-night stand. Andy’s world is changing and she’s not sure that she’s changing with it. In the midst of Andy’s turmoil, everyone in her life suddenly seems to be spouting new age wisdom and finding inner peace.Through the changing of one relationship and the beginning of another, Andy struggles to open her heart without sacrificing her freedom or alienating those she loves the most.

    But when Cary and Antonio’s baby daughter makes her appearance a bit earlier than planned, the big reception is put on hold. David Somers normally conducts orchestras, but this time he devotes his energy to “conducting” his friends so that everyone can join him at his Milan villa for a reunion at an intimate Thanksgiving dinner.Sam and Aiden, Jules and Jason, David and Alex, and Cary and Antonio are soon assembled, and each couple shares something they are thankful for. Played out in four movements, this symphony is a celebration of friendship and love, orchestrated by David.NOTE: Although novels in the Blue Notes Series are standalone books and can be read in any order, this holiday novella is a sequel to the first four books in the series.

    Why is everything about homosexuality always a paradox?In The Missing Myth, Gilles Herrada tackles the many questions about the role and meaning of homosexuality in the evolution of our species and the development of civilization: what evolutionary edge same-sex relationships have provided to the human species; what biological mechanisms generate the sexual diversity that we observe; why homosexual behavior ended up being prohibited worldwide; why homophobia has persisted throughout history; why the homosexual community resurfaced after World War II; and others.In this heartfelt, beautifully written, and painstakingly researched text, the author sculpts a vision of homosexuality that integrates its biological, sociological, cultural, ethical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. Stressing the connection between the social status of homosexuality and how same-sex love is depicted in the myths of a particular culture, The Missing MythM advocates the creation of a new mythos--not only informed by all the fields of knowledge, but also inclusive of the beauty, truth, and goodness of same-sex love.

    His acting career is taking off. Public recognition is picking up. Now more than ever, he understands how key reputation is to his success. But his relationship with his co-star, Kris—arranged around publicity rather than genuine feelings—is suffocating him. She once understood his needs, but her demands are beginning to grate with every shrill order she gives.Zach has a secret. The breakout star of a new medical series, he’s been hiding his orientation from co-stars, friends and family, the studio, and his fans.On the recommendation of a friend, Zach seeks out Sky Kelly, a well-connected herbalist whose concoctions are natural magic, as is her stunning beauty. On the surface, she has it all: her own house, a thriving business, and good friends, but the things she had to do to get there are a time bomb ticking away, and when it goes off, she'll be teetering on the edge of a chasm that can put her right back where she started.Sky has secrets. Like, she’s got a Y chromosome and the original equipment to go with it. Like being a highly paid escort. Like, if Zach is seen with her in public, it could ruin his career. Like someone becoming so obsessed with Sky, that obsession threatens them both. Secrets... everyone is hiding something, and instead of finding The One, it could be The End.

    First collected in Routledge's own The Transgender Studies Reader in 2006, the field has moved on, rapidly expanding in many directions. The Transgender Studies Reader 2 gathers these disparate strands of scholarship, and collects them into a format that makes sense for teaching and research. Complimenting the first volume, rather than competing with it, the second volume introduces another 50 articles, with explanatory head notes for each essay, and bibliographic suggestions for further reading.Buy the two volumes together at a discount in this bundle, and enjoy both the historic and modern takes on this rapidly growing, vibrant field.

    . .Frank Spinelli grew up on Staten Island in the 1970s to Italian-born parents who viewed cops and priests as second only to the Pope in infallibility. His mother, concerned that her son was being bullied at school for being "different," signed Frank up for Boy Scouts when he turned eleven. For the next two years, Frank's life had two realities--one lived in full view of his family, and the other a secret he shared with his Scoutmaster that he couldn't confess to anybody.Eventually Frank went to college, established a thriving medical practice, and found a home in Manhattan. But the emotional and physical effects of his past continued to shadow every aspect of his life. Then a shocking discovery gave Frank the opportunity to overturn thirty years of confusion and self-blame--for himself, and for other boys like him.Pee-Shy is a remarkable story of overcoming the unimaginable to choose resilience over darkness, and love over loss."A devastatingly heartbreaking look at life after childhood abuse, with wit and piercing insight that can only come from a place of brutal honesty." --Josh Kilmer-Purcell"This is a memoir about a grown-up boy's generous--and healing--heart."--Kevin Sessums"This is one of those horrific, true stories that Dr. Spinelli so courageously reveals. With raw honesty he makes us understand that monsters do exist and a child's innocence is precious. His story is one of too many, but maybe, this one will help open our eyes a little more and shine a light on a taboo subject that many chose not to see or believe." --Whoopi Goldberg

    She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees.Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her?Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie.Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets?

    She's convinced her crush is a hopeless one, until a performance review changes everything.Warning: This title contains graphic language and f/f sex.A Hard Day's Work is a 9000 word lesbian erotica novelette

    But the prize is a quarter of a million dollars, and that's worth a few weeks of being stressed and afraid.It may not, however, be worth weeks of putting up with Zachary, the cold, snotty competitor who definitely thinks he's better than everyone else. The man can cook, and he's the hottest man Nate has ever seen, but every time he opens his mouth Nate hates him all over again.He came here to be driven crazy trying to prove he's the best chef in the world, but if Nate can't learn to block Zachary out it won't be the competition that pushes him to the breaking point.

    The speakers in these poems sisters, mother, father, teacher seek to answer questions science can't yet answer, seek to protect the young woman, and seek to understand what autism means to their own lives as well.

    Not only did he let one of the targets live, he attacked the team sent to retrieve him. Now the Corporation wants answers and they bring in the brilliant robopsychologist Dr. Clarice Maven to get them—giving her the power to make sure Deacon never fails the Corporation ever again.As Deacon tries to keep his secrets and the doctor cuts through his defenses, a cunning game of cat-and-mouse begins. The question is: will Deacon be able to resist Dr. Maven’s power and protect the only thing that has ever truly mattered to him?With full-color art by Winona Nelson, Artifice deals with the classic sci-fi question: What does it really mean to be a "person"? And what would an Artificial Intelligence designed to be the perfect soldier ultimately choose: love... or honor? Artifice has got action, romance and even some moments of comedy. And you can read it for free right now over at artificecomic.com.

    From confessional, personal accounts to erotic flights of fancy to undersea identity politics, this collection of comics invites the reader to step outside of the categories and explore the wild and wonderful uncharted territory between “gay” and “straight”.

    A brush of thigh against thigh and a sideways, then a downward, glance. Nineteen-year-olds Tom and Mick could hardly have guessed the epic nature of the journey they were setting out on. A journey that would take them into business partnership together. A journey that would bring them little by little to the deepest reaches of the human heart. An adventure that would catapult them into the sweet and sometimes painful mysteries of of life and sex and love.

    This is the story of Dame Lena Gaunt: musician, octogenarian, junkie.Lena is Music’s Most Modern Musician; the first theremin player of the twentieth century.From the obscurity of a Perth boarding school to a glittering career on the world stage, Lena Gaunt’s life will be made and torn apart by those she gives her heart to.Through it all her relationship with music and with her extraordinary instrument – the theremin – endures, in this novel about how our lives are shaped by love, loss and the stories we tell.

    How will the story end? It's all up to YOU. And the best part is you can keep reading and choosing until you've written your perfect ending.

    When a handsome stranger wanders into his bar one warm fall night, Dean Winchester is charmed by the archaeology professor. As their friendship deepens, Dean will discover that there are a few simple truths about love: it can sneak up on you when you least expect it, and it will level you without warning. But it can also save you, when you’re lost.Words:83882 complete

    Ben thought they were mates, but the rules of their pack kept them apart. Axel Cross is a fuck-up. The sexy tattooed wolf threw away his chances of ever becoming pack alpha at seventeen, and Ben, the pack’s omega, has no idea why. When Axel’s uncle kicks Ben out of their Pittsburgh pack, it’s the chance the omega has been waiting for. Then Axel demands to accompany the smaller wolf. The only problem is Ben wants to run away for good. But Axel doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He’s determined to go with Ben, even if the omega doesn’t want him around. While desire stirs between Axel and Ben, years of heartache haunt them. Can the alpha and omega let go of their past and the old pack in order to find a bright new future together? Burn ((Westside Wolf Pack 2) When Ben and Axel settled in Santa Cruz, they thought they’d finally get some peace. They were wrong. An old pack war is brewing, and two local werewolves need their help. Quinton Santos and Gage Varela are the only remaining wolves from the once great Westside pack. As a dangerous threat resurfaces, they need an alpha to lead, but Gage and Quinton are only beta wolves. Even worse, they can hardly stand each other. Gage knows the rich and arrogant Quinton is his mate. While giving into his desire for the beautiful man is easy, Gage isn’t about to fall in love. Quinton used to be confident, but the fire that killed his family left scars deeper than those on his skin. He knows Gage is the stronger wolf, and he’s worked hard to prove he’s not weak. But no matter what Quinton does, Gage only sees him as rich and useless. When the leader of the rival Eastside pack attacks, they need Axel and Ben’s help to defeat the crazed alpha. Axel and Ben work to bring their new pack together, but it isn’t easy with two betas who are at each others throats. After years of hurt, can Gage and Quinton let go of the darkness in the past and forgive enough to fall in love? Break ((Westside Wolf Pack 3) Being an omega sucks. Luca Collins should know. His pack mistreats him, his dad doesn’t care about him, and bullies make his life hell. Enter Colton Smith, the kind hearted human who befriends Luca. They share a first kiss, a first love, and plan to run away from their little Montana town and start a new life together. But fate has different plans. While Luca is sure Colton’s his mate, that belief is shaken when a group of wolf hunters attack Luca's pack -- a group Colton belongs to. Proof that humans and wolves don’t mix. Alone and brokenhearted, Luca flees town and ends up in the clutches of a sadistic alpha. When they meet again, Colton’s a wolf, and Luca is hiding in a shell, broken into a thousand different pieces. Can they overcome the secrets that tore them apart and find the love they once shared? * The books have been re-edited and revised.

    Alex might not say much, but company is company when there's nobody else to choose from, and Ryan will simply have to make do. It isn't, after all, like he really needs a friend.But Alex is more than just a kid with a thing for smashing up greenhouses, and Ryan finds himself dragged further and further into a dark, uncertain world of alcohol, bruises, a mother's madness, and a father's anger. Worst of all, Alex is dragging Ryan into a world of lust, attraction, and midnight kisses that Ryan is struggling to keep confined to southern summers. This thing with Alex can't go further than summer -- but Alex, and the shadows that surround him, are not so easily forgotten.Ryan can't forget Alex, but the longer he hangs on, the more he discovers ... not just about Alex, but about himself, his future, and the things that really matter.But eventually, summer must come to an end.

     Diversion: There are good guys, bad guys, and then there’s Lucky. Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter flaunts his past like a badge of honor. He speaks his mind, doesn’t play nice, and flirts with disaster while working off his sentence with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. If he can keep out of trouble a while longer he’ll be a free man–after he trains his replacement. Textbook-quoting, by the book Bo Schollenberger is everything Lucky isn’t. Lucky slurps coffee, Bo lives caffeine free. Lucky worships bacon, Bo eats tofu. Lucky trusts no one, Bo calls suspects by first name. Yet when the chips are down on their shared case of breaking up a drug diversion ring, they may have more in common than they believe. Two men. Close quarters. Friction results in heat. But Lucky scoffs at partnerships, no matter how thrilling the roller-coaster. Bo has two months to break down Lucky’s defenses… and seconds are ticking by. Collusion: Dead men can’t love. Former drug trafficker Richmond “Lucky” Lucklighter “died” in the line of duty while working off a ten-year sentence in service to the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, only to be reborn as Simon “Lucky” Harrison. The newbie he trained, former Marine Bo Schollenberger, is now his partner on (and maybe off) the job. It’s hard to tell when Lucky doesn’t understand relationships or have a clue what any sane human is doing in his bed. Bo’s nice to have around, sure, but there’s none of that picking-out-china-together crap for Lucky. While fighting PTSD, memories of a horrid childhood, and a prescription drug addiction, Bo is paying for his mistakes. Using his pharmacy license for the good guys provides the sort of education he never got in school. Undercover with his hard-headed partner, Bo learns that not everything is as it seems in the world of pharmaceuticals. When a prescription drug shortage jeopardizes the patients at Rosario Children’s Cancer Center, it not only pits Bo and Lucky against predatory opportunists, but also each other. How can they tell who the villains are? The bad guys don’t wear black hats, but they might wear white coats. Corruption: Renegade biker. Drug runner. Recovering addict. Wanted by the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau. But he isn’t a crook, he’s the law. SNB Agent Bo Schollenberger’s solved his cases using his brains and not a gun, and with his partner, not alone. Now he’s handed a tough new case involving designer drugs that turn users violent. One false move could end his life as he immerses himself into a motorcycle gang to locate the source. His fate depends on how well he can impersonate someone else. Someone named Cyrus Cooper. Cyrus is everything Bo Schollenberger isn’t, including the badass enforcer for a smuggling ring. He establishes pecking order with his fists and doesn’t take shit from anybody, not even the undercover agent who comes to help his case. Simon “Lucky” Harrison’s always been the best, whichever side of the law he was on. Former trafficker turned SNB agent, he damned well ought to be undercover in this motorcycle gang, instead of hanging around the office going crazy with new policies, new people, and “inter-departmental cooperation” that sticks him in a classroom. Yet he’s passed over for the SNB’s biggest case in decades in favor of the rookie who shares his bed. A man Lucky thought he knew.

    Media are quick to pin the brutal homicide on a drug-addicted, homeless teen. Atlanta Detective Sgt. Kendall Parker isn’t so convinced, even after the suspect assaults his homicide partner with a deadly weapon. But when the investigation takes a disastrous turn, a suspect in custody ends up dead. It becomes a race against time for the veteran detective to solve the apparent gay-bashing, but when a tenacious reporter threatens to expose a police cover-up, Parker is forced to make an impossible choice: stand firm for justice, or betray the brotherhood in blue. With the odds against him, Parker will need to rely on keen instinct and streetwise experience to catch a brutal killer. Yet success often comes at a price, and for Parker, it may mean revealing his closely guarded secret.

    His stories are among the best in this genre and until recently have only been published in Japanese. Bruno Gmnder is pleased to publish two of them in English for audiences around the globe.

    Yet when she meets the beautiful blond poet, Amber Reed, that's exactly what happens. But Meagan finds her relationship with Amber is fraught with just as many anxieties and frustrations as her previous relationships. She struggles to come to terms with her newfound attraction to Amber as she juggles work, familial expectations, and her own guilt and insecurity.At times it seems the only solace she can find is in the cherished moonstone ring her beloved grandmother bestowed upon her before she died, along with some sage advice Meagan is just now beginning to understand. Yet soon Meagan discovers she can’t be the person Amber needs her to be, and when their relationship comes to a dramatic end, Meagan finds herself fleeing to London in an attempt to put the pieces of her life back together. Just when she finally figures out how to make things right, a tragic accident occurs, threatening to undo everything and everyone around her.

    He embraces the label, but soon discovers how difficult his life is going to be. At age sixteen his formerly liberal parents turn born-again Christian. His boyfriend Rick, who is also bi and has a girlfriend, isn't ready to come out of the closet, and if his parents knew what the two of them were doing in Rick’s basement apartment, they'd never let Jim stay there. In college, Jim takes on hedonistic girlfriend, Amy, but she doesn't seem to want to know who Jim really is. After a traumatic breakup, Jim moves to San Francisco to finally be out and open but instead everything gets insanely complicated. Struggling to be true to himself in a world where no one seems to want him to be who he is, Jim spirals into mental chaos, juggling living between two lies. Then he discovers that love finds its own way, and ends up with more than he’s sure he can handle.

    Decipher     love. To make what was once whole     whole again: or to see     why it never should have been thought whole.     This “ancient work” reflects what the poet sees as fundamental in human feeling, what psychologists and mystics have called the “hunger for the Absolute”—a hunger as fundamental as any physical hunger. This hunger must confront the elusiveness of the Absolute, our self-deluding, failed glimpses of it. The third section of the book is titled “History is a series of failed revelations.”     The result is one of the most fascinating and ambitious books of poetry in many years.One of Publishers Weekly's Best Poetry Books of 2013A New York Times Notable Book of 2013An NPR Best Book of 2013

    All he wanted was a normal school life and eventually get a cute girlfriend who will wear a frilly apron when he returns home.But this is a BL, and that's never the case.Instead, his apartment is haunted by a young delinquent ghost named Taiga Yamakawa who, for his own reasons, is there to stay. Ryouta usually hates the bully type but why does Taiga seem... cute? He cooks, cleans, and looks after him. Maybe living with a ghost is not so bad

    As masterfully crafted as they are viscerally powerful, these poems propose voice itself as a kind of therapeutic medium. For all that most ails us, Alternative Medicine offers the balm of song and the salve of the imagination: from the wounds of our stubborn differences of identity, to the pain of alienation in a world of unfeeling technologies, to the shame of the persistent injustices in our society, Campo's poetry displays a deep understanding of hurt as the possibility for healing. Demonstrating an abiding faith in our survival, this stunning, heartfelt book ultimately embraces the great diversity of our ways of knowing and dreaming, of needing and loving, and of living and dying.

    He's a social outcast who dreams of being popular, he’s an easy target for bullies, and he doesn't understand why he's just not attracted to girls. So, after a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker on his first day of high school, he’s really stoked to have Jesse Gaston and his gang take him in.Jesse starts a PR campaign around campus to give Nick a new image, and the shy loser soon finds himself transformed into an anti-establishment hero. While Nick would rather explore his growing attraction to Bobby Warren, he’s forced to fend off would-be girlfriends and struggles with the demands of acting cool. And things at home are spinning out of control as the Vietnam War’s destructive impact threatens to change his life forever.Nick's story is both humorous and haunting–a journey of ridiculous misadventures, unexpected psychedelic explorations, and tragic turns of fate. Can a world still reeling from the sexual revolution and the illicit pleasures of marijuana and underage drinking accept two boys in love? Can Nick and Bobby's relationship survive a hostile time when acid rock rules, status is everything, and being gay is the last taboo?Newly revised edition; complete and unabridged.Seasons of Chadham High explores the evolving experience of gay teenagers in different eras from the counter-cultural sixties, through the me generation seventies and eighties, to the jaded nihilistic nineties, and beyond.

    Always in full makeup, he ridicules, inspires, and entertains; he is both mother and father, pageant and relief.Tortured by his zealous father, Gabriel moves to Cleveland, Ohio, to start a new life. Soon, he learns that his presence, despite giving order to those closest to him, incites fear and hatred. As past and present collide, Gabriel becomes the mirror that reflects the lives of the people surrounding him, the spectacle that isn’t as bad as the histories they want to escape completely.Set against the backdrop of a city recovering from one of the worst race riots in history, The Butterfly Lady is filled with pain encased in the blues. This stunning first novel wrestles with the horrors of love and the consequences of being black, gay, and male."In The Butterfly Lady, Hoey, clearly driven by love for his characters and a passion to understand their lives, weaves a cocoon of community. Fearless, in the tradition of Morrison, he looks under beds and throws open closet doors to present truth - drawing the reader in to the place where lives crash."- Anton Nimblett, author of Sections of an Orange"The Butterfly Lady riffs from the page in bursts and twists, conflagrating image, sound, language and character in a literary mimicry of jazz ... Danny Hoey's confident prose takes the reader into the heart of Cleveland's inner-city where its inhabitants face sometimes unanswerable questions of sexuality, identity, and race."- Britta Coleman, author of Potter Springs, winner of the Lone Star Scribe Award"Danny M. Hoey, Jr.'s The Butterfly Lady presents haunting characters that ask - demand - a great deal: Understand and embrace the complications and nuances of African-American identity. Arm yourself with these revelations. This is a terrific novel; devastating and hopeful because Hoey so unflinchingly educates the reader. He writes with the fierceness and truth of James Baldwin and has given us a story that lingers and informs long after the last sentence."- Dana Johnson, author of Elsewhere, California and Break Any Woman Down, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award

    The debate was not about what gender the poems addressed but what specific young man had been the object of Shakespeare's affection. Read in sequence, the sonnets tell a story. Shakespeare was instructed by his patron to try to get the patron's son to marry and pass along his lineage and beauty. The first seventeen sonnets are therefore called the procreation sonnets because this is precisely Shakespeare's message to the boy. Beginning with Sonnet 18, however, we see an abrupt turn: Shakespeare has clearly fallen in love with the fifteen-year-old. Furthermore-and this cannot have pleased his patron-Shakespeare suggests there is really no need for the boy to marry and procreate in order to live beyond his time, for Shakespeare is immortalizing him for eternity through the sonnets.

    Meaning to stay for just a few days, he’s thrown completely off course when he meets Kit Marlowe. Charismatic and dangerous, this wunderkind of verse takes an eager interest in the newcomer. Before Will knows it, their shared passion for poetry has transformed into an attraction as irresistible as it is forbidden.Because this is the sixteenth century. Love between men isn’t just frowned on, it can lead to the gallows. When Kit is called away on a state mission, Will does his best to suppress the feelings he doesn’t even have a name for.But how can he write when his muse is gone? Why does Kit keep disappearing? And what’s the awful secret that makes his eyes echo with a lifetime of pain?A fresh look at two of England’s brightest literary stars, this romance blends the authentic mood of Elizabethan London with contemporary dialogue to paint a love story that’s as alive today as it was four hundred years ago.

    Their friendship seems like a dream come true—or perhaps just a dream, because no one else can see or hear James. Aaron stubbornly clings to his new friend, however, even when the friendship makes him an object of scorn and ridicule. No matter the years that pass, or the challenges they face, Aaron refuses to give up on his best friend—but life might just find a way to take James from him anyway.

    This collection is part of Project Unicorn, a fiction project that seeks to address the near nonexistence of lesbian main characters in young adult fiction by giving them their own stories.This collection contains:- Nickel Pony (Magic Realism)As a little girl, Helena thought the nickel pony outside of the dollar store gave her good luck: then it went away, and took her good luck with it. Now, when her world is slowly crumbling again, a girl in an arcade brings back unexpected magic.- The Ember Heart (Fantasy)At the Festival of Stars, Alethia carries a heart in a lantern, moving with the others in an ancient ritual of love.- Flotsam (Science Fiction)Chris, and her little brother Raz, live in the Broken Streets down by the dock–where the dead bodies of Chematech’s imperfect clones are flushed out. Every day, Chris and Raz pick over the bodies for parts they can sell…until Chris finds a body unlike the others. A girl who’s alive.- Anchor Me (Fantasy [Steampunk])Isadora has the extreme fortune of inheriting her grandfather’s airship containing an automaton navigation system named Rosie, who happens to be much more to Isadora than a Steampunk GPS.- Violina (Science Fiction)Built to be a living work of art, Violina is the most beautiful Musiton--a musical instrument automaton--to have ever been created. But when a deadly virus begins to wipe out humankind, she can no longer find the golddust that powers her, and is in danger of extinction, too.- For I am Fearless (Horror)An orphan girl wakes to find she is no longer herself but a stitched-together monster. As she remembers the events that brought her to this moment, she fans a flame of courage within her new heart.- Perfect (Science Fiction)Bonnie has everything a modern girl could ask for: a nice house, friends, and genetically engineered perfection. But then she meets Sylvia, and she begins to realize that perfect is only ever an illusion. Love, though, is always real.- Lullaby (Science Fiction)Buried far beneath the earth, a mechanical girl struggles to hold onto the memories of her years in the sun–and of the young woman she loved more than words, Milla.- Mary A through Z (Science Fiction)Mary Q has grown up on a scientific compound surrounded by twenty-five girls who look exactly like her. They may share her face, but Mary Q isn't certain that they all share her secret longing to escape and experience the strangeness of the world.- The Whole Beautiful World (Fantasy)Selby has never been given a gift in her life. She's either stolen what she wanted or worked for it, because that's how life is: hard and stingy. But everything she believes is reshaped, sculpted into something softer, more beautiful, when she meets the old witch man and his Dream come true.