Never one to follow orders for the sake of being orderly, Mackey needs a reason, something real, to make him agree to Trav's terms of getting clean. Trav knows he can't be Mackey's only reason to rehabilitate, but before he can convince Mackey of that, he needs to get to the heart of what’s been eating Mackey alive from the moment the band left Tyson. Can Mackey’s family—can Mackey’s band—survive the fallout of Mackey telling the truth? More importantly, can Mackey?

    At first he thinks it's all a film set, and is sure that the strikingly handsome young man leaning against a lamppost must be the leading man…What starts as a sordid transaction with a beautiful rent boy quickly turns into something much deeper, drawing him back again and again as he gets to know Jem and craves meaningful encounters with him.But Ted doesn't understand the exact conditions necessary for his trips through time—and for Jem, time may actually be running out. Now Ted has one last shot to get back to Jem and save their relationship, before it's too late…27,000 words

    Every teeny-bopper magazine had his face on it; every teenage girl had his poster on her wall. But then the show went on hiatus, and JT wouldn't lower himself to bit parts or commercials. Slowly, his star faded from view.Seven years later, JT is Johnny Thomas, who hopes to jumpstart his career by hiring his former manager, Lou Merrin. He wants to do serious movies, a huge blockbuster or two, and claim one of those coveted Oscars for himself. But Lou cautions Johnny about the paparazzi, who can make or break a star these days, and he's heard rumors of Johnny's sexuality that might prevent him from landing those coveted leading roles.Still, Johnny's nothing if not persistent, and he swears he'll play it straight. Until he meets Brett, a photographer who turns his life -- and his heart -- upside down. Suddenly the celebrity gossip website Z-23 seems to have exclusive pictures of Johnny, and someone close to him leaks information about an audition that was supposed to be kept quiet. When photographs surface that Johnny thought were taken in confidence, he realizes he must choose between the career path Lou offers him and the love he wants to share with Brett.

    

    He has plenty to do, being the head ranger of the Tahoe National Forest, but living alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods isn’t exactly the most riveting life. He’s known excitement, too. For many years he served as a sniper in the marine corps, but a devastating shoulder injury has reduced him to civilian duties. These days, a walker’s twisted ankle or a trapped raccoon is about as exciting as it gets. Nothing can prepare him, though, for the day he comes across a man lying in the middle of a lonely forest road. The man is alive, but he’d certainly been left for dead. When he wakes up in the hospital, it becomes obvious that he’s suffering from amnesia. With nothing to identify him save for the huge angel tattoo that spreads across his shoulders, the hospital staff name him Gabriel, and tell Hopper that with nowhere else to send him, once he’s recovered from his injuries he’ll have to be sent out into the world. Against his better judgement, but always a sucker for swarthy looks and piercing blue eyes, Hopper agrees to allow Gabriel to stay with him. Perhaps, together, they can work at finding out who this mystery man is, why he was left lying in the forest, and who could possibly have attacked him so badly. What Hopper can never prepare himself for is how deeply he will fall for this handsome stranger, and how he will be able to let Gabriel go when the past, as it always does, comes to catch up. Please Note: This book contains adult language and steamy adult activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novel, approximately 82,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger." Themes include: Forest Ranger, Amnesia, Angel tattoo, Lake Tahoe, Falling in love, ex-marine

    At his favorite bar, he spots that cure in the form of a six-foot-something muscular man, custom built to Adam’s fantasy-rebound specifications. But his hopes for a therapeutic one-night stand are dashed the second he approaches the decidedly surly English stranger.Stephen’s nursing romantic wounds of his own—fresh ones. He cut his closet-case lover loose just hours earlier, and now, heartbroken and homeless, he wants to be left alone to drown his sorrows in peace. But that’s no excuse for snapping at the friendly, handsome guy who only wanted to flirt. Plus, if anyone needs to be reminded how good a bad idea can feel, it’s Stephen.Both men could use a reckless rebound to cleanse their palates. The sexy, dirty solace of drowning in a stranger’s hands, mouth and body. But when something deeper sparks, strings-free one-nighters never look so simple in the morning light.

    With language harvested from everyday speech, fragments of pop culture, objects and figures borrowed from art and literature, his work makes light out of darkness, playing with tone and style to show how even the seemingly frivolous stuff of existence can be employed to express the deepest levels of feeling.Commotion of the Birds showcases once again Ashbery’s mastery of a staggering range of voices and his singular lyric agility: wry, frank, contemplative, resigned, bemused, and ecstatic. The poet in this new collection is at once removed from and immersed in the terrain of his examination. Disarmingly conversational, he invites the reader to join him in looking out onto the future with humor, curiosity, and insight. The lines of these poems achieve a low-humming, thrilling point of vibration, a jostling of feathers before flight.

    Gazingnowhere in particular, the slenderThunderer surrounded by thunder,Fire zigzag in his grasp, labeled "SpiritOf Communication"---unhistorical,Pure, the merciless messenger.--from "A Phonebook Cover Hermes of the Nineteen-forties"Innovative, engaging poems from a leading American poet.Stone wheel that sharpens the blade that mows the grain,Wheel of the sunflower turning, wheel that turnsThe spiral press that squeezes the oil expressedFrom shale or olives. Particles that turn mudOn the potter's wheel that spins to form the vesselThat holds the oil that drips to cool the blade.--from "Biography"Jersey Rain takes up a central American subject: the emotional power of inventions, devices, and homemade imaginings -- from the alphabet and the lyre through the steel drum and piano to the record player, digital computer, and television. Formally innovative and highly readable poems like "ABC," "Ode to Meaning," "To Television," and "The Green Piano" meditate a life guided by the quick, artful tinkerer-god Hermes: deity of music and deception, escort of the dead, inventor of instruments, brilliant messenger, and trickster of heaven.Tiptoe on the globe. Gazingnowhere in particular, the slenderThunderer surrounded by thunder,Fire zigzag in his grasp, labeled "SpiritOf Communication"---unhistorical,Pure, the merciless messenger.--from "A Phonebook Cover Hermes of the Nineteen-forties"Jersey Rain -- at once complex and aboveboard -- marks a new, strong, lyrical stage of Robert Pinsky's work. Assembled here are poems -- some of the finest of his career -- that together compose a sweeping and embattled meditation on the themes of a life guided by Hermes: deity of music and deception, escort of the dead, inventor of instruments, brilliant messenger and trickster of heaven.

    Free online fiction from the New Yorker.Short story, told in reverse chronological order, about the breakup of a relationship…

    When will I learn I'm never going to find The One in a bar? I need to get to know guys somewhere better, and where better to start than with speed dating?Or even the owner of this diner. He's cute, shy, and very available. But despite how I come across on TV, I'm suddenly a tongue-tied mess when Jared's around. How the heck do I get over my fear of being left out in the cold?Jared:Bubbles is my diner, and my life. I see a lot of love here in Brooklyn, next to a gay bar, but I never find love myself. Speed-dating hasn't worked out so far, but one more shot could bring the man I need into my life.When I sit down at a speed-date opposite the suave, familiar weatherman who stumbled in last night for the hangover special, something clicks. I might be underdressed and unknown, but maybe I can offer something he really wants... or is this going to be just another let-down?Wind Tunnel is the prequel to the forthcoming Brooklyn Boys series but can be read on its own. This 13K short story contains bold fashion choices, perfectly crispy bacon, gossiping co-hosts, and more than enough inches for one forecast.Free through Instafreebie from August 28th to September 4th in the MM Back to School Giveaway. Now available through author newsletter only.

    After graduating from art school Nate left the Midwest for sunny Southern California, not quite sure what he hoped to find. It was almost certainly not falling in love with another man. His whole world and assumptions about himself begin to slowly turn upside down on one hot summer day. Seeking respite from the heat and his loneliness at Venice Beach he has a chance encounter with a handsome blond surfer. Jez is friendly, easygoing, and just a little bit mysterious. Openly gay, Jez offers Nate a place to stay, and the two men become fast friends. Nate makes new friends, adjusts to his new life, but his unbidden attraction to Jez keeps growing. In their moments of closeness Nate realizes that he wants Jez more than just a friend, but it might be too late. To make Jez his, Nate has to face not only his own fears and insecurities, but his mysterious mate has secrets of his own. Warning: Al fresco man-love, a scene-stealing old coot, and a relentless California sun.

    Written from the perspectives of both male and female, gay and straight characters.For brothers Brent and Tad, opening up their gym, Sculpt, is a dream come true. Struggling to gain recognition in the fitness world, they enlist the help of a well-known advertising agency to help market their full service fitness center. When Brent meets his new account manager, he feels an automatic attraction to Luke.Tad is married to his high school sweetheart. With a wife and two adorable children, his life couldn’t get any better. Until his happily ever after is cut short by a tragic accident. Tad is devastated. He blames himself for putting his career before his family and vows to never let it happen again. Just when he is starting to function normally after his loss, another plan is put into motion to destroy what's left of his family. He's about to lose everything until the bravery and dedication of a caring friend and employee rescues his...world.The Promises Series is an M/M and M/F romantic collaboration by authors Aria Grace and Kyan Christopher.

    Sometimes, though, an everyman will do.Talent comes in all shapes and sizes, but some talents are a heck of a lot more useful than others. Hal’s particular gift? Talking to doors—a natural lead-in to an unglamorous career of locksmithing. What else would he do with himself when popping a lock comes as naturally to him as breathing? Other than burglary, of course. A guy’s gotta have some scruples.Leave it to Hal to find someone locked in a five-story building without a single door leading to his prison. Sure, it’s probably a setup, and no, Hal doesn’t relish the idea of being played for a chump. The guy in the window is clearly accustomed to batting his eyelashes and getting his way. But if he really is stuck, Hal can’t just leave him high and dry.Freeing him will merely involve outsmarting the gigantic tattooed bully that’s holding him hostage. How hard can it be?This retelling of Rapunzel originally appeared in the anthology Torqued Tales.

    Want to see how it all began? Share Jake and Cam's first sizzling encounter.(This short story takes place ten years prior to Out of the Blue).Ten years later and Jake is planning on asking Cam to marry him, but what happens Out of the Blue threatens to tear the happy couple apart.

    . . an alphabet soup of -delight in language. Eat up."—Alice Sebold"Brilliant. Wildly inventive, profane, and hilarious."—Bret Easton EllisThe author of the acclaimed cult classic Dear Dead Person ("refreshing, nauseating, hilarious"—Kirkus) returns with this long-awaited collection of brilliantly written and outrageously imaginative short stories.Benjamin Weissman is the author of Dear Dead Person (High Risk/Serpent’s Tail, 1995). He is a contributing editor to Bomb Magazine and writes regularly for the contemporary art magazines Parkett and Artforum. A painter and a professor at Art Center College of Design and Otis College of the Arts, he now lives in Los Angeles.