I wrote this story years ago, and it was the very first thing I’d ever released. It even came before Pitch! It’s rough, hasn’t had professional editing, but it holds a special place in my heart. Hope you enjoy Eli and Tommy.
IF THE FATES ALLOW ~ SUMMARIES & AUTHORS
Gracious Living Magazine Says It Has to Be a Live Tree by Killian B. Brewer: Determined to make his first Christmas with his new boyfriend magazine-perfect, Marcus seeks the advice of lovable busy bodies, the Do-Nothings Club. When he learns that his boyfriend, Hank, may have ordered a ring, Marcus’ attempts to transform his home into a winter wonderland get out of hand. Featuring the characters from Lunch With the Do-Nothings at the Tammy Dinette.
Killian B. Brewer lives in his life-long home of Georgia with his partner and their dog. He has written poetry and short fiction since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Brewer earned a BA in English and does not use this degree in his job in the banking industry. He has a love of greasy diner food that borders on obsessive. Lunch with the Do-Nothings at the Tammy Dinette was published in January, 2017. His debut novel, The Rules of Ever After, is available from Duet Books, the young adult imprint of Interlude Press.
True North by Pene Henson: Shay Allen returns to her hometown in Montana for the holidays with her best friend Devon with the intent to return home to L.A. by New Year’s Eve. Instead, the weather traps them in the small town, but the there’s a bright spot: her old crush Milla is still in town.
Pene Henson has gone from British boarding schools to New York City law firms. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, where she is an intellectual property lawyer and published poet who is deeply immersed in the city’s LGBTQIA community. She spends her spare time enjoying the outdoors and gazing at the ocean with her gorgeous wife and two unexpectedly exceptional sons. Her first novel Into the Blue (Interlude Press, 2016) received a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance. Her second novel, Storm Season, was published by Interlude Press in 2017.
Last Call at the Casa Blanca Bar & Grille by Erin Finnegan: As the one-year anniversary of his lover’s death rolls around on Christmas, Jack Volarde finds himself at their old haunt—a bar called the Casa Blanca, where a new bartender helps him open up about loss, and see brightness in a future that had grown dim.
Erin Finnegan is a former journalist and a winemaker who lives in the foothills outside Los Angeles. Her novel Luchador was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2016, and along with her 2014 debut novel, Sotto Voce, received both a Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year award and a PW starred review.
Halfway Home by Lilah Suzanne: Avery Puckett has begun to wonder if her life has become joyless. One night, fate intervenes in the form of a scraggly dog shivering and alone in a parking lot. Avery takes him to a nearby shelter called Halfway Home where she meets bright and beautiful Grace, who is determined to save the world one stray at a time.
Lilah Suzanne has been writing actively since the sixth grade, when a literary magazine published her essay about an uncle who lost his life to AIDS. A freelance writer from North Carolina, she spends most of her time behind a computer screen, but on the rare occasion she ventures outside she enjoys museums, libraries, live concerts, and quiet walks in the woods. Lilah is the author of the Interlude Press books Spice, Pivot and Slip, and the Amazon bestselling Spotlight series: Broken Records, Burning Tracks and Blended Notes.
Shelved by Lynn Charles: When library clerk Karina Ness meets a new patron, lonely business owner, Wesley Lloyd, she puts her own love life on hold and begins a holiday matchmaking mission to connect Wes with her uncle Tony.
Lynn Charles’ love of writing dates to her childhood, when thoughts, dreams, frustrations, and joys poured onto the pages of journals and diaries. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and adult children where a blind dog and his guardian cat rule the roost. When she’s not writing, Lynn can be found planning a trip to New York or strolling its streets daydreaming about retirement. Her novel Black Dust (2016) was named a finalist for a Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year award. Her other novels include Beneath the Stars (2017) and Chef’s Table (2014).
Okay, I wanted to thank you all for sticking with me on this journey. I hope you’ve enjoyed Oscar and Max, and if you haven’t read them already, check out Haven’s Creed and Haven’s War.
Today’s installment has Oscar and Max watching a Disney flick, and what makes it weirder? Oscar chooses it.
Okay, picture this…
Young Will, maybe thirteen years old, wrote a story that he was proud of. Took it to his father, wanting him to look at it. He took the folder from his hands and said, “What are you wasting your time on this shit for? It’s never going to amount to anything.”
Well, today I got news from Dreamspinner Press telling me that my book, Runner, will be one of the nominees for the amazing Lambda Literary Awards! Yes, that’s right. Runner is up for a national award! It doesn’t matter if I win or not, this proves that my work does amount to something.
Naturally I called home and told Mom. She was tickled pink. I asked her to please make sure she tells the old man, let him know that despite his harsh words for a story he never even looked at, his kid’s writing did amount to something. So HA!
Okay, got that off my chest. I never expected anything like this at all. When I got the mail, I had to write to Lynn West from Dreamspinner to ask her if she was teasing me. She assures me she’s not.
So Matt and Charlie, you’ve hit the big time. Thank you for letting me come along for the ride.
We’re up to the present. Only two more chapters to go. Oscar returns home after the events in Haven’s War, and to Max’s arms.
Present Day
As soon as I entered the door, the shirt and shoes came off and the volume on the stereo went up. I cued my favorite workout song, and let it vibrate the whole damn house. The beat and cadence of The Warrior Song by Sean Householder was perfect for a deep workout session, and after the mission I’d run with my old friend, Haven, had gone tits up—in the most horrifying way—I needed to get rid of the tension and anger that had been building even before we said our good byes at the airport. It took a lot of effort at least seem unaffected.
“You’ll call,” Haven told me, letting me know it wasn’t my choice.
I gave him a grin, but there wasn’t any mirth within me at all. I loved Haven, and I’d come to love his husband, Sammy. The two of them—plus Kelly and Lilah—were the closest thing I had to friends—family—but I needed to not be around them anymore. Deep down inside, I had the overwhelming urge to be home, to ensure that everything was still right. The psychotic son of a bitch that Haven had asked me to help him take down had been, but not before he’d killed a lot of people, including one I owed my life to.
“We’ll see.” I turned to Sammy and flashed him a grin. “You ever get tired of this piece of shit, you know where to find me.”
He laughed, glanced back to Haven, then shook his head. “Sorry, you’re not my type,” he said, as he wrapped his arm around Haven’s waist.
The love I could see between them had to be the most genuine I’d seen in a long time. It made the ache in the pit of my stomach even worse, because it made me think of home again. I was torn from my reverie when the volume on the stereo dropped to almost nothing.