holiday

Word Count: Click here to reveal40000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Demisexual, Genderqueer, Non Binary, Pansexual, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: After four years in the Alpha Centauri solar system, astrobiologist Dath Bellin is relieved to be back at ECHO-Crosspoint Space Station. His next mission: return to Earth and take a vacation. There's family to see, R&R to catch up on, and Imbolc to celebrate with his Druid grove—everything he could hope for from a Canadian winter. Unfortunately, everything goes wrong before he can even leave the station. There's also the matter of his exes, whom he can't have back no matter how much he wants them, not after his horrible mistake. For the past four years, Mack Ainsley Tsallis and Kytzia Polović have wanted to know why Dath left them the way he did. They're determined to win him back together, especially since Mack is convinced Dath wasn't completely honest with xem and Kytzia before he ran off to Alpha Centauri. Being ignored isn't cutting it anymore: it's time to start fresh and prove the three of them are perfect for each other.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: WRAITH agent Will Donovan should have known better than to fall in love with a treacherous and beautiful Fairy, but he simply hadn’t been able to help himself. Now Commander Levi has teamed him with the gorgeous Ash again, this time to travel into the Vargr Realm to stop a dangerous and deadly drug called Candy Hearts from being sold and distributed to humans. Once Donovan arrives, he has to deal with a broken-hearted little wraith, a treacherous brownie, amorous Nymphs and a growing attraction to his partner. When he’s kidnapped by Cupids, he’s taken to their capital city and has to face the biggest threat to his safety yet—his love for a being who can never stay with him. Ash, along with a Paladin witch he picked up along the way, has to save Donovan, the love of his life and talk himself out of a relationship that will one day prove to be deadly. To do it he has to be willing to sacrifice his own life and break an ancient curse, but if he can pull it off, he might just get everything his heart desires.

Word Count: Click here to reveal29020 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Some hearts are made to be stolen. Mark Mannix doesn’t believe in love or romance, which is ironic given his birthday falls on Valentine’s Day. As he approaches forty, Mark is perfectly content with his life and nursing career in Boston, and—outside of his long-time friend-with-benefits, Alistair—prefers his hookups to be one-night stands. When Mark’s plans for New Year’s Eve fall through, he attends his sister’s party and meets Owen Todd, a graphic designer of Caribbean descent. Owen is more than a decade younger than Mark and, at first glance the two men appear to have little in common. The chemistry between them is potent, however, and Mark breaks his no-strings pattern, seeing Owen week after week. A connection forms between the two men, leaving Mark in uncharted territory and drawn to Owen in ways he’s never known before. Even so, Mark continues his hookups with Alistair but is startled when Owen withdraws out of a desire to protect himself. His foundations shaken, Mark must decide if he can watch Owen walk away or … if the time has come to follow his heart in a new direction.

Word Count: Click here to reveal20000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: Eleven lovelorn singletons. Eleven tales of Cupid, catastrophe, and maybe more… These characters have had it with love—or, if not with that, with Valentine’s Day. But no matter how they fight it, Cupid refuses to relent. From struggling singles to secret crushes to enemies turned much, much more, these lightning strikes of love will add a spark of hope to your holiday. Worst Valentine’s Day Ever flips the script on lonely hearts who seem destined for Valentine's disaster. If you like laugh-out-loud rom-coms, terrible dates gone right, and gorgeous happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love this adorable collection. It ain't all hearts and roses; but these tales of triumph will find your faith in Valentine's Day—and your faith in love—restored. The Worst Day Ever Series The Worst Day Ever Series collects tales of hilarity, hope and survival for characters facing classically-stressful situations. From not-so-happy holidays to doomed-to-be-a-disaster predicaments, they find the love they need to get them through. This series is proud to feature characters from diverse backgrounds, #ownvoices authors, and a range of romantic themes: contemporary to paranormal, cis/hetero to LGBTQ+, sweet to steamy, body-positive, neurodiverse, interracial/multicultural, and more.

Word Count: Click here to reveal29000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealLesbian (Click here to hide)

Summary: Sofia Cancino is tired of her mundane life, her artificial environment and her large, boisterous family descending every holiday season. She's promised herself this year will be different and books a stay on the exclusive—and expensive--holiday-themed resort, Yule Planet. She looks forward to being pampered while reconnecting with Old Earth traditions steeped in the magic and mysticism of nature. Everything will be perfect and she'll leave as a more authentic human, better connected to her roots. Naturally, things go horribly wrong. Sofia's landing pod goes off course and instead of stepping out on the landing pad at the resort, she finds herself in the snow-swept perpetual winter of the planet's hinterlands. If that wasn't bad enough, she's "rescued" by a band of criminals on work release who run deliveries to the resort from far-flung shuttle delivery sites. They refuse to take her, a paying customer, to the resort and insist on dragging her along on their parcel run. Riding giant monsters. In frigid weather. Not to mention, Marta, who handles the monsters, obviously hates her. If Sofia survives her vacation, she's definitely yelling at someone's supervisor until she gets a refund.

Word Count: Click here to reveal4800 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealNon Binary, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Tahl promised Enfys ice bears for Midwinter, but ey neglected to tell him that ey and eir kin were the ice bears. ___________________________ Written for the Rainbow Advent Calendar 2018

Word Count: Click here to reveal36000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A stolen Christmas present brings together two strangers who long for hearth and home at the holidays.   It's mere days before Christmas when the gift Clayton intends to give to his nephew, an antique Bowie knife and hand-beaded sheath, is stolen. Clayton must track them down before Christmas morning. A lost & found ad is posted for the Christmas knife's safe return, bringing scammers crawling out of the woodwork who only want the reward. That is, until Clayton gets a call from a man named Kyle, who says he just wants to return the knife and sheath to Clayton, and he doesn't want the reward. Is it just another scam or can Clayton trust him? Clayton takes a risk and heads to Kyle's house to pick up the Christmas knife. Over the phone, Kyle's voice becomes Clayton's only beacon as he makes his way through a whiteout blizzard. After a long drive across the prairies during a raging, pre-Christmas winter storm, will Clayton find more than what he is looking for? Contemporary m/m romance, holiday blizzard, fireplace kisses, lost presents, long drives, family, contemporary, sweet, HEA.

Word Count: Click here to reveal10000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Lesbian, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: What happens when your long-buried crush can't stay hidden any longer? Cassie is home from college for the holidays, and with a big family, she's not in the mood to crash at home. Being single after two years of accepting her boyfriend's proposal, she didn't want to deal with all the questions. When Neilie offers her guest room, she jumps at the offer. She hadn't spent enough time with her brother's best friend while away, and she's missed the older woman. The only problem is being in close quarters with Neilie showed her that her teenage crush wasn't a thing of the past. Could Neilie see her as more than the annoying girl she once was and accept her as the woman she'd grown to be?

Word Count: Click here to reveal29057 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: When Jules Evergreen lands in trouble at the North Pole and gets shipped off to Snow Hope Island for ninety days, he never expects to take up the cause of the forgotten toys waiting for new homes. Falling for his new boss is not on the agenda either, but his heart has other ideas. Felix Winterson has grown up on Snow Hope Island and now runs the place. He isn’t thrilled when party boy Jules arrives, and Felix tries hard to ignore the man’s charms. He has other problems, anyway. For years he’s tried to get Santa to look at the growing inventory of damaged toys in the warehouse, to no avail. When Jules comes up with a plan to save the toys, the men find themselves working closely together. As Christmas Eve looms, there’s a lot at stake. Can they save Snow Hope, convince Santa to rescue the toys, and fall in love all at the same time?

Word Count: Click here to reveal31000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Daren Novak and Gunny Schuler have known each other since freshmen days at the University of Washington, where they'd started a romance Daren assumed would last. But at the start of winter break, Gunny bowed to the dictates of his lifelong religion and his overbearing father and left UW never to return. After a failed marriage, Gunny built a quiet life embracing his gay identity, and left his North Dakota home, his marriage, and his father's business for a forestry and teaching career in Oregon. Meanwhile, Daren has built up his own life around managing a unique holiday venue, the Holiday Home Hotel, and performing for the guests in drag as "Dare." A decade has passed since they last saw each other, but now winter’s harsh weather brings them face to face—helped along by a minor goddess and powerful forest spirit. Too much hurt might lie between them now to fix things, but interfering supernatural beings are determined to force them to try.

Word Count: Click here to reveal21534 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Josh has stepped back into the closet for a guy, but how long can he stay there? Life in a college town suits Josh Cassidy. He has good friends and neighbors, and the bookshop café he runs with his family is thriving. As the winter holidays begin, Josh finds himself enamored with police officer Alex Curiel, an old friend who has recently moved back to town. The trouble is, Alex isn’t ready for the world to know he’s attracted to men. At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, though the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, his ability to hide his feelings from the world begins to slip, and he’s forced to decide if love is enough to keep him hiding behind closed doors. A Hometown Holiday is a 21.5K sex-buddies-to-lovers MM novella. It features a bookshop owner with a fondness for jazz music, a closeted cop who could be Mr. Right if only he’d give himself a chance, and the warm, fuzzy HEA that both guys deserve.

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Summary: Jonah Beecham is a down on his luck cowboy, stuck in Vegas with no money, no job, no friends, and Christmas rapidly approaching. Although he’d been promised a job as a bullfighter, the job falls through, and he’ll be sleeping in his truck for Christmas. In a fit of desperation, he drops a coin in an old-fashioned slot machine and wins enough to put gas in his truck… plus a little something extra. Rather than press his luck, he decides to leave the casino, but the universe isn’t done with him yet. Zach Evans is a television writer from Los Angeles who loves all things cowboy. He’s in Las Vegas to do some research at an end of year rodeo event. Too wary to approach any of the sexy cowboys he sees, he finally takes a chance when he bumps into Jonah. Spending the next week in Zach’s bed might seem like Jonah’s luck has changed, but when Jonah realizes he’s falling for a man who lives in a city where none of his skills are employable, he’s got a choice to make. Fear of the unknown will cost him Zach, but accepting that the universe has more luck in store for him might be more than he can handle.

Word Count: Click here to reveal12079 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Guard your heart, or Jack Frost will freeze it. Jack Frost is all about the freezing cold, and he not only wants to freeze the earth, but he also wants to freeze people's hearts. When he sees two lovers kissing under the mistletoe, he vows to split them up. Teddy and his husband, Kirk, are still in love. Will they let a little frost come between them?

Word Count: Click here to reveal18600 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Rio and Caden have been together for a few years now. It’s a rare weekend they get to spend alone. When Rio suggests they get away to Tahoe for the weekend a few weeks before Christmas, Caden is too excited to even think of saying no. They start their trip and even though they think they’ve planned for every emergency, they can’t control what Mother Nature has in store for them. When the car in front of them spins out in the newly fallen snow, they stop to help and soon find out that Caden’s not as alone in this world as he had originally thought. A few more planned surprises make for a special weekend for these hard-working guys who really deserve a weekend getaway.

Word Count: Click here to reveal22000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Javier Fernandez is a climate scientist living in a research station near the South Pole. Since his husband was killed in a car crash, he’s preferred to be alone, and is less than thrilled to have a junior scientist thrust upon him by his rich patron. Col Steele is a trans man fleeing a bad break-up. He is ready for the next step in his career, and eager to spend Christmas anywhere but at home. When a crack in the ice separates the two men from safety, they are forced to come to terms with their own losses and each other. About the Escape From the Holidays series: For the second year in a row, Mischief Corner Books is putting out a winter holiday collection – ten stories revolving around various December holidays: The end of year holidays can get overwhelming for anyone. Things to do. People to see. Last minute work obligations to take care of. Sometimes it’s just easier to escape from it all, running away from the responsibilities and expectations, or ignore the underlying disappointment from relatives who don’t see eye-to-eye with you. Because escaping the holiday grind can lead to new, unexpected paths, and breathe new life into one that’s been stuck in a rut. Giving something to run to instead. Sometimes, getting away from it all lets you know what you really have. Sometimes, taking a chance on the unknown leads to what you really want.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: It’s never too late for a second chance at love… or is it? Rayne Sadler left the tiny town of Holiday Pines and his childhood sweetheart, Emilio Rives, to make a name for himself in the world of interior design. For twelve years, he never looked back. Now he has the successful career he wanted, but no one to share his life. Emilio isn’t happy when Rayne returns to Holiday Pines to renovate the local playhouse. The town wants to stimulate the failing tourist industry, but Emilio has no interest in reviving the ashes of his relationship with Rayne. Yet shared memories and experiences are powerful things. As the playhouse is restored to its former glory, the friendship between Rayne and Emilio slowly returns as well, and their chemistry is as powerful as ever. Rayne has designs on Emilio’s heart, and he sets out to prove it. Will the magic of Christmas thaw Emilio’s heart, or will it remain as cold as mountain snow?

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A few days before Christmas, David Weathers finds himself hopping a plane to his childhood home in Florida and doesn’t know why. His parents are gone, he has no siblings, yet something draws him on. David can almost feel the magic in the air, but then he discovers Jared Acosta, the man who broke his heart twenty years earlier, has moved three doors away. Reluctantly David accepts Jared’s invitation to dinner, only to find that twenty years may not be enough for some wounds to heal. Soon David seeks advice from his mother’s best friend Marisol, a vibrant, wise woman who believes in second chances. Can she convince David to take a chance on the man who is working so hard to be near him now? Will he be able to forgive a past that left both him and Jared unlucky in love?

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: THE MAIN EVENT Leslie Scott couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it...and, this one's a doozy. After years of blissful co-habbing, Leslie plans to ask the love of his life, Oliver Brown, for his hand in marriage. Leslie agrees to help with the Kissmas Drag Stravaganza at his dear friend's nightclub, Club Delish, which is also the site of the impending proposal. Every detail is planned with Swiss watch precision: enjoy the show, bring Oliver back to a private room, seduce him then pop the question. But, as with all things Leslie, his scheme goes tits up. Never one to shy away from drama and public displays of affection, this proposal turns out to be one for the books.

Word Count: Click here to reveal40000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Spells & Stardust is Scott's first anthology - eight sci fi and fantasy shorts that run the gamut from regeneration to redemption. The Bear at the Bar: A gay fish out of water tale with a pinch of magic. Tight: What happens when your lover disappears in midair? Morgan: The year when everything changed. Re-Life: What if you were reborn in a strange new future? A New Year: They met every eleven years. And each time, Hank's life changed. Repetition: What if you wanted to go back in the closet? Gargoyle: Sometimes you get what you deserve. Sometimes it happens on All Hallows Eve. Avalon: A few bright moments in the sun, stolen from outside time. Most of these stories have been previously published in various anthologies and journals. This is the first time they have all been collected in one place.

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Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Tandy has never fit in with the others at the North Pole, whether it’s his size or love for computers. But he wants to contribute to the mission of making the world’s children happy. Every elf does. Taking time away from his baby — a new process for the Nice and Naughty lists — to do the yearly census on the Isle of Misfit Toys just doesn’t fit into his schedule. It seemed like every time El turned around, there was another elf getting under foot for a census. Did the elves think that toys just disappeared from the Isle? And those that arrived were accounted for before they arrived. All El wanted at this point in his life was to become a baker at the North Pole. He’d had the love of a child already and Jack Frost did it hurt when he was no longer in his heart. Maybe if he avoided the elf this year, they’d just leave him to his cookies. Can the magic of the holidays bring these two together? El and Tandy both need help healing and isn’t Christmas the season of miracles?