Growing up, coming out and making my way in the latter half of the 20th century. From grade school through the Associate Artistic Directorship of the Florida Shakespeare Festival, Gay & Lesbian Youth of New York, the Aids Crisis, bathhouse culture, onstage and offstage ups and downs, join me for a ride through times that have shaped this 'Late Boomer.'…
Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone "Bird of the Gods". Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona and Conrad's paths cross, what was supposed to be a straightforward quest turns into a crazy race around the world. With antagonists popping up at every corner - from mountain tops to underground settings like Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, and the silver mines of the old West, Fiona and Conrad have to work together to catch their bird. Mutual respect grows into something more intimate. But not everything is quite as it seems, and they had better watch their backs lest they too end up underground, this time permanently.…
Greg Imperato, star football player at Edison High comes out when James Frenumbro, his Science Club boyfriend impulsively full-on kisses him after a game-winning play on the field. But he immediately is targeted by Larry Morganson and his Knights of Morality. However, there's hard evidence in the way Larry responds to a physical altercation that pings Greg's radar.…
O'Shawnessy, God of Mischief and Blarney, made an artifact - a banana - that was imbued with a part of his powers. It was also cursed by the Goddesses of Chaos and the Sea, so whatever laughter its mischief stirs up also brings disasters that happen in waves of increasing ferocity. Our Tavern adventurers join forces with a group called The Misfits to bring that big bad banana back in line! Will they succeed, or will their quarry prove too slippery to subdue?…
The town of Rhymer's Reach has been redeveloped into a vacation resort; its protective ring of rowan trees torn down, and a huge park of old oaks planted right in the center of town. Thomas Rye Murphy and the Fools of St. Flannan's decide to investigate when, one night of the full moon, tourists go missing. Strange voices singing draw them - where else? - to the mist-shrouded park, and a fateful encounter.…
Flooding in Bangladesh prevents Anitra Sanjeep's 95-year-old grandmother from visiting her, Pete and her mother in New York City. Henry Madison, owner of Sweet Surrender, is on a mission to create some classic Bengali treats with a chocolate twist to cheer her up. And perhaps a certain Uncle-in-law from the North Pole can lend a hand with the flooding?…
Bits and Bots, odds and sods, flotsam and jetsam - one-shots, really short contest entries, lyrics for imaginary musicals, poems...random stuff that you don't trash because maybe they'll fit into something bigger one day.…
Elysia is a 12-year-old magic prodigy, the youngest student ever to attend the Mage College. She's brilliant, a little arrogant but fun-loving. When a Flaming Nethergate appears, spewing forth hordes of vicious flesh-eating netherkin, Elysia becomes a pawn of the Military and the Mage Combat Corps, as they need her unique capabilities to close the Nethergate. She also discovers a traitor in their midst - someone who works for the College itself!…
Child slaver and all-around loathsome bad guy, Clive Wespie, is back and determined to rule Tasuil Beor with an iron fist full of gold, corrupt judges and ne'er-do-wells. But the House of Many Tots joins forces with the Old Priest & Rat Tavern and the Understudies to protect the street kids and kick bad guy Wespie and his cronies out of town! Lives are lost, assassins are afoot, and the solution involves lots of dirty clothes. Wait, what?…
Ungar Bumthumper has difficulty holding jobs. Nothing he tries seems to fit his skillset. Fate steps in and suggests he try being a hero by slaying a terrifying beast that is devouring travelers and disrupting trade (funny how that works!) Destiny, however, has plans of her own. Watch how our wanna-be hero uses his unique problem-solving skills to boost the beast's low self-esteem and... wait, what?!…
The second group of Understudies is sent to investigate the appearance of giant, monster-spawning eggs in Southern Beor. They're disrupting trade and travel! Dhampir Jack Bonecracker, Bard Dave LaPlaid and Superspy Memnos del Aden go undercover as Specialty Veggie Farmers. Will they crack open the case, or will they be scrambling for their lives?…
In March of 2020, Covid-19 brought the Big Apple to its knees, but Henry Madison's kids want Great-Uncle Santa Claus to bring Christmas early by gifting the world with a cure. There are some rules, however, that not even Father Christmas can break. He hints that the magic and the hope they are looking for just might be found a lot closer to home. Dedicated to the amazing people who live, work, and play in the 5 boroughs of NYC.…
A troll bard enters a club in a far future San Fran called The Leather Tadpole, and meets with a client who collects old myths, tales and legends. Using his neuro-harp, he reveals the millennia-old and deftly reconstructed story of The Frog Prince in 3-D splendor, setting it in the early 2000s. It's not your usual bedtime story! There are queens and heirs, bro-nanigans and lumberjacks, and a Chinese Restaurant called The Golden Ball.…
The newly formed Understudies are split into 2 groups. Sarah's group must discover who's behind suspicious dealings at the new Dwarven Savings Bank. They'll bang heads with the dastardly villain Clive Wespie: Con Artist, Child Slaver and Wanna-be Crime Kingpin. Will they remove him from Beor's stage, close the DSB and return the stolen money to its rightful owners - or will they need more rehearsing?…
Sarah Burnheart, aging ingenue and untrained fire mage, attends an audition and finds herself part of a cast of characters (including a gladiator, a dhampir, a bard and an aromancer) who together will form an undercover support group for The Old Priest & Rat Tavern's adventurers. Espionage, subterfuge and dangerous assignments notwithstanding, it's literally the role of a lifetime!…
You'd know my voice anywhere, because I'm one of the Top 10 Voice Over Artists in the World. But no one knows my real name. So why did my neighbor write it on her arm the night she was murdered? Is someone after new my million-dollar gig, or was she the intended victim? The answers may either grow on you or leave you clueless in the dirt. Coffee Community June 2022 'It's A Mystery' Contest Entry.…
Henry Madison has it all: his new bakery Sweet Surrender is the talk of NYC, a great apartment, and two terrific kids. But when he proposed to his beloved a few days ago, he got burned. Now it's Christmas Eve, and he forgot to bring home cookies for Santa. It will take some heated advice from 'Auntie' Vanny and a little Christmas magic to help our hero rise out of his holiday slump!…
A very short bite begun by Write on Wednesday's Prompt #78. Is there a new, highly addictive drug on the streets this Christmas Eve? 911 Operator Pietro Formaggi must solve this mystery - it's an emergency! A cheesy taste of holiday tension, laughter, and love.…
Ralph adores Ryssa, but his ineptitude at thievery, his chosen profession may just get himself killed. To help her future husband, Elryssa must seek the blessing of Beor's Gods. Such blessings come with a price, however. Will she agree to pay it? Will Ralph become a master thief like his childhood hero, Bobby Aha? Will Bob the Eldest God get a little somethin' somethin'? For Bob's sake - read the Tale already!…
Three precocious pre-school mages (fire mage, shaman, micro necro) and one dimwitted old thief break into Morbid Curiosities, an infamous repository of all things magical, mythical, monstrous and malefic. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out - a lot!…