WIP Wednesday – Then There Were 2

Well hello there, Story Quester. It’s Wednesday, which means I’ve got something new to share with you!

Work in Progress

Boys Love Collections

To ensure the short story collections get done in time for the festival I’ve decided to focus on just 2 of them. I’ll be releasing The Little Shrine at the Edge of the Road and Walk Me Home in September and save 12 Days of Kisses for a little later in the year. 

I also learned that my short story, A Ballad for the Granter of Impossible Wishes, unfortunately, did not win a spot in the anthology. This means it will be appearing in my own story collection The Little Shrine at the Edge of the Road in its original longer length. (Remember I had to cut a thousand words from it to meet the contest max word count.) 

I’ve also narrowed down which stories will be in each collection. This means that the 2 story collections will have 5 stories each.

Project Word Count

Walk Me Home 20,483 words

The Little Shrine at the Edge of the Road 18,108 words

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My Weekly Book Recommendations

This week I’m featuring M/M Romances written by guys:

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1) Dragon Falls

by Davis Lavender

An ordinary guy crashes into a cozy fantasy. Chaos ensues.

How did I end up married to a dragon tamer? I guess you could say I fell into it—down a bottomless ravine and into a strange world of fierce dragon-riding warriors. They think I’m their leader’s missing son, and if they find out I’m Feliks, a nobody from modern Kraków, I’m in trouble.

Unfortunately, this missing guy had a husband, and now he’s mine. Marek is a grumpy, monosyllabic dragon wrangler who’s instantly suspicious of me and my quirky charm. He doesn’t like being in the same room as me, let alone the same bed. So if I want to get out of here, I’ll have to learn to ride a dragon without falling off, and somehow convince Marek I’m his long-lost love. Because of course, I want to get out of here… at least, I think I do.

Features: gay male main characters 
Genres & Tropes: Achillean Romance, Romantasy, Low-stakes cozy fantasy, dragons, grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity

READ IT

2) Lord of Eternal Night

by Ben Alderson

Jak’s life has only one meaning; break the curse or die trying. Marius’s life has no meaning; not since he was cursed into the twisted, bloodthirsty creature of night. 

For years the witches have waited for their salvation, a way to return the magic that was sacrificed when the curse was first cast. Jak, a boy born with power that the witches have not seen in a century, is their prophesied savior. The one who is to kill the creature, break the curse, and restore magic to his coven. 

Sent to the creature’s castle as the final Claim, Jak must get close enough to land the final blow. It is what he has trained all his life to accomplish. 

Not all is as it seems when Jak uncovers secrets and half-truths. The creature is not the haunting beast he had been brought up to hate. Emotions war as new feelings are uncovered. For what is more dangerous than hate? Lust. 

Features: gay male main characters
Genres & Tropes: chillean Romance, Romantasy, fairytale retelling, vampires, break the curse, witches

READ IT

3) A Kingdom of Dreams

by Sam Northman

We were not chosen — we died.

In modern-day Boston, CEO Markus Embla constantly seeks release from irrepressible anger. But when a chance meeting with an alluring stranger triggers a sudden and intimate flashback to a past life, Markus’ hard-fought-for control begins to unravel.

Having left his politically influential family to pursue a less prestigious career as a nurse, Faron Ask struggles alone with immersive, often ominous, dreams. When the line between nightmare and reality merges, he reaches out for help from the one constant in both – Markus.

Drawn irresistibly to each other, the pair entwine at breakneck speed as they fight to discover the truth about their forgotten shared history. But traitorous winged Valkyries, shape-shifting assassins, and rune-scarred sorceresses are intent on keeping them apart, to prevent their ancient powers from rekindling.

Because their ignorance is the condition of others’ lives — lives that will not be willingly sacrificed. 

Features: gay male main characters
Genres & Tropes: Achillean Romance, Romantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Norse mythology, dark past

READ IT

Well, until next time Story Quester, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat signing off.