Fantasy - Magical Realism Genre

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: “Ky’s a fighter. Blue’s an artist. But together they are truly magical.”  Ky’s fought his way to the boxing championship for the third time, but now the fight of his life isn’t against an opponent in the ring. He’s battling a darkness within himself that he can’t ignore and can’t control. If he fails, everything he’s spent his life working for will be gone, and he can’t see a path to victory. Only a hunch sends him looking for help in the most unusual places. Blue’s a quiet guy, living for his family and the art of his tattoos. He’s created his shop, Blue’s Dungeon, to be a place for the celebration of art on skin—simple, friendly, and mostly uncomplicated—and Blue likes it that way. But when Ky shows up in Blue’s tattoo studio, desperately searching for a lifeline, it’s the beginning of something magical for both men…

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: A hook-up gone bad can be purrder. Fresh from a breakup, deeply closeted freshman Zach jumps at the chance to housesit his family home and enjoy a long, horny summer free of both his ex and his religious parents. But when an old enemy turned hot hook-up falls to his death, Zach turns to the only true friend he’s ever known—his cat, Grace Jones. With the dead man’s phone and a knack for texting, she promises Zach help, for a price that will satisfy both their appetites. Does it matter if Grace Jones’ powers draw on something far more ancient and sinister than a cell phone? “Get laid, Zachary. Get laid.” Each new hook-up brings Zach darkly humorous discoveries about life, love, sex, and his own desires. But Zach knows it’s only a matter of time before someone discovers his secret. Can he rely on his feline protector, or is he trapped in a hungry devil’s bargain? Christian Baines is an awkward nerd turned slightly less awkward novelist. His work includes the paranormal series The Arcadia Trust, novella Skin, and Puppet Boy, a finalist for the 2016 Saints and Sinners Emerging Writer Award. Born in Australia, he now travels the world whenever possible, living, writing, and shivering in Toronto, Canada on the occasions he can’t find his passport.

Word Count: Click here to reveal133867 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: This is book one of the Vasari Streams series that includes Laredo and the Wolf. Carlo Vasari’s mother is near death and desperate. She warns him that his parent’s protective mistake has put him in grave supernatural danger. She then tells him that her mate bond will kill his father after her life ends. In despair and disbelief, Carlo immediately calls his father who through his tears, stuns Carlo anew by confirming his formerly unknown supernatural heritage and the unstoppable approaching peril. Soon Carlo is forced to confront his new supernatural life, while experiencing an insistent yearning that is urging him back to Vasari Streams. His memories of that early time are elusive but are shared to him in the constant dreams of his childhood best friend, only to fade away with the morning light. When Carlo at last returns home, unimaginable magical joy begins to reshape his amazing new life. Soon however, his wonder turns into numbing fear as determined beings with unsavory motives are now stalking him with deadly intent.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Roll up, roll up... The circus has long been that dream palace, intoxicating with so many lights and sights, sounds and smells. Sawdust, popcorn, strange animals, make-up, and the sweat of the roustabouts. The circus intrudes into the life of the ordinary and mundane and brings magic. Editor Matthew Bright invites you to the enjoy the sixteen attractions of the fantastical and dark Myriad Carnival. "Bright brings together 17 eclectic and sometimes surprising tales of vicious magicians, desperate contortionists, unexpected sharpshooters, and the marks who pay to see them, in this anthology about queer identities and fantastical circuses... The specifics of the eponymous carnival change from story to story, but a mood of the strange, eerie, and poignant suffuses the anthology and provides coherence" - Publishers Weekly

Word Count: Click here to reveal70000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: With a serial killer on the loose, the baffling mystery of Aiden’s past, and their tenuous budding romance, Aiden and Fouchard tread through a world of magic and myth on padded shoes, terrified to stir up something neither can control or defeat. Aiden Mercer’s life now centers around lounging on the sunny beaches of his adopted country with a beer in one hand and a coffee in the other while admiring the local male population. After a rough life as a respected detective in DC, playing it cool shouldn’t be too hard, right? With the magical community on his case and dead bodies piling up around town, the responsibility of finding their killer seems fated to fall on him and deny him of his easy living. Then there is Naël. Cantankerous merman Naël Fouchard's life is focused on bringing up and protecting his little sister. When DNA found at the scene of the murders mark him as the prime suspect, Naël seeks out the help of Aiden, whose reputation as a detective grossly belies his lazy lifestyle and apparent lack of ambition. The chemistry between the strong, stoic Naël and the easygoing Aiden is undeniable, no matter how many walls Aiden builds. If this unlikely pair can’t come to terms with their feelings for each other long enough to catch the killer, their emotional turmoil might yet allow the murderer to kill them instead.

Word Count: Click here to reveal125000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: We’re not alone. There are an infinite number of universes and no two are the same. For Nathan Duffy, life involves several truths—he has an iron grip on his talent, he will never walk again, and he will never stop putting his best friend Camilo Almenara ahead of his own well-being. In a world where talent can kill or save, Nathan’s nearly did both at the same time. When a drunk driver T-boned Cam’s car, Nathan lost control of his talent. He saved his best friend and nearly killed himself. Nathan thought the accident that left him with lifelong mobility issues was the worst pain he would ever experience. He was wrong. After years bottling up his talent, it finally breaks through. The hallucinations he experiences induce pain beyond anything he’s felt. It also means he is a danger to everyone he is close to. For Cam, life has its own truths. Nathan only had the power to save one of them, and he chose his friend. Cam walked away without a scratch, but the guilt is never far. He’s spent the years since the accident taking care of Nathan—or at least trying to. Now something is happening to his best friend and Cam can’t help. So he goes to the one person who can--his father, Colonel Caesar Almenara, a walking legend whose talent has no equal. And who also refuses to help. If Cam and Nathan don’t find a cure fast, Nathan will quickly find himself drugged, drafted, and shipped off to war. Desperate and angry with his father, Cam takes Nathan to the one person he thinks can help, a friend of his deceased mother who helped work on a top secret military project that could be behind Nathan’s condition. A project Cam’s father led. When Cam’s father tracks them down, Nathan is out of time. He offers to go quietly, but the Colonel has other plans. One that includes the other personality that keeps taking over Nathan’s mind. If the Colonel succeeds, Nathan has a chance at a better life. If not….

Word Count: Click here to reveal90000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Lornyc is good at keeping secrets, because secrets can get you killed. Will someone rid him of this troublesome Mage? Seemingly not, and Lornyc’s going to have do it himself. There’s a good reason no one had invoked the Reckoning to become the Supreme Mage of Beher for over a quarter of a century, but Lornyc couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. Five tasks, five chances to fail, and that’s just the warm up for the magical head-to-head. Pity his Reagalos powers don’t work like Mage magic, so he’ll need to think fast, and run even faster.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Magic comes to the beach, but it’s love that changes everything. Neil was the head lifeguard at an exclusive resort in the beach town of Cambria Bay. He had thought it was his dream job, but between his slacker employees, nosy boss, and the new and strange man in his life, he decides that maybe he’s ready for a change.

Word Count: Click here to reveal38000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Aromantic, Bisexual, Demigender, Demisexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: RISE (noun / verb) Eight definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) An upward slope or movement 2) A beginning or origin 3) An increase in amount or number 4) An angry reaction 5) To take up arms 6) To return from death 7) To become heartened or elated 8) To exert oneself to meet a challenge Rise features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Word Count: Information not available

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

Summary: Following the defeat of the Dark Sorceress Alana, Azrael and Mecah attempt to move on with their lives. The two, work together to bring peace and prosperity to the realm, as their love for one another continues to intensify. Meanwhile, Azrael is plagued with nightmares of a pending doom; one which reaches from beyond the grave. When the Palace is attacked, Azrael and his friends are faced with a new, more terrifying threat. A threat that is hundreds of years old and powered by dark magic. Will this new nightmare, succeed in tearing Azrael and Mecah apart? Will Azrael be able to control the darkness that continues to grow within him?

Word Count: Click here to reveal21800 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Lesbian, Polyamorous (Click here to hide)

Summary: Life in Bellasford is seldom peaceful for succubus, Rose. A fun night out to celebrate her girlfriend's birthday takes a sinister turn as a mutual friend is found near-dead, drained of her life energy: the hallmarks of a succubus feeding. With the Succubus Moon drawing near, suspicion falls on Rose and her long-missing mother, Ella. Investigation leads to more victims drained of energy and no clear suspect in sight. Racing against time, Rose, Lisa and their friends Alexis and Jamie seek to unravel the mystery before more innocents are attacked or something worse happens. They know the energy is being taken for a reason and could place a great deal of power at their adversary's fingertips. Rising Moon is a F/F romantic urban fantasy novella of around 22,000 words, which contains strong steamy content and language.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: When the simple Hand-mage, Kelly, is captured by the hunky, motorcycle riding bounty hunter, an unintended adventure begins. The Elementals are set to destroy Kelly for who he is, but at least one of them has nefarious plans of his own. Wessex, the Water-son would like to have Kelly’s power to rule over the others, and he’ll do anything to get it. But, Kelly has the ability to warp all the elements and mold them into a new form... Kelly’s not an ordinary Hand-mage after all. He’s a merlin who can spin the universe... Elementals, Disguises, and Configurations. All three books in one complete series. #insta-love #elementalmagic #savingtheuniverse #heroromance #bountyhunterromance

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: When forced to choose between ending his father’s curse and his fear of commitment, will Kyle embrace his destiny or will he turn away and let the world burn around him? Kyle doesn’t believe in destiny. In fact, he’s fought against it most of his life. When his homophobic father cursed him and his brothers to never find love, Kyle decided he didn’t need it anyway. As a gay man, why settle with one man when you can have many? Conley has never clicked with the community his ancestors created in the dimension between worlds. All this changes when he goes on his vision quest, and learns that the community's survival may depend on him and a stranger he’s never met. As Kyle fights against destiny and Conley struggles to embrace it, can these two men overcome the evil that stalks their journey and accept the spark of love that’s growing between them or will the darkness destroy them and everything they love? Ruby Fire is the conclusion of the Witch Brother’s Saga… A fated mates, self-sacrifice, urban fantasy novel.

Word Count: Click here to reveal91000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Lornyc is good at keeping secrets, because secrets can get you killed. Lornyc's forbidden relationship with Methian, heir to Xenetra, has caused him enough grief. Ripped from his life as a student to fulfil a magical contract as punishment for his family's past, he now has to play valet to Methian for ten years. It'll be hell on their already strained relationship. And with his city of Katraman under attack, Lornyc needs to connect to the powers he’s been hiding. If he can’t master his powers and find the leader of the plot, he could lose everything he knows and loves: his family, his future as High Lord, and Methian. Trigger warning: mind control, attempted assault Previously published, this second edition has been edited and reworked for release.

Word Count: Click here to reveal17000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: In this second instalment of the Damien the Devil series, we see Damien has found a new, more permanent home outside the foster system with Pat, Damien’s Renfield and caseworker, and his twin brother Matt. He‘s also enjoying a budding romantic relationship with Brian, another boy from the foster home. But after the two of them are caught kissing, Damien is kicked out on the streets in the middle of the night—only to find himself in a very dangerous situation with a vampire. Brian, feeling guilty about the whole situation, goes looking for Damien the next evening, only to fall victim to the vampire’s trap himself. Damien and Pat save Brian, but he’s unable to remember what happened that night—until he starts to be plagued with nightmares. Meanwhile, Damien is too afraid to reveal to Brian that he is a vampeal: a half-vampire and half-human. Will they both be able to handle the truth of what each other is hiding?

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.

Word Count: Click here to reveal74000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: After two years together, Alex has been dreading the inevitable moment when Damon learns the truth: that Alex is a shifter, part of a small percentage of the population able to switch genders at will. Thanks to a forced implant, though, Alex is suddenly static—unable to shift—and male. Overnight, he’s out to a world that neither understands nor tolerates shifters . . . and to his heterosexual boyfriend. Damon is stunned to discover his girlfriend is a shifter, and scared to death of the dangers the implant poses to Alex’s health. He refuses to abandon Alex, but what about their relationship? Damon is straight, and with the implant both costly and dangerous to remove, Alex is stuck as a man. Stripped of half his identity and facing serious physical and social ramifications, Alex needs Damon more than ever, but he doesn’t see how they can get through this. Especially if he’s static forever. This book was previously published. Note: This book was written several years ago, and since that time, the author's understanding of gender identity has evolved. Were Static to be written today, it would include (for example) non-binary identities rather than a male/female binary.

Word Count: Click here to reveal62000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Jason Richards is ridiculously in love with his friend and coworker, Ahmed Kazimi. Unfortunately, Ahmed is a package deal—he has a boyfriend who, as far as Jason is concerned, needs to be launched into the sun. Then a mysterious carnival rolls into town, and Jason and Ahmed can’t resist going. Not even if Ahmed’s boyfriend can be depended on to make everybody miserable. When Ahmed wins a strange prize from an even stranger carnival game, weird things start happening. First, a mishap with a friend’s newly purchased love potion. Then a cascade of steadily worsening bad luck starts to rain down on every corner of Ahmed’s life. Though he doesn’t believe in the paranormal, he can’t help but wonder if his prize is cursed. Just to be safe, he throws it away. But it comes back. And it keeps coming back. Upon learning about the prize that won’t go away, Jason suggests the only solution he can think of: return it to the place it came from. Now Ahmed and Jason are on a mission to get rid of the cursed prize… assuming they can find that game again. Step Right Up is part of the multi-author Carnival of Mysteries Series. Each book stands alone, but each one includes at least one visit to Errante Ame’s Carnival of Mysteries, a magical, multiverse traveling show full of unusual acts, games, and rides. The Carnival changes to suit the world it’s on, so each visit is unique and special. This book contains some long overdue friends to lovers, a strangely insightful caricaturist, and a little magical realism.

Word Count: Click here to reveal42,000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: Ankit has lived many lifetimes. Once, long ago, he was made of stone, and marked with symbols and sigils meant to safeguard him and allow him to protect and serve others. He’s a living gargoyle now, cursed to live as a human; always watching, at all times aware, and constantly searching for his fated one. While walking home from his job as a librarian, Ethan Lewis is beaten and robbed. Ankit stumbles upon him, and instantly recognizes him as the man he’s fated to. He helps him back to his apartment, and after tending his injuries, watches over him. Fate has woven their lives together for centuries, but in every lifetime, they could never live freely, or love each other as Ankit has often dreamed of. To change their destiny, they’ll fight together with other gargoyles, and a young watcher, who is unaware of the tremendous power she possesses. This will be the last battle against their creator, and they’ll either die fighting for their freedom, or survive to live the life they’ve always yearned for.

Word Count: Click here to reveal18000 (Click here to hide)

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

Summary: The story of Lars and Sven goes on: after leaving the northern forests the city-boy accepts the invitation of his new friend and decides to spent some time at his home, located in a valley filled with an ancient and powerful magic. Day after day, thanks to their growing understanding, they will not discover more and more about each other only but about an old world too: a world rich of fascinating traditions, filled with powerful forces believed to be lost in the legends, which is still more alive and authentic than they could ever imagine.