"Sequel to Winter's Light Christian Rivers receives the phone call he has been dreading for six months. His father has died. Flying home to Arizona with his husband Phillip, Christian arrives in Glendale to a family in chaos. Christian’s mother Lori struggles to go on without her husband. She collects lots of things to occupy her mind and pass the time. Her sleeping habits have changed, too, and she’s no longer able to stay in the same house without the man she loved. To make matters worse, Christian finds his sister Paula in a life-and-death situation. In an attempt to escape the news of her father’s death, Paula turned to drugs, and Christian is the only one able to help her through this tumultuous time. Fraught with his own demons, is Christian strong enough to solider on and battle the challenges awaiting him when he arrives home to say a final goodbye to the man he called Dad?"

Sequel to <i>Past Sins</i><br><br>Jack Ballinger has seen a lot of horrible things in the six years he’s been a police officer, disturbing images he wishes he could erase from his memory forever. Crime scenes, dead bodies, and the death of his parents dredge up an unsettling time from his past, a tortured childhood he does not want to revisit. But Jack must confront a new waking nightmare that sends him spiraling out of control, down a rabbit hole of indescribable terrors, questioning his existence as a human being, cop, and partner.<br><br>Struggling with budget cuts and constantly changing policies within the police department, a cantankerous new police chief, eccentric colleagues, and his on again/off again relationship with his boyfriend Steve, Jack must also confront an evil entity from a previous life. Grappling with old demons is just the beginning. How long will Jack keep running from the horrors of his past and finally face his fears?

Moving to a new place can be a nightmare. Picking up and meeting different people is intimidating, as Brandon and Tate soon realize when they leave the City of Brotherly Love for a sleepy backwater town in upstate New York.<br><br>Brandon finds work as a software engineer, but Tate discovers change is daunting as a kindergarten teacher in unknown surroundings. Since leaving the only place he has ever known, Tate struggles with the death and memories of his mother, who he lost to cancer a few years ago. His father left when his mom got sick and never returned.<br><br>Starting life over with the man he loves brings Tate joy, safety, comfort, and a fresh start. Beginning this chapter proves challenging, but Tate soon discovers these times can also be memorable and satisfying. But then he begins receiving mysterious letters at home and work. Where did the letters come from, and what do they mean?

Seventeen-year-old Jesse has a babysitting gig at the Linderman’s house on Halloween. He loves watching Christie and Dylan, and is thrilled to see them dressed up in cute, creative costumes. When he arrives at their house, Jesse he just knows it will be a fun-filled night of pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating.<br><br>But Jesse quickly realizes Halloween is not only about candy, pumpkins, and scary costumes. It’s known for tricks and ghoulish things, and can bring out the crazies. While trick-or-treating, he notices a strange person wearing a glow-in-the-dark mask watching him from the shadowy street.<br><br>The rest of the night turns into a cat-and-mouse game of survival. Strange things start to happen at the Linderman’s residence, setting Jesse on edge, making him apprehensive somebody might be taking the spirit of Halloween too far.<br><br>Will Jesse survive the things that go bump in the night, or will he become just another tall tale this Halloween?

Sequel to <i>Jay Bird</i><br><br>A month away from his high school graduation, Jay Kirkman must confront his doubts about the future. The recent death of his Grams, the feisty and funny grandparent he had counted on for wisdom and support, has taken a toll on him. Breaking away from his overbearing parents, especially his strict disciplinarian mother, is proving difficult.<br><br>Struggling to say goodbye to the people he loves, Jay has to decide if he wants to move away to attend college at the end of the summer. He’s nervous about leaving the only place he has ever known to set out on a new journey toward self-discovery and adulthood.<br><br>But departing from the tight-knit community of Milton means Jay will have to desert his best friend Rocco. Dealing with his own family problems, Rocco reaches out to male strangers for emotional support and comfort, but a handful of one-night stands and physical assaults leave him hurt and vulnerable.<br><br>Will Rocco’s life-and-death circumstances alter Jay’s plans? Or will Jay leave his friends and community behind and never to look back?

When author Christian Rivers meets Milestone County's Sheriff Philip Erickson, a spark of attraction flickers between them. The three stories in this collection fan the flames of that attraction, and the love Christian and Philip share blazes within these pages. Contains the stories:<br><br><strong>A Light in the Dark</strong>: Author Christian Rivers has ended a five-year relationship with his boyfriend, Russ, but is suddenly propelled back into "the scene" when he phones Milestone County Sheriff Philip Erickson about an animal cruelty case. What follows for both men is surprisingly satisfying.<br><br><strong>Winter's Light</strong>: A week before Christmas, Christian and Philip move in together. Balancing a relationship, a book tour, the approaching holiday, and the imminent arrival of in-laws, he also juggles the hassle of running into his ex-boyfriend and dealing with his sister, who shows up uninvited. Will new year start with an even deeper commitment to one another, or end up on the rocks after the holidays?<br><br><strong>Heaven's Light</strong>: Christian receives the phone call he's been dreading for six months. His father has died. Flying home to Arizona with his husband Philip, Christian arrives in Glendale to a family in chaos. Fraught with his own demons, will Christian be strong enough to solider on and battle the challenges that await him when he arrives home to say a final goodbye to the man he called Dad?

T.J. Alton is shy and reticent, living alone with a rescue cat after his parents' death a year earlier. He rarely strays from his usual daily routine of work and home and back again.<br><br>Then he meets Devon Ryder, an outgoing, colorful, and ruggedly handsome man, with his own long list of emotional baggage. After a month of chatting online, the two men decide to meet in real life, and their first date is at a local Great Escape theme park in upstate New York.<br><br>As they discover more about each other through conversation and food, a connection is made. But will T.J.'s fears of large crowds and intimacy drive him back to isolation, away from the social circle of life, and the idea of starting a new relationship with someone special?

Sequel to<i>A Light in the Dark</i><br><br>During the past year, author Christian Rivers has sold his house and moved in with the love of his life, Milestone County’s chief of police, Sheriff Philip Erickson. Things couldn't be better for them and their dog, Darth Vader.<br><br>The week before Christmas is a busy one for Christian, who is on the road for a book tour to promote his newest novel. Also, both of their families are arriving soon to visit for the holiday. This will be the first time since Philip and Christian announced their relationship that the two sets of parents will meet each other.<br><br>Whatever Christian expects Christmas to be like, he doesn’t anticipate to run into his ex-boyfriend Russ. He also doesn’t expect his sister Paula to arrive with his parents. And he most certainly doesn’t expect to hear that his beloved father is very ill.<br><br>With so many curve balls thrown at them all at once, can Christian and Philip manage to have a joyful Christmas after all? Will they start the new year with an even deeper commitment to one another, or end up on the rocks after the holidays? Where so much love abounds, anything is possible.

Cody Whitley teaches creative writing at Brockton State College in upstate New York. As he struggles to keep a few unruly students from failing, a larger dilemma hits close to home.<br><br>His father Henry is in the last stages of his life, dying of liver cancer. Cody visits him everyday in the hospital, bringing him tea from the cafeteria and sitting by his hospital bed, sketching him in his notebook and watching the man he admired as a child slowly deteriorating. Having watched his mother die a few years ago, Cody is in a state of worry and flux, wondering how he will go on after he loses his father.<br><br>When he receives a text message from a handsome man named Liam he met on a dating app, Cody realizes there is still hope for happiness and a promising future. Amidst the turmoil, Cody accepts Liam's offer to meet him for lunch the next day. Not everything goes as planned, but Cody learns that he is not the only one going through hard times.<br><br>Will Cody allow the death of his father to alter his chances of finding lasting friendship with a complete stranger? Or will both men find comfort and romance in each other's painful pasts?

"Officer Jack Ballinger receives a phone call from the chief of police in the early morning hours regarding a dead body at an apartment building in a quiet neighborhood in the small upstate New York town of Black Falls. A female student lies in a pentagram outlined in her own blood, clutching a rosary. Ballinger and his former partner Officer Cory Ryan interview tenants in the building about the girl’s death, but are met with more questions than answers. When another body is found in the same apartment building a few hours later, Jack knows something is wrong. As he ciphers through a patchwork of unexplainable clues, the investigation detours when Ryan disappears from the case and cannot be found. With his future as an officer in question, will Ballinger be able to deal with the truth of these crimes once he dscovers everything he thought he knew was a lie?"

"Sequel toA Light in the Dark During the past year, author Christian Rivers has sold his house and moved in with the love of his life, Milestone County’s chief of police, Sheriff Philip Erickson. Things couldn't be better for them and their dog, Darth Vader. The week before Christmas is a busy one for Christian, who is on the road for a book tour to promote his newest novel. Also, both of their families are arriving soon to visit for the holiday. This will be the first time since Philip and Christian announced their relationship that the two sets of parents will meet each other. Whatever Christian expects Christmas to be like, he doesn’t anticipate to run into his ex-boyfriend Russ. He also doesn’t expect his sister Paula to arrive with his parents. And he most certainly doesn’t expect to hear that his beloved father is very ill. With so many curve balls thrown at them all at once, can Christian and Philip manage to have a joyful Christmas after all? Will they start the new year with an even deeper commitment to one another, or end up on the rocks after the holidays? Where so much love abounds, anything is possible."

"Introverted, socially awkward Jay Kirkman, known to his Grams as “Jay Bird,” is riding the ups-and-downs of youth while living with overbearing parents and dealing with the pressures of being a senior in high school. A month away from graduation, Jay hopes to flee the small upstate New York town of Milton for a life anywhere but in his dead-end hometown. He wishes for more than he has now: scholarly, eccentric parents, and watching Grams, the closest person to him, slowly dying before his eyes. His equally withdrawn but edgier best friend Rocco has a hearty appetite for drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex. When the law comes knocking, asking questions about a crime Rocco may or may not have committed, he finds himself in big trouble and turns to Jay for help. Is Jay and Rocco’s friendship strong enough to sustain life’s tough obstacles as they navigate the highs and lows of growing up together?"

"As Josh Tully returns home from running errands, he stumbles across a handsome man leaving his apartment complex. Distracted by the charming new stranger, Josh spills his groceries across the front stoop. As the new neighbor helps Josh pick up his belongings, a sudden surge of electricity sparks between the two young men. When Eddie returns to Josh’s apartment with a fresh gallon of milk, a chance meeting turns into mutual attraction. But a severe case of pneumonia lands Josh in the hospital and Eddie stays at his side, and their budding friendship deepens. Eddie is not the nesting type, and he does not stay in one place for long. But as days turn to weeks, something in Josh’s laid-back persona draws Eddie to the small Minnesota town of Gordonville and through the door of Josh’s heart. Will Eddie decide to stay this time ... and for how long?"

"Harry Lennon and Zeke Hodge spent many wonderful years together, but five years ago, Harry made the grim decision to admit his life-partner to a permanent housing facility at Saint Keller’s Nursing Home for the Aging. Riddled with Alzheimer’s, Zeke barely recognizes Harry anymore. As he tries to help Zeke recall small occurrences in the forty-two years they shared together, Harry wrestles with his worst fear: watching his partner slowly deteriorate in front of him. During Zeke’s last months at Saint Keller’s, Harry notices his partner gradually slipping away. Zeke grows more violent and disruptive with the orderlies, and becomes a stranger with whom Harry cannot identify. When Harry succumbs to one of life’s harsh realities, what reason can he find to keep living?"

"Christian Rivers has been single for a year and a half. Emotionally disconnected, he focuses on writing his next best seller. Unfortunately, his neighbor’s teenage son, Bret Hicks, causes trouble next door with his bad friends hanging out, smoking marijuana, drinking, and abusing Christian's dog, Darth Vader. Incensed, Christian phones Milestone County’s Sheriff Philip Erickson to lay an animal cruelty charge. When Sheriff Erickson arrives, the two men have coffee, and a spark of attraction that has been developing between them since they met, flickers to life. But Philip is on duty and has to leave. Later that night Christian wakes up from the sounds of breaking glass as someone forces entry into his house. He calls Philip but before the sheriff arrives, Bret appears in the door of Christian’s bedroom, drunk and wearing a Halloween mask. In the aftermath of the drama the suppressed attraction between the two men comes to a boil, leading to new hope and mutual satisfaction for Christian and the sheriff."

"College sophomore Jace O’Dell is looking for fun and adventure during his summer hiatus after a long, demanding semester and cumulative finals, so he auditions for SUNY Plattsburgh’s summer production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Jace is in luck. When he earns a role in the play, he finds more than an adventure waiting for him behind-the-scenes. Black, muscular, intelligent, and charming football jock Germain Bridger captures Jace’s eye. As a record heat wave assaults the city of Plattsburgh, Jace and Germain find refuge from the threatening temperatures, escaping to the refreshing waters of Lake Champlain, the local movie theater, and a car ride to one of Jace’s favorite summer getaways. A promising friendship develops into an intimate exploration between the two as emotions are shared and tested, and true feelings revealed."

"When author Christian Rivers meets Milestone County's Sheriff Philip Erickson, a spark of attraction flickers between them. The three stories in this collection fan the flames of that attraction, and the love Christian and Philip share blazes within these pages. Contains the stories: A Light in the Dark: Author Christian Rivers has ended a five-year relationship with his boyfriend, Russ, but is suddenly propelled back into ""the scene"" when he phones Milestone County Sheriff Philip Erickson about an animal cruelty case. What follows for both men is surprisingly satisfying. Winter's Light: A week before Christmas, Christian and Philip move in together. Balancing a relationship, a book tour, the approaching holiday, and the imminent arrival of in-laws, he also juggles the hassle of running into his ex-boyfriend and dealing with his sister, who shows up uninvited. Will new year start with an even deeper commitment to one another, or end up on the rocks after the holidays? Heaven's Light: Christian receives the phone call he's been dreading for six months. His father has died. Flying home to Arizona with his husband Philip, Christian arrives in Glendale to a family in chaos. Fraught with his own demons, will Christian be strong enough to solider on and battle the challenges that await him when he arrives home to say a final goodbye to the man he called Dad?"

"It’s Independence Day, and the annual fireworks along Lake Champlain are set to begin. Adam Rankin gets a telephone call from his former boyfriend, Dave Peterson, who’s back in town for the festivities. It’s been a year since they separated and parted ways. Dave has moved from their small upstate New York town to Albany, where he works as a paralegal. Adam stayed behind, working as a chef in a Greek restaurant and feeding the homeless on weekends at a local shelter. The two men reconnect over the holiday and sparks fly. Can they rekindle the flames between them, or will their romance burn out? Will this be the start of a new beginning?"

"T.J. Alton is shy and reticent, living alone with a rescue cat after his parents' death a year earlier. He rarely strays from his usual daily routine of work and home and back again. Then he meets Devon Ryder, an outgoing, colorful, and ruggedly handsome man, with his own long list of emotional baggage. After a month of chatting online, the two men decide to meet in real life, and their first date is at a local Great Escape theme park in upstate New York. As they discover more about each other through conversation and food, a connection is made. But will T.J.'s fears of large crowds and intimacy drive him back to isolation, away from the social circle of life, and the idea of starting a new relationship with someone special?"