You can find the new novella, exclusively online here.  Hope you enjoy it, and by all means post your comments here!

Jamie Kurtz loves his job as a firefighter. It’s everything he’d imagined as a kid, watching reruns of Emergency. But his pulse stopped pounding at the sound of a fire alarm years ago and now only picks up when he’s in a stranger’s arms. Addicted to the rush, he frequents clubs, looking for something—someone—to turn him on. But the next time his heart races, it’s in anger The new man in the firehouse, Chuck Positano, is the bully who made Jamie’s life miserable in high school. But as the saying goes: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The first night he was off duty Jamie took the PATH train to Hoboken. Sitting in the back of the cab, the lights of the city flashing across his face as they passed, he picked a speck of lint off his snug black pants and tried to clear his mind.

He loved his job. It was everything he’d imagined as a kid, watching reruns of Emergency and dreaming of being Johnny Gage. Sometimes, though…sometimes, he was glad to leave it, like he could only breathe properly when he took off the heavy canvas coat. Sometimes he remembered that Johnny Gage wasn’t real, just an actor playing a role, and he wondered whether the same couldn’t be said of Jamie Kurtz. Why else did he only feel real on these hot nights in Jersey? Why did his heart, which had years ago ceased to pound at the sound of the fire alarm, still pick up its pace when the club of the week came into sight?

Enough, he told himself sternly as the cab pulled up to the curb, no more thinking about work. He paid the driver and jumped out. Even from the sidewalk he could hear the music, comfortingly bass-heavy, the thumpa-thumpa invading his chest cavity and synching up with the beat of his heart. His lips curled in a smile as he paid his cover charge and held out his hand to be stamped.

The club was packed, the bar three-deep with men and the dance floor a crowded mass of moving bodies. Jamie drew a breath in through his nose and held it for a moment, savoring the musk that only a room full of sweating men could generate. By the time he pushed his way through and got a bartender’s attention, he’d scanned and rejected every face at the bar. He took his drink, pushed his way onto the dance floor, and let the music carry him away. Hands brushed him, inviting, questioning. Bodies pressed close, flank on flank. Eyes sought his own, hoping to make a connection.

He danced for hours, his partners a blur of faces changing as frequently as the colored strobes that swept the room. At some point he looked up at a chiseled torso, gleaming ebony muscles rippling in time with the music. Jamie ran his hands across that broad chest, squeezing the firm tits lightly before stroking his fingers down the abs. He raised his head, saw brown eyes set in a face of carved beauty, full lips and neat, ruthlessly groomed facial hair. Jamie licked his lips and tilted his head and the other man smiled, his teeth perfect and startlingly white. He turned and cut through the crowd of dancers. Jamie followed in his wake.

Aren’t firemen hot? This story can be purchased for $2.99 at the Dreamspinner site. As always, I’d love to hear your comments!

Games in the Dark

Coming September 21st: a wicked new anthology from Dreamspinner Press!

Wedding Favors by D.G. Parker

Bobby is a gay man stuck in a het wedding world. Time after time he watches others get hitched while he satisfies himself with one-night stands… until he notices the same blond hottie three weddings in a row.

Larry Fletcher Checks Out of the Heartbreak Hotel by D.G. Parker

Jaded and hurting from a recent breakup, Larry’s not exactly having the time of his life in Vegas for his best friend’s wedding. But his luck begins to change at the Love Me Tender Wedding Chapel, where The King not only marries his friends, but takes on the challenge of teaching Larry to Viva Las Vegas and enjoy some Burning Love.

I enjoyed writing this little series of vignettes. You can download the story here.

My story was about Antenor, a young survivor of the siege of Troy. After the city’s fallen, any men who don’t escape are put to death. Antenor catches the eye of cruel Greek Endymion, and it seems the young Trojan is destined for a short life of sexual torment. Enter Calchas, an older Greek warrior who hesitantly takes Antenor as a slave. Their relationship is off to a rocky start, but slowly the develop a trust that carries them through many differences and dangers.

There was one web review, and besides praising the book for its beautiful appearance (I agree), it had good things to say about “Greeks Bearing Gifts.” The website Speak Its Name called it “a great little story, sweet and surprising in turns.”

There’s a funny coda to this adventure. When Dreamspinner cuts their checks, they print the anthology and story names right on the check face. So yes, I had to go to the bank and deposit a check for sodomy.

The story follows young Obie Watson, a drifter and gambler who finds himself stuck when his horse goes lame. His ticket out of town is the Bar Jay Ranch, which will heal his horse in exchange for a few months’ work. Reluctantly taking up the hard life of a ranch hand, Obie finds himself drawn to the handsome but distant owner, Ben Johnson. As his relationship with the older man grows and he himself starts changing, Obie must decide whether to return to his familiar, lonely life or to take a chance at something more.

Being published was thrilling, and then I actually got a review! Connie at JoyfullyReviewed.com declared “Back in the Saddle” one of her favorite stories in the anthology, calling it “an emotional and satisfying tale and well worth a read.” All in all, a very satsifying way to begin my writing career.

Months later, my friends threw me a surprise “book signing party.” They’d all bought copies of my published books and demanded I sign them. And they’d made the most amazing (and delicious) cake…

It was probably the best part of the experience, realizing I had friends who understood just how important a milestone it was to me. It was a hell of a party.

Know When to Hold ‘Em is available through Dreamspinner Press, linked to the right.

The purpose of these particular pages is to update anyone interested in my current writing projects. Here you’ll be able to keep up with my work — published, in progress, and under consideration. I might even vent some frustrations and moan theatrically about my writing process, though I’ll try to keep the authorly angst to a minimum. In the next few days, I’ll do short write-ups about the items I’ve published courtesy of Dreamspinner Press (see link on the right) and offer a sneak peek on my current project, Fairies. Watch these pages for excerpts!

Welcome to the blog, and please feel free to leave a comment if you’re so inclined.