For someone on break, I can’t find time to do anything. I will catch up on everyone’s posts, I promise. I decided to share a story from a couple holidays ago for Yule. This is from my steampunk Christmas story, The Glow of Luminiferous Aether on Tinsel with Ninestar Press

“He can’t be dead.” Al clutched her shoulder, tucking his cheek against her.

Minnie drew closer. “Al, Jacob is fine. He’s a hard man to kill.”

“People are easy to kill,” he growled.

“Not him,” Grace replied sternly. “Death came for him once, and Jacob beat the reaper off with his own scythe.”

Blurb

As Chief Tactician for the airship DeGrasse, Jacob Scarberry has spent the last six months on a wearying tour of duty. He’s missing home, and his prosthetic leg is conducting the December cold straight to his core. But with the holidays coming up, he’s looking forward to a well-earned leave, sharing some Christmas surprises with his lover, Dr. H. Alphus Troyer, and welcoming in the dawn of the 20th century.

A professor at Ohio University, Al is already on Christmas break, and his unconventional household is in a festive frenzy. Al is a bit less joyous, his anticipation of Jacob’s return warring with uncertainty over the special gift he had commissioned for him. Would Jacob appreciate it, or will it put a strain on their relationship?

Suddenly Al’s worries become trivial when the newspapers report an attack on the DeGrasse. With Jacob fighting for his life miles away, Al is left to wonder whether Jacob will return at all, or whether the planned festivities will become holiday heartbreak instead.

Buy Link – nine star – https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-glow-of-luminiferous-aether-on-tinsel/

Amazon here

Spent the day putting in grades but at least I’m free for a few weeks now.

Finishing up the scene with Brendan and Josh and the trauma from These Haunted Hills and since I’m running ridiculously late, let me jump into this.

Josh got up and filled the kettle. Brendan turned on the TV. When Josh sat back down, Brendan had folded up against the arm of the couch, looking small. It killed Josh to see him that way. He sat back down while they waited for the kettle.

“Can you spend the night?” Brendan whispered. “Not for anything…you know? I don’t want to be alone and I obviously have some more obstacles to maneuver around but I want you to stay.”

“I’m staying. You don’t even have to ask.”

It’s been insane. I’ve done nothing but make online exams for two weeks. My legs hurt from sitting at the computer so long so I’m just going to drop this and go.

Still working with <i>These Haunted Hills</i> and picking up with Josh and Brendan after Bren has related his son’s last day alive.

Josh nodded, not trusting his voice at that moment. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked finally.

Brendan shook his head. “You’re already doing it just by sitting here and listening to me. I needed to get that out there, I think. So many of my friends just couldn’t understand. Hell, most of my friends ended up drifting away because they didn’t know what to do or say or you know how it is with married couples. The friends divide themselves up between the partners. Being an author can be isolating too.”

Converting my muscle practical to an online version is just killing me. So without any more preamble here’s more of These Haunted Hills picking up with them still talking about Brendan’s emotional breakdown post losing/finding his pendant. Vince, John and Kiyomi are characters in Brendan’s bestselling YA book. Connor was his son.

“Can I tell you about Connor’s last day?”

A tight band worked around Josh’s chest. This was so intimate and frightening he wasn’t sure he should hear it but he couldn’t say no. “Of course.”

“Luckily we were able to keep most of it out of the news which wasn’t easy. They can be vultures.”

“I’m sure.”

“He died on his birthday,” Brendan said, low and flat, hiding himself away from his own emotions. “He wanted Vince, Kiyomi and John to be at his party, such as it was in the hospital. The actors were happy to show up for this in costume. They talked and played with Connor. He had a ball. He cried a little, wishing their magic could make him feel better. Heather and I tried so hard not to lose it right then and there. Connor wanted a picture with all three of them. He kissed them on the cheek and climbed into my lap.

“He said, Daddy, this was the best birthday ever and I hope he really believed that. He kissed Heather and I then curled up against my shoulder and said, I love you, to us. He shut his eyes and Connor slipped away not more than five minutes later.”

Brendan’s voice broke, his chest heaving. Josh held him tighter. “I’m so sorry, Brendan.”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

The good news is I won Nano and I DID finish These Haunted Hills. Now begins the laborious process of editing this into something that’s not a ball of nonsense. The bad new is they flipped us online for the last 3 weeks of class which at least I was prepared for except for the lab final. Sigh.

Here is more of These Haunted Hills picking up after Brendan’s emotional break down.

“Do you want to talk? I don’t….I’m not sure what to do next. I might not be what you need tonight.” Joshua grimaced hating himself for that admission.

“You have no idea how much I need you. You, in just the short time I’ve known you, have made me feel lighter, happier than I have in years, just by being you.”

Josh gasped, his eyes pricking with moisture. “Brendan.”

Brendan squeezed Josh’s hand. “I mean that. You are a great friend. You’re funny and you’re smart. You were all the things I prize and now you’re here listening to me bawl.”

“You need a friend right now.”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!