In today's chapter, there was only one room... and a surprise.
Let me know your thoughts and enjoy!❄
In today's chapter, there was only one room... and a surprise.
Let me know your thoughts and enjoy!❄
I told you I'd be back quick! Thank you all for your comments last chapter, I'm glad to hear you liked it! In today's chapter, Nick and Will spend some forced, awful time together in a car, and then...
Enjoy!
Hey, PD!
I've been trying to write a Christmas story for, uh, years. At last, I've managed to come up with something. I've written several chapters already and I couldn't wait to share it --- knowing me, if I waited, I'd miss the season and this would only see the light of the day... next year. But here it is! It's supposed to be short and light, but I can promise there's some steam too.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments. I might be posting more than one chapter a week, so stay tuned!
P.S. I haven't forgotten about Onde Anda Você, nor The Boy in the Garden. Have faith lol
First of all, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has decided to support me on Patreon!! I can't express how honored I am that you are doing so and I hope you are enjoying it so far! :)
On advice from DevoGirl (and a few others) and after seeing how some other Patreons were structured, I think I've decided the best model is to use my Patreon as an "Early Access" pass for stories I post here. While I'm creating and posting at least one new story per month on Patreon, I won't keep to that strict of a schedule here. The shorts will eventually be posted here for free, but I don't know how regularly. For now, any long form stories, story prompt exercises, and updates on WIPS will remain exclusive to Patreon as an extra perk for those supporters.
If you're interested in early access and more content, please check out my Patreon here!
And as promised, here's another little short: A Set of Robes. It can stand on its own, but I kind of think of it as a companion to Will You?
Hi everyone, I know it's been ages! Sorry about that. I haven't forgotten about this story, but I'm afraid updates will continue to be very irregularly. Anyway, here is Chapter 21! And if you'd like to refresh your memory this is the Table Of Content.
Lovis
I just wanted to let you all know that How the Grinch Stole My Heart has been made into a Hallmark movie!!!! It's premiering next Friday, so I hope you all check it out!
Okay! Here I am!
Ran into some issues editing this, a block of sorts, but I'll post it so I can stop looking at it and obsessing over details, so that I can move on with the story lol I hope you like it! Definitely not my best chapter and it's kinda long. Let me know what you think.
ONDE ANDA VOCÊ, chapter thirteen
Haven't done this in a while, but here's a song to go with it! Exagerado, by 80s Brazilian rock legend, Cazuza.
Next chapter, Ben finally meets Liv's family!
P.S. I'm working on the boy in the garden, promise!
Hello, everyone!
Just dropping by with a quick short story, inspired by a sketch from a friend. It's almost pure tooth-rotting fluff. :) You can find this new short story, titled Will You?, here.
For the last few months I've been hard at work playing catch up with myself. I've completed a WIP I had originally posted here, Between the Pages; I'm halfway through revamping Parking Lot Desperation; and I've heavily re-worked The Aero Club. I also have something completely new (and out of my comfort zone!) in the works. It's a fantasy-based adventure/mystery story with a romantic subplot. I'm actually quite excited about sharing it when the time comes.
The reason for all of this? Well, I've started a Patreon! And I would love it if you chose to join me and support me over there. Right now I have two tiers: a $3 that gives access to one short story a month (similar format to Will You? that I posted here today) and a $5 tier that is basically an all-access pass that will include updates on WIPs, writing prompt exercises, and early access to all of my new/updated long form stories (like BtP, PLD, and the as yet unnamed fantasy story).
As much as I would love to see you on my Patreon, I completely understand anyone who chooses not to. I know we're all subscribed to things up to our eyeballs these days. Also, I don't want to completely make anything inaccessible to this community -- because if it weren't for everyone here and this blog I probably wouldn't be writing at all. I'm not quite sure yet how I'll continue to contribute here...it may just be posting little short stories (different from the ones on Patreon) and leaving my long form stories there. Or I may do like some other authors have done in the past and post previews here and have the rest accessible via Patreon. I don't know yet. But I'll certainly update this post or make/update a post on the message board when I do!
Anyway, if anyone read this far, THANK YOU! Thank you to DevoGirl, Lovis, Lee and anyone else who has worked so hard to keep this blog going through the years. Thank you to all of the amazing writers who share their stories here! And thank you to everyone who reads and follows things here for being a part of this community -- I truly love our little corner of the internet. :)
Ok, so. you all saw it coming, I don't have a new Onde Anda Você chapter because I wrote it and then absolutely hated it and now I'm trying to rewrite it lol the creative process is a bitch but hey, I'm trying.
meanwhile, I've been going through a major CP/quad high and writing a bunch of random things, and I think there's no fighting it, y'know? And maybe you'll like it. So this is the final version of that teaser I got y'all a few weeks back, the full chapter. It'll be a short story, not sure how many chapters yet, but I hope you like it! Let me know. It's my first time writing a quad CP story and I'm trying to get it right. Also, this quad CP high might or might not be Lovis' fault with Lobster with a Straw. lol
here's THE BOY IN THE GARDEN
enjoy!
Hi all, my ebook is available for $0.99 starting today for one week only! Grab a copy if you haven't done so already, and if you liked it, please consider leaving a review 😊
I’m used to stares.
I’ve been observing them my whole life. You know, that slightly panicked, embarrassed reaction when I enter the room in my power wheelchair, limbs flailing.
Or when I try to talk.
But today I’m being stared at for a completely different reason. By a beautiful woman in a lecture hall, with a mysterious smile.
And now our conference is about to end and I may never see her again. So, I’ve got to make this count.
Hey friends!
I couldn't get chapter 13 ready, I only got halfway through it (big surprise), but I didn't wanna leave you hanging, so I'll post a link to a short story I'm kind of working on, inspired by a personal childhood disappointment, The Secret Garden book. I always thought that Colin not being disabled was a major let down, and I've been imagining this story for years now, even though it's pretty underdeveloped---I'm not even sure when this will be taking place, if I'm bold enough to make it "historical", even though I don't think I'm english-proficient enough to go there.
Consider this a prologue prototype, I guess? It's not a final version of it by any means, I've barely even proofread it. I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, anything. I'm lazily calling it
let me know what you think, and see you next week!
OOps. Hello. It's been a while, I know. Time goes by so fast, I could swear it'd only been a few weeks since the last installment. But uh- better late than never, right?! *sweats* Ok, for those of you who would like to re-read the past chapter before getting into this one, since it's been sooooo long, here's it!
And here's the freshly off the oven, new chapter! ENJOY!
I took so long with it, writing and rewriting it, because I just wasn't happy with it and couldn't feel the story there at all, and felt a little lost as to where the whole thing was going, and it was a bit of a block because as soon as I managed it, I got my muse back and I wanna write endlessly. I'm working on the next chapter and I hope I can have it ready by next week *crosses fingers*. I honestly hope you enjoy it, and please, leave a comment! I'd more than love to hear your thoughts. As always, feel free to send me an email (caterin.alighieri@gmail.com), even if it's to complain that I'm taking too long lol
I've missed you all, and I have some other stories that I feel like writing too, so yep, expect to see me around often.
It’s late at night and they’re lying in bed when she notices it. She reaches across his chest and fingers the silver chain around his neck, traces the shape of the symbol where it sits just underneath his collarbone. He watches her through half lidded eyes, the corners of his mouth soft.
“Have you always been religious?”
Noah hesitates just a beat too long before he answers, and that hesitation reveals to Talia everything he doesn’t explicitly say when he tells her, “Not remotely.”
“Mmm, so you’re a poser?” She teases him with a light smile, moving her finger from his collarbone to a spot lower on his chest flirting with the area where she knows things start to get patchy.
His chuckle is low and throaty, and she knows it’s from her touch as much as from her question. “Near death experiences will do that to you.” He shrugs, shoulders lifting slightly and then falling heavily like everything below them is weighted.
“Luckily it was only a near-death experience,” Talia murmurs, kissing a spot on his sternum.
Noah's eyes drift closed at the touch of her lips. When he opens them again, there's something vulnerable there that wasn't present before. He nudges his arm towards hers using mostly the movement in his shoulders, his hand flopping limply onto the top of hers where it sits on his chest.
"An attempt at divine insurance," he says finally. "It was my mother's idea."
He falls silent, and Talia doesn't push. Instead, she traces the outline of the medal with her fingertip, the metal cool against her skin despite having been warmed by his body. She waits, watching the subtle changes in his expression.
"Saint Christopher," he offers after a long moment, his voice softer. "Patron saint of travelers."
Talia shifts closer, draping part of her body over his. She works one leg between his, careful not to bump the tube running from his lower abdomen to the leg bag. His legs, soft and pliable from years of disuse, make it easy. "Fitting. You traveled a lot for work, right?"
Noah's lips quirk up at one corner. "That's not why she chose it."
"No?" Talia prompts gently. Her hand glides from the medal to his shoulder, then down his arm, kneading softly as she goes, feeling the muscle fade from toned to slack.
He watches her hand travel, and for a while, he seems content to let the conversation lapse and stop there. His own hand comes up to her face, brushing over her bottom lip with the back of his knuckles, his fingers curled limply, in a gesture that sends warmth spiraling through her.
"He's also the patron saint against sudden death," Noah finally says, his eyes focused on her mouth.
"Ah," Talia murmurs. She leans in, kisses him softly. "Hence the near part of the phrase ‘near-death experience’, right?”
His chuckle rumbles deep in his chest. Even though it made him laugh, he’s actually not sure she meant it as a joke. But that’s been his experience with Talia for several weeks now. She makes him want to laugh unexpectedly, even at – especially at – the previously unlaughable things.
He takes a moment before he turns his expression more serious. "It wasn’t for work. I was coming back from a ski trip with the guys. Just a quick weekend out at Eldora and back. I was driving through the night to make it to work by 8am on Monday." He takes a breath, and Talia can see him deciding how much to share. It isn’t like they’ve never talked about this, but Noah hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about the finer details either. He’ll drop breadcrumbs – October, four years, a car wreck – but nothing substantial, and Talia’s not usually one to push. “It was the middle of the night and a deer jumped out in front of me.”
His right leg, the one underneath hers, suddenly jerks in a spasm. She flashes him an Oops kind of look, like her legs being entwined with his might have set it off. He shakes his head at her silent non-question question. “Good timing, huh?”
Talia smiles and moves her hand from where it had started to drift lower back up to his chest. “Go on,” she encourages quietly, pushing more than she ever has.
Noah exhales slowly. "Not much else to tell. I swerved but still hit the deer. My car rolled. Woke up two days later with a spinal cord injury." He says it matter-of-factly, but Talia can feel the weight of all he's not saying. "Mom showed up at the hospital with this." His knuckles touch the medal briefly. "Said Saint Christopher must have been watching over me, that I was spared for a reason." His lips quirk up at one corner. "The thing is, not one of us has ever been religious, much less Catholic."
Talia laughs softly against his skin. "Religious conversion by trauma?"
"Something like that," he says, his smile warming his eyes. "Mom went full spiritual seeker after the accident. I got Saint Christopher. My sister got crystals."
"Do you believe it though?" Talia asks, her voice soft.
Noah doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he reaches for her and hooks his wrist around her arm, then weakly tugs her closer until she’s half-draped across his chest. His hand threads through her hair; his limp fingers occasionally catch in her curls.
"I believe," he says finally, voice low and deliberate, "that I'm still trying to figure out what that reason might be."
He shifts slightly—not his body, which remains still—but a faint lift of his shoulders, the only movement he can offer. It's enough to bring his face closer. His breath is warm against her skin.
"Though lately," he murmurs, lips brushing her forehead, "I have some theories."
The implication in his words makes her cheeks warm.
"What about you?" he asks after the silence between them has stretched comfortably. "Any life-altering moments I should know about?"
Talia tenses slightly, not expecting the question to be turned back on her. Just like her – or maybe because of her own habit – he’s also not pushed her much about her past, though he’s picked up from offhand comments that it isn’t as white bread as she likes to pretend. She hesitates, and he notices, his hand pausing in her hair.
"You don't have to tell me," he says, giving her an easy out.
She considers taking it like usual, changing the subject, but there’s something about the way he’s let himself be soft with her tonight. It feels like it deserves more than her usual deflection.
"I had a daughter," she says, the words coming out in a rush, as if she might lose her nerve if she slows down. Then she falls silent, her breath catching.
Of all the things he was expecting, that one wasn’t even on his radar. But he tries not to show it. Instead, Noah waits, his hand resuming its halting movement through her hair. When she doesn't continue, he asks, "When?"
Talia shifts, resting her chin on his chest to look at him. "She's nine now." The words feel strange in her mouth—both familiar from her private thoughts and foreign being spoken aloud.
"Do you see her?" Noah's question is gentle, without judgment.
Talia's eyes drift to a point somewhere beyond his shoulder. "It's an open adoption. I get pictures. Letters." She swallows the lump in her throat. It doesn’t make sense to feel emotional. It isn’t fair. Because in the grand scheme of things, it ended up being the best thing for everyone involved. Yet her eyes still sting whenever she’s mentioned. "Her name is Eliza."
Noah's hand moves to trace the curve of her spine with his knuckles, trying to offer comfort without saying anything contrite or overwrought. "That must be hard," he says simply.
"Yes." The single word contains multitudes. "And no." She shifts again, restless now, and sits up slightly, drawing the sheet around her. "It was the right choice. I was nineteen."
When she falls silent again, Noah doesn't immediately fill the space. He watches her, giving her time. His hand finds hers where it rests against the mattress. He can’t squeeze it or feel it, only see it. But she can – and she does.
"I've never told anyone I've dated," she admits after a long moment. "It's this... enormous thing that happened, that shaped everything about who I am, but it's invisible."
"Is that why you work with kids?" Noah asks after a long moment of silence. He, too, knows what it’s like to try and fill an unfillable void.
A moment of surprise crosses her face, as if she hadn't expected him, in a matter of minutes, to make the connection that it’d taken her years to make. "Maybe," she says. "Probably. Though I didn't realize the connection at first."
She looks down at their joined hands, then back to his face. "I was afraid to tell you. People make assumptions, judgments. Or they get uncomfortable and don't know what to say."
"I understand something about that," Noah says with a hint of wry humor, his eyes briefly glancing toward the bulky wheelchair next to his bed.
Talia follows his gaze, then looks back at him with a small smile. "I guess we both have our before and after moments."
Noah tugs gently on her hand, coaxing her back down. As she settles beside him, he shifts just slightly, shoulders tilting in that familiar, deliberate way that signals effort more than motion.
“It’s late,” he murmurs, suddenly aware of the time in a way he hasn’t been all night. “I should probably get off my back.”
Talia lifts her head, catching the quiet in his voice, the way his eyes hold hers just a second longer. Then she moves, pushing back the covers, rising to her knees beside him.
“Okay,” she says gently and with an easy smile – of course it’s easy now that the heat is off her for a moment. “Let’s do it.”
He doesn’t need to say more. He can’t help much, not really. But she’s done this with him once before, earlier, awkward and careful. Now her hands move with more certainty.
She starts at his far shoulder, slipping one hand beneath it and the other across his chest. His body is solid under her touch, heavy. She braces, then rocks him gently toward her, just enough to roll his torso. One leg follows with a slight drag of fabric against the sheets and she reaches to adjust it, then pulls a pillow in behind his back for support.
Noah exhales slowly, the tension in his face easing once he’s settled on his side.
She smooths the blanket back over him, then curls in close, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. His arm rests loosely around her waist, the weight of it more passive than holding, but still anchoring.
"Tell me about her," Noah says quietly after a moment. "Eliza."
The name in his mouth makes Talia's heart constrict. "She likes horses," she says after a moment. "And space. Her last letter said she wants to be an astronaut veterinarian."
Noah's laugh is gentle. "Ambitious."
"Just a bit." Talia smiles, her finger tracing idle patterns on his chest again. "She has my eyes. Her father's smile." The words come easier now. "She's happy. That's what matters."
"And you? Are you happy?" Noah's question is soft but direct.
Talia considers this, feeling the solid warmth of his body against hers, the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath her hand. "I'm getting there," she says honestly.
It’s strange to say it out loud after so many years of keeping Eliza’s existence so close to her heart. But now, in this moment, actually sharing it with someone who fundamentally understands what it means to have life suddenly split into two distinct chapters – even if their chapters are vastly different – that’s new.
She feels him press a kiss on the top of her head. They lie in comfortable silence, and eventually Talia lets her eyes drift shut.
"Noah?" she whispers after a while.
"Mmm?"
"Thank you for asking about her. Most people wouldn't.”
He kisses the top of her hair again. "Thank you for telling me."
Talia's breathing begins to slow, her body growing heavier against his as sleep approaches. Noah watches her, his eyes tracing the contours of her face in the dim light. Just as he thinks she might have drifted off, she speaks again, her voice thick with approaching sleep.
"You know what I think?" she murmurs.
"What's that?" he asks softly.
"I think maybe this is it." Her eyes flutter open briefly and she’s surprised to see he’s tilted his head down to look at her. Her brown eyes meet his green ones. "Maybe this is the reason.”
Something shifts in Noah's expression – surprise, followed by a tenderness so raw it makes Talia's chest ache. He lifts his hand, slowly, deliberately, led by the flex of his wrist more than the fingers themselves. His hand is curled, fingers mostly limp, but he brings it to her cheek with quiet intent. The backs of his knuckles graze her skin first, and then, with careful control, he angles his wrist just enough to let the soft edge of his thumb brush across her cheekbone. He doesn’t say anything. Neither of them do.
Eventually sleep begins to claim them both. Before she drifts off for real this time, Talia's fingers find their way back to the Saint Christopher medal resting against his skin. "I'm glad your mom gave you this," she murmurs, "even if you're not religious."
Noah smiles in the darkness, his hand covering hers where it rests against the medal. "Me too," he admits. "Though if you tell her that, I'll deny it entirely."
The last thing Talia remembers before drifting off is the sound of his quiet laughter and the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her palm—the most sacred thing she's felt in years, religious or not.
Hi all! This is the final chapter of Palace Envy before the book releases on Monday!
This is also most likely my final story here for the foreseeable future. I have enjoyed posting here over the last decade but I'm honestly just not feeling it lately and a bunch of other projects are currently demanding my attention. I hope the other authors continue to post because there have been some great stories over the years!
I think this is the second to last Palace Envy update before the release! Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting!
Sorry to be late, but here's today's update, in which Prince Edward learns of his fate...
Better late than never! Here's my update for Palace Envy. Thank you so much for all the comments last week!!!
I decided to post a few more chapters of my royal romance, which I'm hoping to release by the end of May. Here is:
And for those of you who missed it, here's Chapter 1.
My ebook is on Amazon today for purchase!
I’m soo happy and excited and also a little nervous. Oodles of thanks go to our Annabelle, Rowan, Devo Girl, Vanessa, Marisa, Sarah and Nessa, and everyone who read and commented on this story and helped get this book out. You are the best and your support means everything! This community is simply amazing and I’m so glad I get to know you all.
Please, pretty please, if you purchase the book and like it, please leave a review on amazon! I read them all. And I’ll probably print them all to sleep with them tucked underneath my pillow or something 😊
I’m used to stares.
I’ve been observing them my whole life. You know, that slightly panicked, embarrassed reaction when I enter the room in my power wheelchair, limbs flailing.
Or when I try to talk.
But today I’m being stared at for a completely different reason. By a beautiful woman in a lecture hall, with a mysterious smile.
And now our conference is about to end and I may never see her again. So, I’ve got to make this count.
Hi guys!
As promised so long ago, here is the next chapter of Not Gay: Chapter 20! I hope you enjoy it and find some well-deserved distraction. Also, I finally managed to put together a Table Of Content with all chapters of Not Gay. Good, right?
Then, even better than that, I have exciting news!! With the help of this awesome community I finally finished editing my ebook, Lobster, With a Straw, and it releases NEXT WEEK! What?! Yes! Preorder it here!
Hugs,
Lovis
Hey all! Author Avery here. My latest book, Take Me Down, releases on Friday, March 25th. I've been working on this one forever it seems. So happy to finally share this couple with the world. Here is the prologue and the first chapter as a teaser. Hope you enjoy! I'd love to hear your comments.
Hi PD readers, if you hadn't already guessed, my story is still on break. Things are gradually improving over here... but that means that I first have to clear the backlog of other needs I was supposed to be taking care of, before I can get back to having fun with Bérénice and Jean-Claude in Paris. :)
If you'd like to catch up with the story in the meantime:
I hope that folks are doing well.
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
Here's the conclusion to last week's dramatic scene. Thanks yet again for the thoughtful comments; I really appreciate your engagement.
If anyone is really curious about medical treatment for the French poor at the time, George Orwell coincidentally wrote an essay about his experience being treated at l'Hôpital Cochin in 1929, the charity hospital that Jean-Claude mentioned last week. ("Bérénice" is set in 1931.) Please note, the essay is disturbing, but I thought that I would include it for those who are interested in the historical setting. I was amazed to find a contemporary essay by such a prominent English writer that was specifically about one of the two hospitals in Bérénice's quarter.
Also, please note that I may need to take a hiatus of 1-2 weeks from posting, as I'm dealing with some personal issues. Nothing serious, just tiring and time-consuming, as these things are!
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
Sorry for posting a bit late today. The story will pick up pace this week...
Here we go!
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for the extremely sweet comments last week. :) This week's installment is a bit shorter; Bérénice enjoys a little interlude after her first kiss with Jean-Claude:
Enjoy!
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
This week, Bérénice arrives for her third modeling session with Jean-Claude, and will finally dig into the story of how he became an artist:
Hope you enjoy!
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
Here's the second chapter of Bérénice's story! Featuring another modeling session and some new characters, including (did you peek at the labels last week?) another guy with a disability. :)
Bérénice, part 2
And here's part 1 if you missed it.
I hope you have a good time; let me know what you think!
- Rowan
Hi everyone,
I'm back with a new story, which is set in bohemian Paris in the 1930s - a.k.a., I am finally trying to fulfill my dream of being a knock-off Anaïs Nin. I've had a ton of fun writing a more uninhibited setting and cast of characters than I usually do, and hope you enjoy:
This story will be about half a dozen chapters long... and after that, I will be disciplined and go back to working on sequels to Jazz Age. :)
I hope that you all have good things to look forward to in 2022.
- Rowan