Jaime Samms

A Special Project by Dreamspinner Press & ManLoveRomance Press. Edited by Kris Jacen. How much impact can someone have on your life if you've never met them face to face? In this electronic age of E-mails, electronic publishing, and social networks, quite a lot. Through his emails, stories and blog, author Patric Michael has touched numerous hearts, minds and lives from the start of his career and further as he now takes us along on his journey to battle cancer. Along the way, Patric shows us a side of life that not many truly see-- how we are all a part of something larger than just ourselves, and how we are each touched by others for the betterment of all. Now, those that have been touched by Patric and his words have joined together to give something back, to him and to us all through something he values highly – words. In this compilation, gay short stories, poems, and anecdotes combined with excerpts from Patric's blog and a few entertaining, educational group posts reveal, and celebrate, the man who has touched so many hearts and minds. This collection, sometimes erotic, sometimes irreverent, and always poignant, is a gift from all our hearts to celebrate Patric and give strength (and a little levity) to others. The price reflects this; no one is receiving royalties or payment from the sales. Use it to celebrate life, celebrate words, and possibly inspire someone who needs it.

When Sunny retires to the northern Ontario wilderness to mourn his parents' deaths, he's hoping the change of scenery will afford him some peace and quiet. His hopes are soon spectacularly dashed. In self-imposed exile, dragon Emile runs across the Fold between his dimension and Sunny's—and right into Sunny's arms. Centuries out of touch with human culture, bright, beautiful Emile incinerates any hope Sunny had for an ordinary existence. With dryads and water sprites coming to life all around them, Sunny can't deny the magic Emile brings to his life—or his heart. But that same magic leads the unrelenting dragon who would keep Emile captive right to them. To save his love, Sunny will have to reach deep and find some magic of his own.

Off Stage: Set Three Kilmer and Jacko's relationship has been foundering for a long time. With the end in sight and despairing that he might never find a Dom who suits him, Kilmer heads to a local bar to drown his sorrows—and meets country singer Tanner. Tanner feels oddly protective of the broken man and eventually convinces Kilmer to hire him to help remodel the small, sad house Kilmer once shared with Jacko. As Tanner and Kilmer get to know each other, Kilmer regains his lost independence and Tanner's dominant streak rises to the surface. But will it be a help or a hindrance to the trust they're trying to build? The answer might lie in the music Kilmer gave up not long after he met Jacko. Music always granted him solace, clarity, and an outlet for his emotions, and with Tanner's encouragement, he picks up where he left off. Playing together eases them into honest communication, and though a happily ever after will still take patience and work, taking a chance on each other sounds sweeter with every note.

Nature versus nurture. Which one is the culprit?It's been a while since Paul fell for Carl, and now he's having a hard time remembering why. As their relationship slides beyond aggressive into dangerous and frightening, Paul wants a way out that doesn't involve more violence. How can he leave a man who swears to God he loves him beyond all reason--and has almost convinced him of it?To Carl, a bit of rough sex doesn't even touch the tip of violent. The twisted path he follows to show Paul the true depths of the love he nurtures for him will lead them far from where they thought life would take them. Carl will do anything to make Paul understand how much he cares. Anything.When Paul is hauled to the police station for crimes he didn't commit, only police investigator Victor stands between him and the complete disintegration of his life. But Vic is the cop who arrested him, and he knows way more than any stranger ought to about the details of Paul's life.Caught between the man he thought he loved and one who might be stalking him, Paul is due to learn some serious lessons about the nature of trust, friendship, and what love--twisted or not--is really capable of.

Grandir dans des familles d'accueil a prive Kerry Grey de confiance en soi et lui a laisse peu d'espoir en ce qui concerne son avenir. Ayant du abandonner ses etudes a l'universite, Kerry occupe un emploi a temps partiel dans une pepiniere. Son amitie avec sa patronne et l'attention qu'il porte aux plantes constituent les seuls moments importants de sa vie. Il couche avec l'homme qui l'humiliait lorsqu'ils etaient ensemble a l'ecole, et le jour ou son petit ami l'abandonne a une fete, Kerry erre sur la plage pour noyer son chagrin dans une bouteille de scotch. Malcolm Holmes et Charlie Stone sont ensemble depuis quinze ans. Malgre la volonte de Charlie d'accepter tacitement la domination de Malcolm dans leur lit, quelque chose manque a leur couple. Tot un matin, ils secourent un Kerry evanoui, manquant d'etre emporte par la maree, et Charlie reconnait immediatement une ame soeur en ce jeune homme perdu. Lorsque le colocataire de Kerry le jette a la rue, les deux hommes l'invitent dans leur maison. Alors que Charlie et Kerry tissent des liens autour de leur passion pour le jardinage, Malcolm voit en Kerry celui qu'ils cherchaient pour completer leur couple. Tout ce qu'ils ont a faire c'est de se devoiler au jeune homme et d'esperer que les penchants de Kerry pour la soumission vont s'adapter a leur dynamique. Seulement, quelqu'un cherche la moindre occasion de nuire a Kerry. Et tandis qu'il cherche le coupable, il s'inquiete pour la securite de ses nouveaux amis. Et si Malcolm et Charlie ne peuvent pas l'aider, leur recherche assidue du parfait troisieme pourrait ne pas se terminer par la fin heureuse qu'ils avaient imagine.

After a disastrous five years away at college, Joe returns to his aunt's farm and finds his childhood sweetheart Cameron eager to rekindle their relationship. Joe has a hard time confessing that he didn't come home until now because he's only just managed to leave Andre, his controlling boyfriend, and has a harder time renewing his submissive role in his affair with Cam. Cam thinks he has to find a way to remind Joe how to be strong. But what Cam doesn't realize is that Joe is strong, strong enough to leave behind a life of shame—though he's terrified his past will catch up to him. Joe must confront his ex and take back his own life, on his own terms, before he's able to give Cam everything they both desire.

Off Stage: Set Two Lenny Stevens was the lead guitarist of the up-and-coming grunge band Firefly until he crossed the line with the band's lead singer. Now he's faced with the impossible task of rebuilding his life without the music that had kept him together. Struggling with his fear and rage, he creates the same damaging patterns in his relationship with his lover, Vance Ashcroft. Vance knows that Lenny is the submissive meant for him. He is convinced he can save Lenny from his demons and puts faith in his ability. But when Len's temper leads to him physically hurting Vance and destroying property, both men realize Len's issues are too big for them to work through alone. Seeking the help of the people who know Len best, Vance invites his former bandmates to the ranch for Len's belated birthday party. Together, they try to create a safe haven for Len to come apart and, hopefully, rearrange himself into a man who can live with his past and create a future worth having.

Growing up in foster care has left Kerry Grey with little self-esteem or hope for his future. A college dropout, Kerry scrapes by on a part-time job at a garden nursery. His friendship with his boss and working with the plants are the only high points in Kerry's life. He's been dating the man who bullied him at school, but when his boyfriend abandons him at a party, Kerry wanders down the beach to drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch. Malcolm Holmes and Charlie Stone have been together for fifteen years. Despite Charlie's willingness to accept Malcolm's unspoken domination in bed,something is missing from their relationship. Early one morning, they rescue a passed out Kerry from being washed away by the tide and Charlie immediately senses a kindred spirit in the lost younger man. When Kerry's roommate kicks him out, Malcolm and Charlie invite him into their home. As Charlie and Kerry bond over Charlie's garden, Malcolm sees Kerry may be just who they have been looking for to complete their lives. All they have to do is show Kerry, and each other, that Kerry's submissive tendencies will fit their dynamic. But someone is sabotaging Kerry at every turn. As he struggles to discover the culprit, he fears for the safety of his new friends. If Malcolm and Charlie cannot help, their lifelong search for their perfect third may not end with the happily ever after they imagined.

Don Jenkins will do anything for a happy, thriving family and home, but keeping his farm going is a constant challenge. He's always depended on Griff McAllister, his partner and first love, to support him in his work and in his need to submit in the bedroom. When he discovers Griff might be losing faith in him, he's at a loss for how to mend the relationship. Then Howard Campbell—a man Don and Griff both love beyond words—is added to the mix. With jealousy threatening their bond and the viability of the farm in question, Don's dreams begin to crumble. Nearly losing Howard in an accident serves as a wakeup call. They begin to pull their relationship out of the muck and work to remember why they came together in the first place. If they can figure out how to help one another and balance the dynamics of dominance and submission between them so each man gets what he needs, the trio might build the loving future they've dared to hope for. They must be brave enough to commit every resource they can muster—especially trust, understanding, and acceptance—and realize true love is never as easy as it looks.

Off Stage: Set One Damian Learner and his grunge band, Firefly, are on a meteoric rise to success. If they get the right break, fame awaits. Seeking more professional management, Damian independently strikes a bargain with the best agent in the business, Stanley Krane. Unable to afford the penalty for breaking old contracts, Damian agrees when Stan's best friend, country and Western megastar Vance Ashcroft, offers to buy him out of his old contract. Overwhelmed by a crippling loan, secretive guilt, Stanley's expectations, and a volatile relationship with Lenny, Firefly's lead guitarist, Damian disintegrates. Bad habits of too much sex, booze, and drugs create a rift in the band. Finally Vance, with his understanding of Dominant/submissive behavior, sees that submissives Damian and Lenny are falling into chaos, clinging to each other to try to avoid the inevitable crash. When the pressure to perform becomes too much and the unthinkable happens, Damian and Lenny have to decide: accept that they need something they can't get from each other, or burn out and take Firefly with them. Vance is ready to claim Lenny, but even Stan's hesitant agreement to give Damian the direction he needs might not be enough for Damian—or the band—if he loses Lenny.

Book one in The Dreaming Series One cop. One killer. Both dreamwalkers. Not every dream should see the light of day...Three very different people have one thing in common-a dreamscape steeped in horror. Barry has had dreams of violent death all his life, and as a cop, he now works to solve the crimes his dreams tell him about in hopes he can save at least one victim from suffering the fate he faces every time he lays his head on his pillow. His ex-lover, Tag-now his boss-has no idea how to help him cope other than to protect his job...and try to protect their hearts from the dreams that could end up killing them both. Layton welcomes the dream state that shows him his next victim. He's been a killer for as long as he can remember, and the land where he walks in shadow beside the horn-headed man who guides him feels more like home than the waking world. Now, in addition to seeking out those who would kill the innocent and ending their lives in his own special reign of terror, Layton is promised a bride-someone to love him forever. It seems everything he's ever dreamed is about to come true. Jessica just wants to get her life back after her boyfriend is murdered and she is abducted.Twice. Finding herself at Leyton's mercy is a nightmare she soon finds is only the very beginning. When the horn-headed man visits her, she knows nothing will ever be the same again. The four of them now have to find a way to navigate the real world while the dream state dictates their very lives and threatens everything they hold dear. If they manage catch a few killers and save a few innocent lives along the way, that will have to be their compensation for the "gifts" given by The Dreaming. Reader Advisory: This book contains several graphic and detailed scenes of torture, dismemberment and murder.

After filing charges that put his abusive ex-Dom behind bars, Jesse Turbul relocates halfway across the country, hoping to escape his past—but, of course, it's never that easy. When Jesse meets third-year law student Aadon at the library where he works, their mutual attraction is instant and obvious. Despite the sparks, they just can't seem to make it work. Aadon is mired in guilt over his inability to help his older brother, damaged by events far too similar to Jesse's past. Jesse is stuck in his own desperate wish to forget the painful shadow that continues to threaten him and any hope of a happy future. The only way to move forward is for Jesse to acknowledge he's broken and for Aadon to accept he can't make him better.

All his life, Rory Sanders just wanted please the people he loves and always thought he failed, until the day Gabriel Stark rescues him from Kane's abusive hands and Rory's own misconceptions of what it means to be submissive. His search for a way into the world that lets him live out his need to serve others has left Rory Sanders estranged from his family and without a lot of friends. When he meets Kane, he thinks his dreams have come true. Those dreams are shattered when he discovers Kane is less interested in his submission than his total subjugation and humiliation. Unable to figure out how to please Kane, Rory is left in a dangerous and humiliating position, bound and helpless in a fetish club where he at last meets people who understand. Gabriel Stark is not only the private investigator called in to figure out who Kane is and why he has been abusing submissive men, he's also a professional Dom and the man of Rory's dreams come to life. It remains to be seen if Gabe can overcome his own losses and mistakes and be the Dom Rory needs, or if he will let his own past be the ruin of yet another submissive who needs his help.That Rory is physically, emotionally, and intellectually everything Gabe has been looking for only makes Gabe more determined not to get emotionally invested in Rory's recovery. Keeping Rory safe from Kane might be more than Gabe can manage on his own, and the result of failure could cost the submissive his life.