The Lurid Sea

Set in Japan, small town America, midnight Manhattan, ancient Greece and Rome, and beyond, these stories run the gamut of urban nightmare, gay love lost and found, dragons, super villains, a fairy addicted to meth, and Satan on the subway. Readers of Night Sweats will find tales that push boundaries while supplying ample scares, erotic thrills, much wonderment, and some woe.

High level politics in the Kavillian empire is a dirty, dangerous game—a game Cassie knows well. As a member of an ambitious imperial family, she has been tutored from birth to play a leading role in the contest for power. Yet even she is caught out when a murderer raises the stakes.

Meanwhile her lover, Arian, has problems of her own. Life in the upper strata of Kavillian society is so very different from the honor-based culture of her homeland. She despises the unending, ruthless cycle of intrigue, blackmail, and deception that Cassie views as normal—regrettable sometimes, but more often a source of entertainment. Nor can she accept Cassie’s willingness to sacrifice everything and everyone to advance her family’s position.

Arian’s determination to stay true to her own moral code will be put to the test if she is to save their relationship, and Cassie’s life.

Seventeen-year-old Diana hasn’t left her home in at least a month, but she has the whole online world at her fingertips. Waking up each day at sunset, she logs into the vast world of Garlandía, an online massive multiplayer role-playing game. Offline, she’s labeled as autistic and treated like a freak. Online, she’s Lune, an up-and-coming video game streamer with a small but steady fanbase. As Lune, Diana can access adventure, admiration, and a future career as a pro-gamer. All she needs is to hit the milestone of one thousand subscribers on StreamLine, and she’ll be well on her way.

When Lune crosses paths with the legendary girl gamer Nocht, she may have found the key that will boost her to the upper echelon of streamers. But as Nocht begins to unravel all Lune thought she knew about gaming, friendship, and love, Diana must find the courage to risk building her dreams offline, too.

Kella Mabaki, dragon slayer extraordinaire, devoted sister, and celebrity hero of Jeenobi, has become a nobody by choice. Unable to continue hunting the dragons still tormenting her people and distanced from a brother she no longer understands, Kella is adrift in the city that was once her home. When she’s captivated by a rumor that could mean the end to the dragon sickness plaguing her land, she becomes obsessed with learning the truth of it. Nobody or not, she’s never been one for standing still.

Dragonrider Litz is torn when Kella reappears in her life, devoted to a quest she appears to have invented. Despite her beloved cousin’s disappearance and her growing doubts toward the empire she serves, Litz is experiencing an unexpected period of stability in her life. Kella’s arrival and the brewing war between their nations forces Litz to make a choice. Her country, career, and family, or the chance of making a better world with the woman she hasn’t been able to forget?

Charlie Dawson is really good at running away. After the loss of her parents, she’s stayed as far away from Manhattan and her parents' hotel empire as she could—an act made easier when her brother ruthlessly cut her off from the family fortune. Closing her art gallery, abandoning her dreams, and moving across the country weren’t simple, but that was easier than grieving the loss of the two people she loved most.

When her sister asks her to be maid of honor at her wedding, Charlie has no choice but to return to a city full of memories. As she faces a hectic wedding schedule and a hotel business in chaos, the last thing on her mind is romance. But the beautiful stranger she meets on her first night back changes everything. As family secrets are exposed and Charlie learns the truth about her stranger’s identity, she discovers that the only way to heal is to confront her past.

Junior associate Elizabeth Taylor has just landed her dream job at New York City’s largest and most elite law firm. Situated on the top floor of a Manhattan skyrise, it’s everything this Southern girl could want. She’s determined to prove herself, but when Lizzy meets managing partner Darcy Hammond during orientation, her focus begins to shift to her undeniable attraction. Soon, Lizzy is actively flirting, and much to her surprise, Darcy reciprocates. No matter—nothing ever came from a little harmless banter...right?

Darcy Hammond is strictly business. She doesn’t have time for distractions, no matter how good they may look in a pencil skirt. As the youngest and only female managing partner, she has both hands full. But when Elizabeth catches her eye, Darcy goes against her better judgment and puts her on as co-counsel for a huge upcoming trial.

As the line between business and pleasure blurs, the jury is out on whether getting up close and personal will lead to the love of a lifetime, or career disaster.