A Beary Good Read


Does a wild bear shift in the woods? To find out, read my first short story, The Bear King of Snowbird Mountain in A Taste of Honey, an anthology now available from Dreamspinner Press. All the stories revolve around bears — the gay subculture rather than the omnivorous, furry, clawed variety that hibernate over the winter. BONUS: The anthology is a great chance to sample works from a group of very talented authors.

Lots of writers keep folders full of short stories they’ve written. Getting one published in a magazine or anthology can be the first step toward publishing a novel for a new writer. For established authors, short stories are an opportunity to find new readers. I’m tickled pink to appear on the same table of contents with the diverse and talented writers whose stories you’ll find in A Taste of Honey.

Writing has always consumed a significant portion of my time, but I haven’t written a short story since a college creative writing class in the 1970s. When I needed to decide whether to pursue a degree in English or Family Resource Management — each providing the shortest route to completing my four-year degree — a strong desire for a steady income and good benefits pushed me toward the latter option.

Since then, positions at three universities ignited other passions and provided ample opportunities to write various types of publications for a wide variety of audiences. A wiser man might have begun the transition from writing journal articles and other nonfiction with several short stories. Yet another example of my lifelong pattern of doing things the hard way.

Thanks a million to guest editor B.G. Thomas and Ione Lake, the editor who Anne Regan at Dreamspinner Press assigned to my story, for all the great suggestions. Working on a short story was so much fun, I suspect you’ll see more of them from me on down the road.

The blurb for my story follows. Blurbs for all the stories in A Taste of Honey and buy links are available here.

Recently single Jeremy Jenkins is an average guy working hard as a landscape designer in the mountains of Tennessee. At a conference in DC, he meets gorgeous Donald Matthews, who says the strangest things — like how he thinks Jeremy is hot and wants them to spend the rest of their lives together.

But Donald isn’t just a gorgeous man. He’s a descendent of the bear king of Cherokee legend, forfeiting his crown for a future shown to him by a seer long ago.

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5 responses to “A Beary Good Read”

  1. I need to get this anthology – I haven’t read enough stories with bears. And yours sounds really interesting. *adds to “to buy” and “TBR” lists* Also, I LOVE the cover.

    • Thanks! B.G. Thomas, the coeditor, worked with Dreamspinner to put out the call for stories and also selected the cover. Hope you enjoy the read!