The New Paranormal

by Jackson Tyler

  I’d lost my job, and struggling to pay rent, I moved in with Elliot — as did Isaac, who’d lost his room. Luckily, Elliot’s house was big enough that even though there were three of us there, plus Hannibal (who was finally starting to warm up to me) it never got too crowded.

  “So we have an idea,” said Olivia, jerking me out of my thoughts.

  I looked between her and Isaac. “Should I be worried?”

  “Do you remember me talking about Thomas?” asked Isaac.

  “The guy you almost fucked at the Cressley?”

  “The guy I tried to use to distract myself from you.” Isaac’s voice softened, and he nuzzled my chest. “It didn’t work.”

  “What about Thomas?” I said. There was no jealousy or resentment in my heart. I knew how Isaac felt about me by now.

  “Well, Thomas is my friend,” said Olivia. A blush colored her cheeks.

  “He’s been to film school,” said Isaac. “And he’s a producer. He wants to start a web series about us.”

  I looked between Olivia to Isaac. They were both looking at me expectantly as if to gauge my reaction.

  “You want to start a ghost hunting show.”

  They both nodded eagerly.

  My knee-jerk reaction was no way.

  ***

  After a month struggling through the sparse job market, I was starting to think that Olivia’s idea could actually work. It might be the best shot I had at getting work. I hadn’t landed a single interview yet. A quick Google of my name brought up articles about the Cressley hotel, my connection to the murders, and my role as half of a ‘gay ghostbusting duo’. Plus, Ben wouldn’t give me a reference, and Kyle was dead.

  I had expected Kyle’s funeral to be a sombre and quiet affair, but I underestimated how many friends he’d made during his time at the Cressley. Regulars and guests from years ago showed up, all with stories about how helpful and hilarious Kyle was. He had been a lonely man, but he was loved.

  The night after the funeral, Isaac and I didn’t have sex. Instead he held me and gently stroked my hair while I sobbed about my friend. The healing process had begun, but it was slow. I still had nightmares two or three times a week, when I would wake up screaming and Isaac had to soothe me back to sleep.

  Things were starting to settle down now, but I couldn’t say they were finally going back to normal. I didn’t have a normal. Life had been school, then college, then the Cressley, until Isaac blew in and changed everything. If he liked an idea, he was always worth listening to.

  Isaac wasn’t pushy, but he had made it clear what he wanted: he wanted Thomas to produce a ghost hunting show, with him playing the psychic and me as… Me.

  One time, when we were lying in bed, naked and sweaty, I pointed out that he wasn’t even a real psychic.

  “But I’m a good actor,” he countered. “People believe I’m a real psychic.”

  The theatrics all sounded like too much for me. Besides, it wasn’t like we could make money off a web series.

  Or so I thought.

  Until I mentioned in passing to Elliot what they had suggested.

  “Do it,” he said instantly.

  “What?” I looked at him, startled. Of all people, I never thought Elliot would want to broadcast what we did to the world.

  But he was smirking, all confident. “I said do it.”

  “We’ve talked about this before,” I said. “You never wanted to do a show.”

  He held up a finger to stop me speaking. “I never wanted to make, produce, and star in a show. No offense, Roman, but if you were the only one onscreen, it would be like watching the weather channel.”

  “No offense taken.”

  “Isaac has stage presence,” Elliot continued. “And the chemistry between you two…” He mimed an explosion with his hands and puffed out his cheeks to make firework sounds. “If this Thomas dude can produce a show, I’d be happy to work on it.”

  “It’ll be a lot of work,” I said. “And I need to find a job, and I don’t know how much time that will take. I’ll barely have the time to hunt ghosts at all when-”

  “Shhh,” said Elliot. “I’ll be funding you all, obviously.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I thought that was obvious. I can be your patron. It’s an investment.”

  I gaped at him.

  “Think it over.”

  Elliot had offered to pay me for ghost hunting before, but I loathed taking charity from my best friend. On the other hand, Isaac deserved the money. Elliot would pay him a good, steady salary, like he’d never had before. If the show did well, that would only increase.

  ***

  Isaac and I walked hand in hand to Elephant Bar, where we would be meeting Elliot, Olivia, and Thomas. He leaned into me while we walked, and I glowed with pride that I had this man on my arm. I was the luckiest person in Seattle.

  Elliot was celebrating having his leg out of its cast and being off crutches at last. He was already at Elephant Bar, drink in hand, when we got there. I recognized Olivia’s distinctive giggle through the noise of the crowded room and followed it to their table.

  Elliot and Olivia had become close since their first introduction. They went shopping together, they did scrapbooking together (rather, she filled out her bullet journal with her dreams and inspirations while he glued conspiracy articles from old newspapers into composition books), and they had trashy sci-fi movie nights together. It warmed my heart to see Elliot with another friend. Olivia was helping him out of his shell.

  “Roman!” Elliot said, leaping to his feet when he saw us. “Isaac!”

  “Yes, those are our names.” I didn’t know why he was so excited to see us, considering we lived with him.

  “Thomas is running late,” said Olivia. She glanced at her phone. “He’ll be about five minutes.”

  “I’ll buy the next round while we wait,” I said.

  I expected a protest from Elliot, but he nodded. “Fair enough. I went shopping today.”

  “You spent a lot of money, huh?”

  He tipped the last of his beer into his mouth and removed the neck of the bottle from his lips with a little gasp. “Oh, I only bought you a state of the art caravan full of paranormal technology.”

  I gaped at him. “You did what?”

  He shrugged. “Everything a ghost hunting team needs. There’s no point doing a show if it doesn’t look professional.”

  I buried my head in my hands. Isaac was a bad influence on me. Why had I agreed to this, again?

  “Plus,” said Elliot. “If you two have a caravan to fuck in, I might get a night’s sleep every once in a while.”

  I cringed while Olivia and Isaac laughed.

  “I like having a rich benefactor,” said Isaac brightly.

  I was uncomfortable with the money Elliot spent on us, but Isaac was nothing but grateful, and Elliot truly didn’t seem to mind. I was starting to realize that if people wanted to be nice to me, maybe I should accept it.

  “Thank you, Elliot,” I said.

  He waved my gratitude off. “It’s no big deal.”

  In a daze, I wandered off to get us drinks. Everything had changed so drastically in a short amount of time. Before I met Isaac, I was a single bellboy with no social life and no clues in the case of the Cressley hotel.

  Now I’d helped solve a murder. I was having drinks with my friends and my boyfriend. While we planned a ghost hunting show. It was a lot, but it was all good.

  When I got back to the table, Thomas was there too, chatting excitedly about the new caravan and sitting close to Olivia, who looked enraptured by everything he was saying.

  Olivia looked wasn’t technically a part of the show’s team. Elliot had offered her a paid role on the show, but she rejected it. She liked the job she had. But seeing as she brought us all together, she came along to all our meetings anyway. If you could call our weekly catch-ups for beers and gossip ‘meetings’.

  “We need a name,” Thomas was saying when I
got back to the table. “Hey, Roman.”

  “Hey, Thomas”. I took my seat at Isaac’s side again.

  “What about Ghostboys?” Isaac said.

  “There’s already a team with that name,” I said quickly. “Although they’re Ghostboyz with a ‘z’.”

  Elliot wrinkled his nose. “Roman’s ex-boyfriend is their star.” He put air quotes around ‘star’.

  I cringed. Isaac glanced me a question.

  “It’s a long story,” I said. “I’ll tell you at home.”

  “For a name, what about…” Olivia fell silent halfway through her sentence. “I don’t know.”

  “Too bad Ghostbusters is taken,” Isaac said.

  I glared at him. He grinned back. Last weekend, when I’d been just-fucked and still basking in the afterglow, he conned me into finally watching Ghostbusters. And then the sequel. And then the 2016 remake, which was the best by far. When I told Isaac my opinion, he laughed.

  “Never tell a straight man you like the all-women cast best,” he said.

  “The characters are more relatable,” I said with a shrug.

  “You are an amazing man, Roman Bula,” Isaac said. Then he’d started kissing me again. We fucked three times that night.

  No offense to any of the other lovers I’d taken, but Isaac was the best I’d ever had. He could manipulate my body to reach levels of pleasure I hadn’t been able to imagine before I met him. The sex was perfect. The dates were perfect, the nights together and inside jokes between us were perfect.

  Isaac Baker was perfect.

  “What about Haunthunters?” I blurted out.

  Isaac looked at me with his eyebrows raised. “Haunthunters?” He exchanged a glance with Olivia, who nodded.

  “I like it,” said Thomas.

  “Seconded,” said Olivia.

  Isaac took my hand under the table. “I love it.”

  I practically glowed with pride.

  “Cheers,” said Elliot. He raised a glass. “To Haunthunters.”

  “To Haunthunters,” the rest of us agreed.

  Author’s Note

  When I started writing as a kid, mystery was my genre of choice (my first book was about a ‘creepy’ summer camp). As I got older and got into romance, the idea for Haunthunters grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. I’m simultaneously excited and terrified to have the first book out in the world now.

  The New Paranormal is the first supernatural mystery/romance I’ve published. I hope to create more books like this, including expanding the Haunthunters universe (although I’m still going to be releasing contemporary M/M romance as well).

  Happy reading,

  Jackson Tyler

  About the Author

  Gay author Jackson Tyler writes sometimes wacky, sometimes angsty, always heartfelt stories about men who love other men. When he's not working on a book, Jackson can be found sunbathing, perfecting his makeup art skills, or watching scary movies with his husband and two cats. Connect with Jackson via Facebook or Twitter, or check out his blog for news on new releases!

  Contemporary M/M Romance by Jackson Tyler

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  Seth Regan was born to be an entrepreneur, but try telling that to a bank. With no way to invest in his goals, he works in a grocery store to get by. He spends his spare time with his best friends, scouring thrift stores and daydreaming about amazing things that will never happen.

  When broke and brooding artist Zane Carroll receives a surprise inheritance, his friends direct him Seth’s way. Before long, they have plans to open Agenda: a coffeehouse for the LGBTQ community. For Seth, it’s everything he’s ever wanted. For Zane, it’s an opportunity he never thought he’d have.

  The only problem? It’s not easy to focus on starting a business when you’re falling for your business partner. Seth and Zane agree to keep things professional, but everyone can see that's not going to happen.

  Seth is enchanted by Zane’s nonchalance and generosity. Zane is struck by Seth’s ambition and enthusiasm. If they wake up and smell the coffee beans, they might have a chance at love. But juggling a new business and a new relationship at the same time might be more difficult than it seems.

  The Coffee Agenda is the first book in the Agenda series. You won’t find too much angst in this one, but you will find an adorable dog, a feisty espresso machine, enough coffee to keep the average human awake for three days straight, and of course, a happily ever after.

  The Agenda books are a series of standalone gay millennial romantic comedies set in Oregon. In this state, recreational cannabis use is legal, and the characters take advantage of this! These stories also use the word ‘queer’ as a reclaimed slur, so if these things make you uncomfortable, the Agenda series might not be for you. Otherwise, enjoy!

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  Nik has hundreds of thousands of adoring followers online. In the real world, he has a

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  After Samuel moves in, the fun really begins — for him, at least. He leaves his stuff all over the apartment, brings his friends over for loud benefits, and seizes every chance to get a rise out of Nik. Samuel is the sort of guy who would rather read an encyclopedia than use a search engine, and he won’t shut up about it.

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  Camera Shy is a standalone enemies-to-lovers gay romance novel with a happy ending, no cliffhangers, and a whole load of cheesy romance tropes. It is told in first person from Nik’s point of view. This story contains an even fluff-to-angst ratio, sharp banter, and a scene where our leads get stranded in a storm together.

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  Jake Lachlan has been a vagabond for years. Ever since he tragically lost his high school sweetheart six years ago, he's been unable to stay in one place. He’d rather drift aimlessly across the country than settle down and make memories. He knows that in an instant, the happiest memories can become the most painful.

  Preston Hawthorne is old money. But with excessive wealth comes excessive expectations, and Preston has never lived up to what his parents think he should be. They always overlook him in favor of his more successful siblings.

  On his way to a family vacation in Aspen, Preston finds Jake stranded on the side of the road and takes pity on the down-on-his-luck hitchhiker. He offers a deal: if Jake pretends to be Preston’s boyfriend for a week in Aspen, Preston will help him out of near-homelessness.

  For Preston, Jake is supposed to be a means to an end. His parents have been nagging him to settle down — this is his chance to get them off his back. If it upsets them that his first “serious relationship” is with another man, at least they'll be paying attention for once. But after spending more time with Jake, he’s enchanted by the man’s good looks, free spirit, and tenacious attitude.

  Jake instantly dislikes Preston. He’s rich, he’s entitled, and as far as Jake can tell, he's never faced a day's hardship in his life. But his deal is too sweet to pass up. Unfortunately, no good deal comes without a catch, and Jake’s dislike soon pales in the face of Preston’s charm.

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  This 40,000 word M/M romantic comedy features road trip and fake relationship tropes. Things might get angsty and intense at times
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