Dryland's End

by Felice Picano

  In this beautiful, haunting tale, told in Robert Ferro’s clear, impassioned narrative, he created a classic. “An honest, eloquent and entirely original novel … at once realistic and mythological, intensely personal and public … a triumph,” praised Edmund White.

  His breakout novel, this new edition includes a foreword by friend and fellow author Felice Picano (The Lure).

  The Blue Star by Robert Ferro

  Paperback: 260 pgs • 978-1-951092-25-2

  Two heroes, reflective Peter and Byronic Chase, indulge their youthful appetites in Florence. Over the next 20 years their paths diverge and reconverge. Chase marries into the Italian aristocracy and Peter pursues his passion for Lorenzo, a beautiful young Florentine. The past impinges on the present as the story of Chase’s ancestor, Orvil Starkweather, is revealed – the secrets of his life sounding a counterpoint to Chase’s. New York City’s Central Park and the imposing figure of designer Frederick Law Olmsted provide a mysterious connection to Chase’s life. The story of the two men unfolds in Florence and New York exposing the unimagined and startling connection with the past, and taking them finally on a fateful cruise up the Nile aboard the luxury yacht.

  Publishers Weekly hailed it as “Shimmering … superb taste and style”. This new edition includes a foreword by Andrew Holleran (Dancer from the Dance).

  STAN LEVENTHAL

  The Black Marble Pool by Stan Leventhal

  When you first notice it, something seems a bit unusual. Then it occurs to you that most, if not all, of the pools you’ve ever seen before were painted blue or white. The Captain’s House pool is black. Not painted black. But constructed of black marble and black tile. The marble has streaks of white that look like lightning bolts in a black sky. There is a sexiness to this pool; a personality. It looks and feels like a warm, wet blanket, surrounding and protecting you like a dark, quiet womb.

  There’s a dead body at the bottom of a pool in the backyard of a guest house in Key West. Who is he? And what caused his untimely demise? Maybe it’s suicide. Or an accident. But more likely – murder! And who’s responsible? One of the guests, the people who run the guest house or one of those mysterious women in town?

  A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, this new edition includes a foreword by renowned LGBTQ publicist and friend of Stan Leventhal, Michele Karlsberg.

  Mountain Climbing in Sheridan Square by Stan Leventhal

  Paperback: 196 pgs • 978-1-951092-21-4

  A series of discrete episodes among friends provide snapshots of one gay man’s life. There are parties, concerts, dinners with everyday life – and death – interwoven in the rich story-telling. An actress, a painter, a set designer, a writer – all sweating and surviving in Manhattan, all scoring their first successes. Part autobiography and part documentary, artfully written, it details the lives of these creative people. Young and professional, they know there is more to life than money. There is trust and the sort of love that trades in deeds of kindness.

  Leventhal’s debut novel was a Lambda Literary Awards Finalist. This new edition features a foreword by Christopher Bram (Gods and Monsters).

  Skydiving on Christopher Street by Stan Leventhal

  Paperback: 192 pgs • 978-1-951092-35-1

  Stan Leventhal paints a picture of Christopher Street in the 80s and 90s. “The streets became ours again. When the fag-bashers began to get bold, to slither from their slimy lairs, the young gay guys and fledgling lesbians fought back. There was a new war to win, along with battles of fear, ignorance, and indifference… But now the streets belong to us again. We paid for it with our muscles, our brains, our bodily fluids. It has our names written all over it. Our blood fills the cracks in the pavement. It’s ours and we’re never going to give it up.”

  Against that backdrop, we see the pieces of an ordinary life. He’s an editor for a porn publishing house – it’s not glamorous, it’s just work. His relationship is on the verge of ending. He is visited by the ghosts of friends he has lost to AIDS. In the midst of the familiar days, he learns from his doctor that he too has AIDS.

  Leventhal’s final novel was produced in 1995. This new edition features a foreword by Paras Borgohain who is currently writing a screenplay for the novel.

  Series Mystery and Misadventure

  NIKKI BAKER - Virginia Kelly in Chicago

  In The Game by Nikki Baker

  Paperback: 184 pgs • 978-1-951092-28-3

  A Virginia Kelly Mystery, Book 1 – When businesswoman Virginia Kelly meets her old college chum Bev Johnson for drinks late one night, Bev confides that her lover, Kelsey, is seeing another woman. Ginny had picked up that gossip months ago, but she is shocked when the next morning’s papers report that Kelsey was found murdered behind the very bar where Ginny and Bev had met. Worried that her friend could be implicated, Ginny decides to track down Kelsey’s killer and contacts a lawyer, Susan Coogan. Susan takes an immediate, intense liking to Ginny, complicating Ginny’s relationship with her live-in lover. Meanwhile Ginny’s inquiries heat up when she learns the Feds suspected Kelsey of embezzling from her employer.

  Nikki Baker is the first African-American author in the lesbian mystery genre and her protagonist, Virginia Kelly is the first African-American lesbian detective in the genre. Interwoven into the narrative are observations on the intersectionality of being a woman, an African-American, and a lesbian in a “man’s” world of finance and life in general.

  On first publication, critics hailed this an “auspicious debut”. This new edition features a foreword by the author.

  The Lavender House Murder by Nikki Baker

  Paperback: 232 pgs • 978-1-951092-29-0

  A Virginia Kelly Mystery, Book 2 – By night – the bars, the music, the sexual energy. By day – the beaches, the bay … basking in the sun and the scent of suntan lotion. And everywhere the women of Provincetown. Among these women in the sun is Virginia Kelly, a woman of color, on vacation from the mostly white world of finance. Ginny has come to P-town with friend Naomi, and without lover Emily. They stay at Lavender House, a hotel for lesbians run by Sam, a woman with whom Naomi has had some dramatic history. Other inhabitants include Anya, who works for the inn; Joan, a writer and sometime guest; loud Barb and her quiet partner. And in P-town, Ginny is drawn to another woman. Then … murder shatters the vacation bliss. For among the people brushing up against Ginny and Naomi for these few sensual days is a ruthless killer. And a victim whose death will change the lives of Ginny and Naomi.

  A Lambda Literary Winner for Best Lesbian Mystery, this new edition features a foreword by Ann Aptaker (Cantor Gold series).

  JACK DICKSON - Jas Anderson in Glasgow

  FreeForm by Jack Dickson

  A Jas Anderson Thriller, Book 1 – A tough gay thriller set in the criminal underworld of Glasgow, Scotland. In the derelict inner-city of Glasgow’s Dennistoun, FreeForm introduces a tough gay cop, Detective-Sergeant Jas Anderson. A violent anti-hero, suspended from duty for assault, Jas is the natural suspect when his lover is found brutally murdered. Now on the run and struggling to clear his name, Jas uncovers Leigh’s involvement in a blackmail ring, and even his lover’s identity becomes confused. Film-noir in inspiration, vividly characterized, and authentically exposing the raw nerves of Thatcherite Britain, FreeForm is pure suspense to it’s final pulse-pounding closing pages.

  An early example of gritty Tartan Noir, this new edition includes a foreword by Clive King.

  Banged Up by Jack Dickson

  A Jas Anderson Thriller, Book 2 – Detective Sergeant Jas Anderson is imprisoned and fighting for his life. Anderson was the violent anti-hero of FreeForm, and ended up in that story, being expelled from the Glasgow police force. Banged Up starts with Jas being framed by his ex-colleagues. He is remanded to Barlinnie prison, and is forced to share a cell with Steve McStay, sentenced for aggravated assault on two gay men. In this all-male environment, inmates don’t divide into gay and straight, but rather into who dominates … and who doesn’t. Res
ilient as ever, Jas forms an unlikely partnership with Steve in his fight for survival.

  Marking the novel’s 20th anniversary, this new edition includes a foreword by Matt Lubbers-Moore (Murder and Mayhem).

  Some Kind of Love by Jack Dickson

  A Jas Anderson Thriller, Book 3 – Jas Anderson, now working as a private investigator, is hired by a victim’s mother to get answers from a police force that seems unable to help. He finds a clue that the police may have missed then washes his hands of the case. At home, he shares his apartment with “Stevie” McStay, Anderson’s former cellmate and new boyfriend, as well as Stevie’s often-visiting two young children. Out of the blue, a voice from Jas’ past asks for help with a personal matter and a police investigation. He soon finds himself stirring an explosive cocktail of police corruption, football fanaticism, sectarianism, and murder, while … house hunting. Then the gay bashings begin again and suspicion falls close to home.

  The conclusion to this celebrated trilogy, this new edition includes a foreword by the author.

  GRANT MICHAELS - Stan Kraychik in Boston

  A Body to Dye For by Grant Michaels

  A Stan Kraychik Mystery, Book 1 – Stan “Vannos” Kraychik isn’t your everyday Boston hairdresser. Manager of Snips Salon, which is owned by best bud (and occasional nemesis) Nicole, Stan thought this day was an ordinary one. A delivery van backed into the salon’s rear driveway and accidentally spilled gallons of conditioner, leaving Stan and hunky Roger) embracing in a gooey mess trying to staunch the flow, with little success as they slid and slipped with Nicole watching on with rolling eyes. Later Roger is found murdered.

  Stan’s client, Calvin Redding, who owns the apartment where Roger’s body was found, can’t explain why the body is dressed in little more than bowties. Enter Lieutenant Branco, dark, muscular, Italian, (straight) of Boston PD Homicide who immediately suspects everyone, especially Stan. In an attempt to clear his name, Stan travels to California, takes up mountain climbing, eavesdropping, spying, schmoozing, and a little bit of schtupping, all in an attempt to find the truth.

  Grant Michaels’ zany series of adventures starring Stan Kraychik was a multiple Lambda Literary Awards Finalist for Best Gay Men’s Mystery. For this 2019 edition, Carl Mesrobian reminisces about his brother Grant in an exclusive foreword, and Neil S. Plakcy (Mahu Investigations) provides an introduction of appreciation.

  Love You To Death by Grant Michaels

  A Stan Kraychik Mystery, Book 2 – Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and everyone has a sweetheart, except Stan Kraychik, Boston’s sassiest hairdresser. Ever hopeful of meeting Mr. Right, Stan attends a gala reception that culminates in a death by poisoning, and romantic problems take a back seat to murder. Then Boston police arrest Stan’s friend Laurett Cole, who leaves her four-year-old son in Stan’s care. In his quest to free Laurett from suspicion and himself from his ill-mannered ward, Stan finds himself exploring the secrets of a revered Boston institution, the Gladys Gardner Chocolate Company. There, along with the sweet edibles, he finds an assortment of not-so-delectable murder.

  A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, this new edition includes a foreword by Frank W. Butterfield (Nick Williams Mysteries).

  Dead on Your Feet by Grant Michaels

  A Stan Kraychik Mystery, Book 3 – Spring is in the air and Stan has been with his boyfriend, ballet dancer and choreographer, Rafik, for a year. Alas, jealousy rears its ugly head and Stan storms out of a dinner party given by the director of the ballet company. After crying himself to sleep, he is woken in the morning by Rafik’s phone call. Stani, there is great trouble. Max Harkey is dead.

  Suspects abound. Two young ballet dancers, dating each other but both in love with a third unattainable person. The mistress of the company, whose niece was about to be the lead in Max’ next production before she fell and broke her hip. The houseboy who sends Stan’s sexual yearnings into a whole new direction. The financial backer who spends too much time at the ballet studio. Jason Sears the pianist, last seen near the original priceless music score. Toni di Natale, conductor who hangs all over Rafik whenever she is near him. And Stan’s lover, Rafik, who found the body.

  Even Stan’s nemesis, the gorgeous straight cop, Lieutenant Vito Branco, wants Stan to solve this mystery. Can he do it and stay alive?

  A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, this new edition includes a foreword by Charles Michelson.

  Mask for a Diva by Grant Michaels

  A Stan Kraychik Mystery, Book 4 – Stan Kraychik, Boston hair-dresser extraordinaire, has been hired as the wig master’s assistant for the upcoming season of a local opera company. The Italian opera diva and aging soprano Marcella Ostinata, whose use of English is determined by her irritation level, will perform the lead. Before Stan heads to Europe to meet his lover’s parents, one of the actresses from the company kills herself by jumping into the path of a train. Befriending the benefactor, Stan moves into a house on the benefactor’s estate, where a very attractive deaf/mute boy takes a fancy to him. As the company heads unsteadily towards opening night, murder threatens the entire festival and Stan finds himself playing a crucial role in a deadly grand opera, performed without music, and with real weapons and killers.

  A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, this new edition includes a foreword by Joe Cosentino (Nicky and Noah Mysteries).

  Time to Check Out by Grant Michaels

  A Stan Kraychik Mystery, Book 5 – It’s October in Key West, as quiet as the tropical island will ever be. Or so thinks Boston salon star Stan “The Widow” Kraychik, who has recently lost his lover. Stan is grief-stricken, but he’s also grotesquely wealthy, thanks to a landmark cash settlement to a domestic partner, as well as his dead lover’s life insurance.

  Instead of sanctuary in an off-season resort town, Stan finds himself in a fizzy, dizzy world that few tourists experience. The trouble starts when Stan is forced to change his guest-house. When he goes to settle his bill, the manager is on the floor of her office – dead by violence. Never one to mind his own business, Stan discovers that the victim was embroiled in a legal battle over the estate of a Key West millionaire. As he meddles further into the investigation, he encounters an exotic lineup of suspects reminiscent of a circus sideshow. They may be worthy foils for Stan’s melancholy, but he must also identify the killer before he becomes the next victim.

  A Lambda Literary Awards Finalist in 1997, this new edition includes a foreword by Mark McNease (Outer Voices, Inner Lives).

  EDWARD O. PHILLIPS - Geoffry Chadwick in Montreal

  Sunday’s Child by Edward O. Phillips

  A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 1 – Lawyer Geoffry Chadwick is 50, Canadian, single, gay and, after a brief struggle with a hustler who tries to shake him down, a murderer. Herein lies the device for this macabre, funny, first novel. Although Geoffry must dispose of the body – which he does by dropping off sections of it around town at night – the trauma of the murder affords him the opportunity to reminisce and ruminate: on the recent termination of his affair with a history teacher; on the not-so-recent deaths of his wife and daughter; on the alcoholism of his mother; on growing old; on being gay. The visit of a nephew and the New Year’s festivities only serve to intensify his thoughts. Although Chadwick is abrasively disdainful early on, he is fascinating when he loosens up. Phillips keeps the reader hopping with throwaway quotations from Donne and scatological references and puns.

  A Books in Canada First Novel Finalist, this new edition contains a foreword by Alexander Inglis.

  Buried on Sunday by Edward O. Phillips

  A Geoffry Chadwick Misadventure, Book 2 – “One of the problems with weekends in the country” says Geoffry Chadwick’s genial host in Buried on Sunday, “is that people feel free to drop in unannounced.” And drop in they do. No sooner has our lovable lawyer hero, a partner in the prestigious law firm of Lyall, Pierce, Chadwick and Dawson – who just happens to be gay – settled in with a spicy Bloody Mary, than hardened criminals on the lam burs
t in and take Chadwick and his hosts hostage in their own beautiful home.

  A tale of mystery and suspense brims with human drama, both poignant and comic: It turns out that one of the other hostages, now married, had once been Chadwick’s lover. As the hours of their forced confinement turn into days, a flood of bittersweet memories engulf Chadwick, of an affair whose painful end he could never forget, of a lover who had changed the course of his life. As the weekend moves toward its powerful denouement, Chadwick comes to terms with the road he has taken – and the quite different path, of marriage and convention, chosen by his early love.

  A Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Best Novel Winner. This edition contains a contemporary interview with Phillips on reception of his work and a reminiscence of his 80th birthday celebration by Toronto author Nancy Wigston.