Monthly Archives: October 2011

Here is the unofficial blurb for Every Time a Bell Rings, my little Christmas story from MLR Press, tentatively scheduled for December 23rd:

Brian dropped everything last year when his mother became ill so he could take care of her until the day she died. People he thought were friends didn’t stick with him and he’s somehow become kind of a recluse without meaning to be. Only Mike, his best friend since they were kids, has stuck by him and is now saving him from homelessness after a fire destroys Brian’s apartment building days before Christmas. Though Mike has to go down South for the holiday, Brian stays in Mike’s apartment with his slightly singed kitten Oreo. Brian’s only goal is to set his affairs back in order before everything shuts down for the holidays and then make it through those holidays in one piece. He’s lost so much–his only real possession is a photo album of his mom that he risked death to save from the fire–and he’s feeling lost and very alone…until Mike, his hot neighbor Trent, and even little Oreo conspire to give Brian the best Christmas possible and a future that looks a lot brighter.

IMHO this is a bittersweet, sometimes funny, and definitely sexy short story. Just explaining the significance of the photo album and what Trent does with one of the photos for Brian had my mother crying! There are some funny bits too, though–I hope!–as well as a few antics from a spunky kitten that any cat lover should recognize from their own furry friends.