Stories from Bennett Bay Series

Revised and updated Tenth Anniversary Edition.  A collection of short stories running along the side of Stephen del Mar's Stories from Bennett Bay series. The Broken Heart Zach Thorensen came to Big Cypress County to renovate a classic cabin cruiser and enjoy a quiet retired life. But a hurricane and a message from the past waylaid him, giving him a chance to mend his broken heart. Will he take it? The Demise of Bobby & Clyde Bobby and Clyde are two young men in love. They are also running from the law in the midst of a hurricane and, unwisely, take refuge in Big Cypress County's most haunted house. Will they escape the law? Will they escape the house? The Envelope The economy was bad, like the Great Recession bad, and Tony Gallo's love, Lance, took a contracting job overseas to save the family's home. And IED took Lance from the world. Six months after his death, Tony gets Lance's last letter. "Slay me," said the dragon. Drake is a hot, blond college twink. It's his twenty-first birthday and he's ready to put the moves on his roommate, Flint. Unfortunately, they both have secrets and Steam, the leather bar in a rundown section of Bennett Bay isn't what it appears either. Do you know all the ways you can slay a dragon? Some are heartbreaking. The Three of Us It's the first week of college for Sam Richards and he's pretty sure he's made some bad choices. Rooming with his straight best friend that he's crushed on for years is at the top of the list. Then he finds Jeff—or maybe Jeff really found him, and then he loses Jeff. There is panic, that bit about actually jumping off of a bridge, and it's not even the weekend yet. Turns out a lot of a college education doesn't happen in the classroom. A Night on Blood Isle Storm and Sky are young twin boys on a sailing trip out to the Sweetwater Keys with their adopted family. As the sea fog surrounds them, the older boys tell campfire stories about cursed pirates. What they forget is there is a bit of truth in all legends. Mondo Tamás isn't having a good night. His friend is murdered, there's a big noisy bird that needs attending to, and he's having dreams of an attractive naked man that needs his help. But, that's life at the Cathouse—the hippest address in Bennett Bay.  "Here Kitty," what do you have there? Sherwood Forrester is a writer, one of those writers that get lost in his writing. One day, he realizes he may have lost other things as well.

Love and family, the two things Dieter wants most are slipping away. His uncle, the man who raised him as a father, is dead. Now his brother can't wait to bulldoze and sell the family farm. Yet Dieter clutches at the memories of the past, fighting to hold them close. What Dieter doesn't know is the past can be present and what is dead doesn't always stay dead. He discovers that Dark Loves wants to live in the light.  "Dark Love" is a paranormal romance set in Stephen del Mar's Bennett Bay region of Florida. There are witches, faeries, bears, twinks, a dragon drive-by, and one very determined fag hag. Once again del Mar gives us the rich texture of his Florida setting that goes from the bayside tourist town of Bennett Bay to the backwater country hamlet of Live Oak. Remember, things are not always what they seem and be careful what you do under the light of the full moon! Tenth Anniversary Edition contains the short story "Slay me," said the dragon as the prologue. 

A month has passed since the events in "Dark Love" and Max is preparing to deal with the passing of Flora May. What he isn't prepared for is entering the world of faeries and dragons. The Jumble, the ancient wood just beyond the family farm, is in crisis. The fae are missing and the Witch of the Wood is dead. Can the Circle move past their grief and defeat the menace in the depths of the Pit? Will the secret of the Water Stone be revealed? And most importantly, will there be tea?  "The Bear, the Witch & the Web" is the second book in the Stories from Bennett Bay series.

Wolves! Wolves have returned to Florida, or at least in eastern Big Cypress County, and no one knows why or how. Janos Pac, the new Witch of the Wood, is desperately trying to hold Flora May's old Circle together, but things are falling apart despite his best efforts. Stone, the youngest member of the group, is the only one to show up for Samhain. After his first cup of tea, the blue kind, things take an unexpected turn. A plot by the dragons is unearthed and everyone's on the watch for owls. Beware the owls!  "Hunter Moon & the Red Wolf" is the third book in the Stories from Bennett Bay series.

Aidan Quinn is having a good day, possibly the best day of his life, at least since moving to Dublin. He just received word that his degree committee approved his PhD and he's on his way home, with lamb chops, chard, and a bottle of wine. Time to celebrate in the little cottage he shares with his mentor and lover, Dr. David Stokes. But, something is wrong when he gets home. Dr. Stokes has found a new student to "mentor." Like any good Irish-American lad, he gets drunk and heads home to his mother. He hopes to find himself and make plans for a new future in the quiet backwater town of Cooter Crossing. But, he forgot what it's like being part of a large family in an extremely small town. He gets off the plane in Tampa and finds his little sister is pregnant and won't tell anyone who the father is. His next two older brothers, Danny and Dillon, are keeping secrets, and the oldest, Rory, shows up with his son, Sean, expecting Aidan to help him navigate Sean's coming out.  Just as Aidan thinks he's finally getting ahead of the family drama, and settling back into life in a small Florida village, someone shoots him. And people start dying. Will he find a way to put all the pieces back together? Will he find a new direction for his life? And, what really happened to Mrs. DeWitt's prize rooster?  "Return to Cooter Crossing" is a contemporary southern family drama with strong characterization and set in Stephen del Mar's rich world of Bennett Bay and Big Cypress County, Florida.