NOTE: Torquere Press is closing. Torquere Press titles will no longer be available and I can no longer use any of the cover art. Stay tuned as I see about rehoming these titles.
Storms and Stars
It’s lonely at the top for Commander Villam Elding, who has always ranked loyalty to the empire and career ambition over romance. He finds it easier to love ideas than people; without military life, he’s lost. Even so, it’s his close relationship with Kardiell, a popular officer, that tears him from his life. Those with competing ambitions try to take Villam hostage to leverage Kardiell’s soft spot for him. In the struggle, Villam crashes the small spacecraft he’s riding. All hands perish except he and Luke, his kidnapper.
Luke tyv Sicinik travels the galaxy performing dirty missions for money to send home. Born on a desert colony abandoned by the empire, he has no love for imperial soldiers. He spent his childhood in a monastery which taught the evils of anything impractical or sentimental. Yet when he crawls from the destroyed spacecraft, his first instinct is compassionate: he drags Villam’s unconscious body free of the wreckage. Stranded together on a wild planet, Villam and Luke know that survival means cooperation. A truce becomes trust, and trust turns to passion, as they struggle to find a new life together — just the two of them against an entire world.
Published by Torquere Press 2012. Available at the following places:
Skin and Hide
Former imperial commander Villam Elding and former rebel monk Luke tyv Sicinik arrive at Stavalai Colony at the beginning of the year’s biggest imperial festival. Excited by the prospect of the festival, Villam even makes the traditional leather goddess pendants by hand. But being in imperial territory digs up old wounds, and tempers flare when Luke refuses to help Villam with an intimate act of goddess worship. Can they somehow reconcile Villam’s love of the empire and Luke’s hatred of all things imperial before the celebration ends?
Published 2012 by Torquere Press. This short story is a sequel to Storms and Stars and is part of Torquere Press’s 2012 Charity Sip Blitz, with proceeds to NOH8. Available at:
Moon Shadows
Not every werewolf is leader of the pack. Theo Dimitriadis, games tester by profession and werewolf by nature, has built himself a quiet life. But he puts himself into the public spotlight after he pulls Anastasia Shevchenko out of a river. This brings him to the attention of Max, Anastasia’s brother. Max is a dog trainer who, like Theo, has a family secret. He’s a medium, able to communicate with ghosts and spirits.
When life-draining shadow spirits appear in Fort Rivers, Theo and Max take action together. Max starts wanting the gorgeous man he sees hidden behind Theo’s shyness. The more Theo retreats from his attention, the more Max goes on the chase. Theo loves to submit but fears that he’ll give up too much control to Max. They struggle to understand each other even as they zero in on the shadow spirits. But before they can reconcile their differences, an even darker threat comes along, intent on harming more than their relationship. If Theo and Max want to be together, first they have to get through this supernatural battle intact!
Digging Without a Shovel
When Max Shevchenko sees his partner Theo Dimitriadis’s very expensive coffeemaker hit the floor, he knows he’s going to have an upset werewolf on his hands. But Theo stays frosty for longer than Max thinks he deserves. There’s something else upsetting Theo, and Max can’t figure out what it is. During a Halloween party, he risks his dignity to wear a costume designed to turn Theo on. Can a little cosplay seduce the truth from Theo’s lips?
This short story is a sequel to Moon Shadows. Available at:
The Calm Before
The elven city-state of Airgead abounds with modern, magic-based technology, but has not overcome its antiquated views of race and class. Riagan refused to let such outdated views stop him in his climb from the streets all the way to the top of society—but that climb has brought more than a few enemies with it.
Seduced by Riagan at a party, Elisedd soon realizes he’s just one more pawn, one more toy, and he refuses to be hurt ever again. But try as he might, he cannot seem to escape Riagan’s hold, and instead finds himself dragged deeper into a world of passion, scheming, and a growing anger that threatens to tear Airgead apart…
Published 2014 by Less Than Three Press. Available at:
Feeling His Way 