Melanie Quinlan

Shattered Tales Melanie Quinlan

Love is your fiercest weapon. It can save lives, rip your heart out and even kill. The characters in this story collection testify to the truth of that statement. In "Ghosts" you step into a magical world where respectable gentlemen can be vampires; a young man can talk to ghosts and realizes that finding fame while getting rid of his abusive boyfriend cost him more than he was willing to pay. "Bedsitter Christmas" delivers some fluffy M/M romance, set against the harsh backdrop of bedsitter land in 1980s London. Popstar Francis O'Neal reveals why he feels compelled to take care of boys who are stranded on the streets of London and why it irks him that nobody believes that he just wants to provide a place to stay, a meal and a shower in "Forever making amends". In "Where the hurt is" a young man reflects on what made him leave his home and why he prefers being on the game to returning there. A teenage boy gets bullied for being gay. A teacher intervenes, which makes him an "Unlikely hero". We meet the teenage boy again in "Choose love" as he searches for his identity. The last story is one of true love. That's what "The real magic of Christmas" is all about after all.