Chapter 1

I should have known that I was too old to try to pull that dead stump. I wasn’t the young buck any longer, although it would have been hard to describe me as a buck in my youth. It was about the time of the third pull that I felt something was wrong, with my left arm and chest suddenly painful and my strength going, I fell onto my back and looked at the scudding spring clouds.

After a man is stabbed in the back and dies, he wakes up in the Labyrinth with a new body, new power, and another chance.

This story takes place in the same universe as my story Invoker.

The Garden Party
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Maybe you should go down to the strip and find yourself somebody to do the job,” I suggested. “You know, just like Richard Gere did. Find yourself a Julia Roberts.”

“If I thought that would work, I might,” he said, the man who had just introduced himself as Jerome. “Now do you want the money or not? Will you do it or not?”

Chapter 23 October 31, 2025

Whit and Lucy were silent at the kitchen table eating waffles. This wasn’t their normal Friday morning routine, usually Whit got up early and ate a bowl of yogurt, took a walk, or watched youtube. Lucy slept in until she absolutely had to get up and start her shift caring for Anthony.

Lucy eventually broke the silence, “Mom texted me, she’s kind of pissed.”

Whit lowered his fork, “Yeah, well her Buddies of Jesus church brought that piece of shit to our town so I could care less how she feels.”

That was a lot of work, but it worked. There seemed to be a real world now that I lived in, with me the cartoonist Barbara and my husband Keith. As I had depicted myself, in my seventh life I made a living drawing The Watsons. But a lot had changed.

Lilly had found the last several days particularly hard, for multiple reasons, and today was no exception. She groaned again at what was another extremely disappointing orgasm that had passed through her body with little more than a tremor. Lilly was frustrated, deeply frustrated, and she wasn't sure what to do about it.

Chapter 9

Next morning, we were both awake early and I was resting my head on Randalls’ shoulder. It was quiet in the hotel, just the sound of the air movement from the conditioning. He squeezed me.

“I guess that we should remember these moments before the storm. You realise that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Up until now, you’ve been a good presenter and reporter, with some stand-out stories. Today, you’re a multiple Walkley winner, with one of them a gold. That’s something that others have taken decades to earn.”

Chapter 12: Seeds of Truth

"High Heels and Hot Tips" is a sequel to my Kindle novel "The Big Switch: The Dame Curse." In it, the tg detective, D.C. Callahan, in the body of his secretary Sheila Coffin, has to bodyguard for a stripper who the mob is hunting as a witness. Sheila goes undercover as a cocktail waitress in a posh strip club called "The Velvet Room." The danger is everywhere, but at least the girls are worth looking at.

I saw the contest announcement and thought this would be just right for it. It isn't a holiday but it is transgender and it is set on an island.

This is a version of the first chapter of a story I began long ago in the Carboniferous when I was just a frond. The story was intended to be perhaps 6-8 chapters but, you know, life happened. Here's how it all began.

Life on the Beach

by Penny Lane

I couldn’t have been more embarrassed when Mum came into my room that afternoon. I was on fours on my bed dressed in a bra, suspender belt and stockings and nothing else. Behind me was my best friend Peter, wearing nothing at all. A part of his body that could vary in size at maximum extension.

The Lucky One: Luck Be a Lady Chapter 3

The Beginning Of Nicole

By IAmHerEmma

Authors Note:

This story has been a long time coming.

Chapter 8

I had taken a taxi to the airport when I had left, and had called Randall from Sydney, so wasn’t surprised when he was waiting for me when I strolled into the terminal. He came over with a smile on his face and kissed me.

“Nice outfit, makes your eyes pop.”

“Take a deep breath, love. I’ve had this on since Darwin.”

“Ribboned and named, I see.”

“Yep, mine to keep as a reminder.”

“Did you do anything interesting this time?”

Gender Gymnastics
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

Part Eleven

Identifying the person behind the attacks on Aaron/Malak was one thing. Finding Molly Ironwood Sutter was proving to be very difficult. After the death of her husband several years before, mentions of her suddenly became sparse, for many years. More than once Aaron thought she might have even died, herself. However, each time he found later clues that she was still around.

Rainbow Cactus Company, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Jessie belts out some of their new songs as Daisy kept the beat going and have it flow right into the next song in their lineup. Two figures sit in the back of the club listening to the band play and watching as each member danced and play solo parts during the songs. The manager of the club, stood nearby with a few drag queens working that night.

I was up first the following morning, Sunday. There was now less than four weeks to go to the concert date, Saturday 18th December; our end of term exams were starting on 13th December and we had a family and relatives preview for the evening of Tuesday, 7th December. And today we had a dress rehearsal. All in all, it was going to be a busy run up to Christmas. I wasn’t looking forward to Christmas; its arrival would mean the end of the road for Aisling and I was becoming very enamoured by her.

A TURN OF THE MOON
Day Seven
by
Jessica Drew

I woke the next morning to hear Lauren calling my name. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head.

“Come on, it’s a beautiful day today,” Lauren said. I felt her tugging on the bed sheets.