Because of Roses

An anthology of ten short, optimistic stories about men meeting other men and exploring relationships with each other, with a focus on racial, age, and background diversity.

Chicken Man 1. : a would-be actor encounters a six-foot tall rooster in Times Square, which leads to sort of an acting gig and romance, also of a sort.

The Green Bench 2. : a businessman hurrying to work passes an older male couple on a park bench every day, until one day one isn't there.

Leprechaun in New York 3. : a young man lusts after a redhead he sees in bars until he goes home with him and the redhead claims he's a leprechaun.

Heart Stealer 4. : based on a Choctaw myth of a creature in the woods who takes human hearts.

From the Sea 5. : a college friend invites a classmate home for the weekend to a house inhabited by his family and the ghost of a drowned Chinese fisherman.

Ticket to Ride 6. : bemused by a makeshift sign offering trips to the past for a nominal sum, a man hurrying by puts his money down. When he returns, his ticket is waiting.

The Cowman and the Farmer Should Be Friends 7. : a lonely dairy farmer resorts to OkCupid to find love.

Picnic in Moscow 8. : a man in Moscow escapes from a Gay bashing and is taken in by an older man his father wants him to marry.

Régalos 9. : a descendant of Cuban boat people returns to Cuba on a professional architectural tour. He's befriended by a mysterious man who turns out to have sinister connections.

Because of Roses 10. : grieving over a dead partner, an attorney accepts a transfer to the London office and begins house hunting in the Cotswolds.