Stories on the Side: Collection One — Stephen Del Mar

A collection of eleven of Stephen del Mar's short stories. Bennett Bay StoriesThese eight shorts add depth and breadth to the Bennett Bay and Big Cypress County world. Many of the beloved characters of the series are introduced here. And the themes that weave their way through the novels are rooted in many of these stories.The Broken Heart, introduces Zach, Stan, Lissa, JJ and the gang at Swan Landing. Oh, and Bear, of course.The Envelope, Tony Gallo, and his sister's family are introduced as he confronts his grief about his dead lover.Slay me, said the dragon. This is where the dragons show up. The foundation of dragon lore in Big Cypress County. The Three of Us, Three young men have a hell of a first week at Sterling University. Love found, friendships tested, and one of them actually jumps off a bridge, kids. A Night on Blood Isle. Storm and Sky, twin brothers from the novel, Return to Cooter Crossing. They join their adopted cousins for a sailing trip to the Sweetwater Keys, off the coast of Bennett Bay, once the home of pirates. Legend says the pirates were cursed. Is that a tale to frighten little boys around a beach fire, or is there something in the sea fog of Blood Isle?Mondo. Tamas is having a frustrating day. Band practice isn't going well, and the nutty professor that lives in their building brings home a Scarlet Macaw. That night, he has fevered dreams of a naked man bound, pleading for release. He awakens to find the professor murdered. He suspects not everything is as it seems. It is Bennett Bay, after all.Here Kitty, what do you have there? Sherwood Forster is a desperate writer and a bad boyfriend. He has to get his next book on the occult out—as his agent keeps reminding him. The problem is, hyper-focus isn't always a good thing. Important things can get lost among the clutter.Standalone StoriesDay of the Dead is about a young man, from a dysfunctional home, learning to trust the concept of family, with the help of his lover's abuela. This short inspired the novel, Of Paradise & Purgatory. Kaz Kriska and the Impossible Photo is a fun, short sci-fi story about choosing not to go in the Blue Box. There may be more impossible adventures in Kaz's future, or not.HIM. I wanted to write something dark, a psycho-sexual thriller was the result. This story serves as backstory for the Roxy Blue character in the Bennett Bay Series book, Steamboat Days, to be published late 2025.Find some shade by the beach or a pool and enjoy this mix of humor, horror, thrills, and sexy fun.