All’s fair in love and war. But not in baking. Do what you do best. So said Henry’s grandad as he handed Henry a small, red-foil-wrapped box that gave a metallic rattle when he shook it. Inside: a large bunch of mismatched keys held together by a ring the size of a bangle. The keys to the bakery. Henry’s bakery. A humorous story about baking and village life (as you might expect). Also includes a rockin’ reverend, cakes and bunting. Part of Seasons of Love Anthology.

For many years, Ade Simmons has been an outsider, trapped in an abusive relationship, seeking sanctuary in his job as a radio producer and in the checklists he makes in an attempt to regain control of his sorry excuse of a life. Actor Kris Johansson is patient, gentle and passionate – everything Ade’s ex-boyfriend is not. When Kris takes a role in one of Ade’s plays, the attraction is mutual and instant. It is the turning point for Ade. He can either stay on the same path, with Fergus, the bully who has repressed, used and isolated him from his friends and family, or he can look in the other direction, towards Kris, the handsome actor with family and friends who readily accept him. But Fergus will not give up his punchbag so easily. Can Ade finally find the strength to fight back? * * * * * Part of the Hiding Behind The Couch series. This story falls chronologically during the second half of The Harder They Fall (Season Three). The story continues in First Christmas (Novella) and In The Stars Part I (Season Four).

When his music fills your heart, note by note, beat by beat, and your harmonies entwine, effortless, complete. That’s how you’ll know you’ve found the perfect tenor. A cosy festive romance set in the world of Hiding Behind The Couch.

The story of George and Josh - two little boys who became best friends...two adolescents who stayed best friends...two young adults with secrets that might change their friendship forever. Josh and George have always shared the special bond of friendship. From days in primary school, to holidays spent riding their bikes along the canal, theirs is a promise to remain best friends forever. But can that promise withstand the trials of adolescence, and the changes in their feelings towards each other? NOTE: this is a fully stand-alone story, but it contains significant spoilers for anyone reading the Hiding Behind The Couch series, and should be read after The Harder They Fall (season three).

Huddled in a doorway, unseen by the men passing on great horses, Meredith watched from within the hood of her cloak. The pain of the cold, wet morning impaled her, rooting her in place, even as the cat rubbed against her shins with a force that should have felled her. She shooed him away. Go home. But he would not. She wished she had died that night. She wished she had died, for to live like this was not to live at all. * * * When Richie Moorcroft takes a housekeeping position to finance his studies, it means moving back to his childhood home: an ancient, almost-derelict cottage locals claim is haunted. But he never believed those stories; he knows where they came from, and in any case, he has a job to do: keeping nineteen-year-old Julian Denby on the straight and narrow without Julian realising his wealthy parents are paying Richie to do so. Luckily, Julian’s not very astute, although the same can’t be said for their newest housemates: Richie’s bestie, Anneke, and Julian’s older sister, Tamara. Add in George, the cat who appeared from nowhere and is in no hurry to leave, and that makes five…about to uncover the sinister history of their new home.

A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology A MIDNIGHT CLEAR by DEBBIE McGOWAN It's a cold, desperate December when a young girl flees home, in search of food, shelter and the real Santa Claus. Stranded in George and Josh's hometown, she discovers that the spirit of Christmas can be found in the most unexpected of places. Includes the story of The Little Match Girl, by Hans Christian Andersen. * * * * * ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life. Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Eid, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness. Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

Christmas at the Davenports has never been a relaxing affair, so when the opportunity for a little alone time with a beautiful, available woman comes Charlie Davenport’s way, she takes it, breaking several family traditions and risking the wrath of her siblings. But it’ll be worth it, right? And she can always make it up to them later…or next Christmas. * * * * * For readers of the Hiding Behind The Couch series, Not My Christmas comes several months after Reunions (Season Seven) and immediately after The Advent of Reason.