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Photo Booth
This short story was originally written for an anthology distributed by the M/M romance group on Goodreads, and will be free once Amazon matches the price at Smashwords.
The Kindle edition includes preview chapters from several other M/M romance novels.
When unemployed cowboy Darren meets a cute twink at a Dallas bar and then jumps into a photo booth with him, he has no idea that this chance encounter will lead him to a true and lasting love.
The Kindle edition includes preview chapters from several other M/M romance novels.
When unemployed cowboy Darren meets a cute twink at a Dallas bar and then jumps into a photo booth with him, he has no idea that this chance encounter will lead him to a true and lasting love.
43 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2011
5 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Neil S. Plakcy
235 books650 followersI have been a voracious reader all my life, mostly in mystery, romance, and science fiction/fantasy, though a college degree in English did push a lot of literary works into my list of favorites.
Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.
I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.
It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.
I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.
My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.
I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.
When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.
Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.
My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.
I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.
Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.
I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.
It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.
I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.
My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.
I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.
When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.
Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.
My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.
I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 1, 2020
It’s typically the storyline that needs more space to develop, and probably not exactly suitable for a novella.
The plot and the characters are kind of sketchy, but the story is enjoyable. Too bad it’s short.
The plot and the characters are kind of sketchy, but the story is enjoyable. Too bad it’s short.
December 13, 2016
3 stars!
Okay, Photo Booth is quite difficult to rate. First of all, I really enjoyed the beginning – the author made me believe that the story was moving in a certain direction, just to prove me wrong. I liked the characters and the idea behind the plot, but I had the feeling that it was a little too ambitious for the shortness of the story. I think that this story would have worked way better with a little more space – it definitely has a lot of potential.
I however want to mention that the story completely ignores the prompt. I guess that it is sometimes really difficult to take into account all aspects mentioned in the prompt or present in the picture, but I think that it should always be possible to include most of them. The author’s idea seems to have developed in another direction and the wishes of the prompt have mostly been lost. I deduced one more star for this fact.
All in all, this was an enjoyable story with some weak points.
Okay, Photo Booth is quite difficult to rate. First of all, I really enjoyed the beginning – the author made me believe that the story was moving in a certain direction, just to prove me wrong. I liked the characters and the idea behind the plot, but I had the feeling that it was a little too ambitious for the shortness of the story. I think that this story would have worked way better with a little more space – it definitely has a lot of potential.
I however want to mention that the story completely ignores the prompt. I guess that it is sometimes really difficult to take into account all aspects mentioned in the prompt or present in the picture, but I think that it should always be possible to include most of them. The author’s idea seems to have developed in another direction and the wishes of the prompt have mostly been lost. I deduced one more star for this fact.
All in all, this was an enjoyable story with some weak points.
January 6, 2017
* 1 star *
Uhm, right... the prompt for this story was pretty much ignored. Too bad since the prompt was really interesting, hinting at some mysterious things happening.
And the guy at the bar
Disappointing.
A short story in the collection "Don't Read in the Closet, Volume One" from the MM Romance Group Hot Summer Event 2011.
Click HERE for the story online or HERE to download the whole collection for your reading device.
Prompt:
Uhm, right... the prompt for this story was pretty much ignored. Too bad since the prompt was really interesting, hinting at some mysterious things happening.
And the guy at the bar
Disappointing.
A short story in the collection "Don't Read in the Closet, Volume One" from the MM Romance Group Hot Summer Event 2011.
Click HERE for the story online or HERE to download the whole collection for your reading device.
Prompt:
March 10, 2015
***Read as part of the free Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One anthology. Story #17***
The story was... ok. Yeah, it had its flaws. But it was still enjoyable... IMO.
The prompt would have needed more space. For a short story it was just to complex. So it's not such a big surprise that the story felt rushed.
December 19, 2023
As a sample of his writing, I am sold. I will totally read some of his longer books now. This is a weird story that has a strange amount of plot for something so short, and most of the interesting stuff happens in someone else’s story tangent to this one. it is so odd. I found it incredibly endearing.
July 10, 2012
This was a good little short, although if it had been longer I would have felt more of a connection between the characters. It was really just lust, which is fine, but then stick with the HFN instead of trying to go for the HEA.
October 7, 2011
This story was part of the M/M Romance Groups' Hot Summer Days Event. I love these projects because it matches an M/M writer with a photo and a reader request. To view the photo and request that inspired this story click on the link below (Warning photo depicts hot cowboy in skivvies):
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
I think the author did a great job turning this photo into a snapshot within the story. I could picture this photo precisely while reading that portion. The story itself was a little bit erratic and seemed to jump from idea to idea without a really smooth flow.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
I think the author did a great job turning this photo into a snapshot within the story. I could picture this photo precisely while reading that portion. The story itself was a little bit erratic and seemed to jump from idea to idea without a really smooth flow.
July 24, 2011
Detials! Detials! and Detials! They make or break a story and they made it in this case. I didn't have to wonder because I was told which gave me a full visual to fall into. It had this old gumshoe with and updated twist feel to it. I could just here the gumshoe talking as I read the story and it made a stimulating visual in my head. It was that well written with a classical flow. It was sensual and I loved it.
November 29, 2014
Cute read
This was sweet delicious short read first by this author ..I would recommend this to anyone for a good read.
This was sweet delicious short read first by this author ..I would recommend this to anyone for a good read.
October 14, 2011
I really really liked this one. I only wish it were longer. Great characters and a fun short story
February 6, 2022
A good short story.
September 3, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it was brilliant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2015
Disappointing. The story doesn't follow the prompt and while the pic is used as a scene the character is supposed to be early 40's. He has aged well!
I've read several books by this author and enjoyed them all. I love the Mahu series and those are favorites.
This story didn't even feel like Neil's writing. There was no mystery and the answer to the employment problem was contrived and forced.
Since Neil doesn't write paranormal maybe he should have picked a different prompt.
I've read several books by this author and enjoyed them all. I love the Mahu series and those are favorites.
This story didn't even feel like Neil's writing. There was no mystery and the answer to the employment problem was contrived and forced.
Since Neil doesn't write paranormal maybe he should have picked a different prompt.
July 19, 2011
Awesome story Neil!
When I first saw this picture I thought it had a very noire feel to it, something about his silhouette in the glass of the door..
As I was reading this I was just totally blown away by how much the story fit exactly what I imagined.
You really brought that image to life!
When I first saw this picture I thought it had a very noire feel to it, something about his silhouette in the glass of the door..
As I was reading this I was just totally blown away by how much the story fit exactly what I imagined.
You really brought that image to life!
August 31, 2014
i have mixed feelings about this one...
because even through i liked the story, there didn't seem to be much of a plot... it could have been further developed to actually get to the HEA ...it just kind of felt just like a hole set up that would lead to sex,
i would have liked to see a little more than that...
because even through i liked the story, there didn't seem to be much of a plot... it could have been further developed to actually get to the HEA ...it just kind of felt just like a hole set up that would lead to sex,
i would have liked to see a little more than that...
July 31, 2011
So what do you get when you mix equal parts murder/mystery, a confident FBI agent, a down-on-his-luck cowboy, undeniable attraction, a job offer, and a budding romance? Well, a truly fantastic story of course! Loved all the unique elements of this one:) Great job!
April 26, 2016
Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
July 28, 2011
3.5 stars
Thanks for a great story Neil! I loved it. I thought it would end up in one direction when I started reading, but it ended up in another which was even better! :)
Thanks for a great story Neil! I loved it. I thought it would end up in one direction when I started reading, but it ended up in another which was even better! :)
November 6, 2011
Why so short? :(
September 11, 2016
3.25 stars
December 30, 2012
I really enjoyed this story!
August 13, 2013
This one leaves me wanting more.
September 20, 2013
This was ok. The sex was too quick. The writing was good though.
May 3, 2014
rating: 2.5/5
Scene served basically as set-up for sex. Great characters but there wasn't much of a plot.
Scene served basically as set-up for sex. Great characters but there wasn't much of a plot.
May 11, 2014
This was a great little story about a cowboy out of place in the city.
June 4, 2014
Short, direct story.
October 5, 2014
A very short story about a jobless cowboy, a sexy FBI agent and a non-mystery. At least we have a HEA, which is nice. I give this 3 unexciting stars
November 18, 2014
Short...but not thee best x
November 19, 2014
Sexy fun with a cowboy and a photo booth. Fun story, just wished it had of been longer.
September 30, 2016
Ride em cowboy!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews