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Love, Loss, Laughter & Lust
We’ve all loved.
We’ve all laughed.
Sadly, we’ve also probably all known loss in one form or another.
And, yes, we at Wayward Ink are sure we’ve all experienced lust!
In Love, Loss, Laughter & Lust, you'll experience one or more of the "L"s as we take you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Whether you like to sigh over the sweet, cry for the broken-hearted, enjoy a good laugh, or get a little hot and bothered; there's something for everyone in this collection.
Stories
His Prince Wore Pink Stilettos by Julie Lynn Hayes
Invisible by Taylin Clavelli
Hearts by Anyta Sunday
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli
Life According to Buddy by Lily Velden
Service with a Smile by Lily G. Blunt
Hunter or Hunted? by Lily Velden
About the Author
A born and raised New Zealander, Anyta Sunday has been exploring the literary world since she start reading Roald Dahl as a kid. Inspired, stories have been piling up in her head ever since. Fast forward to her mid-twenties and jump a few countries (Germany, America, and back again), and she started putting pen to paper. When she’s not writing or chasing her kid around, she’s reading, hiking, watching Joss Whedon series, attempting pilates, or curling up with her two cats. Updates on her projects can be found on her website.
Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two, writing by the age of nine, and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after.
She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint, and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet.
Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all. Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, Amber Quill Press, MuseitUp Publishing, Torquere Press, and eXtasy Books, and coming soon to Wayward Ink Publishing and Prizm Publishing. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.
Lily Velden lives on the east coast of Australia, her family having emigrated from Holland when she was a child.
She’s both a left and right brain person, holding qualifications in both Finance and Fine Arts. She tells her friends that her way with numbers will make her a profitable artist and writer… one day.
Lily has always had a love of language and a beautifully crafted sentence, and admits to having a fetish for collecting quotes, poems, and song lyrics. What she won’t admit to is how many notebooks she’s filled with those quotes… Her fascination carries on into her artworks where she often incorporates text. When a shoulder injury slowed down her art practice she decided to explore her love of the written word more fully and began writing. “I’ll paint my pictures with words.
We’ve all laughed.
Sadly, we’ve also probably all known loss in one form or another.
And, yes, we at Wayward Ink are sure we’ve all experienced lust!
In Love, Loss, Laughter & Lust, you'll experience one or more of the "L"s as we take you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Whether you like to sigh over the sweet, cry for the broken-hearted, enjoy a good laugh, or get a little hot and bothered; there's something for everyone in this collection.
Stories
His Prince Wore Pink Stilettos by Julie Lynn Hayes
Invisible by Taylin Clavelli
Hearts by Anyta Sunday
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli
Life According to Buddy by Lily Velden
Service with a Smile by Lily G. Blunt
Hunter or Hunted? by Lily Velden
About the Author
A born and raised New Zealander, Anyta Sunday has been exploring the literary world since she start reading Roald Dahl as a kid. Inspired, stories have been piling up in her head ever since. Fast forward to her mid-twenties and jump a few countries (Germany, America, and back again), and she started putting pen to paper. When she’s not writing or chasing her kid around, she’s reading, hiking, watching Joss Whedon series, attempting pilates, or curling up with her two cats. Updates on her projects can be found on her website.
Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two, writing by the age of nine, and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after.
She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint, and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet.
Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all. Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, Amber Quill Press, MuseitUp Publishing, Torquere Press, and eXtasy Books, and coming soon to Wayward Ink Publishing and Prizm Publishing. She has also begun to self-publish and is an editor at MuseitUp.
Lily Velden lives on the east coast of Australia, her family having emigrated from Holland when she was a child.
She’s both a left and right brain person, holding qualifications in both Finance and Fine Arts. She tells her friends that her way with numbers will make her a profitable artist and writer… one day.
Lily has always had a love of language and a beautifully crafted sentence, and admits to having a fetish for collecting quotes, poems, and song lyrics. What she won’t admit to is how many notebooks she’s filled with those quotes… Her fascination carries on into her artworks where she often incorporates text. When a shoulder injury slowed down her art practice she decided to explore her love of the written word more fully and began writing. “I’ll paint my pictures with words.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2014
About the author
Julie Lynn Hayes
78 books102 followersJulie Lynn Hayes was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, and still calls that city home. She first began to write over fifty years ago, and doesn’t see that stopping anytime soon. She likes to write in different genres, to stretch herself in order to see what is possible. When someone tells her something can’t be done, she feels compelled to do it. Much of her writing is in the m/m romance category.
When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!
You can contact Julie at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.
When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!
You can contact Julie at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 7, 2015
His Prince Wore Pink Stilettos by Julie Lynn Hayes - 2 stars
A bit boring, I skimmed fairly but the last page is sweet.
Invisible by Taylin Clavelli - 2 stars
A tear-jerker, originality is not its name.
Hearts by Anyta Sunday - 3.5 stars
Very well written. The despair of the first part is oppressive, and that is a compliment.
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon - 3 stars
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli - 3 stars
Too similar to Hearts.
Love According to Buddy by Lily Velden - 4 stars
Smiles and giggles are inevitable.
Service With a Smile by Lily G. Blunt - 2 stars
So predictable, half a page and I knew it. but it's hot.
Hunter or Hunted? by Lily Velden - 2.5 stars
I don't know it, it's sexy but it doesn't have enough feeling for me, for months everything hovers around the mutual desire and except a few cues toward the ending, it doesn't seem that the MCs know each other beyond that desire of screwing one another
A bit boring, I skimmed fairly but the last page is sweet.
Invisible by Taylin Clavelli - 2 stars
A tear-jerker, originality is not its name.
Hearts by Anyta Sunday - 3.5 stars
Very well written. The despair of the first part is oppressive, and that is a compliment.
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon - 3 stars
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli - 3 stars
Too similar to Hearts.
Love According to Buddy by Lily Velden - 4 stars
Smiles and giggles are inevitable.
Service With a Smile by Lily G. Blunt - 2 stars
So predictable, half a page and I knew it. but it's hot.
Hunter or Hunted? by Lily Velden - 2.5 stars
I don't know it, it's sexy but it doesn't have enough feeling for me, for months everything hovers around the mutual desire and except a few cues toward the ending, it doesn't seem that the MCs know each other beyond that desire of screwing one another
June 24, 2014
Loved this anthology from Wayward Ink which was sent to me by a certain Australian author a few weeks ago. Many of my fave authors including Anyta Sunday, Andy Q Gordon and Lily herself feature in this one, as well as new 'faces' to me such as Taylin Clavelli, Julie Lynn Hayes and my old friend Bob...Lily G Blunt. A big smooch to all of you and 4.5 stars from me.
Read
June 22, 2014Have a short story in this anthology. :)
"Hearts."
"Hearts."
Read
March 15, 2020This was a fairly even set of stories -- I didn't love or hate any of them.
As far as the title topics went, Laughter seemed weak -- there was only one story, and it was more "Ha, this is a funny concept" rather than actually amusing.
Several stories felt more mature than I'm used to from the romance genre -- older characters looking back at early crushes or failed relationships or deceased spouses. I think I'd be most likely to recommend this to a reader who was looking for that type of theme.
As far as the title topics went, Laughter seemed weak -- there was only one story, and it was more "Ha, this is a funny concept" rather than actually amusing.
Several stories felt more mature than I'm used to from the romance genre -- older characters looking back at early crushes or failed relationships or deceased spouses. I think I'd be most likely to recommend this to a reader who was looking for that type of theme.
September 1, 2014
Rating for Anyta Sunday story only.
May 10, 2020
His Prince Wore Pink Stilettos - 3.25 stars (sweet ending)
Invisible - 3.5 stars (sweet, but not very memorable)
Hearts - 4.5 stars (The premise was quite nice)
A Closed Door - 4.5 stars (I liked the characters)
Sleepwalking - 3.25 stars (I liked the beginning more than the ending)
Life According to Buddy - 2.25 stars (weird and not very funny)
Service With A Smile - 2.75 stars (nothing terribly special)
Hunter or Hunted? - 3.5 stars (interesting concept)
Invisible - 3.5 stars (sweet, but not very memorable)
Hearts - 4.5 stars (The premise was quite nice)
A Closed Door - 4.5 stars (I liked the characters)
Sleepwalking - 3.25 stars (I liked the beginning more than the ending)
Life According to Buddy - 2.25 stars (weird and not very funny)
Service With A Smile - 2.75 stars (nothing terribly special)
Hunter or Hunted? - 3.5 stars (interesting concept)
October 23, 2014
In this short story, we meet established couple Sean and David. They have been together for years, through David working towards being an ER physician, while Sean works from home. Unfortunately, David’s job is taking its toll on the relationship and Sean isn’t sure what to do about it.
Told in a back and forth POV, we get to see both Sean and David’s side of the story. The problem is noticed by Sean, who can’t understand why David falls asleep on the couch instead of coming to bed after work. Seems so simple, doesn’t it? Like it should be no big deal. Except, it is a big deal. The writing here is so realistic that I could feel Sean’s pain.
It takes something huge for David to begin to realize what he’s lost and something nearly cataclysmic to get them on the path to recovery. It isn’t easy, by any means.
This is such well-written short that seems so complete, a short glimpse into the trouble a couple can have, and the change that can happen when you love someone enough.
Told in a back and forth POV, we get to see both Sean and David’s side of the story. The problem is noticed by Sean, who can’t understand why David falls asleep on the couch instead of coming to bed after work. Seems so simple, doesn’t it? Like it should be no big deal. Except, it is a big deal. The writing here is so realistic that I could feel Sean’s pain.
It takes something huge for David to begin to realize what he’s lost and something nearly cataclysmic to get them on the path to recovery. It isn’t easy, by any means.
This is such well-written short that seems so complete, a short glimpse into the trouble a couple can have, and the change that can happen when you love someone enough.
January 23, 2015
THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE SHORT STORY
LIFE ACCORDING TO BUDDY
Absolutely hysterical - if I wasn't giggling, I was snorting. If I wasn't doing that, I was cackling. Fourteen pages of life according to penis - or should I say, Buddy. Complete with a cast of characters (YES, it is listed in the beginning), this catalogues Buddy's journey to, you guessed it, the love tunnel. Buddy considers himself to be polite and smart (MENSA material if he does say so himself), and is only too happy to tell his tale.
Ridiculously funny, amazingly insightful, and just all around entertaining, Lily Velden has hit a home run with this one. Five side splitting hearts for Buddy and his story - If you ever wondered what went through a penis' brain (because we all know they have one), or just want to laugh out loud for a few, this is the story for you.
. ** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **
LIFE ACCORDING TO BUDDY
Absolutely hysterical - if I wasn't giggling, I was snorting. If I wasn't doing that, I was cackling. Fourteen pages of life according to penis - or should I say, Buddy. Complete with a cast of characters (YES, it is listed in the beginning), this catalogues Buddy's journey to, you guessed it, the love tunnel. Buddy considers himself to be polite and smart (MENSA material if he does say so himself), and is only too happy to tell his tale.
Ridiculously funny, amazingly insightful, and just all around entertaining, Lily Velden has hit a home run with this one. Five side splitting hearts for Buddy and his story - If you ever wondered what went through a penis' brain (because we all know they have one), or just want to laugh out loud for a few, this is the story for you.
. ** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **
September 22, 2014
I only read some of the stories in this anthology, but I guess the ones I likes the most were the stories about loss.
His Prince Wore Pink Stillettos by Julie Lynn Hayes – 2.75 stars.
Hearts by Anyta Sunday – 3.5 stars.
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon – 3.5 stars.
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli – 3.5 stars.
His Prince Wore Pink Stillettos by Julie Lynn Hayes – 2.75 stars.
Hearts by Anyta Sunday – 3.5 stars.
A Closed Door by Andrew Q. Gordon – 3.5 stars.
Sleepwalking by Taylin Clavelli – 3.5 stars.
December 10, 2014
I haven't read the whole anthology, just Anyta Sunday's story from it, Hearts...it's not on GR as a book in it's own right. Another lovely offering from this author, the blossoming of new love against the grey of old despair. A great short read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews