No Strings Attached

by W.M. Fawkes

José Velásquez has no ideas for his senior project, but when his classmate trades him a giant block of white pine for scrap metal, it’s almost too easy to carve out a fantastic sculpture. From the wood, José pulls the legendary Maya warrior Tecún Umán. It’s José’s best work, but how much credit can he take for the creation of a wooden man who steps off the block on his own? To get through his last exhibition, José must find an artistic voice uniquely his own or risk losing Tecún forever.

This Pinocchio retelling was originally published as "Baile de la Marionetta" in Once Upon a Rainbow, Vol. 3.

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, Romance

ebook

First published July 2, 2018

About the author

W.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

ok but a little weird

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars
Not my favorite story by this author, but still fun.

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until half way through the short story, I wasn't sure if Jose would be Pygmalion or Gepeto. A very clever mating scene solved that puzzle. Nice take on a classic.

[Lillian Francis]

Okay. It's not his nose that grows when he lies.

RTF