"Aiming to Please" (in the anthology TENTED). by 'Nathan Burgoine

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Family day!

That's a holiday up here in Canada (or, rather, in some parts of Canada). Basically, the idea was to create a stat holiday where people spent time with their families. Fittingly enough, we went to go visit our goddaughter, Nyx, and her parents for a lovely hour or so. And we had Tim Hortons on the way, because - again - Canada.

Over the past couple of days, I've seen a couple of posts on Facebook and my Twitter feed from other writers talking about how lonely and isolated writing can be. I think I'm lucky on two fronts here. One, I have an uber-social day-job (the selling of books) which definitely uses up my social energy and makes being alone and quiet something I enjoy even more than the average introvert. Two, my experience as a writer hasn't been particularly lonely nor isolated.

It might be a facet of writing in the LGBT community. Between Lethe Press (the press behind today's Short Stories 365 pick) and Bold Strokes Books (the press behind most of the books in which I have a story, as well as my upcoming novel) and the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival I have an astounding feeling of family, support, and community.

Case in point, Tented. Edited by Jerry L. Wheeler, there was a dinner in New Orleans where I got to meet many of the contributors - it was the first time I got to sit down and really chat with quite a few of them, and it really settled into my mind the joy of anthology writing for me. It collects authors. And if you're really lucky, you get to meet them and form a network of talented people - people whose successes you can enjoy (and help boost) and who are right where you are. Having someone to chat with - digitally or nay - about the foibles of writing and publishing is priceless.

"Charlie Does the Big Top," by Hank Edwards

Bringing a character from his "Fluffers Inc." novel to the circus, Hank Edwards adds a wonderful chuckle to the mix of Tented. Charlie is a hapless character, whose oral talents never fail to - uh - get a rise from those he's helping get ready for a shoot, and the porn company he works with is doing a circus themed video.

That the director hates him, and Charlie has been known to perhaps botch things somewhat is a fun mix that - of course - leads to some sexy and silly mishaps. Charlie is a fun character, and "Charlie Does the Big Top" is a fun story. And if you enjoy him, there are three Fluffers Inc. novels to dive into.