Bøger udgivet af Frank W. Butterfield

Join Nick and Carter and all the gang in a tale of murder and wine, family and betrayal, and how secrets can destroy the thing they're designed to protect.Sunday, August 6, 1972 It's a warm summer's day up in Sonoma and Nick and Carter are in the Cougar and on their way to lunch at a local winery. Merka Wines has been one of the big suppliers for Hopkins Hotels for quite some time. But Nick has never met old Paul Merka and his family and is looking forward to finally getting a chance to do so. After a delicious four-course meal, Paul takes Nick and Carter out for a walk through the vineyards. Before they get very far, though, they stumble across a dead body. It doesn't take long before the family circles the wagons and attempts to prevent Nick from doing what he should as a licensed private investigator. And that's only the beginning of what turns out to be quite a tragic tale. Will Nick and Carter be able to stop the tragedy from spreading before everything is lost? Read the mystery of The Vicious Vintner and find out! * * * Some mysteries can't be solved in just a few days or weeks or months, even. This epic tale takes us from California to France to Chile and back again. Spanning a lot of history from 1972 through to 1983, we make several stops along the way.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my fifth (OMG!) romantical adventure with my newish husband, Whit Hall. It's Thanksgiving, the day before my birthday (a young 53, thank you very much) and Whit has something up his sleeve. Turns out, he's decided to surprise me with a trip to La Serena, a quaint seaside town in Chile, where I used to live when I was an exchange student back in the old days of 1982 (two years before Whit was born, as a matter of fact). I'm... well... I'm not quite as thrilled as he thinks I should be, but I tell him that I'm sure it will all turn out just fine. What he doesn't know, because it hasn't ever come up, is that La Serena is still the home of my dreaded high school nemesis: Anabela Damjani¿. To say we have some history would be a massive understatement. What Whit also doesn't know is that Anabela's twin brother, Ramiro, was my first serious crush. I, um, have sorta stalked him on the socials and he's divorced and looking more handsome than he ever did with those dreamy periwinkle blue eyes and devilish grin. Well, anyway, I gotta go. Whit's waiting for me. We're on our way to a party being thrown in my honor and, well, I'm really worried about what might happen... It's nice that everyone went to so much trouble and late spring by the Pacific on my birthday brings back fond memories, but... What I really want to do is to go home to Daytona Beach and start looking for a Christmas tree and lights and ornaments and think happy thoughts over hot chocolate... But I, uh, can't wait to find out what happens next... I think. * * * This is a novel the runs to about 46K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my fourth romantical adventure with my new husband, Whit Hall. We just moved. Again... I know... We bought a house that's in the middle of Daytona Beach, as a matter of fact. It's over a hundred years old but, as far as I can tell, there aren't any ghosts, so that's good. Also, Whit and I both love the place. There's been a weird glitch, though. Seems like the contractor Whit hired to install a smart home system used a guy in Romania to do all the programming and, um, we woke up one morning and the heater was on. It's late August in Daytona Beach and that's not cool... so to speak. Someone also cleaned out the contractor's bank account and that really sucks. Did I mention there's a hurricane heading our way? Well, there is. And it's looking like a monster. My intuition says we can stay put even though the city will probably want us to evacuate. But we never do anything the way we're supposed to, so... we may be in for a wild and windy ride! We'll be fine. Or, at least, I think we will. Whit had the contractor install two generators. So that's good. Ooh! Gotta go. Whit wants to put all the outdoor furniture in the garage before it gets too windy here on the beachside. I'll keep you posted on how things go down with Dorian... That's the name of hurricane, by the way, not my friend in Orlando. That's Darío... He and his husband are doing great, also by the way. OK! Gotta run! As always, I can't wait to find out what happens next! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 98K words.

Thursday, November 25, 2021 Having just bought Medina Dairy from the Feds, Whit and Eddie decide to have a family Thanksgiving in the part of the old ranch house that survived the recent fire. What could be more fun than having a big feast with family who're flying in from as far away as Kyiv? Well, actually... While Eddie cooks dishes from their childhood, Whit gets things set up at the ranch house. Everything is going along swimmingly until a judge decides the day before the holiday would be a good time to grant access to the tapes of a certain former president's reality TV show. They just happened to be owned by Whit and Eddie (they did buy MGM, after all). The death threats start oozing in like Whit's famous nacho cheese sauce and the canyon goes into lockdown. No one can leave and no one can come in. And that's when the real fun begins! You think your holiday get-togethers are nerve-wracking? Grab your popcorn and have a seat. This is gonna be one heck of a ride! * * * This is a novella that runs to about 29K words.

Whit and Eddie are riding out a hurricane when an unexpected guest ends up with a knife in the back. And they're locked in with the killer! Wednesday, November 9, 2022 After a big win for the Matadors in Jacksonville, Whit and Eddie are spending a few days in Daytona Beach before heading back to San Antonio. They're in town to check on the buildings that were damaged during the last hurricane. And, just as they arrive, the weatherman announces another hurricane is on its way. Time to load up and head back to Texas. But something tells Eddie not to get on the plane. So, he doesn't. Nor does Whit. In spite of official warnings to evacuate, the two hunker down with a small handful of operatives. But then unwanted company comes to call bringing a dark secret as a hostess gift. Trapped inside their beach fortress, Whit and Eddie face yet another death and a murderer who's trapped inside with them. Will there be a morning after the storm? * * * This is a novel that runs to about 78K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my first romantical adventure with my new boyfriend, Whit Hall. I'm 52 and a big bear of a guy. Whit is 35 and a tall, muscled retired pro football player. Apparently, opposites do attract! Funny thing is, though... Whit knows more about classic movies than me and, it turns out, he loves 70s music as much as I do... Maybe we're not so different, after all... Anyway, we're here on Mo'orea, the island next door to Tahiti, and it's amazing! We've got a nice bungalow over a beautiful harbor and, well, it's beyond romantic... What you might not know is that Whit and I have only known each other for a few days. And, even though we had a rocky start, the topic of marriage has already come up. Too soon? Probably... And like the song says, we're getting to know each other... Only thing is... There's this guy who's following us around the island and he might be taking pics of us because, well, it's a big deal when Whit Hall, only son of a big-time megachurch preacher who hangs with Trump, turns out to be gay... I hope the internet doesn't find out! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 93K words.

Monday, February 14, 2022 Whit and Eddie are just getting back into Daytona Beach after attending the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. Even though the Matadors turned their season around and got closer than anyone might have imagined, they didn't make it all the way. Maybe next year! Meanwhile, filming is underway on the long-delayed feature, It Was Raining Then. Interiors are being shot at Monumental-Daytona and Eddie is back in town just in time to watch the setup for the pivotal sex scene before cast and crew depart for Kauai to shoot the exteriors on the very same beach where South Pacific was once filmed. In the middle of all this, Whit and Eddie both realize they've forgotten about Valentine's Day. Again! Repeating what they did a few years earlier, Whit quickly organizes a dinner cruise down the Halifax River with their friends Howard and Ronnie as well as the star of the movie and his husband, the producer. That enchanted evening turns out to be a pebble that starts an avalanche. Whit's life is about to be upended in ways that no one is expecting, not even Eddie and his ghost friends. This story starts off in Daytona Beach, moves east, and ends in Poland, just across the river from Ukraine. As usual with our cowboy and his little bear, it's a wild ride full of unexpected twists and turns some of which come out of nowhere and some of which are hardly surprising. In the end, though, the love Whit and Eddie share only deepens, becoming more real and solid and, above all things, more tested and enduring than either man would have ever thought possible. * * * WARNING! This is a sappy love story! No crimes will be investigated nor will any bombs be going off or anything like that. You've been given fair notice. Proceed with caution. * * * ABOUT THE SERIES: THE ROMANTICAL ADVENTURES OF WHIT & EDDIE Howdy! I'm Eddie. Whit and I have fallen in love way too fast. We're jumping into our new life together in ways that no one with a lick of sense should ever do. Woo hoo! This is going to be fun! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 102K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my second romantical adventure with my new boyfriend, Whit Hall. Well, we're back in Daytona Beach and have been for about five weeks. After everything went down with Whit's family in East Texas, it sure has been nice just to be here, getting to know each other more and more every day. Mostly, we've been watching old Perry Mason episodes on DVD and eating lots of pizza. But Whit has been going to the gym every day. I go too... Sometimes... Anyway... We woke up this morning and were both freezing! We just had a cold snap. They're rare in North Central Florida, but they do happen. And, on top of all that, the heater has gone out. But, cuddled up next to Whit is keeping us both warm, so I guess it might be not so bad. You know how weird it is when you thought someone was dead but then you find out they aren't? Kinda freaky, right? Well, that's what's just happened. See, there's this guy who used to be a private detective here in town with his husband who was an attorney. And that was way back in the day. They left Daytona in the 50s and moved down to Fort Lauderdale. I think they were required to do so by the gay committee or something like that. Anyway, I just got a call from a guy who says that Ronnie Grisham (he's the private eye I mentioned) is not only alive, but he's living in a big house over on the beachside. Not only that, he's 102 years old and he wants to see me. Wow! Whit and I are on our way over right now. I have a feeling something big is about to go down. I can't wait to find out what happens next! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 82K words.

Monday, July 4, 2022 It's the Fourth of July and Whit and Eddie suddenly find themselves back in the good ole U. S. of A. just in time for a pool party in Daytona Beach. Waking up in time to see the dawn from the back patio of their brand-new house on the beach is a wonderful way to start the day. But then a wayward beach ball suddenly causes the day to take a turn for the irritating as they meet four guys who aren't quite as thrilled to meet Whit and Eddie as one might expect. Being the richest men in the world doesn't guarantee undying affection, after all. In fact, it can mean the exact opposite and does more often than not. In any event, the day continues and brings friends and family poolside for a festive gathering. It's all fun and games until the phone rings and it's the Daytona Beach police. A man seen entering Whit and Eddie's house earlier has been found murdered and the most likely suspect is the man's husband. The questions keep piling up. Is the husband who he claims to be? Who dumped the body and why? How was he really killed? Why was the body left right by Whit & Eddie's house? None of the answers are obvious until the one key slides into place and the whole truth comes rushing out. * * * This is a novel that runs to about 144K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my third romantical adventure with my new husband, Whit Hall. OMG! Can you believe we got married? Well, anyway, we did and it's been three and change mostly blissful months and, well, that thing that everyone asks us about still hasn't happened... Not that I'm in any sort of rush. Whit and I still have lots of fun in all sorts of, uh, creative ways. In case you're wondering, the world's oldest teenager, Ronnie Grisham, is still alive and butting his nose in other people's business, namely mine and Whit's. Now he's got it in his head that we need to move even though we just bought a house in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona. Kids these days... Watcha gonna do? Meanwhile, that made-for-TV movie that everyone's been talkin' about is set to start shooting in a day or two in a place called Hope (LOL) up in British Columbia. Because, you know, this kinda movie always gets made in Canada. To get ready for his close-up, Whit's been down in Miami working with a touchy-feely guy who's been giving him a crash course in how to act in front of a camera. He's driving back up right now and is due home any moment, so I can't talk for long. Let's see... Was there anything else I wanted to mention? Oh, right! Well... Whit's nervous. Of course. And I'm trying to help him relax. And my friends in Orlando still think I've lost my mind and that I got married and bought a house too fast. That doesn't keep them away from the pool and the great view of the river, though. And my mom is doing fine in Austin. Whit's mom has been on radio silence even though she's been to see President Trump. Twice. Oh well... Ooh! Gotta go. Whit just texted that he's about ten minutes away. I'm so excited about going to Canada and watching Whit become a movie star. Woo hoo! I can't wait to find out what happens next! * * * This is a short novel that runs to about 43K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my ninth romantical adventure with my husband, Whit Hall. We're in San Francisco, having a breakfast of scrambled eggs and chicken fried steak, when we get wind of the latest article about us in the paper. Daytona, it seems, now was four billionaires based on that annual list thingie. And we're two of the four. Neither Whit nor I want to know the number we're at. It's not really our money, after all... However, on that same morning, we also find out that some juicy details we've been waiting for have arrived. They're all about the mysterious 1948 trial that our favorite centenarian, Ronnie Grisham, was involved in back in the day. So, we're hopping on Big Bertha and flying back to Daytona Beach to do some checking around. We're hoping to only be gone for a day or two. This should be pretty easy to wrap up... Right? Oh! And did I mention the football draft? It's next week and Whit's dealing with all that mess. He's kinda stressed out about things after the Matadors had a lousy 2020 season. Kinda like everyone else... OK, gotta go! Whit's waiting for me back in our cabin so we can fool around! This is gonna be fun! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 94K words

Saturday, July 17, 2021 Whit and Eddie are at their place in San Antonio, having moved there for the upcoming Matadors football season, and are throwing a pool party for family and friends. While Eddie's mother is whipping up a massive amount of cole slaw from an old family recipe, Whit is outside trying to figure out how their new (and also massive) gas grill actually works. That evening, after everyone's gone home, Whit receives a distressing call from his mother. His Aunt Sherry has unexpectedly passed away. This is just the first of a series of unexpected events that bring all sorts of, uh, well, interesting people back into their lives. Some are crazy and delightful while some are just crazy. Meanwhile, there's a wedding coming up for their two best friends and Whit and Eddie will be glad to get there because, after all, it's nice to be somewhere and not be the center of attention for a change. Right? * * * CAUTION: This book is just your run-of-the-mill billionaires-in-love, football-player-adores-his-chubby-bear-husband kind of romantic slice-of-life story!No one dies (well, other than poor Aunt Sherry) and no one gets shot at (well, not really) and there's no one being tracked (well, you know, other than Whit and Eddie). There is a cool vintage car (that's bumpy and doesn't take curves well), a wacky grandmother (with one helluva hot husband), and a cousin who may or may not need counseling (and a refresher course in how to steer a boat). Also, be on the lookout for a working paddleboat, a handful of very special guest stars, and a conspiracy (which isn't always a bad thing). * * * This is a novel that runs to 71K words.

Monday, October 4, 2021 Well, folks... there's sadness in San Antonio. The Matadors are coming off a crushing blow. They just lost, lost bad, to the Bills up in Buffalo. It was a wipeout. Whit's taking it hard. After consulting with the team's GM, they decide to move practice to the training camp in Kerrville, out in the Texas Hill Country. Maybe that will help buck up the players and the staff and re-focus their efforts. In the meantime, Eddie accidentally discovers they own a bull! His name is Ferdinand. And he's just as sweet as his namesake. And smart, too! Ferdinand has grown up grazing the idyllic fields of a local dairy. It looks like something out of a movie! It isn't long, however, before Eddie realizes that things are not what they seem in this little piece of heaven. When the owner is murdered, no one can figure out who did it and why. Will Whit and Eddie find the real killer before fingers start pointing in their direction? * * * ABOUT THE SERIES: THE ROMANTICAL ADVENTURES OF WHIT & EDDIE Howdy! I'm Eddie. Whit and I have fallen in love way too fast. We're jumping into our new life together in ways that no one with a lick of sense should ever do. Woo hoo! This is going to be fun! * * * This is a novel of about 71K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my seventh romantical adventure with my husband, Whit Hall. Well, we just bought another house. Yes! Again! This one is north of downtown San Antonio and is more secure than Whit's house in King William which is why we bought it. We've decided to spend the 2020 Matador football season in San Antonio. That way we're not going back and forth from Daytona Beach for the home games. Considering everything that's going on, it just seems like the right thing to do. But the first day we have to really settle in turns out to be the beginning of a wild ride. First off, Whit and I inadvertently kick off a storm of controversy during an interview... Then, my mother decides to escape quarantine in Austin and come stay with us... Finally, Whit's mother shows up out of the blue after dropping a major bombshell during her Sunday sermon up in Longview... And her arrival is just the outer band of the hurricane bearing down on us. It's been stirring for some time. And we had no idea. Hold on to your hats, folks, this is gonna be one heck of a wild ride! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 96K words.

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my eighth romantical adventure with my husband, Whit Hall. Well, we're back in Daytona Beach after spending the football season in San Antonio. Unfortunately, the Matadors came close to winning a lot of games, but ended up near the bottom of the pile in the league. Whit isn't happy about that, as you can imagine. On a brighter note, two of our friends stop by to give us the wonderful news that they're getting married! Yay! Since he's distracted with the team, Whit isn't his usually affirming and positive self when he gets the news about the upcoming happy event... So we head over to make amends with our friends and, while we're there... Let me just say it gets intense! I don't want to give anything away, but our lives take a hard and unexpected hit. In order to find out who did the deed, Whit and I end up taking charge of the investigation in our own particular ways. Along the way, we both begin to seriously question what the heck we're doing as the unprepared and unexpected billionaires we are. And, as we soon discover, we're not the only ones who feel this way... Will we chuck it all and start over? I have no idea! * * * The is a novel that runs to about 82K words.

It's June of 1947 and the Spanish moss is twirling in the sea breeze beneath the limbs of a massive live oak somewhere in Daytona Beach, the World's Most Famous... And Tom Jarrell is having a hard time coping with each day. He's recently been made a widower, having lost his wife and daughter (Sarah and Missy) in an accident out on the DeLand Highway back in April. Fortunately, his good friend, Ronnie Grisham, is keeping an eye on his ole pal, making sure he eats and deposits the insurance checks in the bank when they come in. And, thanks to Sarah's foresight, two or three have shown up in the mail. Finally, Tom manages to get himself together and takes the train north to visit his grieving in-laws and check into a sanitarium in Wisconsin to get help with his profound sense of loss and the fact that he's turned to drink to help numb the pain. Six weeks later, Tom is back. He feels like a new man. And, on the advice of his friend, Ronnie, he decides to open up an office on Beach Street in downtown Daytona and put out his shingle as a lawyer. One day, as Tom is dictating another letter to Allied Southern Insurance up in Nashville, Howie Kirkpatrick walks in the door. The kid, who is probably 21, if that, looks like he's been through the wringer. He's sunburned, needs a shave, and has a problem he hopes Tom Jarrell can help him with.He's not sure, but he thinks he just might have killed his best friend, Skipper Johnson, out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.Howie's arrival is like a pebble that starts an avalanche. Dark secrets in sunny Daytona Beach are about to be revealed and who knows what might happen when they are. * * *Where Perry Mason meets Flamingo Road with a gay twist! Set in the sultry south and by the beach, the Daytona Beach series of novels are about Tom Jarrell, an attorney who's just starting his own private practice, and Ronnie Grisham, Tom's private eye, long-term friend, and new-found lover. These stories begin with Tom and Ronnie finding each other after a devastating loss and continue as the two men bring together a kind of family that neither of them could have ever imagined having. Come take a stroll along the World's Most Famous Beach right after the Second World War. Truman is president, the men are home from Europe and the Pacific, and the Red Scare is just getting started. It's a time and a place that no longer exists. Take a dive in and see if you might wanna stay for a while. * * * "Butterfield transports the reader to post-World War II America with his distinctive narrative and diligent research in this new and wholly clever series starring an attorney and his private detective lover. Heartfelt, honest, and sharp storytelling by a well-respected voice in the gay mystery genre."-C.S. Poe, Lambda Literary Award finalist author of the Snow & Winter series * * * Series: Daytona Beach Book #150K words

May 11, 1953 Nick Williams, a private investigator in San Francisco, receives a late-night call that his sister is dying following a freak car accident. After rushing over to the hospital with Carter Jones, a fireman and the love of his life, he arrives just in time to say good-bye to the last member of his Nob Hill family he could stand to be around. Once the cops get a chance to take a look at the car, it becomes obvious this was no accident. It was murder. And, with that, Nick is hot on the trail to bring his sister's killer to justice. And it's a trail that reveals plenty of surprising secrets about his sister and their family. Will Nick be able to find the murderer and stop them before they can strike again? Find out in the fast-paced adventures of the case of THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS! * * * In 1953, the richest homosexual in San Francisco is a private investigator. Nick Williams lives in a modest bungalow with his fireman husband, a sweet fellow from Georgia by the name of Carter Jones. Nick's gem of a secretary, Marnie Wilson, is worried that Nick isn't working enough. She knits a lot. Jeffrey Klein, Esquire, is Nick's friend and lawyer. He represents the guys and gals who get caught in police raids in the Tenderloin. Lt. Mike Robertson is Nick's first love and best friend. He's a good guy who's one hell of a cop. The Unexpected Heiress is where their stories begin. Read along and fall in love with the City where cable cars climb halfway to the stars. Long before the Summer of Love, pride parades down Market Street, and the fight for marriage equality, San Francisco was all about the Red Scare, F.B.I. investigations, yellow journalism run amok, and the ladies who play mahjong over tea. * * * Series: A Nick Williams Mystery #137k words

Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my sixth (sixth!) romantical adventure with my husband, Whit Hall. We just celebrated our first anniversary a couple of weeks ago by spending some quality time at our beach house in Sonoma County. A year! Can you believe it? Anyway... It's the day before St. Patrick's Day, and... Wait. Would that be St. Patrick's Day Eve? Ahem... You might know this, because I didn't, but this is the time of the year when the football teams do trades and contracts and such. Of course, I have no clue what any of that means. What I do know is that Whit, being the new owner of the San Antonio Matadors, is a little, shall we say, tense. I'm doing the best I can to help him, which is mostly by staying out of the way. But then his tension rises a whole heck of a lot when he stumbles across a dead body here in Daytona Beach... And then he gets jealous of the police lieutenant who's working the case... So... There's a lot going on here as you can probably imagine. Anyway, I gotta run! Whit's upstairs in his office and pissed off about not getting the wide receiver or quarterback or whomever he was hoping for. The socials, as you might imagine, are not being kind. And I'm about to hop in the police lieutenant's car... He's asked for my help, not that I have any to offer. What do I know about dead bodies other than what I've seen on Perry Mason and Law & Order? I'm sure this is going to work out really well. Not! But, as always, I can't wait to find out what happens next! * * * This is a novel that runs to about 79K words.

Thursday, July 22, 1954 Marnie Wilson, age 34, has finally been asked for her hand in marriage by a man she truly and deeply loves: the tall, handsome, and dashing Alex LeBeau. They've been seeing each other for a while and, last night, he got down on bended knee and asked the question. Marnie squealed a little and then happily exclaimed, "Yes!" Now, over lunch, she's telling her mother, Mrs. Leticia Williams, all about it. Upon hearing what should be wonderful news, Marnie's mother (a recent bride herself) is suddenly not hungry and doesn't finish her luncheon meal of scallops and creamed spinach, even though it's her favorite. What, exactly, could be the matter? Little does Marnie know that the announcement of her upcoming nuptials might very well coincide with the uncovering of a scandal, long buried and mostly forgotten. When news gets out about this hidden truth, their nemesis, George Hearst of the San Francisco Examiner, will likely be dining out on the revelations until he's dead and buried! Will wedding bells ring? Will Marnie keep her promise to her beloved? And what about the honeymoon? All this, and more, are waiting to be discovered within the pages of The Bride Wore White: A Wedding Novel! * * * This novel runs to be about 46K words.

You're invited to the wedding of 1954! Dr. Parnell Robert Williams, M.D., invites you to attend the ceremony at Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the 17th of April. There he will wed Leticia Rose Wilson and she will be his beloved bride. Or maybe not... Comes Thursday, the 8th, and with only nine days to go, Lettie (the bride-to-be) is having wedding jitters. She begs her soon-to-be husband to skip all the pomp and circumstance and elope to Las Vegas. With the church cancelled and the reception at the Pacific Union Club called off-it looks like the nuptials will be a quickie at the Western Stars Wedding Chapel on Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. Unless Lettie changes her mind... Which she does... Can Nick, Carter, and Marnie pull together a wedding in just three days? They just might be able to do so with some help from the private dicks at Consolidated Security, a pair of lady couples from Eureka Valley, and a couple of female illusionists from the Tenderloin. Maybe the social event of the season just might turn out to be a success after all... Fingers crossed! * * * This is a novella that runs to about 26K words.

The enchanted story of an unusual romance in a very normal time. San Francisco. 1947. The war is over and the boys are home. Nick Williams, a native of the City, served in the Navy during the war. Now he lives with his lover Jeffery Klein, Esq., in Jeffery's house. He knows he needs to move on, but he can't. Not yet at least. Carter Jones, a transplant from south Georgia, stayed home during the war. His draft board said his job as a fireman was more important. He's living with his best friend and former lover, Henry Winters, who spends most nights across the Bay in Oakland with his current beau. As hard as Carter works on his body and at his job, the lonely nights are empty. Two handsome men in one beautiful city. Can they find each other? Across a crowded room? An Enchanted Beginning is the complete back story of this wonderful love affair. Starting in 1947, this book is composed of several parts that move the reader gently through an unusual love that starts during a time when everything and everyone was supposed to be getting back to normal. From 1947 through 1950 and beyond, Nick & Carter's love is anything but normal. If you're a fan of true romance and love to see it blossom in the most unusual of times, this is the book for you. These stories are a prequel to the Nick Williams Mystery series of books, which start in 1953 with The Unexpected Heiress. * * * This is a novel that runs to about 71K words.

Wednesday, November 24, 1954 Breakfast is done and Carter Jones has kissed his husband, Nick Williams, and sent him off to a meeting when the doorbell rings. Two men are standing on the threshold and asking some pushy questions about Nick and where they can find him. Smelling a rat, Carter says he doesn't know where his husband is and sends the two men, one speaking perfect English with a slight accent and the other as shifty as all get out, on their way. Knowing something big is up, he calls down to the office on Bush Street and ends up talking to Sam Halversen, an operative who works for them at Consolidated Security. Within a few minutes, Sam has run up to the top of Nob Hill to fill Carter in on what turns out to be one of the strangest tales ever. In the end, Carter has to ask himself: How far and to what lengths will some men go for love? * * * ABOUT THE SERIES: A CARTER JONES STORY Carter Jones, a handsomely tall and muscled ex-fireman, can usually be found helping out his sleuthing husband, Nick Williams, with whatever case gets thrown Nick's way. But, sometimes, Carter catches a case of his own. Helped by Sam Halversen, a man he doesn't entirely trust, and Walter Marcello, the owl-like brainiac who's usually got a plan, Carter manages to sneak around and get the job done while always trying to make sure Nick never catches wind of what he's been up to. After all, sometimes the best gift you can give the man who has everything is a little white lie or two or three... * * * This is a short novel and runs to about 49K words.