Debbie McGowan

Engineer Sol Brooks is a happily married man, so people keep telling him. He and Elise have been in Boston for eight years, he loves her, and she loves him. They've got a great apartment that's kept its value, they're both up for promotion, and he can hook up with any guy he likes - all the sex he wants, so long as it's of the "no strings" variety. And that's all fine and dandy...until a chance meeting at the checkout.

Checking Him Out

When English Lit. student Jesse Thomas meets Leigh Hunter, he has to reconsider a few assumptions he's made about himself. As a straight, cismale ally, he keeps a low profile-not difficult for someone so shy and body-conscious. Leigh is intersex and queer-and Jesse's thinks they are the most beautiful person in the world. This is their story.

The Making of Us

What do you do when you fall in love with your childhood best friend? Do you tell them and risk ruining the friendship? And what then, if it takes decades for them to respond to your admission? Do you wait for an answer, hoping it will be the one you want to hear? George did. Now, thirty years on, the secrets are out in the open. But can two hearts almost destroyed by denial and separation ever be healed? Fill in the gaps by joining George and Josh on their Cornish honeymoon against an awe-inspiring backdrop of breaking waves, sand and sunshine. * * * * * Breaking Waves is a novella-length character special. Part of Hiding Behind The Couch series.Chronologically, it falls between In The Starts Part I (Season Four) and In The Stars Part II (Season Five). * * * * * WARNING: this story contains intimate (mildly explicit) scenes between consenting male adults.

Breaking Waves

Seventeen-year-old Josh Sandison has been waiting his whole life to go to university. Gifted—and bullied for being different—he hopes moving away to study will mean a change for the better. Instead, he encounters the unexpected, when strange things start happening in his room—the blinds falling down by themselves and notes from an illiterate prankster. Add to this the myth of the haunted third floor, and cynical Josh has had just about enough when Sean Tierney arrives, three days late and with not a penny to his name. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, bonded by their passion for learning and compassion for others. But will their intellectual prowess be enough to solve, once and for all, the mystery of the third floor? * * * * * Ruminations is a stand-alone prequel (novel) to Hiding Behind The Couch. This story follows chronologically from Beginnings (Prequel Novella) and is continued in Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One).

Ruminations

Josh and George have always shared the special bond of friendship. From days in primary school, to holidays spent riding their bikes along the canal, theirs is a promise to remain best friends forever.But can that promise withstand the trials of adolescence, and the changes in their feelings towards each other?NOTE: this is a fully stand-alone story, but it contains significant spoilers for anyone reading the Hiding Behind The Couch series, and should be read after The Harder They Fall (season three).* * *A story from Love Unlocked - a collection of seven short stories and novellas - unique LGBTQ romances inspired by the Love Lock Bridge.

Chain of Secrets

For many in war-torn 1944, love blossoms in the dance hall, and airman Arty Clarke is no exception. He's a thinker and a dreamer; however, it's not the beautiful, talented dancer in his arms-his best friend Jean-who inspires his dreams. For when his gaze meets that of Technical Sergeant Jim Johnson, Arty dares to imagine a different dance. Their love is forbidden, by both the armed forces and the law, but with Jean's cunning and support, Arty and Jim try to bridge the distance between them and find true love despite the danger and a life-threatening disaster that could destroy Arty's dreams for good. Can the pair stand strong together, no matter how many skies have fallen?

When Skies Have Fallen

Freelance engineer Sol Brooks is in hot demand. He's landed a couple of big contracts and is all set for a business trip back to the other side of the pond. The last thing he needs is an unexpected visitor to complicate his departure. Especially when that visitor puts his relationship with husband Adam on rocky ground. Determined to fulfil his contractual obligations, Sol goes ahead with the trip. It's a great opportunity and a chance to catch up with old friends. And he's going to check in regularly. What could possibly go wrong? * * * * * NOTE: this novel follows on from previous stories, and coincides with Taking Him On, but can also be read as a stand-alone. * * * * * In the Checking Him Out Series: Checking Him Out (Book One) Checking Him Out For the Holidays (novella) Hiding Out (novella - A crossover featuring Matty and Noah, and Josh, George and Libby from Hiding Behind The Couch) Taking Him On (Book Two - A Noah and Matty novel) Checking In (Book Three) * * * * * WARNING: this story contains sex acts between consenting male adults.

Checking In

The story of George and Josh - two little boys who became best friends...two adolescents who stayed best friends...two young adults with secrets that might change their friendship forever. Josh and George have always shared the special bond of friendship. From days in primary school, to holidays spent riding their bikes along the canal, theirs is a promise to remain best friends forever. But can that promise withstand the trials of adolescence, and the changes in their feelings towards each other? NOTE: this is a fully stand-alone story, but it contains significant spoilers for anyone reading the Hiding Behind The Couch series, and should be read after The Harder They Fall (season three).

London: December, 1981. A White Christmas is on the cards, but as the temperature drops, the pressure on Arty mounts. He’s got far too much planned in the coming days to have it all buried under a mountain of snow. Between his retirement surprise for Jim and the Christmas party at the dance school, Arty might need to curtail his daydreaming a little to ensure everything comes together. Still, if all else fails, at least he and Jim have each other to keep them warm through the impending blizzard. Note: this story follows on from When Skies Have Fallen and as such contains spoilers for anyone who has not read the novel.

A Snowy Ball

Al Stewart

Dear Dad, God, how to start? I'm not really a girl. I know I look like one, but it's all a horrible mistake. Every day I try to hide it, but I'm so tired. I don't want to hide it. I don't think I can much longer. So what I want, Dad, is a sex change. They won't let me have one until I go to counselling, but that's okay. I don't mind that. I've got nothing to lose. Dad, I've got a girlfriend. 'Cause I'm a boy. Only, she doesn't know. But, Dad. If I have the operation, she need never know. Dad, I love her. So much. * * * Content Warning: contains sexual swear words and sexual intimacy.

Coming Up

Black hair and band hoodies had a lot to answer for. Eleven years ago, when Gothboy mooched into their business studies class for the very first time, Krissi had taken one look at him and thought, What a freak. He’s so cool! Now in their mid-twenties, Krissi Johansson and Jay Meyer are successful businesspeople and still best friends. But while one is moving forward with their life, the other is sliding ever backwards…revisiting the past and wallowing in regret. Between career commitments, unresolved family matters and friends springing unwelcome surprises, Krissi and Jay have more than enough drama to contend with, and not all of their own making. On top of all that, it’s Christmas. Yay. * * * * * This is a stand-alone novel featuring 'the next generation' of HBTC characters. For those reading the series, this story follows (more or less) chronologically from Reunions (Season Seven).

Goth of Christmas Past

Huddled in a doorway, unseen by the men passing on great horses, Meredith watched from within the hood of her cloak. The pain of the cold, wet morning impaled her, rooting her in place, even as the cat rubbed against her shins with a force that should have felled her. She shooed him away. Go home. But he would not. She wished she had died that night. She wished she had died, for to live like this was not to live at all. * * * When Richie Moorcroft takes a housekeeping position to finance his studies, it means moving back to his childhood home: an ancient, almost-derelict cottage locals claim is haunted. But he never believed those stories; he knows where they came from, and in any case, he has a job to do: keeping nineteen-year-old Julian Denby on the straight and narrow without Julian realising his wealthy parents are paying Richie to do so. Luckily, Julian’s not very astute, although the same can’t be said for their newest housemates: Richie’s bestie, Anneke, and Julian’s older sister, Tamara. Add in George, the cat who appeared from nowhere and is in no hurry to leave, and that makes five…about to uncover the sinister history of their new home.

Meredith's Dagger

A year has passed since Rob Simpson-Stone received a photo of his nieces enjoying a night out, unaware their photographer was one Anders Folden: a psychopathic hitman Rob helped to put away while working undercover for the Met Police Special Investigations Unit. Only Gray Fisher—Rob's former boss, now his business partner—is taking Rob seriously. The powers-that-be insist Rob and Gray are being paranoid: there’s no proof the photo came from Folden, who’s stayed off the authorities’ radar long enough to have assumed a new identity and fled overseas. It takes a significant threat to Rob’s son’s life for anyone to question that assertion, but police protection is worth nothing when the target has friends in high places to bend and break the law to his will. Folden won’t stop until he’s completed his mission: to fulfil a contract or end a personal vendetta, Rob and Gray are no longer sure which. What they do know is they need to find him before he finds them—with or without help from the authorities. The final instalment in the Gray Fisher trilogy.

Distractions

Caraway Carter

A.M. Leibowitz

Hans M Hirschi

Ofelia Gränd

Phetra H. Novak

Laura Susan Johnson

J P Walker

Alexis Woods

Never Too Late is a collection of nine stories featuring characters over the age of fifty – stories of travel, finding your purpose, of friendships past and present, and of love. Never Too Late brings you to a world where gender sees no borders, where the only way you’re identified is by the goodness of your heart. STORIES: Trapped by Ofelia Gränd Ashes and Alms by A.M. Leibowitz The Palette – A Lifetime by Caraway Carter Clara by Hans M Hirschi To Be Sure by Debbie McGowan Nectar by Laura Susan Johnson Moving by J P Walker Cue The Music by Alexis Woods Ocean of Tears by Phetra H. Novak

Never Too Late

Saorla Tierney’s sons are conspiring against her, and at their age, they should know better. After all, she’s nearly seventy-one herself, and, quite frankly, whether she still ‘has needs’ is none of their business. OK, so, maybe she was a bit harsh with Sean when all he did was ask if she and Aileen wanted a double hotel room. And of course she feels bad for biting Finn’s head off when he was only having a wee joke. Between her grandson’s unconventional baptism and the decades-long feud between her sons, even with Aileen at her side it’s not as easy a decision as they seem to think. Or maybe it is. Saorla doesn’t know anymore, and until she’s sure… To Be Sure is a stand-alone novella-length character special in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. (Part of Never Too Late - a collection of nine stories featuring LGBTQIA characters over the age of fifty)

To Be Sure

Raine O'Tierney

Two couples, two unique stories of love at Christmastime... Harrison and Paulo were once passionate lovers—until tragedy tore them apart. When the men miss an opportunity to reconnect at a Christmas party, Paulo is prepared to move heaven and earth to see Harrison again. Michael’s coming out didn’t go down well in his conservative hometown of Omagh, and the bullies are out to get him. But he has a guardian angel on his side—his unrequited long-term crush, Tom. Will the magic of Christmas in Ireland be enough to see these two couples through? This book features characters from the Seeds of Tyrone series, but can be read and enjoyed independently.

Christmas Craic and Mistletoe

Shaunna has a complicated Christmas ahead of her. For more than twenty years, she and Kris were a couple. Together, they bought a house and turned it into a wonderful family home in which to raise Shaunna’s daughter, Krissi. Now Krissi is all grown up, and Shaunna and Kris are separated; Kris has Ade: his boyfriend of more than a year who adores him. And Andy—Krissi’s dad—is in love with Shaunna… She knows what she wants for Christmas. She’s had a long time to think about it. But is the ribbon binding these fabulous relationships strong enough to protect them? Or will turning on the lights reveal the true fragility of these precious ornaments? Either way, Shaunna knows she’s set for a Christmas that might just be too hot to handle. * * * * * Red Hot Christmas is a novella-length character special. Part of Hiding Behind The Couch series. This story follows chronologically from In The Stars Part II (Season Five) and runs parallel to A Midnight Clear (Novella). The story continues in Two By Two (Season Six). * * * * * WARNING: this story contains intimate (moderately explicit) scenes between consenting opposite sex (F/M) adults.

Red Hot Christmas

The Circle.Nine friends from high school.Nine friends for life. They had been in their final years of school when it happened. There was a party. Shaunna didn't know who he was; she could only vaguely remember where she'd been and what she'd been up to, and tried to let the memory slip away with the hangover. Four weeks later, she was certain that night was going to be with her forever. Josh Sandison has spent his lifetime trying to keep his friends together, never forgiving himself for being the one to push George away. Now in their thirties, they reunite in a bid to help Shaunna's daughter establish her father's identity. But there are secrets and lies that have been lived too long, with the power to destroy friendships for good. * * * * * Season One in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. There are two prequels—Beginnings and Ruminations—which can be read at any point during the series. The story continues in No Time Like The Present (Season Two).

Hiding Behind The Couch

Some things are just meant to be, or sometimes it seems that way. Like old uni pals inexplicably moving to your hometown, or realising that your childhood best friend is the love of your life, or landing a star role in a hit TV series that could well be your autobiography. Fate, karma, written in the stars, or just bizarre quirks of coincidence? For better or worse, the events of the next six months will push the friends to the limits. For The Circle can expand and contract, but it is always whole; eternal. Set over a period of six months (January–June), In The Stars Part I explores the day-to-day lives of The Circle—nine friends from high school, now in their late thirties—following them through a year of celebration, loss, illness and life-changing decisions. In The Stars Part I is Season Four in the Hiding Behind The Couch Series. This book is also available as six separate episodes. The story follows chronologically from The Harder They Fall (Season Three), Crying in the Rain (Novel) and First Christmas (Novella). It continues in Breaking Waves (Novella) and In The Stars Part II (Season Five). For those readers unfamiliar with the series, In The Stars re-introduces the main characters, so you could pick it up from here and perhaps catch up with the previous books later. * * * * * What readers say about the Hiding Behind The Couch Series: “The remarkable characterisation in these novels is what makes them for me.” “This story reminds me of my favorite movies about friendship and relationships.” “Few authors have explored the depths of longtime friends within a group, or ‘circle’ the way Debbie McGowan has!” “I have a love-hate relationship with Debbie McGowan’s Hiding Behind the Couch Series. I love to read them, I HATE it when they’re over.”

Capricorn–Gemini

In The Stars Part I

When greed, fear and obsession rule the senses, danger is never more than a heartbeat away. A night of celebration affords the perfect opportunity for an unlikely band of criminals to make their move, but as details emerge, it soon becomes clear the crime is far more sophisticated than the police first thought. And that’s only the beginning. * * * * * Reunions is Season Seven in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. This instalment follows chronologically from Two By Two (Season Six) and Those Jeffries Boys. * * * * * WARNING: this story touches on themes of suicide ideation, sudden infant death, cancer, dementia, drug dependency and dissociative PTSD. These are not graphically or gratuitously depicted, but may, nonetheless, cause distress to some readers. The story also includes a few brief scenes of an intimate (non-explicit) nature.

Debbie McGowan

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