Halli Starling – författare

Elsie''s a small town with a lot of heart.

Isn''t that how most small town romance stories begin?

But this isn''t any love story. These five stories cross paths and connections, age, gender, sexuality, and different kinds of relationships. A quick, cozy queer read with gay, lesbian, pansexual, aromantic, and nonbinary rep. A sequel is planned for 2023.

A Reads Rainbow 2023 for Adult Contemporary Finalist!

A slow burn, convention-bending, slice of life romance.

Can two loners living in the wilderness find friendship and love?

Barrett loves everything about living outside the remote mountain town of Lake Honor. His days as a forest ranger are filled with unpredictable adventure, so home is the one place he knows he can count on.

But even home has been a surprise of late, as his next door neighbor and good friend has suddenly passed away, and the house has been sold to someone new. When the new neighbor, Ambrose, arrives, Barrett realizes that the man is a loner, like himself, and clearly not looking for a friend.

Which is a pity, because Barrett finds him fascinating and incredibly good looking.

Ambrose didn''t move to the outskirts of nowhere to make a friend. But Barrett, his new neighbor, is kind and generous, and has soft brown eyes he can''t stop thinking about. As he slowly warms up to Barrett, fate finds a way to push them together when danger and sabotage strike. Barrett saves Ambrose''s life, and their bond is cemented. Letting Barrett get close is difficult, but it''s hard to ignore the handsome, kind neighbor.

As their lives entangle, and their relationship grows, neither man can ignore the attraction between them. But their pasts are complicated; an ex-boyfriend reappears, an estranged parent tries to get in contact, and Barrett''s nephew falls ill. On top of that, the sabotage of forest ranger equipment grows more dangerous and Barrett is pulled into the investigation. Both men want to take their relationship slow, even with all the drama swirling around them, and it''s getting more difficult to ignore the spark between them.

Ask Me For Fire is a love story drenched in atmosphere, suspense, and heartfelt connections.

Tropes: forced proximity, slow burn, grouchy loners, small town romance

Content warnings: explicit sex (with others and between the MCs) ; some violence and danger (mostly minimal and/or off-screen); mental health issues including anxiety and depression; abusive and manipulative family; neglectful family and past relationships

A chance meeting at a bar.

An instant connection.

But that connection turns from a spark into all business. For the moment.

And it''s a really bad idea to date the boss...

Raphael (Raf) Lutz, is under immense stress with the opening of his fifth art gallery in a few months. He''s mentally and physically exhausted, and given his perfectionist nature, deeply concerned that this gallery won''t stack up to the rest. His best friend, Ambrose and Ambrose''s boyfriend, Barrett, have trusted Raf with a very special set of illustrations belonging to Barrett''s deceased friend. Raf is making the illustrations a highlight of the gallery''s opening, and it has to be just right. Perfect. But he''s drowning and he needs a marketing manager yesterday.

On the other side of town, Silvan Diedrich has just been downsized from the marketing firm he helped build, and drowning his sorrows in a few drinks and maybe some company sounds about right. The man who takes the stool beside him is dangerously handsome with a clear flair for the dramatic. Company, indeed. But as he and Raf talk, Raf offers him the one thing Silvan hadn''t been expecting - an interview.

Which he passes with flying colors.

But close proximity to Raf, day after day, is far too much temptation. Raf doesn''t need any more complications. Silvan''s not been with anyone in a long time, as he''s been the primary parent for his now college-aged daughter.

So they make a deal. Hands off, for now.

Sticking to that deal proves to be rather difficult for both of them.

The companion to Ask Me For Fire, but can stand alone.

Elsie''s a small town with a lot of heart. Isn''t that how most small town romance stories begin?

But this isn''t any love story. These five stories cross paths and connections, age, gender, sexuality, and different kinds of relationships. Stories like that of Harriet, the owner of Twelfth Moon perfumery and adopted mother to her nephew, Nu. Harriet always figured she''d be single for the rest of her life, but Dela Atwater appearing in her shop one blustery autumn day sparks something within her. A bit of romance and longing she''d long thought buried.

And what about Nu, Harriet''s nephew? He''s quickly falling for Miles, who works in the coffee shop next door to Twelfth Moon. The shop is owned by Miles''s brother, Jones, who has his own ideas about sex and lust and romance (or lack thereof). Across town, Maeve is learning how to exist as a widower but when they meet Evie, a spark is lit. And Yuri, Nu''s best friend, is anxiously awaiting the holidays so he can see his girlfriend, Beckett, once more.

It''s about hope and joy and queer love in so many shapes and forms, from the author of the dark fantasy/romance novel Wilderwood ("...will shatter readers'' expectations with its bewitching complexities..." - The BookLife Prize).

Twins Bren and Clark have been holding each other up since their mother passed away. It hasn''t been easy. But Bren is running the family greenhouse and Clark has a good job at the local library. Life is quiet, just as Bren likes it. But Clark feels like he''s stagnating.

Bren isn''t looking for love when a greenhouse customer dumps water all over her. But Elodie''s cute and bouncy and, it turns out, a folklorist at the local college and has a special interest in plants and their stories. It seems like a perfect match.

Clark might have a tiny crush on a patron at the library, but he''s never going to say anything. But when Jasper, that very patron, asks for Clark''s assistance on a research project, Clark can''t say no. To Jasper or the project; Jasper''s researching local "ghost trails". And Clark is a bit of a believer.

But trauma and grief are slippery things, and getting through it isn''t simple or easy. Maybe love needs to find a way to help them both heal.

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT meets FOUNDRYSIDE in this queer historical fantasy/romance set in a version of 1899 New York City where magic is common and convenient. Coup de Coeur follows the journey of three men whose fates are tied to the seemingly sudden appearance of a strange, possibly sentient, grimoire.

Calix Addington, Earl of Batherton, has a complicated relationship with his friend and former classmate, Lawton Adler. Lawton''s tendency to attract, and often cause, trouble leaves Calix sometimes holding the bag (which definitely happens). Calix is also harboring a secret - he''s an Oracle, like his mother, and in a world where small magic is meant for aesthetics and convenience, larger displays of magic are frowned upon, sometimes illegal, and very much what the church and several important organizations fear.

When Calix is stuck with a strange book after Lawton''s shady dealings go wrong one spring morning, he takes shelter in Ethaniel Harkness''s magical tailoring shop. Calix and Ethaniel know each other as customer and tailor, but Ethaniel''s kind heart won''t let Calix stay in danger. As Calix hears the strange book speak in his mind, Ethaniel contacts his old flame Aubrey Lavigne. Aubrey''s expertise with magical objects as the curator for the Magnificus Collectio, an archive hidden behind a tourist trap museum, will be key to understanding what this book truly is.

Magic, love, lust, fear, and danger run rampant as this strange book becomes the catalyst for a much larger plot conducted by a secret sect known as The Golden Order. With The Golden Order giving chase to retrieve the book, Calix, Ethaniel, and Aubrey''s lives tangle and they must flee the city to separate Calix from the book, shake off their pursuers, and find time for their burgeoning attractions. 

Coup de Coeur has deep roots in the real-life queer history of New York City, but also in art and culture.

A charming - but slightly strange - accidental first meeting at a skate park. Opposites attract. And technically...one works for the other one.

Zan has a fast mouth and a lot of technical know-how, so dating hasn''t always been easy. He''d set aside any notion of a romantic life to work and spend as much time outdoors as possible. Biking, canoeing, skiing, you name it. He''s never tried skateboarding, even though he stops by the skate park near the trail where he bikes to watch boards - and sometimes people - flip, or crash hard.

Instead of skater-watching, Zan meets Deacon. Deacon''s odd and interesting, and it turns out, the head of the small indie press of which Zan is a huge fan. Rochester Press puts out the weird and erotic, the dark and mischievous, and finally meeting the head of the press is great. Maybe not so great - Deacon has just hired the printing company Zan works for, and now Zan''s in charge of all the new jobs.

It''ll be fine.

Except Zan (and his big mouth) immediately asks Deacon out on a date. And Deacon accepts. There''s no fraternization clause in Zan''s contract, or Deacon''s. It should be fine.

A high-heat novella about two quirky people who would never seek out a date via online platforms or at speed dating. But their weird seems to compliment each other. Add in a romantic picnic date, a rainstorm, and a love of books and the outdoors, and Zan and Deacon might just carry away your heart.

A novel of werewolves, horror, and romance.

Renzo''s a bartender at the Silver Crow Pub. He''s technically part-owner, but since his ex has the majority stake in the bar, Renzo often gets punted off to the side. An average midweek night turns dangerous when a patron seems to turn almost...rabid. As Renzo moves to defend the others in the bar, he''s saved by another patron.

Cedrick went to the Silver Crow looking for information on his latest case - a woman who went from mild-mannered schoolteacher to frothing rage and mindless fury, seemingly overnight. She died, and her brother wants answers. So Cedrick took his private detective skills to the Silver Crow, where the sister was last seen, but winds up using his fighting prowess to defend the bartender from a guy with a switchblade and blackened teeth and gums.

What starts in the Silver Crow takes Renzo and Cedrick all over the city of Bennek and beyond, leaving them to grapple with their pasts, their attractions, and their secrets. And when Renzo''s ex is taken hostage, they team up again - this time to head back to a city on the brink of riots and to infiltrate the rehabilitation facility that had once saved Renzo''s life. Whoever is feeding people tainted drugs is causing mayhem across Bennek, and their sinister motivations are unknown.