#supportqueerauthors

[maratellsstories]

Café, Rain, and Umbrella - May Flash Fiction Contest: 280-Word Romance!

It was fun to write this one. I love OLxOL Yuri and always wanted to write this kind of story, but with only 280 words, it was challenging. If I have time, I will try to record an audio, but I cannot promise it.

Café, Rain and Umbrella

We met by chance when you joined our company. You were so different, and the desk that separated us felt like a shoreless sea. Why did you never care about your appearance, fashion, and chitchat during the lunch break? Why did you never tried to fit in?

You made me angry when you sat alone, but deep inside, I admired your courage. I wished that just for once I could stop caring too, but I am a coward. I was so afraid of being alone. Even if all those people just fill the emptiness around me, I cannot imagine my world without them. It is a fair deal. We are "friends." With them, my phone and TV, I managed to push my loneliness away. And I knew they do the same… but you were different… and I hated it.

I was busy that day, too busy for lunch. I let my "friends" go without me. I just had too much to do… You came to my desk with a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and a smile. For a long time, I wondered why you did this. I never believed your "you looked hungry." Why then? You never cared about those unspoken contracts that bound people to be nice. You weren't like this… then why?

It was a rainy day. I took my courage and shared my umbrella with you. Now your daughter calls me "mom."

Published on https://neobook.org/book/FmLeHz7V/

The contest still is open for submissions https://neobook.org/reader/?book=wdUAIXpC&chapter=Vdd7yWlI

[theunapologeticallygaypirate]

Remember that time one of The Gays wrote a book about spooky shit?

#supportqueerauthors

I made an ad type photo for my new book!

If you haven't bought it, please buy it. I'm a starving artist, and I am a big fan of that wacky notion of food and shelter. It's 2.99$ USD for the ebook, and 11.99$ USD for the paperback.

If you can't afford a copy, please share this post! Queer authors help queer authors ❤️

[maratellsstories]

Café, Rain, and Umbrella - Short story for May Flash Fiction Contest: 280-Word Romance!

It was fun to write this one. I love OLxOL Yuri and always wanted to write this kind of story, but with only 280 words, it was challenging. As promised before, I've done it into an audiobook :)

You can still submit your work for May contest on Neobook https://neobook.org/reader/?book=wdUAIXpC&chapter=Vdd7yWlI

[maratellsstories]

I made a new cover for 'The Pact.' What do you think?

It's better than the old one, but it could still be improved. However, this is the limit of my graphic design skills. Maybe if I get another level in graphic design, I will redo it again…

Let me know if you have any feedback. I know that there is too much empty space below the title, but I don't know how to fix it and keep the background intact. https://neobook.org/book/0Z3Lszt2/

[maratellsstories]

Mara's musings - Friends I don't know about you, but I've found, after landing in this place some time ago, that many people seem to prefer to call anyone a friend rather than to be alone. Days are filled to the brim with things to do, but I sense a loneliness in it all, the same one they are trying to avoid. Those friendships, it looks to me, are not based on love, but on the fear of what will happen once the bustle is gone. It must be a lonely way to live, and maybe even more so because no one else sees it.

[maratellsstories]

Hello friends, I hope you are well, wherever you are on this Earth. I've just come back from the creek behind my house. I go there almost every morning, listening to the birds and the water gurgling. Sometimes I wonder if the water knows where it's going or if it's simply following along, taking it where gravity takes it. Is water simply droplets, or is it aware of itself as a flow? I'm sorry, rambling thoughts from a mind who has seen too much.

The creek... I don't know about you, but the world today is too busy, too noisy. Nature is simpler, and it's easier to hear your own heartbeat and your own thoughts when you're surrounded by trees. What about you? Are you a person who likes nature? Or do you prefer the city life?

[maratellsstories]

Hello dear friends,

How is the weather in your corner of the world? In my parts, spring is coming, and the weather is growing warmer, I'm even waking up by the birds outside my window.

I'm spending my days reading the light novel Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka. Have you heard about it? The main story, Bloom Into You, was made into an anime, it's a lovely story.

Since I know it's a well-loved series, I've recorded my readings too and published them on my YouTube channel. You can find it on youtube.com/@maratellsstories.