Werewolves and
the gay experience
by Carl Redlum
Werewolves
are my favorite monsters, but I never understood why before writing “When the
Big Moon Shines” for Myths, Moons, and
Mayhem. In the movies, they often represent the darker side of a man's
soul. An animal that still lives inside of us all. A carnality that must be
repressed or destroyed for the good of civilization.
That,
to me, describes the gay experience. To be overwhelmed by the urge to seek out
what society told me was pure evil. Resisting those urges caused changes in
myself that I found horrifying. By giving in, I finally learned that the beast
inside of me was no beast at all. That the monsters I was told to fear were
simply men living their lives.
That
wasn't the story I'd meant to tell when I sat down to write for Myths, Moons, and Mayhem. But the story
poured out of me, like it had been waiting for the right moment to
emerge.
Excerpt from “When
The Big Moon Shines” by Carl Redlum in Myths,
Moons, and Mayhem
Steady
chopping came from the other side of the house. The breeze streamed over the
house, carrying that rich scent. Henry backed away. He didn't want to know that
it was the smell of human flesh setting his brain on fire. He imagined rending
a man's flesh to get at such sweet meat—but that couldn't be. The smell had to
be a dear hung up and butchered. It had to be.
He crept
around the house one hesitant step at a time, staying deep in the brush until
he glimpsed a figure through the hanging vines.
A man, arms
knotted with muscles and a back carpeted with reddish hair, chopped wood
wearing nothing but cutoff jeans.
Henry still
refused to believe that a man could have such a heady scent, until the wind
shifted, blowing over the man's shoulders and blasting Henry with a smell was
so full and rich Henry squatted down, groaning with the desire to feed.
The
chopping stopped. The man looked over his shoulder. His weathered face was hidden
behind a thick beard, graying on the chin.
Henry
ducked behind a tree, scared to breathe. A minute passed, then the chopping
resumed.
A new scent
came on the wind, just as rich but lighter somehow. Moments later
a man shouted, "God damn you, Bruce, put some clothes on."
"What
for?" Bruce's deeper voice scoffed.
Peeking
around the tree, Henry saw a businessman striding into the yard, kicking
splinters of wood back into the pile. His scent was meaty and enticing, if not
as strong. Probably because he didn't glisten with sweat like the half-naked
hairy guy. The two discussed dinner plans—Alex, the business man, distinctly
favoring pizza and beer over grilling steaks. Henry leaned back against the
tree, half-listening as he breathed in more of their rich scents. It made his
hands ache from the hidden claws trying to emerge. He'd never turned during the
day, but the hunger had never been so strong. To keep those men safe, Henry had
to stay far away.
The men
stopped talking.
A twig
snapped. Close.
Henry
peeked around the tree and startled. Both men peered into the woods, looking
directly at him.
Henry spun
around and tore blindly back through the woods, dashing through sticker bushes
and tangling vines until he crashed into his own backyard.
"Where
were you?" his mother shouted from the door. "What did you do?"
About Carl
Redlum
Carl Redlum was born and raised in Oregon where he spent his childhood
chasing deer and getting lost in the woods. He entered the world of publishing
backwards by working for years as a typesetter before selling his first story.
Title: Myths, Moons & Mayhem
Authors: Rebecca Buchanan, Elizabeth
Coldwell, Rhidian Brenig Jones, Morgan Elektra, Greg Kosebjorn, Clare London,
Dale Cameron Lowry, Carl Redlum, Rob Rosen
Genres: anthology, paranormal, menage,
LGBT, MMM romance, MMM erotica
Date of Publication: Oct. 13
Length: 194 pages
ISBN: 9781386972891 (ebook); 978-1977763518 (print)
ASIN: B07654NZQ2
Myths, moons, and mayhem make the
perfect threesome—and so do the men in this anthology.
Enjoy nine erotic stories of
paranormal ménages a trois fueled by
lust and magic, where mystical forces collide with the everyday world and even
monsters have their own demons to conquer.
A werewolf gets a lust-fueled
lesson on fitting in with the pack, a professor unlocks ancient secrets and two
men’s hearts, and a pair of supernaturals find themselves at the erotic mercy
of a remarkable human. Ghosts, fairies, aliens, and mere mortals test the
boundaries of their desires, creating magic of their own.
Penned by favorite authors such as
Rob Rosen and Clare London, as well as by newcomers to the genre, Myths, Moons & Mayhem is an eclectic
mix of paranormal lust and polymythic beings that will spark your fantasies and
fuel your bonfires.
Inside Man by Clare London—At a London
pub, a tear in the veil between the dead and living opens up new possibilities
for a ghost who could only ever watch the men he desired, but never touch.
The Secret of the Golden Cup by Rebecca
Buchanan—A classics professor finds himself at the center of a magical war.
With an unfairly attractive student and a campus janitor as his only allies,
can he stave off the forces of evil?
When The Big Moon Shines by Carl Redlum—A
college student is intent on hunting down the man who turned him into a
werewolf. But his mouthwatering neighbors keep getting in the way.
Careful What You Wish For by Elizabeth
Coldwell—Josh dreams of meeting Mr. Right, so his roommate offers help with
a love spell. Neither man is prepared for what happens when the spell begins to
work.
The Cave by Dale Cameron Lowry—Losing
sleep to the sounds of his tent-neighbors’ nightly lovemaking has nature
photographer Ethan at his wit’s end. What kind of magic can convince the two
men he should join them?
The Endless Knot by Morgan Elektra—The
fiery romance between a vampire and a werewolf threatens to burn itself to the
ground until a human teaches them to temper the flame.
Squatchin’ by Greg
Kosebjorn—Two Bigfoot hunters get more
than they bargained for when they set out on an overnight camping trip to trail
the legendary beast.
Celyn’s Tale by Rhidian Brenig Jones—A
young Welsh farmer is haunted by visions of his future lover, only
to discover that the lover is not one, but two—and not exactly human, either.
Close Encounter of the Three-way Kind by
Rob Rosen—In this quirky comedy, aliens arrive from another galaxy, but
they’re more interested in consensual exploration than invasion. Alien probing
never felt so good!
Giveaway
To
celebrate the release of the paranormal gay ménage anthology
Myths, Moons
& Mayhem, Dale Cameron Lowry is giving away a bunch of
paranormal and ménage ebooks for your reading pleasure. Prizes include:
- Chance &
Possibility: Seven Fantastical Tales of Gay Desire, an eclectic
selection of Dale’s previously published paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi
stories. Chance & Possibility isn’t available to
buy anywhere.
- Pacific Rimming, a
contemporary novelette about a middle-aged gay married couple who fall in
love with a younger man while vacationing on Canada’s Vancouver Island
- Love Unmasked,
the story of a gay man who’s unlucky in love because, once in a blue moon,
he turns into a raccoon.
About the Editor
Dale
Cameron Lowry’s number one goal in life is getting the cat to stop eating dish
towels; number two is to write things that bring people joy. Dale is the author
of
Falling Hard: Stories of Men in Love
and a contributor to more than a dozen anthologies. Find out more at
dalecameronlowry.com.
