About Talking About Fungus
Written by TJ Baer
98 pages / 42000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-034-4, 1-60370-034-X
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc
Jamie's just been dumped by the latest in a long line of cute studs.
His sister shows up to hide out from their parents. His best friend is in love with him. Things couldn’t get much worse. When he meets Abe in an emergency room, things start to look up. Abe us unlike anyone he’s ever met.
A phone call changes all that, though, and Jamie finds himself flying home with his sister and his best friend for a bedside vigil.
Will Jamie make peace with his family before it's too late? Will Abe forgive him for missing their second date without even a phone call?
Find out in this funny, heartwarming tale that will having you laughing and crying, and laughing again.
Review
Alexa Snow, author of Clear Cut and Sleeping Stone, writes: Jamie's got a best friend who's in love with him and a sister who shows up on his doorstep one day for a "visit" only to admit that things aren't as they seem. He hasn't talked to his father for two years and his boyfriend of two months just dumped him. Everything in Jamie's life is a just a little bit off-kilter, but don't worry -- it's about to get worse.
This story is like a breath of fresh air. Modern and quick-witted, it moves along at a fast pace and displays a sense of humor atypical for the genre. The characters’ voices are unique, the dialogue utterly realistic. The relationships between the characters ring true; they can be strained without being horrific, fun without reading like a comedy. Despite the sometimes-serious subject matter, this story is filled with hope, and its conclusion is no exception. Jamie's too nice a guy not to end up with a happily ever after -- who he ends up with, though, isn't as simple as one might think.
Charming, entertaining, and contemporary. Not to be missed.
Sample
I don't know what he expected me to do. Thank him? Shake his hand? Congratulate him on a break-up well-executed? He just kept standing there on the front step, staring in at me with this wounded look on his face.
"Well," Justin said finally, taking a deep breath, "I guess this is it, then."
I nodded, my hand on the door knob. "Yep, guess so."
I very pointedly did not look at his perfect chest, or his broad, muscled shoulders, and certainly not anywhere in the vicinity of his lips, which were dark and full and always seemed to be a little moist. Right then they were slightly parted, enough so I could see a little glimmer of white enamel beneath, and...
Yeah, okay, I said I wasn't looking. And I wasn't, really. It was just a glance. Possibly two.
Oh, hell, he was gorgeous, okay? He had that crinkly kind of blond hair, curly and trimmed close to his head, and with his smooth, tan skin and that dusting of freckles over his nose, he looked like the kind of guy you'd see helping old ladies across the street or doing volunteer work at church raffles or something.
Of course, I knew better. As did his faithful patrons at the leather bar.
"Look," I said, pressing my lips into a thin line as I tried to remember that I had just been dumped, "no offense, but I have some stuff I have to do, so..."
He blinked, like he couldn't figure out what I was driving at, then abruptly seemed to realize that his presence was keeping me from closing the door. "Oh," he said, sounding startled and a little let-down. He took a step backwards so his big, muscled body was no longer blocking the doorway. "Okay, yeah. I guess I'll just... Guess I'll see ya around. Take care, huh?"
Yeah, whatever. "Sure thing," I said, and closed the door.
I was all ready to head into the kitchen and have a blazing bonfire of Ex-Boyfriend Photos in the sink, but I'll admit that I stood there with my back to the door for awhile first, breathing deeply and listening to his footsteps going down the walk.
All right, so Justin was no rocket scientist. So we didn't have a lot in common except mutual adoration for his facial features. But he was still a good guy who, all right, had a hell of an ass, and I was going to miss him. And it.
God, had we really been together for two months? It sure as hell didn't feel like it. It seemed like only yesterday that Justin was hitting on me at Kev's party and trying to figure out underhanded ways to get my shirt off, like spilling stuff on me or...
Oh, lord, I was getting nostalgic. Glaring at my reflection in the hallway mirror, I straightened up and marched into the kitchen, where I decided to skip the bonfire -- for the time being, anyway -- in favor of raiding the tea cupboard and snagging the phone from the counter.
Let it not be said that I can't multitask. In the process of dialing the phone, digging a clean mug out of the dishwasher, and shuffling back over to the stove, I only dialed the wrong number once, and that crack in my tea mug was nothing a little super glue couldn't fix right up.
Aaron picked up on the first ring. "So, he dump you or what?"