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Marcus Lopés

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Writing Off the Grid

Stay With Me

March 17, 2021 by Marcus 2 Comments

Stay With Me

“Goddammit, move!” Damien slammed his fist into the steering wheel. Traffic on the eastbound QEW hadn’t moved in twenty minutes. The worst part was that he could see the exit for Islington Avenue, and that meant he was almost home. He turned on the radio and, searching for a traffic update, kept switching channels. No one talked about an accident, just the usual heavy rush hour gridlock. “Fuck!”

He’d been dating Shane for eight months, living with him for almost half that time. Waking up to those mesmerizing coffee-brown eyes still made him smile. But the forty minutes added to his commute — most of that time spent parked on the highway — had him rethinking his decision. Well, not really. He loved Shane, the first guy to pry his heart open in years. Together, they’d been carving out a little piece of heaven on earth. And despite the frustration of his commute, he wouldn’t abandon Shane. Not when he needed him the most. [Read more…] about Stay With Me

Filed Under: Short Stories Tagged With: gay fiction, gay romance, mental health, short stories

How Do We Begin Again?

March 6, 2021 by Marcus Leave a Comment

how do we begin again

As the car sped down the long stretch of highway, James stared blindly out the window at the orange hue streaming high into the sky and bleeding into the midnight blue. With the seat belt strapped across his chest, he couldn’t outrun his fears or the man next to him. Trapped.

The whistling of the air conditioner blocked out everything—his thoughts, his breathing, who he thought he was. Swallowing hard to knock down the coffee edging up his throat, James turned to study the guy next to him. Barely a blink, gaze glued to the road, his bronze face expressionless. Blank. He, too, had retreated to his own world, cut himself off from…them. Together. Apart. Was there a difference?

James slouched down in his seat and took a deep breath, his focus back on the rolling landscape. This was the last place he wanted to be, on his way to his ‘in-laws,’ but he hadn’t been able to pull himself out. What was he afraid of? How long would fear hold him hostage to a life that was no longer his own? When they passed a sign that read, ‘Next Service Centre 11 km,’ he cleared his throat.

“Yes, we’re stopping,” broke the steely silence. [Read more…] about How Do We Begin Again?

Filed Under: Short Stories Tagged With: gay fiction, relationships, short story

The Last Thing I Need

February 20, 2021 by Marcus Leave a Comment

Yannick stared blindly into his drink. It was his third scotch, actually, and he still was waiting for the numbness to kick in. But he was keenly aware of his surroundings, of who he was. The laughter. The clanking of cutlery. The colliding aromas of curry, bacon, and grease. Chase’s had become his favourite drinking spot over the past three weeks. Not because of the relatively cheap drinks or the somewhat tasty food. But because, except for the staff, no one knew or paid attention to him. Left alone at the bar to commune with misery and the negative self-talk ruling his mind.

“How you doing there?” the gravelly voice asked.

Yannick picked up his glass, drained it, then levelled his gaze at the grinning brunette. It was Chase, the owner. “One more for the road.” Then his eyes dropped to Chase’s round bubble butt when he turned to grab the bottle of Macallan Gold. And, like always, he was the first to look away when Chase faced him again. [Read more…] about The Last Thing I Need

Filed Under: Short Stories Tagged With: black authors, gay fiction, gay romance, short story

The Things We Never Say

February 10, 2021 by Marcus Leave a Comment

things we never say

“Who are you again?” Ryan asked with an edge as he shook the hand of the olive-skinned man who’d just introduced himself.

“I’m Toby—”

“I caught your name,” Ryan interrupted. “How did you know Mitch?”

Toby let out a nervous laugh. “We were friends.”

“I don’t recall Mitch ever mentioning you.” Ryan studied the attractive blond with boyish looks who couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. Maybe younger. “Were you one of his students?”

“Yes. I took his political theory class as part of my undergrad.” Toby bit his lip. “He probably didn’t mention me because…that would have complicated things.”

Ryan shrugged. “Complicated what?” [Read more…] about The Things We Never Say

Filed Under: Short Stories Tagged With: fiction, gay fiction, gay romance, short stories

The Scary Part of Goal Setting

February 4, 2021 by Marcus 1 Comment

I’ve been consistent about setting goals and writing them down for the past three years, maybe a little longer. But there’s one thing I never did.⁠
⁠
I never shared them.

Why?⁠

Because I was hanging on to limiting beliefs. Afraid that people would laugh at me. Mock me. Tell me I’m crazy.⁠
⁠
But at some point, you have to stop running from yourself. I had to stop running from myself.⁠
⁠
If there’s one thing I took away from Gary John Bishop’s Unfu*k Yourself, it’s this: “I am not my thoughts; I am what I do.”⁠
⁠
There are, for me, two parts to “I am what I do.” One, I am a writer. That is what I do. No other job in this world will give me the high or a stronger sense of purpose and self. Second, showing up every day to write, and to share it with the world is also what I do. If I don’t do any of those things, if I don’t take action, then there’s no possible way I can achieve my dreams.⁠
[Read more…] about The Scary Part of Goal Setting

Filed Under: Self-Publishing, Writing Life Tagged With: do what you love, dreambig, goals, live your best life, writing life

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