While I mostly write novels, over the years I have written several short stories—some as stand-alone stories, and some as “bonus” material not included in my novels. At some future date, I will publish a collection of these short stories. Below is a summary of a few of my unpublished short stories:
Deadly Secrets
Everyone has secrets, and no one knows that better than a reporter. Art Jones, known to almost everyone as Jonesy, has made a career by successfully digging for secrets. After a significant professional breakthrough, however, Jonesy experiences a set-back, and stumbles into danger at the intersection of his secrets with the secrets of others.
This story features characters from my novel The Jade Dragon. To read this short story for free, click here to sign up for my monthly newsletter.
7,100 words.
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Three Old Men in Provence
Where do you go to find yourself when you feel like you’ve lost yourself? The narrator of this story goes back to Provence, where as a young man he felt the most free to be himself. Unexpectedly overhearing a conversation between three very different old men, he discovers his own perspective on problems that he had fled across the ocean to escape, and finds wholeness again.
3,300 words.
Wake
Eric, a young gay man, struggles through bitter and conflicting emotions at the wake for his estranged father, confronting bad memories and processing grief and anger, ultimately finding closure for a violent relationship that he had put out of his life.
4,100 words.
The Diamond or the Rough
At a friend’s party, Tom has to choose between the stocky young man who shares his interests, and the handsome center of attention who has turned his gaze on Tom for the first time in two years. Ultimately he learns more about himself and what he wants in life.
4,000 words.
Change of Plans
In search of his missing brother, Duncan MacKenzie finds assistance from an unexpected new friend. Duncan’s not sure at first if he can trust Jesse Baird, but the young half-blood proves his value in the bitter cold of January in the Monongahela Valley, and sends Duncan’s quest for his brother Luke on a new trajectory.
This story is an excerpt from my novel Duncan MacKenzie.
6,300 words.
Garrett Hutson 