In 2012 I began a holiday tradition of writing Christmas codas for some of my — and your — favorite stories. I ran the codas on my blog and left them up there for readers to enjoy all year round.Readers requested that I collect the codas and make them available digitally and in print, and I thought that was a fun idea, which is how you come to be reading this. I decided to add another ten new codas to the collection, as well as some recipes for cocktails and dishes that are either featured in the original works or seem to add some final comment or insight into the era or the characters or their relationship.Happiest of Holidays to you all. May this season be filled with love and laughter, and may the New Year bring you health and happiness.

An unknown enemy wanted to take everything from us.GravesI'd spent all my forty-plus years paying for mistakes when I'd simply been human. Living in the shadow of my friend's happiness grew harder every day. I didn't mind being the odd one out. I didn't mind being considered the unlovable strait-laced-ish one to their mayhem. Acceptance after a lifetime of not measuring up was nice. I'd found my rhythm and my place among the weirdness of my unit. That was until Marcel Douglas, the new ego-maniac in Homicide, decided he had to pick apart every case I'd left behind.DouglasLeaving Chicago hadn't been in my plans, but my daughter needed me. I'd do anything to make her happy. When her mother was transferred overseas, I'd moved so my daughter could stay with her friends—the place she'd come to love. Being at the bottom of the hierarchy and earning respect didn't sit right with my pride. I wasn't afraid to admit that. And I'd made one hell of an enemy....

When two "big name fans" go head-to-head at a convention, love isn't the only thing at stake.Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control. Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection...but even he can't help but feel a little broken inside.When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.

Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in — Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is...

"Full of Victorian sapphic romance, metafictional horror, biting misandrist humor, Hollywood intrigue, and multiple timeliness—all replete with evocative illustrations that are icing on a deviously delicious cake." –O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE"Brimming from start to finish with sly humor and gothic mischief. Brilliant." — SARAH WATERSNamed a Most Anticipated Book by Entertainment Weekly • Washington Post • Time • O, The Oprah Magazine • Buzzfeed • Harper's Bazaar • Vulture • Parade • HuffPost • Popsugar • E! News • Bustle • The Millions...

Rosie's always wanted a dog, and now the time is right, so she heads for her local rescue center. She meets Scruffy there, and decides he's the perfect dog for her. But things aren't that straightforward—he's only just been brought in and the shelter must try to find his owners before attempting to re-home him. A few weeks later, Rosie's patience is rewarded and she's allowed to adopt Scruffy. But it soon becomes apparent that things aren't quite what they seem. How will Rosie react when she discovers there's more to her new pet than meets the eye?Note: This story has been previously published in a boxed set.

Suzy Bean lives in the moment and embraces her overabundant curves. The man she secretly loves, JC Mosino, is the only one who can make her untamed sexual fantasies a reality. After having a bit too much to drink one night, JC drives her home, where their passions ignite. She thinks this is night where she and JC will go from being friends to lovers. Unfortunately it doesn't happen quite like that and she ends up throwing him out because of something he says in the heat of the moment she takes the wrong way. JC's craving for Suzy is out of control where he wants nothing more than to work things out and become her lover. He has a plan, but he has to work fast before Suzy is seduced by a new suitor who has all the right words. JC is having no part of that, and will do whatever he can to claim this brassy, buxom beauty for his own.

The Tides of Lust is a powerful, erotic and violent encounter with the voices and experiences of characters who linger in a small American seaport. Here is an insatiable African-American ship's captain, a dangerously young slave mistress, an aimless drifter and a supreme artist of the perverse. Written by acclaimed and award-winning author Samuel R. Delany, The Tides of Lust, first published in 1973, is a wild ride along the oceans of unleashed sexuality at its most exuberant. A true modern classic.

ContentsMahu . . . 3Mahu Surfer . . . 282Mahu Fire . . . 521Mahu Vice . . . 757Mahu Blood . . . 1001