The New Girl at Uskweirs Manor
Chapter 1: A Fateful House Party

Monmouthshire, May 1812

Miss Amelia Wright gained access to Uskweirs Manor by supplying a false name. The attendant at the door dipped his head, murmured, “Of course, sir,” and gestured her within.

Rose mingles with the people at the banquet. She keeps Sasha in sight, so she can talk to her. As for Ciarán, something about him was rubbing her the wrong way. It was a good thing she came prepared. She walks close to Ciarán and gently drops a small GPS tracker into his side pocket. She also scans his cell phone with hers.

While she is close to Ciarán, she listens in on what he is saying to some guy. They were talking about investments and the newest CEO of some company. Nothing that matters to her. She wasn’t into acquiring or having lots of money like her family.

The Girl in the Mirror

By Julie D Cole

"Look, Deeny: having a lawyer doesn't magically make things easier.
It doesn't magically save you from the consequences of your words and actions."

Mantra tries to juggle two problems at the same time. What she finds out is gut-wrenching, but she has an important job to do and can't afford to get emotionally involved with the local problems of an alternate world. Unfortunately, things have a way of going wrong for Mantra.

Speak Now
A Short Story from "Romance and Other Crimes Vol. 3"
By Maryanne Peters

It was hard not to like L’Roy with his easy strength, his ready grin and his smooth butternut complexion. L’Roy Shipney and I were on the same road gang in New Mexico, working out of the county jail with sixteen other inmates repairing a culvert that had been damaged in a flash flood when the whole business began.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 59 Chineseium

“Well, Son, doubtless if you looked the words up in a fancy English ordbok it would tell you that they are the same, but there’s a difference in the way Bearthwaite folk use the words these days. Yance ower they were the same here too, but now a visitor is someone we welcome, even if they’ve never been here before, decent folk are visitors. Tourists are folk we don’t really like, folk we don’t approve of, but as long as they don’t get too far out of line we’ll happily tek their money off ’em. Okay, Son?”

“Yeah. I get that. Visitors good, tourists bad. Simple enough, Granddad. I’ll explain to my brothers. Thanks.”

As Ethan left Alan couldn’t help but smile at the Orwellian simplicity of life as seen by a child. Visitors good, tourists bad. ‘What,’ he wondered, ‘would I give to be eight again?’

Knight Group Banquet:
Susan and Sasha pull up in one of Sasha’s old-style Corvettes and turn it over to the valet. Sasha gets out of the car and hands the key to the valet.

“Please be careful with it.” Sasha didn’t want anything to happen to her old Corvette.

“Yes ma’am.” The young valet accepts the keys from Sasha.

“You know, we could have arrived in the BMW, instead.” As Susan and Sasha walk up the steps together.

“I know, but I wanted to drive my Corvette.” Sasha walks side by side with her wife.

Forgive Me
From an AI image by Priscillamcminnar on Deviant Art
By Maryanne Peters

Trans-demic
Chinese Flu
Sam Wong read the email from Josh Epstein, the partner in charge of the fiendishly complicated real
estate deal that had consumed the last three months of their lives.
“You’re going to have to close this deal without me. I’m sick as a dog, and my wife just called an
ambulance to take me to Bellevue. I just hope it’s not that fucking Chinese Flu. Do whatever it takes to
get this done.”
Sam flinched at the slur but was used to minority bashing that goes on behind closed doors of politically

After the divorce, Mark felt like his life had crumbled. Losing his wife, home, and half of his savings in the settlement left him bitter and broken. So when a glossy, golden envelope arrived in the mail, offering a free month-long cruise aboard the USS New Beginnings, he hesitated. It seemed almost too good to be true. But with nothing to lose, Mark accepted.

The next morning, I arrived at the Royal Oak just before 09:00. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Casey was waiting for me. She looked much better than she had when I dropped her off, the previous lunchtime.

“Good morning, Casey.”

[authors note]
If you love formulaic and, in my opinion, cringeworthy ‘Christmas Movies’ or similar ‘Made for TV Romances’ that use an ensemble cast of ‘almost perfect specimens of humanity’ then stop reading now.

Tradeswoman
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

I was a tradesman when I was a man. I was a roofing contractor. I knew that when I became a woman I would have to give up that job. That is not because women can’t be tradespeople - and we all know that transwomen can do anything women can – it was because I wanted to do something feminine. I thought that it was important to me to leave that rugged part of my life behind me.

Girls’ Vacation
By Maryanne Peters

I just thought that pushing him all the way would finally put an end to this whole crossdressing thing. I had tolerated his crossdressing for our entire marriage but with the kids having left the family home it was as if he had a license to wear women’s underwear constantly, and to act like a woman in the kitchen. It seemed that he had only been constrained by the thought of our children learning of his perversion. My opinion did not matter.