Showing results by narrator "Shawn Jain" in All Categories

Even a gay athlete has an appearance to uphold. There are a handful out in every sport and while every trashy magazine wants to get the scoop on what the gays are up to, looking for a scandal and a way to ruin us, every one of us is constantly on our best behavior. Acting a certain way, dressing a certain way, speaking a certain way. If the world knew the real me, it'd shudder. Lace. Pearls. Dresses. Collars. All I want is to be someone's pretty little doll that they dress up and tell me how pretty I am. I want to be loved for the real me, not the image I'm forced to show to the world.

Decolonizing Palestine challenges the weaponization of biblical texts to support the current settler-colonial state of Israel. Raheb argues that some of the most important theological concepts—Israel, the land, election, and chosen people—must be decolonized in a paradigm shift in Christian theological thinking about Palestine.

When musclebound frat bro Brad gets run off the road by a reckless driver, he thinks it's game over. When he wakes up inside his twin brother's favorite corny shifter romance novel, he realizes the real game is just beginning. Desperate to get back to a world where he's top dog, Brad finds himself in the crosshairs of Raul, the menacingly hot hero of The Wolf's Mate, who's intent on teaching Brad a whole new meaning to the word alpha.

I've lived a very quiet life, keeping my deepest secrets close to my chest. I let no one in, not even my closest friends. When I'm invited to participate in the All-Star Games, I'm suddenly forced to share a hotel room—and a single bed—with a stranger. My carefully guarded world starts to come undone when he kisses me, and I can't get enough.

When Christian hired Levi, all he saw was a young man with a wound on his face so recent that it hadn't healed yet and desperation in his eyes. He didn't know his story, but he didn't need to. One of the reasons he'd opened The Tap Tavern was to give people who needed a safe place to land a job-a home away from home.

Dylan's life changed for the worse back in middle school. Because of that, he ghosted his best friend, Brett, out of fear and embarrassment. Now, as things finally come together for him, he's more concerned with earning a place back in Brett's life than he is about finding the Daddy his friends think he needs. What's an Understanding Daddy, anyway?

As the last boy left from the original crew of waiters at The Tap Tavern searching for his Daddy, Archie's filled with nervous excitement. And a little dread. Okay, he's scared to death. He's never been able to get past the kissing portion of a date before he tenses up and ruins everything. What man is going to want to deal with that? Maybe it's time to admit that what happened to him as a pre-teen has broken him forever.

Egon Wolf is on a hockey scholarship but failing at everything else. Knowing he's going to lose his ride if he doesn't get his academic act together, he seeks out a tutor. Rakesh Aahnu is a dual major and dangerous when bored. What he enjoys more than anything is the challenge of making straight men fall for him before walking away. Just because he can. Both Egon and Rakesh are about to discover that life has a way of throwing you in the sin bin when you least expect it.

A meticulously observed, gorgeously-crafted snapshot of gay culture in the pulsing early years of the tech boom, Gaysians renders its hilarious, flamboyant, human protagonists with love and individuality, showing tenderly the particular joy of queer friendship and yearning.

Welcome to Melusine, a city as wondrous as it is corrupt. Within its walls lies a stronghold of power and magic, a shining setting for the brilliant Felix Harrowgate. A well-respected wizard and darling of the court, Felix harbors sordid secrets from his peers in the aristocracy: a dark past in which a sadistic wizard enslaved him body and mind, even as he schooled Felix in how to walk among noblemen as if he were one of them. An abuser Felix believes himself free of, until a return to his former master's lair leads to his harrowing fall from grace.

I've been secretly married for eight years. Why is it a secret? Because having an open marriage splashed all over headlines isn't a good look. We'd constantly be under the spotlight, our lives and relationships judged. That's not the kind of hockey player I want to be known for, especially because we play for different teams. Although most of my relationships outside of my marriage are passing, I've been pining over my best friend and teammate for years. Years! Just as I decide that maybe it's time to see where this leads, management throws an unexpected play in our faces.

Daddy Samuel is a patient man, but that has nothing to do with why he wants his daughter's closest friend as his own. To him, Toby's quirks are part of his charm. Will he be able to convince the younger man how brave he is facing the world as his true self regardless of the negative voices in his head telling him he's broken? Welcome back to The Tap Tavern where there's booty-shaking in the kitchen, cuddling on the couch, and sometimes a boy just needs a little help to get out of his head.

It's totally normal for two straight guys to do this when they're alone, right? That's what I keep telling myself after I meet Reggie. I'm a pro tennis player, and I usually spend my life on the court. But an embarrassing injury in the middle of the US Open sidelined my career, landing me in the hands of my new athletic trainer. Reggie is a big old jock with an easy smile, and my grumpy butt has never met anyone like him. We start hanging—at the gym and at his place, on the tennis court and out at the bar. I haven't had a real friend in years, and Reggie's big heart warms me deep inside.

Rajah would do anything to be a great adventurer. But how can he, when his father’s already triumphed over every adventure he can think of? Lord Maharajah fought the Ender Dragon, charted the Overworld, and built a grand manor house. Rajah is surrounded by hand-me-downs, from his father’s fancy old name to his fancy old sword. His servant, Pal, and his squire, Faith, do what they can to help. But Pal is too gentle to be any good in a fight, and Faith’s faith is being tested by the knight she thought was a hero. Try as he might, Rajah isn’t anyone’s hero.

I try to enjoy the reputation I've earned as a hotshot music exec, even as I'm careful to hide my checkered past. But after another unfortunate scandal catches me with my pants down (literally), I'm forced to clean up my image. Enter Owen: my best friend's little brother. The adorkable sweetheart is my wholesome polar opposite, which makes him perfect for a little fake relationship publicity. Owen's just out of the closet. He acts shy, but the more time we spend together, the more I glimpse his surprisingly filthy imagination. And the more I can't stop thinking about him.

Digital transformation of the business landscape is well underway, and businesses are being reshaped faster than ever before. Agility and adaptability are now critical components of these businesses' survival. But building these traits requires a holistic approach with an unrelenting focus on automation. How does one go about developing that focus? Vijay Tella, Scott Brinker, and Massimo Pezzini deliver a guide to implementing automation in the real world, avoiding jargon and vague bromides in favor of concrete examples.

The investment profession is in a state of crisis. The vast majority of equity fund managers are unable to beat the market over the long term, which has led to massive outflows from active funds to passive funds. Where should investors turn in search of a new approach? Pulak Prasad offers a philosophy of patient long-term investing based on an unexpected source: evolutionary biology. He draws key lessons from core Darwinian concepts, mixing vivid examples from the natural world with compelling stories of good and bad investing decisions—including his own.

Joey thinks he's broken. I think he's beautiful. Joey's body began betraying him years ago. With his world in chaos, his new friends search for a Daddy to cherish him. When his ex-boss volunteers for the position, Joey panics. Can Daddy Tucker's gentle touch and soothing presence reassure Joey that he can trust him with all his pain, or will fear of being broken beyond repair keep him from the man he's wanted for years? Welcome to The Tap Tavern where this chosen family of boys are braver than they think, and their Daddies are ready to be what they want and so much more.

We live in an age of medical miracles. Never in the history of humankind has so much talent and energy been harnessed to cure disease. So why does it feel like it’s getting harder to live our healthiest lives? Why does it seem like “experts” can’t agree on anything, and why do our interactions with medical professionals feel less personal, less honest, and less impactful than ever?

A collection of the year’s best short stories, selected by Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer and series editor Heidi Pitlor.