This is a list of my work both commercially produced as well and a number of free stories.
Commercially Published Books
2019
Wrestling With Destiny (contemporary)
Fresh out of college, Tyler is ready to take on the world—or at least the world of steer wrestling. But after meeting Micah, he comes to realize he’ll have to choose between his two loves—rodeo and his man.
Tyler Lang was a champion steer wrestler at the collegiate level, and now that he’s returned home, he has his sights set for the National Finals in Vegas. His hometown Independence Day parade and rodeo gives him the chance to play the role of town hero, even though it wasn’t an honor he would have pursued. But later, while enjoying a celebratory drink, he runs into Micah Vella, a local rancher who had been a few years ahead of him in high school. Their evening together starts out as two friends watching the Independence Day fireworks. When Micah confesses he is gay, too, Tyler’s careful plans are thrown to the winds.
The couple work to build a relationship, but it’s feeling as if the world is conspiring against them. The pair battle setbacks from a continual plague of problems with Tyler’s gear, attacks that come close to getting them hospitalized and Micah’s father’s diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. With so many things going wrong and their lives in turmoil, Tyler comes to realize he will have to choose between rodeo and Micah.
2018
Wrestling With Destiny (contemporary)
Fresh out of college, Tyler is ready to take on the world—or at least the world of steer wrestling. But after meeting Micah, he comes to realize he’ll have to choose between his two loves—rodeo and his man.
Tyler Lang was a champion steer wrestler at the collegiate level, and now that he’s returned home, he has his sights set for the National Finals in Vegas. His hometown Independence Day parade and rodeo gives him the chance to play the role of town hero, even though it wasn’t an honor he would have pursued. But later, while enjoying a celebratory drink, he runs into Micah Vella, a local rancher who had been a few years ahead of him in high school. Their evening together starts out as two friends watching the Independence Day fireworks. When Micah confesses he is gay, too, Tyler’s careful plans are thrown to the winds.
The couple work to build a relationship, but it’s feeling as if the world is conspiring against them. The pair battle setbacks from a continual plague of problems with Tyler’s gear, attacks that come close to getting them hospitalized and Micah’s father’s diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. With so many things going wrong and their lives in turmoil, Tyler comes to realize he will have to choose between rodeo and Micah.
Construction (contemporary)
Sam’s self-worth is at a low, between losing a leg in Iraq and the reaction of his recent dates to his disability, but there may be new hope for love.
Samuel Oates returned from the war in Iraq missing part of one leg and much of his self-worth. He’s transitioned from his job as medic to becoming a med tech at the regional hospital. While enjoying his usual noontime hobby of watching hot construction workers at the nearby project, he meets someone else who also enjoys the view. Jorge is a middle-aged mystery but seems to be interested in Sam without the complications he keeps experiencing with other men.
Later that night, Sam discovers his dream construction worker trolling at the local leather bar. Their hook-up leaves Sam with his typical feeling that he couldn’t ever do any better than a quickie. But the next day, Jorge returns and Sam’s attraction to him grows.
Juggling two men and a job he likes, Sam must discover a way to find someone who will meet his needs without feeding his insecurities.
Aerie (fantasy)
Askari, Dhala, and Gyam grew up as childhood friends during happier days for the Chinjoka, an Iron Age people with the ability to shapeshift, but now they must learn their place among the tribe while dealing with both a devastating plague and war with the Misiq.
Ena is a young warrior for the more savage Misiq, a tribe whose cruelty exemplifies their deity—the Angry God. The Misiq, also shifters, have declared a genocidal war against the Chinjoka, blaming them for the disease devastating both tribes. As a result, they are locked in a battle for survival. But when Ena is shown compassion by those he means to harm, he begins to question all he’s ever known.
A chance meeting changes their lives, and maybe their tribes, forever.
2017
Drawing the Devil
Drawing the Devil (contemporary/western)
Dustin rides a ton of beef battling to do away with his rider while Shane makes certain the bull doesn’t succeed—and that’s the easiest part of their relationship.
Dustin Lewis is a barely contained twenty-one-year-old bull rider who was disowned by his parents when his father discovered Dustin with another teenage boy. He has spent the time since traveling the rodeo circuit and, after years of honing his skills, he’s in contention to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Shane Rees is a twenty-six-year-old rodeo bullfighter-rodeo clown. While Shane’s family still love their son, they are not pleased with the sexuality they believe he chose. He knows the potential consequences of being gay among the rodeo crowd. As a result, Shane keeps his sexuality a guarded secret. When combined with the scars he’s earned over the years of bullfighting, Shane has little sense of self-worth.
The two meet when Dustin’s draw for the night is Diablo, the same vicious bull that gave Shane his most notable scar. Dustin’s ride ends with him trapped in the rigging as the bull tries to pound him into the arena dust. With a good bit of bravado and nerves that have earned him a reputation among the bull riders, Shane frees Dustin before he is seriously injured. This chance meeting leads them through heartwarming highs and near-crushing lows as they struggle toward their goal of winning the National Finals and maintaining their personal relationship.
Throwaway (contemporary/western/rural)
Garrett escaped the death threat from his family, but the Texas Panhandle is where he may be at the end of any hope.
After being thrown out by his parents, Garrett’s planned escape ended when the last of his money landed him in a tiny West Texas town with no more resources than a backpack with his entire worldly goods and the change in his pocket. He huddles behind a dumpster to avoid the broiling noonday heat. As the sun moves below its apex, one of the workers from the convenience store tosses a few bags of food past its prime into the dumpster and Garrett is soon surrounded by the scent. His hunger overcomes his caution and Garrett takes advantage of a distraction to slip into the trash and snag the food. Garrett finds himself threatened by a group of locals when he discovers the bags hold more than stale burritos.
Trevor, the manager of the regional farmers’ co-op, rescues him before he goes to jail. A day later, after a hot shower, fresh clothes and a full stomach, Garrett is excited to have a possible solution to his problem.
When pieces disappear from an unusual collection of jewelry, Garrett and Trevor team up to find the actual thief.
A Matter of Priorities (contemporary/college)
After being disowned by his family, Cooper judged his self-worth by his latest hookup. But circumstances change as he learns about true love.
Cooper Dias is a better-than-average college student with a major in architecture and a love of dogs. But while he plays the role of campus playboy, he believes no one would care enough to worry about him—except his best friend Liam. His expectations are simple—searching for the latest hookup. His newest obsession is his professor, Lucas Nyman, who has asked Cooper to work as part of the team for an out-of-class project, which he eagerly accepts.
At a celebratory evening at Professor Nyman’s home, Cooper is invited to fulfill his latest fantasy—a ménage à trois with the professor and his husband. But the fun turns into something much weightier when pillow talk turns into friendly advice from the pair whose bed Cooper has shared. After a close call that leaves Cooper shaken and a confession from Liam, Cooper begins to realize that life is not as he thought.
Tackling the Subject (contemporary/college)
Sam struggles with issues from high school, and his biology tutor triggers them all. Gordy isn’t sure he wants to deal with the trouble Sam represents.
Sam Doherty, a twenty-two-year-old Computer Science major is struggling to pass the required classes in biology. While Sam is out and proud, he’s secretly dealing with an assault he suffered in high school. Sam may be the president of the campus Gay-Straight Alliance, but he’s struggling to find balance in his life. When he realizes he needs help with his class, he signs up for a biology tutor, but the guy who arrives for their meeting sets off all his triggers.
Gordy Hager is a biology whiz kid, the best tutor at the University Help Center—and the star tackle on the football team. Sam despises him at first sight. Gordy is the brainless caveman athlete that Sam still has nightmares about. Unable to control his reactions, he drives Gordy away and makes it plain he will never ask for his help. One week and a failed quiz later, Sam knows he has to swallow his pride and get help.
But while Gordy might be a nice guy, he isn’t going to help someone as insulting as Sam. Sam’s determination pays off, and he gets Gordy’s assistance, but his grades are only the first pothole their relationship hits. From their discovery that they both are gay to supporting each other against family, their connection has more than its share of issues. But when their worst fears come to fruition, they struggle with a way to save Gordy’s college football career and face Sam’s issues of intimacy.
General Release Date: 1st August 2017
For long term fans, this is the story of how Gordy and Sam of Wrangler Butts met.
Crossfire (contemporary/crime)
Murder,kidnapping and a disappearance. Trooper Rick Anthis could use a break. But he hopes it isn’t too latein coming.
Rick Anthis, a forty-five-year-old veteran of the Colorado State Police and his husband, Gabriel Thorkelson, a deputy sheriff in a nearby county, enjoy the peace of their suburban Boulder home, but the neighborhood’s tranquility is shattered by three rapid-fire gunshots. The pair’s quick reaction allows Rick to witness the abduction of his eight-year-old buddy, Jacob, by his father.
In their quest to find the boy, the clues are sparse and time is of the essence since Jacob is diabetic, a condition Gabriel is far too familiar with. A search of the father’s apartment yields nothing more than an old hiking map that narrows the search down to a few hundred square miles. Rick and his CSI team are on the hunt, but with every bit of progress they make, they are thwarted, especially when Gabriel turns up missing.
Showstring (contemporary/western)
Beef and beefcake, tight Wranglers and a lifetime of anguish, cattle and competition. Can Jayden and Ben mesh their wildly different backgrounds?
Jayden Laine has spent his life in the city, dreaming of cowboys and cattle ranches. He looks forward to each fall when his real life is exchanged for his dreams at the state fair.
This year, as he steps into the barns, he’s greeted by everything he’s come to see, along with the additional sight of Ben Ramos fighting to move a two-thousand-pound bull that’s decided he doesn’t want to cooperate. What happens next starts a juggernaut of emotions in Jayden that turn his world upside down. Now all he has to do is reevaluate his entire life and decide who to believe. And he has only a few days to do it.
Camouflage (contemporary/western)
Nash Gallo and Luke Meyers seem like complete opposites on the surface. Nash is a city boy from Atlanta, while Luke is a rancher from rural Oklahoma. Nash is covered in tattoos and piercings, while Luke is self-conscious about his muscular, hairy body. Luke doesn’t have much sexual experience with other men, while Nash has plenty to go around.
But both men are lonely, and neither of them has ever been in love.
They also both have secrets. For Luke, it’s his shame over an affair with a local closeted and married man, something Nash accepts. Will Luke be as tolerant of what Nash is hiding–his job as a prostitute back in Georgia?
A week-long vacation on Luke’s ranch and the idyllic landscapes surrounding it gives both men the chance to relax and explore the attraction growing between them. But can the budding relationship survive secrets and small-town prejudices? As they search for the place where their lives might intersect, Nash and Luke risk far worse than broken hearts.
2016
Iced (contemporary)
Keith Walker, a mall bookstore employee, is struggling to get through another miserable holiday season while trying to preserve a crumbling long-term relationship. One of his few comforts is his morning coffee made by a good-looking, younger barista. Austin Novak felt an attraction when Keith started frequenting the coffee shop, but he doesn’t think the older man has any interest in him or his graphic novel collection.
A Christmas week snowstorm buries the city and locks Keith’s car into its parking spot. Keith decides to show Austin his gratitude for helping free the car from the ice with a dinner invitation. The meal becomes complicated when Austin meets Keith’s boyfriend, Shawn, and things go downhill from there when Shawn announces he’s heading to Cancún with his coworkers. Keith is caught between keeping his boyfriend happy and keeping his job. But Keith might not need a plane ticket to find the happiness that’s been missing from his life.
Obsidian Moons (fantasy)
After achieving the impossible and releasing their people from the Varas slavers, Anan and Terja, a spellweaver and spellspinner, start the arduous journey back to their homeland. A winter trek across the grasslands is dangerous enough, but the traitor, Xain, is tasked with recapturing the slaves, and failure will mean his death. As added insurance, the Varas High Regent hires a Triad of legendary Ubica assassins and assigns a full regiment of his personal guards, along with their captain, to the task. Their mission is clear: recapture the escaped Talac slaves destined for the Varas pleasure houses—and the bed of the High Regent—at any cost.
The newly freed Talac travel toward their homelands with the full knowledge they are likely being pursued. The flight westward is fraught with new and unexpected dangers as Anan and Terja struggle to save their tribe. The battle for shelter, food, and a way to defend themselves becomes an all-consuming task, but they are reminded by the avatars of their gods that all is not as it appears.
It’s the Hat (contemporary)
Forest ranger Matt Keller’s frustrations mount as he tries to bust a poaching ring in a Michigan national forest and now he’s discovered that Kyle, the gorgeous waiter he desperately wants to ask out, has an ex-boyfriend hanging around. The ex is bad news, Kyle says it’s complicated, and Matt’s not sure which way to jump. Just as Matt’s puzzling things out with Kyle, his pursuit of the poachers takes a dangerous turn and he could risk losing all the pieces he’s fought so hard to juggle.
Mischief Corner Books | Amazon
2015
Obsidian Sun (fantasy) (Rainbow Awards Runner-up)
Differences must be put aside when vengeance becomes all-consuming.
Anan, a spellweaver of the Talac people, returns from a hunting trip to find his village decimated, his mate dead, and everyone else captured by Varas slavers. The sole survivor is Terja, a young man without the velvet that covers most Talac, marking him as a spellspinner. Since Talac magic requires both a weaver and a spinner, Anan and Terja must move beyond their ingrained mistrust. All that remains is revenge and a desperate plan to rescue their tribesmen before they are sold to Varas pleasure houses. A goal Anan and Terja are willing to die for.
With the blessing of the Talac gods, they discover new and surprising ways to complement each other’s power. But as they race through terrain full of enemies and dangerous creatures to reach their people before they pass into Varas lands, they must take drastic steps to face the overwhelming odds against them. Understanding their connection might be their only hope.
Razor (urban fantasy)
When the world crashes down around your ears, sometimes all you can do is punt and hope for the best. That’s exactly what James and Micah decide to do when one of them is diagnosed with cancer, and the other discovers a serious heart defect. When the doctor tells them to start working on their bucket lists, the two take a trip in an effort to create some good memories, and forget the ugly truths, while they focus on their time in each other’s arms.
Their vacation turns into much more than they anticipated when they find themselves drawn to a club like sailors to a siren. Several sexy waiters, some unforgettable lap dances, and one whip-wielding stud later, they stumble upon the answer to their prayers. Their sex is wild again, and the pair find themselves living for tomorrow. But with every answer comes questions, and Micah’s search for more may destroy them both.
Will they be able to recover from his thirst for the truth? Or will the men always live walking on the edge of a Razor?
Decadent Publishing | Amazon | iTunes | Kobo
Spurred On (urban fantasy)
His wicked stepfather is trying to drive Kegan off his family’s ranch…
He promised his dying father to always be there to protect his mother. But when she leaves on a cattle buying trip, his stepbrothers join in to bully and overwork him. Can he hang on until her return? And even if he does, how can he tell her that her new husband is evil incarnate? The only bright spot is Cole, a handsome neighbor he’s admired from a distance.
He’s new in town, and his parents are holding a rodeo…
It’s not easy to meet new people in an established ranching community, but a rodeo will draw everyone in and give Cole an opportunity to make friends and show his skills in an arena they all understand. Maybe even get to know someone special.
A mystical medicine hat stallion walks into Kegan’s life….
It’s not long before they are the talk, and mystery, of the rodeo. The only thing more daunting than keeping his identity secret is how Kegan is going to balance all this with his draw to the man of his dreams. Will Cole end up being his magical prince, or is Kegan going to find himself left in the dust?
2014
Home Grown (contemporary)
Peter Stevens believes nothing tastes better than a vine-ripened tomato tended by a farmer’s hands. The craving for heirloom tomatoes leads him to his local farmers’ market and his favorite vendor, Ethan Hart. As Peter becomes a regular customer, the two find they have more in common than a love of good food. Just as Ethan begins to relax, Peter’s ex, Jay, appears and is all the things Ethan is not. A perfect storm of mistakes and poor choices, as well as Ethan’s haunted past, has him ready to admit defeat. With the guidance of friends and a goat far too smart for her own good, Ethan realizes he needs to have a tender hand and patience to grow a home for Peter.
2013
Heart of the Pines (contemporary)
Christmas is the worst time of the year to find yourself alone. Chris Moss, owner of a tree farm, knows this down to his bones as he makes his way through his first holiday season after losing his wife to cancer. When Wade Hart, an annual customer at the farm, visits, they find common ground: Wade lost his own longtime lover to a parting of ways and is lonely too. The constant, gentle companionship provides fertile soil for an attraction neither expects, but nurturing a new relationship is a tough proposition. With the encouragement of family and friends, Chris and Wade may yet find that a second love later in life can be just as fulfilling as the first.
Freebies!
Self-Published eBooks
Nifty
- College Judo (College/Athletic – not HEA)
- Digitals and Denim (Military/Rural/Beginnings)
- Growing Josh: Part 3 Wrangler Butt Series (College/Rural)
- Lariats and Lacrosse Sticks (College/Rural)
- Maverick Cattle Company: part 2 Wrangler Butt Series (Relationships/Rural)
- Rekindling (Relationships)
- Renovation (Encounters)
- Snowbound (Camping/Beginnings)
- Wrangler Butts: part 1 Wrangler Butt Series (College/Rural)
Jon L Keys 
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