A SEASON FOR ROMANCE:
SUMMER SIMMER
two poems from a Pushcart prize nominee
each story is complete and stands alone
multiple genres: high fantasy, historical fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary equestrian romance, espionage romance, futuristic romance and SF romance.
12 of 22 stories feature diverse (PoC or LGBTQ+) main characters
sweet MM, FF, and MF romance
Hoping to reveal all shades of romance, we have gathered together twelve authors from around the world, including Canada, India, Lithuania, and the United States for this sweet romance anthology, A Season for Romance - Summer Simmer.
We are committed to diverse and inclusive stories. Ten out of twenty-two in this collection feature main characters who are PoC or identify as LGBTQ+.
In Summer Simmer, you will find true love in a variety of genres and styles, from first kisses to second chances, at pivotal junctures and in bittersweet moments. There is beauty, tenderness, angst, and even some humor and sizzle in these carefully crafted stories meant to transport you to magical worlds where love is just moments away.
From the mythical past to contemporary times and into the future, a diverse cast of memorable characters await you. Marvel at mystical customs and extraordinary worlds. Everything is new but strangely familiar, for love is love no matter the era or circumstances.
Come with us on this magical journey through time and space!
The anthology will be published on may 31.
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Brook Bhagat is the author of Only Flying, a Pushcart-nominated collection of surreal poetry and flash fiction on paradox, rebellion, transformation, and enlightenment from Unsolicited Press. She was a first-round winner in the 2022 Colorado Hearts and Minds Poetry contest, and her work has won first place in contests at A Story in 100 Words and Loud Coffee Press. It has been published in Monkeybicycle, Empty Mirror, Soundings East, The Pine Cone Review, The Alien Buddha Goes Pop, Anthem: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, and other journals and anthologies. She is a founding editor of Blue Planet Journal and an assistant professor of creative writing at Pikes Peak State College. Read her work and learn more about Only Flying
Cassia Hall is the author of the Seasons Cycle, a romantic fantasy series and a spin-off from her main Lake Traveler Saga. Her poetry collections include Poems of Myth & Magick and Songs of Love & Longing. She composes songs for her characters, using music–the universal language of love–to convey their messages. She believes that, just as music goes beyond barriers of language, colour and creed, stories should go straight to our hearts.
Her work is character-driven, diverse, and inclusive. Her writing has been described as ‘lush and lyrical’, her music as ‘LoTR meets GoT and Witcher, with a musical theatre vibe’. She lives in Toronto, Canada where winters are long and the other seasons very precious.
Check out her stories and music on her website
C. Phillip is a Mumbai-based, self-published author of two book series, one light novel and short stories. She writes action-packed historical fiction and fantasy novels with a generous helping of romance, suspense and strong female leads. Her short story, ‘The Prince and the Flute Player’, is featured in a charity anthology, Children of War, that explores the experiences of children trapped in war and seeks to honour those affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Apart from writing books, C. Phillip is engaged in active research on women’s empowerment in ancient India, which she uses as a basis for creating credible, diverse, dynamic and multifaceted characters.
You can find her online through
R. L. Fuentes is the author of ten high fantasy short stories published in the first two volumes of the anthology series, A Season for Romance: Spring Blossoms and Summer Simmer. She is also editing The Oracle Chronicles, her multi-book series set in a bronze-age fantasy world.
Rebecca has a background in education and child development. Her childhood fascination with mythology and fairy tales fueled her love for the fantasy genre.
She writes fantasy to explore the dynamics of human culture and our relationship with the divine. Her interest in anthropology, history and psychology informs her worldbuilding and character creation. On TikTok, her videos explore writing tropes and showcase speedpaints of her character art.
She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, children, dogs, and cat.
Naito Diamond knows how to cook on a medieval stove, build a treehouse, and raise a German Shepherd, three cats and a rooster. She writes in multiple genres, from witty paranormal romance to high-tech cyberpunk, from heartbreaking war stories to mystical realism. Her short stories are featured in two volumes of A Season for Romance anthology: Spring Blossoms and Summer Simmer, and Flights of Fantasy, an anthology from Iron Faerie Publishing.
She lives in union with nature and spends her time researching AI trends, medical innovations and neuropsychology. Her fondness for human nature enables her to create flawed and lovable characters.
This year, she is focusing on her short fiction collection, Alter Ego, and her fantasy adventure novel, Drachenloch,, the first book in the Tau Ceti Saga. In her writing she explores the themes of trustworthiness, loyalty, and courage.
Rochelle Hampton is an author and playwright currently working in education. She has a background in theater and has written and directed a one-act play performed at the Manhattan Arts Center in Kansas and Denver East High School. She’s also written a full-length avant-garde play about the political intrigue of a deck of cards in a casino. Currently, she is writing a mafia-centered urban fantasy series. Her work is an unflinching exploration of the darker side of human relations and society with a dash of romance thrown in.
Her career in education has given her experience working with adjudicated teens, emotionally disabled students of all ages, and preparing non-traditional students for college. Rochelle attended the Las Vegas Writers Conference, and her time in that city inspired her current work.
Rochelle lives on the wind-swept plains of Wyoming with her husband and three children.
Growing up off the grid in Alaska gave Madeleine an undying love for all things mystical, mountainous, and wild. Homeschooling allotted her plenty of time to indulge her love of stories, both reading and creating them. Though college and careers led her away from that passion, she never stopped writing.
She lives in Michigan with her husband and three massive cats, concocting breathtaking adventures where charming heroes sweep readers off their feet, bold women capture their hearts, and light always finds a way to conquer darkness.
Don’t miss her debut romantic high fantasy story, Winter’s Wrath, and follow her on Facebook at MadeleineMilesAuthor for publishing updates, giveaway drawings, and sneak peeks into the savage, isolated world of Sengkar.
MK Hall is the author of Empyrean Born and Empyrean Queen, an urban fantasy duet. She has several more stories in progress, from epic fantasy to sci-fi, all with an element of self-discovery and love. Her ultimate goal is to create elaborate worlds readers can become entirely lost in. After all, who doesn’t need an escape from reality for a while?
When she isn’t writing, she’s busy with her newly established editing business, and wrangling her brood of furbabies. She lives in the heart of the Midwest with her husband of 25+ years and has a (relatively) healthy obsession with all things cats, adores dogs, and absolutely loves connecting with readers and new authors. Despite growing up under the impression that reading was a chore, books have consumed her adult life and now she can’t get enough!
Isla Ryder grew up around horses but never owned one of her own, settling instead for riding lessons and every horse book she could find. When those books stopped being enough, she began writing her own. Throughout school, she loved creative writing classes and earned a BDIC degree from UMass Amherst. She has been a riding instructor for many years and has recently become a horse show judge. Her goal is to keep expanding the pool of details she can add to her stories to make them even more authentic. Isla has published a series of sweet cowboy romance novellas and has begun a new series of equestrian romance which will continue to expand this year.
You can find out more about both series on her website:
Alora Pendrak is the author of ‘Summer Night’, a short story in the anthology, A Season for Romance: Summer Simmer, her debut publication. She is currently editing her novel, Descendants of Magic, the first book in a series centered on the cultural clash between the human and faerie worlds.
A lover of fairy tales, history, and psychology, Alora likes to weave together folklore and psychological elements in her stories, with a focus on the aftermath of abuse. Her writing explorers the conflicts inherent in building a legacy, and the resulting power structures that affect younger generations. She enjoys reading and reviewing the work of other authors. She hopes her critiques will lead readers to discover entertaining new worlds and colorful characters. She lives in North Carolina with two needy cats.
Erica Damon is a writer, equestrian, and artist living in Western Massachusetts who also loves working with other authors as an alpha reader and developmental editor. She calls herself compulsively creative, and that has led to a collection of ‘what if’s?’ in her back pocket. A self-directed degree from UMass Amherst Commonwealth Honors College furthered her exploration outside of the ordinary. That same sense of wonder weaves its way into her fiction. If she’s not writing, she’s likely out riding horses while the ideas swirl in the background.
Check out her books and professional offerings on her website:
Rebecca Maeve Hartwell has always escaped into make-believe and fiction. Stories have helped her survive and even thrive after the darkest chapters of her life, and now she writes her own in the hopes of doing the same for others. Her first series, Unlocked, delves deep into dark romance, immersive magic, and high-stakes adventure. Her characters are complex and troubled, stitched together with heartfelt themes of healing and personal power. Her background in theater, reenactment, and the strong oral storytelling traditions she was raised with are all noticeable in her elegant story-telling and rich, captivating worlds. Rebecca lives in Maine with her two cats. She enjoys Lindy Hop swing dancing, sewing costumes, and long drives in the dark with just the right music playing.
