Introduction |
Although modern day “Naptown” is very different from Indianapolis in 1972, it's still in the Bible Belt and gay teens face challenges, even today. Let me tell you what I faced that led me so deeply into the closet. |
Broad Ripple Blues |
A torridly hot day, an ice cream cone, a freak thunderstorm, a power outage and a couple of friends about to enter high school mix to create a little magic, a little romance and a little love. |
Back to School Jitters |
David and Jeremy are back in a light-hearted adventure as they do a little back-to-school shoping. Faced with homophobia, not only do they come out, but they make new friends and end up finding acceptance. |
A Dance to Remember |
David and Jeremy aren't about to let tradition keep them for dancing together at Homecoming. Trouble is, it's never been done. GSA president Paul has a plan, but it seems to run into a snag at first. |
Educating My Parents |
Trevor slipped up and is now out at school, but how will he tell his Evangelical Christian parents? He has a plan, but will it work? |
Halloween Hero |
When Barry finds his older brother in bed with a member of the football team, he has to make a potentially deadly choice - his brother, or his parents. |
My First Thanksgiving |
Fleeing persecution back home, young Altaf and his ammi immigrate to America. Befriended by a Jewish boy, will there be fireworks at the Thanksgiving dinner table? |
The Un-Christmas |
Two boys, a Jew and a Muslim, face tragedy together and learn to find faith in their own religions as the world around them celebrates Christmas. |
A New Year Resolution |
When the pastor at Trevor's church tries to make an example of him by getting the GSA disbanded, help comes from a most unlikely source. |
All My Heart |
Carry is head over heels for Barry, but things aren't as they seem. When Barry discovers the truth, rather than get angry, he helps Carry without giving away her secret. |
Class Election |
Is the next year's incoming sophomore class ready to elect a gay class presedent? Is David up to the challenge? Will Jeremy join him on the student council next year? |
The Gym Incident |
Readers were given the opportunity to play a role in writing a chapter of Naptown Tales history - What was the infamous gym incident that resulted in Jeremy being outed? |
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David of Hope's First Place Prize-Winning Entry |
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Cole Parker's Second Place Prize-Winning Entry |
July Fireworks |
When his boss asks Harold to do a 6 month follow-up to his article on gay youth, he doesn't know what to expect. Along the way he finds triumph and tragedy . . . and some surprises, a rarity for this newspaper veteran. |
Summer Camp |
Kurt and Trevor thought they had the perfect summer planned together helping disadvantaged youth at a church-run camp, but then the allegations started that Trevor was sexually abusing some of the kids. |
You Can Go Home Again, but Should You? |
When Altaf’s sister calls to tell him is father in Pakistan is dying, ghosts from the past return and he must face the prospect that honoring his father's last wish could very well cost him his own life. |
Positive |
Sammy thought surviving years of abuse was bad enough, until he was repeatedly raped, but even that didn't prepare him to deal with the knowledge that he was now HIV-positive. |
So Close, and |
Debbie and Cathy have been in the closet for more than four years, and have less than one more to go to be free of their fundamentalist parents, but a year is still a very long time. |
Home is Where |
Brad and David Reynolds have perfect lives, but then their parents decide to move to a McMansion in Carmel, which means changing schools, losing friends, and a tough separation for David and Jeremy. |
Spring Break - |
Trevor, Kurt, David, Jeremy, their brothers and a friend take off for a week in the nation's capitol, and end up getting more of an education than they’d bargained for. |
The Future Starts Now |
Graduation is a bitter sweet time as some prepare to leave for college, but excitement reigns as everyone plans to attend Randy & Altaf’s wedding. |
Summer Internship - |
David and Jeremy experience the chance of a lifetime, interning at the White House, while Trevor and Kurt serve as Pages in the Senate, but scandal follows close behind. Leave it to Brad to save the day. |
Fagball |
As the new quarterback of the freshman team, Billy faces pressure to quit when his teamates learn he's gay, but when his Ricky comes under attack, the outcome is quite unexpected. (Coming for GA Fall Anthology) |
Winter Holiday |
Lindsey & Rob thought it would be fun to take the boys to New York for Christmas Vacation, so how did they end up supervising ten teenage boys in Times Square on New Year’s Eve? (Coming in December) |
A New Beginning |
Debbie and Cathy juggle classes, married life, raising an infant, and dealing with parents and in-laws as they try figure out what to do with their lives. (Coming in January) |
Scouts’ Honor |
Lyle is excited about the prospects of a state basketball championship and the near certainty of college scouts offereing a scholarship, until he and Carrie are outed. (Coming in Spring 2010) |
’Till Death Do Us Part |
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Following a high school graduation that's early for some and a double wedding, Jeremy, David, Trevor and Kurt prepare to share an apartment in Boston, where they will all go to school in the fall. (Coming Late Spring, 2010) |
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Brad, Sammy, Cliff & Paul start high school, but then tragedy strikes, bringing all Naptown Tales characters home for a final farewell. (Series Finale, Coming in Late Summer, 2010) |
The New Job |
This fictional story is a semi-autobiographic account of the author's decision to come out to his wife. |
The Parallax Effect |
What if you could make a choice between the life you lived, or an alternative life you might have lived? Could you make that choice knowing someone you loved would have to die, either way? If you could flip a coin to choose one reality or the other, would you? |
Wishful Linking |
The past comes alive as 2 boys, linked through their 22nd century implants, dream of a brutal gay bashing. But is the past really the past, or was it the future that was the dream? If they find their way back, might they then save what little is left of gay culture? |