Mysteries
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Neil Plakcy writes stories with heart... and fur!
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Free Short Stories, Prologues and Epilogues to Newsletter Subscribers
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| My Gay Heroes |
| Mystery and Adventure | |||
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| Kimo Kanapa'aka is a homicide cop in Honolulu. 14 books in the series. | Angus Green is a young FBI agent in Miami. 4 books. | George Clay is a private eye in 1960s Miami. One book. | Aidan and Liam are sexy bodyguards who travel the world in 14 books |
| My Gay Romance | |||
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| A series of 5 MM romances set on South Beach | A fun workplace romance on South Beach | A series of 4 romances in Victorian England | A YA romance with a slight paranormal twist |
| More Gay Fiction | |||
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| Art theft romance in 1900s Nice & current day | The biblical story recast as a gay love story | 4 collections of my erotic fiction | 9 anthologies of erotic ficiton I edited |
| The Dogs | |||
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Japanese Healing Fiction set in Brooklyn |
20 cozy mysteries in series | A charming MF romance novella about a vet and a dog trainer | Non-fiction essays by men about their dogs |
The Smiling Dog Cafe - Healing Fiction #1
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Welcome to The Smiling Dog Café, where lost souls find their way home, guided by mysterious dogs and comforted by the scent of perfectly brewed coffee. This collection of two interconnected novellas brings the Japanese tradition of healing fiction to the streets of Brooklyn, where an unassuming café holds more magic than meets the eye. "A Mother's Heart" introduces us to Sophia Greenwood, whose young daughter has just been diagnosed with the same heart condition that claimed Sophia's mother. As she grapples with this inherited legacy of both loss and love, Sophia finds herself guided to The Smiling Dog Café by an Irish Setter who seems to know exactly what her heart needs. There, surrounded by Betty's gentle wisdom and the café's subtle magic, Sophia discovers that some inheritances are stronger than fear. |
| Drawing on the Japanese tradition of healing fiction while grounding itself firmly in American soil, The Smiling Dog Café explores how we heal from past wounds, find courage to face our futures, and learn to trust love again. Through Betty's carefully crafted coffee blends and the watchful eyes of her painted dogs, these stories remind us that sometimes the path to healing requires a little magic, a lot of courage, and the perfect cup of coffee. |
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The Bridge Between Us - Healing Fiction #2
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When master carpenter Barry Goldstein loses his wife Ellen to a sudden heart attack, he finds himself drawn to Brooklyn’s mysterious Smiling Dog Café, where the coffee tastes like memory and painted dogs on the walls seem to watch with knowing eyes. Meanwhile, his estranged sister Leah has rebuilt her life in Connecticut after years of addiction and loss, including the death of her husband Jaime and their unborn child.
When they discover their father had a sister named Temmy who died as a child—a sister whose existence was never mentioned, whose grave was abandoned when the family moved from Connecticut to Newark—they embark on a journey to find her final resting place and reclaim this forgotten piece of their history. |
| Under the guidance of Betty Martinez, the enigmatic owner of the Smiling Dog Café, and Molly, the labrador retriever who seems to appear when she's needed most, Barry and Leah begin to understand that what they truly inherited wasn't just their grandfather's carpentry skills or their mother's restlessness, but the capacity to rebuild what's broken—including their relationship with each other. "The Bridge Between Us," the second book in the Smiling Dog Café series, weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives to create a rich tapestry of family history, exploring how the wounds of one generation can echo in the next, and how healing sometimes requires both letting go and holding on. This deeply moving story about siblings finding their way back to each other reminds us that the strongest structures are often built in the places that once broke apart. |
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Hope and Grace - Healing Fiction #3
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At a quiet Brooklyn café watched over by painted dogs and warmed by just the right cup of coffee, two teenagers arrive—lost, hurting, and unsure where to turn next. In this deeply compassionate third entry in the Smiling Dog Café series—fully enjoyable as a standalone—author Neil S. Plakcy shares two powerful novellas about grief, resilience, and the unexpected ways we find our way home. In Grounds for Hope, Miguel is alone on the streets after his father is deported back to their violence-plagued homeland. Cold, hungry, and nearly out of hope, he’s led to the café by a mysterious pit bull named Baxter—and taken in by Betty, the wise café owner whose coffee and compassion help restore his sense of safety and purpose. |
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In Finding Grace, Tanya is reeling after her mother’s decision to walk away from their life to “find herself.” Angry and unmoored, Tanya is gently nudged toward the café by Kiyomi, a calm, three-legged Samoyed—and slowly begins to rediscover her strength, her voice, and her path forward. This tender volume celebrates how healing begins—in community, through ritual and memory, and with the quiet guidance of a dog who always knows exactly who needs help next. (Originally published under the title Grounds for Hope, which is the name of one of the two novellas included.) |
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