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A Christmas Gift	11/20/99	The young man helping at the Christmas tree lot had a lot more (and less!) to him than first met the eye.
A Peg Leg for Christmas	12/24/98	Here's a mood piece that has it's own charm and magic. I'd love to know the character here. He is a hermit of substance and value.
A Special Love	6/14/2000	A Young man arrives at college to find the room mate of his dreams. But the handsome young amputee has other secrets, and an attitude that almost wrecks any chance of a friendship!
A Special Love II	6/26/2000	It seems that Geoff left his roomie more than fond memories. You won't want to miss this moving sequel.
A Special Love III	8/21/2000	The third (and according to the author final... so DON'T ask for yet another sequel!) episode of the story of Cam, whose budding romance with Roberto comes to fruition in this surprising final episode of the trilogy!
A Special Love IV	1/21/2003	Here's a sequel where I would have sworn there could be no sequel! Yes, Roberto has decided to marry a woman and return to his native land... but the circles have yet to close and Cam gets a call to come to the side of his friend in a hurry. It's a moving tale that could only come from the pen of Jess Mercer!
A Valentine for Mike	2/7/2003	Sometimes having just one friend can make all of the difference. It's doubly tragic when that friend is suddenly jerked away. A story of parental coldness and final retribution.
Aaaarh	12/13/99	It's panic time at a small seasonal business when the computer guru quits a month before Christmas! But his replacement has a lot going for him... and more than meets the eye!
Aaaaargh II	8/30/2000	Stanton Creations never thought they'd stoop to doing the decorations for a high school prom, but some things are worth more than money. Don't miss this sequel!
Ace	7/5/98	Gorgeous amputees are where you find them... even at fruit stands on lonely country roads!
Andy	9/15/2001	With the advances in robotics and genetics, we may not be too far from the premise of this story. It's a 'rescue' story with a whole new twist! Don't miss this charming tale.
Beach Party	8/14/98	Sometimes a trip to the beach can change your life... in ways you never expected!
Bear	5/8/99	A great, hulking, gentle giant befriends a waif amputee. And more.
Brian's Trains	5/7/2000	Brian was isolated and lonely at school. He knew he was different. It wasn't until he met the kind young man in the Coast Guard who also loved model trains that he realized it was all going to be OK.
Brian's Trains II	2/16/2001	It's a few days late for Valentine's, but here's a sweet, touching sequel to an earlier hit. Straight Rick just can't win with all those gay devs around!!
Bug	10/28/2003	Ben knew what Human Growth Hormone could do... it had made him five inches taller in just a year! He had no idea about the new experiment with the drug on the top floor of his father's company building, or the young man who was the subject, until that fateful day! Here's another gem from Jess Mercer.
Chance Meeting	12/26/98	Christmas gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and can be found in the oddest places... even at the grocery on a cold winter's night!
Christmas is for the Living	11/20/99	Here's a Christmas tale of a bitter thirty-something whose cold heart is warmed by the sudden appearance of his one-armed godson. A sweet Christmas miniature.
Class Reunion	10/25/99	Class reunions strike this fellow as deadly dull... but something tells him to go. Read on... you'll both be glad he did!
College Days	3/9/2000	College Roomies start a wild ride as each discovers the other is gay. It's a contrast in families that goes right down to the wire!
Crossties	1/23/2000	The long-awaited new novel from Jess has arrived. It's full of music and Indian lore as well as love and (of course) a talented young man with one leg! Enjoy!
Curiosity Shop	10/6/99	The devotee was attracted by the simple name of the store. Once inside, he found the one-legged proprietor even more interesting. THEN he discovered what the store REALLY sold!
Curiosity Shop II	11/2/99	You've been asking for it in the feedbacks! Here's the further adventures of our friends who operate that oh-so-special little shop!
Danny	7/8/98	The college roomie you had who kept you turned on has dropped back in for a visit... Only now, he's even MORE desirable!
Design Imperfect	5/15/99	You'll wonder where the "heros" got their cold hearts. But it's obvious that even years of pain can thaw at unexpected moments.
Devotee's Dream	10/15/99	If Devotee's and Amputees can just be honest with each other, it opens up all sorts of possibilities. This piece was inspired (according to the author) by recent postings about the dev/amp relationship on the Secret Garden message board. See what YOU think!
Devotee's Paradise	6/5/99	This community is no more unbelievable than the one in "Northern Exposure". It's a dream come true, and one that frankly surprises me in that it doesn't already exist. Or does it??????
Drew's Story	12/26/98	The story of a gay couple who adopt a very special young boy.
ExCon	5/12/99	Sometimes when we act, we don't realize the impact we have. On others, or on ourselves.
Experiment	9/11/99	When a renegade surgical team recruits a recent amputee soccer player for experimental surgery, all he needs to regain his lost leg is a donor!
Fag	2/21/2000	A gay bookstore owner finds himself cast in the role of a parent when his just outed nephew winds up on his doorstep.
Farm Boys	4/8/99	When a young man who has lost a leg as a small boy leaves the family farm to open a business in town, he meets a kindred spirit, and forms a memorable partnership!
Finale	2/3/2000	Here's the final novel in the "Drew" Trilogy. The Grandkids have arrived!!!
Flip	2/22/2001	The guys on the swim team were blaming Phillip because he was driving the night that the star of the team, Brad, lost his leg. Or is that all that was going on? Here's a story of love and acceptance from one of the Garden masters.
Gentle Giant	5/24/2000	Here's a twist you won't want to miss! A short, slight kid finds an unlikely protector against the bullies at school in a huge, lumbering boy with one arm. Be sure to stay for the ending!
Geof	7/4/2000	Romance comes to an amputee recluse. From Wantabe's World.
Gift of Tears	1/15/2004	Sometimes love is longed for an never granted, sometimes offered and refused, and sometimes love is there and one never notices. A poignant tale from Jess Mercer.
Gran'pa	12/24/98	Of all the bitter-sweet tales we have presented, this is possibly among the sweetest, and surely the most bitter. A charming Christmas Story that will move you to tears.
Grouch	11/9/99	The engineer had lost a leg. And he was not in the best of moods about it. Until he realized that the young man with the high tech leg was someone he had dreamed about for years!
Hamburger Kid	2/18/2007	It's the familiar story of the waif looking in the candy-store window... except this is a counter at McDonald's, and the fellow doing the observing is not well-to-do. An interesting spin on the "rescue" tale from a Garden Master.
Hitch-hiker	4/6/99	A devotee and pretender picks up a young man on a peg leg on a country road, and changes both their lives forever.
Hook	8/8/98	Having one hand can be an inconvenience. Until you meet a guy with no legs who decides to give you a bit of a surprise... in more ways than one!
Ill Wind	9/28/99	A hurricane isolates a small coastal area, and a one-armed boy looking for work and shelter finds a new life.
Just Deserts	12/17/2004	Did you think a Christmas season would come and go without a new gift in the garden? Here's Jess Mercer's annual offering for Yuletide! It's about a young man missing a foot who actually knows the difference between right and wrong!
Keith	8/20/98	I never had an English roomie in college, but if I had, Keith would have been it!
Keith II	9/26/98	Thanksgiving with Keith
Keith III	9/26/98	Christmas with Keith
Killer	10/2/98	A college professor adopts an Indian boy, who has more secrets than a carpenter has nails. Even the loss of a leg doesn't stop the boy. But something else does. This is a long story. You will either love it or hate it. It is certainly one of the best here in my opinion.
Lighthouse	12/1/2005	The young man was well on his way down the wrong path in life, until an unlikely old uncle introduced him to life at a remote lighthouse. It's this year's Christmas tale from Jess Mercer!
Love	8/21/98	Sometimes love is in the most unexpected places. Here's a tale of the purest sort of love one can experience.
Love Transcends	6/26/99	Here's another sweet, touching story of kindness and love... with a few stumps just to make life interesting. Enjoy.
Lucky	4/8/99	When a gay doctor is forced to amputate his lover's leg after an accident, their bond becomes even stronger. But amputating the leg of a seven year old boy devastate the doc for no apparent reason...
Mac	7/1/98	Mac is young, rich, one-legged and gay! And he's just picked up a peg-legged hitch-hiker! Buckle your seatbelts!
Mall Kid	9/20/99	A kid stands innocently on a shiny peg leg near a computer store in a mall. His "coming out" both emotionally and sexually is a story you won't want to miss! And the soccer game will have you to the very end!
Man of My Dreams	5/5/99	Memories of first love warm us as little else can. This sweet, touching story has all the elements of a Summer so magical it can only be a part of youth.
Matched Pair	9/4/98	Here's one for the arm amp fanciers... A young man is considering taking his life following the loss of a hand. At least, until he meets another extraordinary fellow!!!
My Damned Appendix	10/12/99	A quick trip to the hospital to get rid of a "hot" appendix sets wheels in motion that create an unusual "family" of sorts.
Myrna	10/1/2000	For those who say the Garden is all "Sweetness and Light"... try this hideous miniature on for size!
No Man is an Isle	12/26/98	Orphaned in his teens, the hero of this story endures loneliness and the loss of a leg before he finds something and someone to believe in.
One of Those Days	7/4/2000	Running over a kid's bike seemed like an inconvenience at worst. It turned out to be one of the best things ever to happen to him! From Wantabe's World.
Panhandler	9/4/99	How good a father will a young college boy make? Especially if the child is a ten year old amputee?
Pan Handler II	1/6/2003	Although released out of sequence, this episode of the story of Mike and Travis is a key one: It is the part where Travis comes to accept himself! (Hint: You'll enjoy this series more if you read all three in order!)
Panhandler III	12/12/2002	Mike, the one-legged waif rescued by Travis in "Panhandler" is about to get a marvelous introduction to family values at the Yuletide! He's going to be charmed... so will you be!
Pretender	11/6/98	The Garden itself plays a role that brings a young want to be together with a former pretender. The twists go all the way to the end of this tale of friendship.
Pretender's Ball	1/7/2000	I've read of amputee get togethers... devotee get togethers... why not? It's time for a party... and invite all the pretenders!
Requited Love	4/16/2000	Here's a sweet tale of a boy with no hands who finds out the devotees are pretty handy folks to have around!
Salesman	1/15/2001	Ever have one of those college kids show up at your door selling magazines? Would it make any difference if he had one leg???
Salesman By Accident	7/4/2000	A lunch meeting with a college chum sets the wheels in motion, so to speak. From Wantabe's World.
Santa	11/23/2000	Just in time for the holiday season, here's the story of a department store santa with one leg who finds out just how much fun giving can be when he befriends a small boy with one arm!
Santa Laughs	11/29/2002	Here's a touching story of the season with a Hans-Christian Andersonesque turn. Stay for the end.
Season of Love	12/05/2001	The morose young man was looking at the outside evergreen tree with an obvious eye to decorating it. The help he got would go far beyond lights and ornaments! A story of the Christmas season by one of the Garden Masters.
Secret Club	1/19/2002	A young exchange student with one arm is befriended by the new boy in school. The club they are invited to join soon after lends a whole other spin to the proceedings!
Serendipity	9/11/98	A young clerk at Walmart has lost a leg. It can only be Serendipity that brings him to the attention of a caring devotee.
Serendipity II	9/26/98	Further adventures of the characters from Serendipity. (Read that story before you read this one!)
Serf	4/28/99	Sometimes it's hard to decide what's really going on... what people really are... or why they are the way they have become...
Shoplifter	7/4/2000	A Christmas tale with an unusual twist. From Wantabe's World.
Son	8/2/2003	When the young boy's mother was killed in the cottage fire, an unlikely benefactor stepped forward to offer a home. Here's a tender story of lost souls from one of the Garden Masters!
Spoiled Brat	8/8/99	The kid with no feet is headed straight to hell by way of obesity. It takes a young man who appears to speak little English to set him straight!
Stranger to Love	5/10/2002	When a sheltered young gay boy gets a major stud as a nanny, the sparks begin the smoulder! Here's a story of true love and all the diversions it takes to make it work against all the odds!
Susan	7/1/2001	In the spirit of a Harlequin Romance our heroine finds herself immersed in a mystery whose solution brings happiness in some surprising places. Winner of the 2001 Secret Garden Writing Contest!
Swede	2/3/2002	It's an odd artifact of our culture that often it takes a death in the family to draw us back to our roots... A place where happiness has been waiting for us all along!
The Auction	11/27/98	A sweet tale of a handicapped ex-pro hockey player who befriends an amputee orphan. The Christmas season comes around, and a kind lady makes the season merrier for both of them!
The Cabin	8/8/99	A young teacher decides it is time to put down some roots and build a home. He selects a remote tract, and meets an extraordinary surveyor! You'll be charmed by their story!
The Christmas Companion	12/10/2006	Here's Jess Mercer's annual Christmas offering. Christmas is a time for children, so what better gift could one hope for?
The Collector	8/3/2000	A young man's interest in an antique limb at a flea market launches a friendship with a fellow who has more than one hiding in a secret room! Actually, there are TWO collections in this story... but you'll have to read it to see what I mean!
The Companion	12/12/2003	We've had a great many "rescue" stories here in the Garden over the years. Here's a new one with an original twist! Enjoy Jess Mercer's Christmas Gift to us all!
The Companion II	12/15/2003	Three day turn-around for a sequel is something of a record here in the Garden, but Jess has served up a double-helping of Christmas cheer this season! Here's the further adventures of Walt and Ash, and what a wild ride it is! Stay for the ending.
The Companion III	8/10/2004	Walt and Ash are back for the third installment in this saga of rescue with a different twist! And what a twist! Just how many guys CAN we save? It's the latest from Jess Mercer!
The Ghost Returns	10/29/99	The characters from "The Tidy Ghost" are back. And You'll be surprised just how wild "Wildman" is! This sequel was written based on feedbacks to the author... If you commented, you REALLY want to read it!
The Future Awaits	7/10/99	Here is the long awaited sequel to "Drew's Story". Drew, Tor and Mike are back, and the story of Mike's college years will enthrall you as much as Drew's Story did. If you have not already read "Drew", you'll want to read it first. This new novella is certainly worth your time!
The Godson	4/19/2002	The one-legged teen with an attitude was driving his parents crazy. Perhaps his Godfather could straighten him out. But then who said the Godfather was straight?
The Idol	11/18/2001	The hero worship of the kid across the street leads to all sorts of unexpected twists for a young LAK guy. But there's a bump in the road ahead when the pair's games take a deadly turn!
The Invitation	11/30/99	The young editor almost refused the invitation to the party. It's a good thing he didn't! The author of amputee detective stories turned out to be one winning lady!!!
The Modelmaker	1/1/2000	An architectural student loses both legs in an accident, and finds a new, more interesting vocation, along with a collection of helpers who will never cease to amaze!
The Office Party	12/9/99	When a Scrooge-like guy meets a talented Brit, sparkles fire that never decorated ANY Christmas Tree!
The Real Thing	11/23/2000	For the romantics in the crowd! Here's a sweet, tragic gay love story, based on real people in the devotee community. It's certainly something different for the Garden. You'll be hoping for the best for both of our Romeos right down to the last sentence! Co-written with Doug Rogers.
The Soccer Player	9/6/99	Here's a tale of red necks and high school pranks that end in seeming tragedy. Or does it? The roller coaster ride goes right down to the end!
The Special Gift	8/25/2002	Winner of the Secret Garden 2002 Writing Competition! An understandably bitter recent amputee and a nurse with a yen for guys on one leg make the sparks fly!
The Stallion	11/25/2003	Here's a tale of wealth and power vs the power of love. The carved Stallion is a symbol of many things as the story unfolds. And yes... I'd give anything to have that cottage where Ellis lives! From Jess Mercer.
The Ultimate Graduation Gift	4/8/99	Going to college is a challenge, but sometimes a guy's luck DOES perk up.
The Tidy Ghost	10/23/99	A mystery writer is perplexed by the unexplained disappearance of food and appearance of washed dishes in his sink? Is it a ghost? Or something even more interesting?
The Village Cop	10/30/98	The village policeman arrests a tiny burglar. The one-legged boy is in need of a home. Just the sort of find to be welcomed by a man and wife in need of a family.
Trick or Treat	10/14/2000	What starts as a Trick or Treat prank goes all the way for a young wantabe!
Twins: The 4th of July	7/7/98	Two boys... not brothers, but so remarkably alike in their looks. Except that one is missing a leg... and the other would like to be!
Two Weeks	9/5/99	Here's a sweet miniature worth the ten minute read. Check it out!
Where is Fair?	1/23/2001	The young hustler was an outcast at school and abused at home. Still, there was someone who saw the glimmer of what he might become...
Who Passed the Test	12/30/98	A sensitive teacher realizes something is very, very wrong with one of his students. He befriends the destitute youngster, and gets a big surprise!