LGBTQ+ Fiction by Michael Hartwig

After a painful breakup, Theo flees New York for the sun-drenched village of Positano, hoping the Amalfi Coast can provide needed solitude and healing. Instead, he’s swept into a world of intoxicating beauty—the glittering blue sea, simple yet incredibly delicious food, and the magnetic presence of a strikingly handsome man, Raffaello, lounging beside him on the beach. Raffaello and Theo’s worlds collide when Theo overhears two men plotting a heinous crime. Theo reports what he has overheard to the local police only to discover that the Adonis on the beach is the police sergeant tasked with monitoring criminal activity during the busy summer holiday. Theo is recruited to assist Raffaello as they pursue suspects through the terraced villas of Positano and the exotic island of Capri. As they spend time together, they fall under each other’s spell. For Theo, the interaction forces him to deal with troubling memories of his adolescence. For Raffaello, their mounting attraction forces a reckoning with same-sex desires he thought he had buried ages ago. Their steamy and intense relationship faces headwinds in Rome, where family and professional matters cause Raffaello to lose his nerve and retreat. It is with the appearance of another alluring Italian that fate forces a reckoning so that justice is served and love honored. From Positano to Capri, Rome to New York, this tender, sensual coming-of-age romance—threaded with suspense—celebrates the beauty of Italy, the courage it takes to love, and the mysterious forces that transform our lives when we least expect it.

  Patrick, cleaning out his parents’ house after their deaths, discovers an old photo of his grandfather arm in arm with another man, their shirtless torsos gleaming in the Italian sun on the edge of the family vineyard.  The photo stirs curiosity and restlessness as Patrick, nursing wounds from a failed relationship, travels to the Amalfi Coast to connect with his family and uncover the truth about his grandfather. Patrick’s ancestral quest bares family secrets and arouses passion as he falls under the spell of the handsome men who tend the vines, serve tourists, and fish the waters off the stunning coastline. Michael Hartwig uses his skills as an author to tell a steamy tale that spans generations and asks tough questions about sexual identity, love, and traditions in one of the most picturesque parts of Italy. 

The sequel to "Old Vines," this narrative picks up five years later. Patrick and Zeno live with their five-year-old son, Massimo, on the family vineyard overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Pepe, the strikingly handsome foreman and cousin, lives next door. After a string of failed relationships with women, Patrick and Zeno invite Pepe to join them and Massimo for a winter vacation to Disney World and Ft. Lauderdale. Patrick and Zeno suspect that Pepe is more attracted to men than women, and while in Florida, Pepe embraces that side of himself. Their adventure becomes complicated as the three adults face tangling affections for one another and must come to grips with what it means to be family and how to honor each other’s paths. This erotically charged story takes place along the beautiful Amalfi Coast, Florida, Boston, and Vermont and celebrates the way our desires nudge us towards authenticity. 

First Crush picks up where Entwined leaves off. The strikingly handsome Italian vintner, Pepe, returns from his life-altering trip to the States and is determined to find a romantic partner. Having come out as a gay man and having sorted through his entangled affections for Patrick and Zeno, Pepe posts a profile on a dating app.  Since this is a romantic series, he eventually finds mister right but not without complicated missteps along the way. Zeno and Patrick play matchmakers and help him navigate the complexities of gay life as he searches for someone who shares his interests in art, literature, and history, appreciates life in the countryside, and wants to start a family with kids. The fast-paced plot set along the breathtaking Amalfi Coast is tender and thoughtful as well as steamy and sensual. It celebrates the tug of eros toward the beautiful and the good and the transformative grace of same-sex love.  

Paolo, a gay man, travels from Boston to the outskirts of Rome to settle his grandfather's estate and sell the family vineyard. The discovery of an ancient Roman mosaic on the property upsets his plans, forcing him to deal with a local archaeologist, Mauro, who he knew as a teen. Earlier animosities give way to a long simmering sexual fascination each felt for the other. As excavations take place, Paolo discovers family secrets and is forced to confront the demons of his past. Mauro, at a crossroads in his own life, must finally make peace with his own sexual inclinations. The tender love story takes place against the backdrop of the beautiful Roman countryside and the art, history, food, and wine that make Italy so enchanting. The story explores the land that holds secrets, the vines that produce their tonic, and the power of destiny to melt the reserve of two men frozen in time. 

 This is a hauntingly beautiful story of two men whose pasts collide in Rome – an artist and a professor who discover more in common than just their love of archaeology. Our Roman Pasts celebrates the allure of raw physical beauty – the elemental attraction of light, color, and form – and the carnal desire of the human body with its unique language, drawing two people inescapably together. In meeting, Julian and Bruno must face their pasts to heal and move forward. The tale is a tour de force – a penetrating exploration of sexual identity amidst iconic sites in Rome, Ostia Antica, and Capri. A feast of art, food, land, the body, and love. This is gay fiction at its best.

On his way to meet friends at Winter Carnival in Quebec City, Brian wrecks his car in a snowstorm. The incident precipitates an interesting collision of cultures – Brian’s gay secular world - and the conservative Muslim one of the garage owners in Sherbrooke. One of the owners agrees to drive Brian to Quebec City only to get stranded with him as the winter storm intensifies. Later in the week, the owner’s handsome nephew, Omar, delivers Brian’s car.  Omar and Brian experience instant sexual attraction, setting in motion a chain reaction of passion, self-discovery, and international intrigue linking Quebec, Morocco, and Boston. Will Omar sacrifice his own sexual identity for a lucrative job in Morocco? Can he evade the sentinels of Islamic tradition as he seeks to balance career and passion? Brian faces his own demons as he finds himself drawn to Omar.  Can he trust love again? How does he extract himself from a curious encounter with US intelligence? Can Brian and Omar cross borders or will they remain entrenched in vastly different worlds, repeating history?  This fast-paced and erotically charged romance weaves together rich descriptions of Quebec, Boston, and Morocco.  Michael Hartwig imagines characters that mirror our own age as they seek to forge a new culture of inclusion and respect.  The story offers a glimpse into colliding worlds and the transformation that ensues.

  Inspired by true events, “Don’t Push Me” is an intergenerational saga of gay romance and the shame that cripples it. On a ski vacation in the Alps, Elliott discovers that the owners of the inn where he is staying are the descendants of a physician, Hans, who took care of his grandfather, Clive, a prisoner during World War One. During the war, the Swiss housed German and Allied prisoners in resort towns as a way to shore up the fragile tourist industry, and Mürren was one of those towns. Elliott falls under the spell of Max, who, like his great grandfather, is haunted by an intractable sense of sexual shame.  The book shifts back and forth between World War One, when Hans falls for his handsome English prisoner/patient, the 1960s, when Clive brings his grandson Elliott to nearby Grindelwald to ski, and 2007, when Elliott travels to Mürren to find out why his grandfather never wanted to return to the place of his internment. Characters grapple with an existential question – whether their sexual desires are a madness corrupting the soul or a gift of the gods, nudging them toward authenticity. The story explores the parallel worlds we inhabit and the people that invite us to cross borders. Echoing ancient poets and philosophers, the book celebrates the enchantment of the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, a place where spirits hide in the upper reaches of glacier-studded peaks and inspire mortals to grow wings and soar. 

Oliver, raised by two women in Boston, goes to Rome during a summer break from college to meet his biological father.  Their long-anticipated meeting forces each to face deep and complex questions about their sexual identity in the shadows of the Vatican.  Intrigue abounds as Oliver falls in love with a handsome Roman man, Giancarlo.  Their sudden and all-consuming relationship sets in motion a series of twists and turns, some fortuitous and others tragic.  The plot unfolds against Roman history and the art and patrimony of the Church – with magnificent descriptions of each.  The book is a touching coming of age story, a romantic tale, and a rich and in-depth exploration of whether the Catholic Church has the theological capacity and the political will to embrace gay relationships. 

  This sequel to the book "Oliver and Henry" follows the story of a young gay couple in Rome who discover that their son, Luca, has special abilities – magical ones – and is connected to a past life, to a person who lived in their house during the 1500s. Through the discovery of a cardinal's journal and the grimoire (a book of magic) of his resident scholar, pieces of a puzzle come together, and karmic justice paid. This compelling story - based, in part, on actual historical events - takes seriously the modern search for new models of spirituality and family – particularly parenting by same-sex couples. It explores contemporary evidence regarding psychic phenomena and seeks to formulate coherent theories about them. The story takes place in Rome, Milan, and Courmayeur in the Italian Alps. The title - A Roman Spell - refers not just to the magical abilities of Luca but to the enchantment of life in Italy - to beautiful medieval town centers, to a slower and richer pace of life, and to the cuisine and culture that make Rome so special. "A Roman Spell" is an invitation to explore Roman, Greek, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mysticism - to recognize the depth and mystery of human existence that we often overlook.  This is a tale of another age and a story about our own!  Enjoy! 

 Two Roman university students, Luca and Donato, spot each other in front of an ancient Christian sarcophagus in the Vatican Museums – one that depicts Jesus as a magician.  They both feel a mysterious and deep attraction for each other – one that ignites a passionate relationship set against the backdrop of Italian cultural politics. Donato struggles to come out in the face of antipathy from his father, a politician. And Luca must grapple with lingering wounds and self-doubts from an earlier relationship. The story celebrates the erotic tension of young romance in magnificent settings – Rome with its art and archaeology – and Provincetown with its galleries, restaurants, and the parade of handsome men on Commercial Street and at Boys Beach. The fast-paced plot offers a window into the dynamics of new and established relationships, as Luca’s gay dads — Oliver and Giancarlo — face tests in their own marriage. Everything comes to a climax as people gather to celebrate Oliver’s mothers’ 50th anniversary in Ptown. Anna’s and Rita’s wisdom and affection guide their family and offer a reminder of the chrysalis of time and love. The story is part of a larger saga recounted in the books Oliver and Henry, and A Roman Spell. The narrative weaves together romance, art, history, archaeology, and magic for a rich and mesmerizing read.

Miguel Martin, a gay man from México City, goes to Seville to trace his 16th century ancestors, hoping to make sense of an inherited blood disease.  It is one that runs in Sephardic Jewish families. His quest unearths long-buried secrets and inspires him to take bold steps in his own life. While in Spain, he suffers an anemic episode and ends up in the care of Carla Reyes, an attending physician at the local hospital. Layers of Andalusian history and the spiritual pageantry of Seville’s Semana Santa are the backdrop for the discoveries Miguel makes and the challenges he faces as he navigates competing romantic sentiments – those for the strikingly handsome Juan Moreno and unexpected ones that unfold between him and Carla, who he discovers belatedly, is a trans woman. Their mounting sexual passion celebrates a rich poetics of intimacy, the realization that our identities - particularly around spirituality, the body, gender, and sexuality - are complex and fluid and capable of extraordinary imagination.  

  The ski slopes of the Swiss Alps are the backdrop for this steamy gay love story.  Bernard travels from Boston to Grindelwald to put the pieces of his life back together after a painful divorce and career change.  He meets a local couple who inspire him to cross borders he had never anticipated.  Bernard discovers that his past wasn’t what it seemed, and this liberates him to embrace a new identity and set of relationships. This unconventional coming-out story challenges traditional gender and marriage categories with unexpected twists and turns including a little Swiss spy intrigue.   You’ll fall in love with the winter Alpine setting, exhilarating runs down the slopes, enchanting après-ski activities, and the magic of two mature lives that cross paths, stirring passion and love.