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Queer Windows: Volume 2 Summer: Four Fantastical, Queer Love Stories
Summer can be bittersweet. Too short. Too hot. Full of adventures that can never last long enough. First loves. And lost ones. The second volume in the Queer Windows series brings you four new short stories led by queer characters from across the spectrum. Queer Windows gives a glance at four fantastical, queer love stories.
Camp Spinytooth
Summer camp is more fun with dragons. And a little ‘friendly’ competition.
A Silent Ballad
Being a siren without a voice doesn’t mean you can’t find your place in the world.
River at the End
As a new traverser of the otherworlds, Aysel keeps an eye on the time as she completes her errands before a final goodbye.
Star Chaser
When you wish upon a star, you expect that wish to come true. Even if it may take some time.
Camp Spinytooth
Summer camp is more fun with dragons. And a little ‘friendly’ competition.
A Silent Ballad
Being a siren without a voice doesn’t mean you can’t find your place in the world.
River at the End
As a new traverser of the otherworlds, Aysel keeps an eye on the time as she completes her errands before a final goodbye.
Star Chaser
When you wish upon a star, you expect that wish to come true. Even if it may take some time.
Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2024
5 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Cay Fletcher
33 books11 followersCay Fletcher is a Queer author with a passion for fantasy and science fiction. Crafting rich landscapes and memorable characters in new and exciting worlds.
Living in the Portland metro area, Cay spends their free time in the garden, cooking, or making a mess, aka crafting. She spent over fifteen years volunteering at fan conventions across the US and still occasionally assists at events in the PNW. As a writer, Cay strives to create relatable queer characters, giving them the titles of hero and protagonist.
They also love to use their crafting and graphic design skills to make products such as patchwork book sleeves, TTRPG journals, stickers, bookmarks, and more. She lives with their wife Sam, their roommate, and their tuxedo cat Satsuki.
Cay uses She/They pronouns.
Living in the Portland metro area, Cay spends their free time in the garden, cooking, or making a mess, aka crafting. She spent over fifteen years volunteering at fan conventions across the US and still occasionally assists at events in the PNW. As a writer, Cay strives to create relatable queer characters, giving them the titles of hero and protagonist.
They also love to use their crafting and graphic design skills to make products such as patchwork book sleeves, TTRPG journals, stickers, bookmarks, and more. She lives with their wife Sam, their roommate, and their tuxedo cat Satsuki.
Cay uses She/They pronouns.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 2, 2024
Thank you so much to the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
Okay, I loved this short story collection so much. I really enjoyed Volume 1, but this volume just blew me away. We’ve got dragons, mermaids, summer camp, exploration of grief, lighthouses, and of course: love. So many of my favorite things wrapped up into one.
It’s not often that a short story makes me cry. But this did. Twice! And that’s a high commendation! If you want beautiful cozy fantasy with summer vibes, here you go! Just remember to bring along the tissues!
Okay, I loved this short story collection so much. I really enjoyed Volume 1, but this volume just blew me away. We’ve got dragons, mermaids, summer camp, exploration of grief, lighthouses, and of course: love. So many of my favorite things wrapped up into one.
It’s not often that a short story makes me cry. But this did. Twice! And that’s a high commendation! If you want beautiful cozy fantasy with summer vibes, here you go! Just remember to bring along the tissues!
September 15, 2025
I love these books, please keep writing more!! They’re all so good and some of my fav queer short stories. So creative!
August 27, 2025
4.25 stars. I liked this volume more than the previous one, though this too could use a thorough copyedit, which remains distracting for me. But the stories are very sweet, and the varieties of "queer" and "love" remain expansive.
Ratings by story:
Camp Spinytooth: 3 stars. Other than riding dragons, this was a pretty paint-by-numbers enemies-to-lovers summer camp story steeped in cliches. Not bad, but not a strong start to the volume.
A Silent Ballad: 5 stars. This is, as far as I can tell, a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid, though much better than the original. The main character is a siren who lost their voice through some kind of accident and finds more understanding on land than from their own community.
River at the End: 5 stars. I won't spoil anything about this one, though it's pretty easy early on to figure out what's happening, beyond the fact that the main character is traveling through portals between different worlds. It's very sweet and touches on love beyond romantic love.
Star Chaser: 4 stars. This was a little longer than it needed to be, and I only sort of put together the pieces of how the magic of fallen stars works in this universe, but it was a nice story of friendship and community collaboration and self-discovery. I enjoyed the neat little twist at the end.
I look forward to the Fall and Winter volumes eventually, I assume, being released, though I really hope Fletcher finds a strong copyeditor before then! (I'm available if you need one :D)
Ratings by story:
Camp Spinytooth: 3 stars. Other than riding dragons, this was a pretty paint-by-numbers enemies-to-lovers summer camp story steeped in cliches. Not bad, but not a strong start to the volume.
A Silent Ballad: 5 stars. This is, as far as I can tell, a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid, though much better than the original. The main character is a siren who lost their voice through some kind of accident and finds more understanding on land than from their own community.
River at the End: 5 stars. I won't spoil anything about this one, though it's pretty easy early on to figure out what's happening, beyond the fact that the main character is traveling through portals between different worlds. It's very sweet and touches on love beyond romantic love.
Star Chaser: 4 stars. This was a little longer than it needed to be, and I only sort of put together the pieces of how the magic of fallen stars works in this universe, but it was a nice story of friendship and community collaboration and self-discovery. I enjoyed the neat little twist at the end.
I look forward to the Fall and Winter volumes eventually, I assume, being released, though I really hope Fletcher finds a strong copyeditor before then! (I'm available if you need one :D)
September 16, 2024
I didn't think it was possible to love this sequel more than the first book, but I do! Each story had incredible world building and sweet romances. I can't claim a favorite, but I'll say that my favorite love affair was the couple in A Silent Ballad and the end of Star Chaser made me cry. Fletcher, you've done it again! I can't wait to see what's next in the Fall edition!
August 6, 2025
I can’t wait for the next one of these🥹
October 9, 2025
these were such cute & sweet short stories. i really enjoyed this little zine
January 17, 2026
I could not wait for the second book to come out. I love seeing the queer representation in literature. I like that these are main characters that happen to be queer, it is not the only reason the characters exists. I love diving into the fantasy worlds that are created and really interesting storylines. We need more representation and I hope that you keep writing stories like this. I continue to suggest Queer Windows to anyone who asks me for a book recommendation.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews