Mama Black Widow

A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday AnthologyTHE CHRISTMAS PRESENTby LARRY BENJAMINAt Christmastime, a mother, unhappy her son is gay, turns to an Obeah practitioner to change him with surprising results.* * * * *ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREENBoughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Eid, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24. Bronx-born wordsmith, Larry Benjamin considers himself less a writer than an artist whose chosen medium is the written word rather than clay or paint or bronze. He is the author of two previous novels: Unbroken, which was a 2014 Lambda Literary finalist, and a 2014 IPPY (Independent Publishers Book Award) Gold medalist, and What Binds Us. He is also the author of Damaged Angels, a collection of short stories, and the allegorical novella Vampire Rising.He lives in Philadelphia with his husband and their two dogs. A series by Larry Benjamin

'Get your black ugly ass up outta that bed!'That's how his mother had woken him every morning. 'Get your black ugly ass up outta that bed!'Later, the adjectives multiplied. Tar baby. Faggot. Queer. Tar baby faggot queer. And still later, when he'd started to achieve, started to make friends with white guys, 'Oreo' and 'snow queen' were added to the vocabulary of hate.When he was young, he'd learned that words hurt, maimed, scarred. When he got older, he'd learned that words could also comfort, heal. But he'd never forgotten the first lesson. Perhaps that was why he'd chosen a career in finance. Numbers added up; they did not tear down.Also in this series: The Christmas Present. Bronx-born wordsmith, Larry Benjamin considers himself less a writer than an artist whose chosen medium is the written word rather than clay or paint or bronze. He is the author of two previous novels: Unbroken, which was a 2014 Lambda Literary finalist, and a 2014 IPPY (Independent Publishers Book Award) Gold medalist, and What Binds Us. He is also the author of Damaged Angels, a collection of short stories, and the allegorical novella Vampire Rising.He lives in Philadelphia with his husband and their two dogs. A series by Larry Benjamin