Cigars in the Parlor

From the battlefields of Manassas, Virginia, to the Union prison in Elmira, New York, author Shane Michaels explores the hidden world of men loving men during the American Civil War. In this erotic tale of lust, love, and sacrifice, two men find solace in each other’s arms - and other's arms - as they are caught between the splintered world of the Union and the Confederacy. When Kit Walker’s leg is shattered at the Battle of Manassas, he finds himself on Doctor Wallace Sanger’s operating table. Wallace saves his life – but removes his leg. As his wounds mend, the two men find more than comfort as they explore each other's hidden desires.

Steamy and explicit erotic romance for men who love men (men for men). This novel was previously released on Amazon in a serialized format. This version is the complete novel.

The U.S. Civil War has always fascinated me.  I spent many years living amidst Virginia's Civil War battlefields and wandering streets where cannonballs could still be seen lodged in brick walls. As a child, I hunted broken bayonets and buttons from nearby farmer's fields - presumably where soldiers stopped before marching to their final fate.  As I grew older, I would read bland historic monuments describing famous battles or encampments, finding the humanity of the men who died lost in the descriptions.  I always wondered what life had really been like for these lost souls.

Walt Whitman's poetry emphasizes that men of every sort were swept into the chaos of those years. His famous book, "Leaves of Grass," filters that era through the lens of poetry, its descriptions barely acceptable in his day.  "Cigars in the Parlor" explores what Whitman could not say - the quiet explorations of desperate men finding each other in the dark.

Cigars in the Parlor was a departure for me - I had never published in a serialized format before.  Writing, editing, and then publishing a chapter in a week proved to be an exciting experiment.  I sincerely hope you enjoy "Cigars in the Parlor".