An alien invasion hits the town of Muddy Gap, but a disgruntled pie aficionado is the only one who seems to remember it…

Passionate pie aficionado Denver Bryant is in a rut. Chasing a moment of viral popularity from months ago, their blog posts aren’t resulting in big numbers, leaving them in dire financial straits, and no way to pay next month’s rent.

Driving home from a tasting gone wrong, Denver witnesses a UFO explode intoshards of light over their tiny town of Muddy Gap, Wyoming. Yet when they ask their neighbors about it, it appears that Denver’s the only one who cares. And everyone’s acting… stranger. Frustrated, Denver documents the bizarre incidents on their pie blog, and their online popularity skyrockets. Their readers want the truth, spurring them to get to the bottom of things.

The only person who takes them seriously is the new (and handsome) bartender in town, Ezra. But as romance burgeons between the two, they find they are trapped in Muddy Gap’s rapidly changing landscape. It turns out that an alien presence is planting its roots deep in the town, and reality is now folding in on itself. Denver’s always been more of an outsider than a hero, but they’re determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and pie – still exists tomorrow.

Story Locale:Muddy Gap, Wyoming
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
Al Hess is the author of the self-published post-apocalyptic Travelers series and the 1930s flavoured dystopian series, Hep Cats of Boise. When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors’ characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.