The Tyrant's Bargain
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The Tyrant's Bargain
We can do this the easy way, or the hard way
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January 27, 2026 at 4:23 PM
The Tyrant's Bargain
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theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com/p/4-they-sel...
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I cannot march in Minnesota. I cannot stop the onslaught anywhere else but where I live. But I can do it here.
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I cannot march in Minnesota. I cannot stop the onslaught anywhere else but where I live. But I can do it here.
4. They Sell Postcards of Your House
Home is Where the Ghosts Are (4 of 7)
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:01 PM
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I cannot march in Minnesota. I cannot stop the onslaught anywhere else but where I live. But I can do it here.
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket
I cannot march in Minnesota. I cannot stop the onslaught anywhere else but where I live. But I can do it here.
barr85.substack.com/p/4-a-word-t...
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“We remember the good times, don’t we?”
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“We remember the good times, don’t we?”
4. A Word to the Wise
Missing Julian (4 of 13)
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January 26, 2026 at 4:50 PM
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“We remember the good times, don’t we?”
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“We remember the good times, don’t we?”
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com/p/3-the-rect...
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“Henry,” Nunes leaned in. “I think the two of us know more people out in the moors than we think.”
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“Henry,” Nunes leaned in. “I think the two of us know more people out in the moors than we think.”
3. The Rectory
Home is Where the Ghosts are (3 of 7)
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:40 PM
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“Henry,” Nunes leaned in. “I think the two of us know more people out in the moors than we think.”
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“Henry,” Nunes leaned in. “I think the two of us know more people out in the moors than we think.”
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“Be straight with me, my brother. It makes both of our lives easier.
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“Be straight with me, my brother. It makes both of our lives easier.
2. He's Missing
Missing Julian (2 of 7)
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January 21, 2026 at 4:23 PM
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“Be straight with me, my brother. It makes both of our lives easier.
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“Be straight with me, my brother. It makes both of our lives easier.
January 20, 2026 at 4:57 PM
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Poor is poor, the world round
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Poor is poor, the world round
2. No Personal Effects
Home is Where the Ghosts Are (2 of 7)
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:56 PM
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Poor is poor, the world round
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket
Poor is poor, the world round
barr85.substack.com/p/1-a-small-...
The other man let her go, and she paced back to Elaine’s car. She opened the door, fell into the passenger seat, and wept.
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The other man let her go, and she paced back to Elaine’s car. She opened the door, fell into the passenger seat, and wept.
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1. A Small Island
Missing Julian (1 or 10)
barr85.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:16 PM
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The other man let her go, and she paced back to Elaine’s car. She opened the door, fell into the passenger seat, and wept.
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #booksky
The other man let her go, and she paced back to Elaine’s car. She opened the door, fell into the passenger seat, and wept.
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #booksky
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com/p/1-a-bouque...
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Oscar Rojas was a slight man with a long salt-and-pepper ponytail.
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Oscar Rojas was a slight man with a long salt-and-pepper ponytail.
1. A Bouquet of Body Odor, Old Weed, and Scallop Guts
Home is Where 5the Ghosts are (1 of 7)
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:45 PM
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Oscar Rojas was a slight man with a long salt-and-pepper ponytail.
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Oscar Rojas was a slight man with a long salt-and-pepper ponytail.
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Maria reached up out of her tears and rubbed the head of the dog. He stood up and moved so that the girl could scratch the top of his butt, as he preferred.
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Maria reached up out of her tears and rubbed the head of the dog. He stood up and moved so that the girl could scratch the top of his butt, as he preferred.
7. When Jesus Returns, He Will Be a Labrador Retriever
Surviving Ain't Pretty (7 of 7)
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January 15, 2026 at 9:17 PM
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Maria reached up out of her tears and rubbed the head of the dog. He stood up and moved so that the girl could scratch the top of his butt, as he preferred.
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #booksky #readaloud
Maria reached up out of her tears and rubbed the head of the dog. He stood up and moved so that the girl could scratch the top of his butt, as he preferred.
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“I don’t think the town will let me cut their balls off and stuff them down their throats.”
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“I don’t think the town will let me cut their balls off and stuff them down their throats.”
6. Stuffed Down Their Throats
Survival Ain't Pretty (6 of 7)
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January 13, 2026 at 2:02 PM
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“I don’t think the town will let me cut their balls off and stuff them down their throats.”
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“I don’t think the town will let me cut their balls off and stuff them down their throats.”
barr85.substack.com/p/renee-nich...
Trump and MAGA don’t want to break politics, they want to break our society.
#culture #nantucket #MAGA #trump #minneapolis
Trump and MAGA don’t want to break politics, they want to break our society.
#culture #nantucket #MAGA #trump #minneapolis
Renee Nichol Good and Me
Tyrants Die in the Smiles of Friends
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January 12, 2026 at 3:52 AM
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Trump and MAGA don’t want to break politics, they want to break our society.
#culture #nantucket #MAGA #trump #minneapolis
Trump and MAGA don’t want to break politics, they want to break our society.
#culture #nantucket #MAGA #trump #minneapolis
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com/p/18-the-boa...
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#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #booksky #audible #readaloud
18 The Boat at the End of Lover's Lane
“We got to Paul a day after he overdosed. He was on the porch. Crows. Seagulls. Morning. Afternoon. Night. Morning. Then we came. It won’t be an open casket.”
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:33 PM
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The wave had come and flipped him around in the wash. He had been boiled. He was angry, he was confused, and he didn’t know what to do other than crucify the two boys on his lawn.
barr85.substack.com/p/5-crucifix...
The wave had come and flipped him around in the wash. He had been boiled. He was angry, he was confused, and he didn’t know what to do other than crucify the two boys on his lawn.
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5. Crucifixion
Survival Ain'Pretty (5 of 6)
barr85.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:20 PM
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The wave had come and flipped him around in the wash. He had been boiled. He was angry, he was confused, and he didn’t know what to do other than crucify the two boys on his lawn.
barr85.substack.com/p/5-crucifix...
The wave had come and flipped him around in the wash. He had been boiled. He was angry, he was confused, and he didn’t know what to do other than crucify the two boys on his lawn.
barr85.substack.com/p/5-crucifix...
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com/p/16-the-boa...
"Our girl has made a commitment."
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"Our girl has made a commitment."
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #audible #readaloud
16 The Boat At The End of Lover's Lane
I think our girl has made a commitment.
theboatattheendofloverslane.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:56 AM
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"Our girl has made a commitment."
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"Our girl has made a commitment."
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #audible #readaloud
barr85.substack.com/p/3-you-cant...
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Rick turned away from his power tool fantasies and looked out the open garage door into the glowing night.
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Rick turned away from his power tool fantasies and looked out the open garage door into the glowing night.
3. You Can't Fix This
Survival An't Pretty (3 of 6)
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January 5, 2026 at 2:56 PM
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Rick turned away from his power tool fantasies and looked out the open garage door into the glowing night.
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Rick turned away from his power tool fantasies and looked out the open garage door into the glowing night.
barr85.substack.com/p/turf-not-t...
On a Tuesday in late December, when the boats don’t run, the island doesn’t have enough police, firemen, nurses, doctors, garbage men, pizza makers, or postmen. They went home for the holiday; their homes aren’t out here.
On a Tuesday in late December, when the boats don’t run, the island doesn’t have enough police, firemen, nurses, doctors, garbage men, pizza makers, or postmen. They went home for the holiday; their homes aren’t out here.
Turf Not Teachers
Nantucket doesn't have a drawbridge, it has a tollbooth
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January 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM
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On a Tuesday in late December, when the boats don’t run, the island doesn’t have enough police, firemen, nurses, doctors, garbage men, pizza makers, or postmen. They went home for the holiday; their homes aren’t out here.
On a Tuesday in late December, when the boats don’t run, the island doesn’t have enough police, firemen, nurses, doctors, garbage men, pizza makers, or postmen. They went home for the holiday; their homes aren’t out here.
If God drank coffee, he sipped it in the NICU
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15. The Boat at the End of Lover's Lane
Every junkie’s story ends the same way.
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January 2, 2026 at 5:55 PM
If God drank coffee, he sipped it in the NICU
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Dads work on stability. Dads keep it cool and frosty. Dads work one step at a time. In a stressful moment, Dads find projects.
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Dads work on stability. Dads keep it cool and frosty. Dads work one step at a time. In a stressful moment, Dads find projects.
2. She Could Recognize Trauma When it Woke Up in Her House
Survival Ain't Pretty (2 out of 6)
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January 2, 2026 at 3:36 PM
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Dads work on stability. Dads keep it cool and frosty. Dads work one step at a time. In a stressful moment, Dads find projects.
#writingcommunity #books #AmWriting #fiction #mystery #romance #nantucket #booksky
Dads work on stability. Dads keep it cool and frosty. Dads work one step at a time. In a stressful moment, Dads find projects.