At times moving, mischievous, and reflective, much of the work is centered on the gay experience at varying life stages. In “Early Summer,” a boy’s first crush leads to the joy of reciprocity, while in “An Understanding,” bitterness, anger, and regret, fill the days of a man whose arrogance has cost him everything he didn’t know he needed, while “Lullaby” reveals a glimpse of the life after this one. This genre-spanning collection includes the award-winning literary fiction “Fitting In,” the sci-fi dystopia of “Farewell, Hollywood,” and the bizarre horror and dark humor of “A Time to Dance,” and “The Not-Zombies Apocalypse.” From the surreal to the sublime, the stories in Nightmares & Lullabies are fearless, unapologetic, and rife with moral ambiguity.