William Hunter

The inaugural collection in the new VERVE Voices series, Queerphoria is a joyful and defiant queer-authored anthology proudly supporting Switchboard, the national LGBTQIA+ support line. Four housemates welcome the reader into their home for a birthday party. An elderly widow visits her first queer bar, beneath the flat she shared with her husband. A couple invite a shipwrecked sailor into their isolated lighthouse on the stormy night of their thirtieth anniversary. A single woman embarks on a romantic relationship with a sex robot. A married couple secretly prepare for their baby's arrival in a world where procreation is controlled by the Establishment. Through prose, poetry, essays, illustrations and more, thirty-one writers bring their visions of euphoria to life. These pages celebrate, subvert, expand and reimagine what joy can look like, even in uncertain times.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2025AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 'This summer's hottest read'SUNDAY TIMES 'You won't want to put it down'BRITISH VOGUE'Sticky, twisting and dangerous'REBECCA K REILLYIt’s summer. An unnamed young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France, ready to join the Blake family on their annual holiday. Here, during dreamlike days lounging by the pool and nights blurring into opulent parties, he quickly falls for Felix, the Blake’s eldest son. He is everything the man wants to be – handsome, charismatic, wealthy – and his desire is surprisingly reciprocated. Suddenly, a new world of money and power feels within reach. But when summer ends and the two men return to London, the cracks in the Blakes’ careful façade begin to show. With the two tormented by demons of their own, their bond risks being pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them.

It's summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him: Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix - handsome, charismatic and guarded. Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix's restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach. But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes' careful façade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them. Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love.