
The Smell of Coffee: A Novella
If you’ve ever gone to a Christmas performance of The Nutcracker, you might remember the Nutcracker—some poor bloke wearing a giant papier-mâché head nearly the size of his body.
Well, this year, that poor bloke was me: Ben Riolo, a twenty-one-year old performing arts student. This is the story of how I ended up playing way too many parts in the bloody Nutcracker in an attempt to—you guessed it—impress a girl.
Curious yet? Pull up a chair. Let me tell you the story of why Christmas will always remind me of fake snow, painted facades, and the smell of coffee.
A funny, tender, bittersweet holiday love story—very mild / closed-door
Available on Kindle Unlimited!

The Smell of Coffee: A Novella
If you’ve ever gone to a Christmas performance of The Nutcracker, you might remember the Nutcracker—some poor bloke wearing a giant papier-mâché head nearly the size of his body.
Well, this year, that poor bloke was me: Ben Riolo, a twenty-one-year old performing arts student. This is the story of how I ended up playing way too many parts in the bloody Nutcracker in an attempt to—you guessed it—impress a girl.
Curious yet? Pull up a chair. Let me tell you the story of why Christmas will always remind me of fake snow, painted facades, and the smell of coffee.
A funny, tender, bittersweet holiday love story—very mild / closed-door
Available on Kindle Unlimited!