Featured Author & Giveaway: Benjamin Shepherd Quinones

Benjamin Shepherd Quinones is a 20 year old, half Puerto Rican student at Lehigh University, where he studies Psychology, Biology and Spanish. From an early age, three things interested him most: science, writing, and science fiction. Some fringe interests include the color yellow, X-Men, spicy food, Latin dancing, soccer, and any animal that is not a snake. He is also very interested in battling homophobia. With all this in mind, he wrote his first novel, The Gene Pull, during his freshman year of college in the school library as a more fun and culturally productive alternative to studying for his exams. Currently, he lives in New Jersey with his loving parents, sister and two dogs, and is unsure what he wants to do after he graduates other than write.

Connect with Benjamin Shepherd Quinones on Twitter @benjimon4427 or visit his website: http://benjaminshepherdquinones.wordpress.com/.

Q&A with Author Benjamin Shepherd Quinones:

1. If you could be abducted by aliens with one of your fictional characters for 24 hours, who would you choose to go on this adventure? Why? And what would happen to you two that day?
   
   Haha, I love thinking about this! Well, I guess we can weed out Chris, the homophobic ex-best friend in my novel – although I do love him! And Candy might be a bit too sassy and snappy to be around… So that leaves Noah and Jamie. Noah would be too much of a scaredy-cat – and if this adventure involves intergalactic space-travel, forget it! We’d need paper bags for him to barf in. So definitely Jamie. He’s a sucker for adventure, and a total nerd, the very definition of cute. We’d probably spend the day playing a one-sided game of hide and seek with the aliens!


2. Tell us about your debut novel, The Gene Pull.
   
   Sure! In a sentence, The Gene Pull is a story centering around a gay teen who refuses to give in to the bullies at school or the aliens who want to abduct him once he develops superpowers. It involves him coming out to his best friend, being rejected, and finding new friends (and a boyfriend!) that he grows even closer once their lives are at stake. Some have called it affirming and uplifting, an “It Gets Better” themed novel that young teens can relate to and gain hope from, which brings me great joy because that was exactly what I was going for. For that reason, it was designed to be suitable for middle school children and up, focusing less on the romance between Noah and Jamie and more on the social issues that being gay brings and the action-packed adventure that having superpowers, being different, brings.


3. What would readers be surprised to learn about you?
   
   That I’m gay. Just kidding. I think readers will be surprised to learn that I am just a college student, and that I originally wrote The Gene Pull when I was 18. I don’t know of many authors younger than me, though I’m sure they exist. I encourage my friends to write novels of my own, so maybe one of them will pull through someday!


4. What are your writing goals for the future? Do we have anything look forward to being released soon?
   
   I plan to write more books! Being an author is great, a dream-come-true. I was a little intimidated by the idea at first, but now that I’m there I feel like I am capable of anything. Why stop now? I’m leaning towards writing a sequel, mostly because I’ve fallen in love with the characters I’ve created and want to write more about them!


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   I kind of already answered this question in question 2, didn’t I? In other words, I want my readers to know that it does get better after coming out. In a predominantly heterosexual world, of course there will be hardship, but nothing is easy. Just keep your head up and keep going. You’ll be surprised how far you go. Like Noah, you may even go to space and back!

Now Available from Benjamin Shepherd Quinones:

The Gene Pull Sixteen-year-old Noah Fletcher has a lot on his mind. Not only has he finally come to terms with being gay, but he also harbors a much deeper secret. He's been abducted by aliens who, after performing who-knows-what kind of experiments on him, left him naked in a cornfield with the ability to talk to and understand all the animals on earth. Noah decides he's ready to come out, but his best friend reacts badly to the news, and before long, the whole school turns against him. He's just about to give up on having human friends when popular cheerleader Candy Bloom sticks up for him publicly. Noah is happy to have her on his side, but there's something strange about Candy. She seems to know more about him than she should. Somehow, she knows about his secret power and warns him about what's coming next...an alien invasion.

The question is, how are they going to stop it? And who else will join them on their mission?

---

The Gene Pull Giveaway!

Benjamin Shepherd Quinones has generously donated a free copy of The Gene Pull for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.

Featured Author: Jo Ramsey

Jo Ramsey is a former special education teacher who now writes full-time. In her life she has known many teenagers who think they’re nothing special until they do something great, and those are the teens she writes about. Her first young adult novel was published in 2010. Jo lives in Massachusetts with her two daughters, her husband, a pet mouse, and two cats, one of whom thinks she’s a scarf.

Q&A with Author Jo Ramsey:

1. If you could swap places with one of your fictional characters for 24 hours, who would you choose to be? Why? And what would you do that day?
   
   Honestly, some of my characters have really rough lives. I wouldn’t want to be any of them. I guess if I had to be one for a day, it would be Chris Talberman from Dolphins in the Mud, because he fictionally lives in the real-life cottage in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. (In real life, the cottage belongs to my husband’s aunt.) I would spend the day walking along the beach and hoping to spot a dolphin or two.


2. Tell us a little about your book, Fresh Meat.
   
   Fresh Meat is a young adult tie-in with an adult romance series called Real Werewolves Don’t Eat Meat. (NOT for anyone under eighteen!) In the first book of that series, the love interest reveals something about his past that I thought would make a great young adult novel. I got permission to use the character in one of my books, since I’m friends with the author of that series.
   
   In Fresh Meat, Tobias Rogan is fifteen and doesn’t have any ambitions other than getting out of his home, where his father and mother are constantly fighting. When he meets twenty-two-year-old Larry Denning, Tobias thinks he might have found a way out; he falls for Larry almost immediately, despite not being willing to admit he’s interested in a man. But Larry isn’t what he seems, and his betrayal of Tobias changes Tobias’s life forever.


3. Which of your Young Adult books has been the most difficult to write? The least difficult?
   
   I think Fresh Meat was the hardest to write, because I had to stick to the world established in the series I took the idea from and because of what happens to Tobias in the story. I was abused when I was younger and have post-traumatic stress disorder because of it; while writing Fresh Meat, particularly when writing the scene where Tobias is changed into a werewolf, I triggered myself and cried quite a bit.
   
   The easiest book I’ve written was The Black Bridge, the first novel in my series The Dark Lines. The idea had been gelling in my brain for over fifteen years, planted by something a friend of mine told me about an old railroad bridge in the town where I grew up, and once I had the characters to go with the plot, the story almost wrote itself.


4. What are you currently working on?
   
   I just had another YA book release from Featherweight Press on April 22. Strong Spirit is the sixth book in my Reality Shift series. None of the characters in the book are identified as GLBT, but a couple of them are. (It would have been revealed in later books in the series, but the series has been cancelled after this book.)
   
   On June 21, the Pan imprint of Musa Publishing will release my novel Where No One Knows. Kellan McKee is sixteen, female-to-male transgender—and can set fires with his mind. When he accidentally sets fire to a friend of his stepfather’s as the man is trying to sexually assault him, Kellan’s mother sends him out on his own. With the help of people he encounters on the road, Kellan finds his way to Massachusetts, where he’s taken in by a group that helps teenagers with psychic powers.
   
   In August or September of this year (I don’t have the firm date yet), Harmony Ink Press will release my novel Nail Polish and Feathers. Sixteen-year-old Evan Granger wants to be a drag queen, and he won’t let bullies, parents, or a worried boyfriend stand in his way.
   
   Featherweight Press has two additional novels of mine under contract with no set release dates yet: Time of Darkness is book four of my series The Dark Lines, and Opening Up is a sequel to my novel Cluing In; Opening Up is about V.J. Josephson’s coming to terms with his sexuality, finding his first boyfriend, and coming out to his family who are still reeling in the aftermath of his cousin Jamey’s ex-girlfriend’s suicide and V.J.’s mother’s chronic depression.


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   I want my readers to understand that they are not defined by the events in their lives. No matter what has been done to them or what they have done, they are good people who can do great things. My tagline, “Anyone can be a hero,” is exactly what I believe; all my readers have the power to be heroes, whether it’s to others or just in their own lives.

Now Available from Jo Ramsey:

Fresh Meat Fifteen-year-old Tobias Rogan wanted to leave home, but he never planned on doing so as a werewolf.

Tired of constant fighting at home, fifteen-year-old Tobias Rogan dreams of getting out. The. he meets twenty-two-year-old Larry Denning and believes he's found his chance. Although he hasn't decided completely whether he's straight, gay, or bi, Tobias can't deny his attraction to Larry, and Larry's interest in him is clear.

Then in one afternoon, Tobias's life is turned upside-down. Larry assaults him, turning him into a werewolf in the process. Tobias ends up at the home of the local pack's Alpha. As he attempts to adjust to his new life, Tobias learns that Larry is victimizing other boys. When Larry changes another boy and dumps him at the Alpha's home as a warning to Tobias, Tobias knows he must stop Larry from harming anyone else. But how?

Life Skills Brian Monahan thinks his school's new community service requirement is ridiculous. Especially when he's told that since he didn't submit his own community service proposal, he's been assigned to volunteer in his school's Life Skills class. But despite himself, he begins to enjoy working there and likes helping the kids.

When he sees one of the Life Skills students being bullied in the school cafeteria, Brian intervenes. He's been bullied enough himself because of his sexuality, and he refuses to let it happen to anyone else. Using his experience in coordinating his school's Day of Silence, supporting GLBT students, he decides to organize a "Spread the Word to End the Word" rally at his school, using the national campaign against the "R-word." But can Brian pull it off?

Dolphins in the Mud When Chris Talberman's family moved to Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Chris left behind his boyfriend and friends. Six months later, Chris still feels alone.

When a pod of dolphins strand themselves on the cove outside Chris's house, his autistic younger sister, Cece, runs out to see them. A boy named Noah Silver helps catch Cece before she gets hurt. Noah is even more alone than Chris, and he's just as eager to find a friend.

Then everything goes downhill -- Chris's mother leaves, putting Chris's workaholic father in charge. With no one else to talk to, Chris turns to Noah, and their relationship deepens. But Noah has problems he isn't willing to share.

Accepting Me Sixteen-year-old Shane's friends are constantly talking about their boyfriends or girlfriends, and about sex. His parents keep asking him why he doesn't date. Shane isn't interested in romantic relationships at all and can't see what the fuss is all about. All he wants is for his family and friends to understand and accept him the way he is.

Listening Skills For a while now, Brian Monahan's girlfriend Trista has been unhappy with their relationship. And Brian's boyfriend Javier hasn't seemed too pleased with their relationship either. Although they're both free to see other people as well, neither of them is doing so. When Trista asks to break up and Javier asks Brian to meet his family, Brian realizes he isn't being fair to either of them. It's time to listen to what they both have to say, even if he doesn't like what he hears.

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
370 Pages

Blurb: Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.

"We just stood there for a few seconds. Back when we were friends, we'd have already been laughing and joking. Now things were tense and awkward. There was no way I could ever be relaxed around this person again. To me, Sage would never be just Sage. She'd be Sage-the-boy-who-pretended-to-be-a-girl-and-who-I-kissed-that-one-time. No friendship could survive with that many hyphens."

Review: I've read a few stories that feature transgender characters, and I've learned from each one. I used to have a hard time understanding why someone would physically transition, but throughout this story, I never once doubted it was the right decision for Sage. After reading this story, I have a much better understanding of the struggles trans people face. Even though Sage was not the point-of-view character, this very much felt like her story. Although we see her through Logan's eyes, it's easy to imagine the range of emotions she feels as Logan cycles through periods of acceptance and rejection.

Logan's biggest fear is that if people find out he's dating Sage, they'll think he's gay. He can't deal with that. He remembers his reaction to learning her secret. He called her a faggot, too. In actuality, neither one of them is gay. I think that's a common misperception regarding trans people (and their partners). The novel addresses this and a lot of other issues as well. I found it all very thought-provoking and enlightening.

I only wish the ending had been happier. I would call it "hopeful" rather than "happy". I hope with all my heart that she finds acceptance, love, and happiness.

I highly recommend this novel for all audiences.

Review by Madison

Featured Author: Kira Harp

Kira Harp has been writing since she could put words together. Early stories were about dolls and horses and kids who surmounted the odds and came home with a kitten. Gradually she learned about punctuation and point-of-view and her characters grew up. But real life came along, with forays into psychology and teaching and then a biomedical career and children. Writing happened in her head, for her own amusement, but didn't make it to paper. Then several years ago, her husband gave her a computer. And her two girls were getting older and developing their own interests. So she sat down and typed out a story. Or two. Or three. Now she has adult novels published, and her love of Young Adult fiction has led her to share some of her YA stories.

These days Kira write constantly, reads obsessively, and shares her home with her younger teenager, her amazingly patient husband, and a crazy, omnivorous little white dog. She can be found at her author page on Goodreads, or (in her adult fiction alter-ego), moderating the YA LGBT Books group there. She looks forward to sharing many more stories with YA readers in the future.

Connect with Kira Harp on Goodreads.

Q&A with Author Kira Harp:

1. If you could swap places with one of your fictional characters for 24 hours, who would you choose to be? Why? And what would you do that day?
   
   I'm in my fifties, so being a teenager again would be a bit of a stretch. I'd want to be Geoff, one of the two dads from The Benefit of Ductwork because I really do think life gets better as time goes by, and those two men have a strong, loving relationship. They're parenting two teenagers, and doing a good job of it. As for what I'd do? I'd spend some time with my husband, Rob, maybe do some hiking or work on the house, and reconnect as a couple.


2. Tell us more about The Benefit of Ductwork.
   
   This story was originally written for the Goodreads Gay-Straight Alliance group. Andy is seventeen and was adopted as a young boy, out of an emotionally abusive situation. He loves his two dads, but he has abandonment issues, and when he hears them planning to open their home to a young gay teen in need of shelter, all his fears of not fitting into their happy home come back to him.
   
   I tried to turn things around a little, because the dads are gay and Andy is straight. I wanted to show how these two men have created a happy, nurturing home, and yet Andy has deep insecurity and concerns, tied to both his present and his past. I'd like readers to see how our perceptions of who we are, and how we fit in our world, are both universal and very personal, and that LGBTQ issues are only part of that.
   
   This story was expanded, edited and released as part of Featherweight press's Helping Hands line - all the author and editor royalties go to benefit Lambda Legal, a legal advocacy group for LGBT and HIV+ people.


3. Tell us about the character Seth from your book Intervention and the relationship he had with his brother.
   
   Seth is a sixteen-year-old gay boy who's been in the closet at school, and yet he's been repeatedly bullied just for seeming gay. He feels alone, unable to confide in anyone, and hopeless. His older brother, Jory, is off at a local college, living near campus and mostly out of Seth's life. They're friendly, but Seth isn't out to his family either, and the brothers haven't spent much time together lately.
   
   But at Seth's lowest point, when he can't handle the bullying and isolation, when he believes he has no reason to care about living any more, Jory shows up. He cares about his little brother, and he's determined to convince Seth that there is more to his life than this one moment, one month, one year, and that high school is an intense but short-lived pressure cooker that can be outlived. Jory is about hope and acceptance and family, and looking past the moment. He's exactly what Seth needs.


4. Where can we find your work? We heard you have some free reads out there too. Where can we find them?
   
   Both of my published stories are from Featherweight Press's Helping Hands line: http://www.featherweightpublishing.com/helping.php
   
   Proceeds from Intervention go to benefit The Trevor Project.
   
   My free YA short stories can be found along with those of other group members in the “Tales told - a.k.a. free reads” folder in the Goodreads YA LGBT Books group - http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/97380?group_id=49526. (I both write and moderate there under my adult fiction pen name, Kaje Harper.) I'm hoping to do a collection of several of my own stories for a free book release soon. We do a monthly writing prompt. Every member is welcome to contribute something, and there are a lot of great stories and poems from quite a few different writers on the threads there.
   
   Under my adult pen name, I also have one free short story, Like the Taste of Summer, that is probably 17+ (for some sexual content): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/119594 - It's the story of two eighteen-year-olds finding each other in a small Iowa college town in the 1980's. It's a free download, and a hopeful coming-of-age story.


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   First and foremost is hope. Lives can change, doors and windows can open, a year or four may feel like forever, but that's a tiny fraction of the rest of your life. You can make a poor choice, and go on, and choose better the next time. Nothing but death is truly irrevocable, and although life can be hard, it's also full of moments of goodness and beauty, and the promise of better things to come.
   
   And the second and connected message is that things don't have to be perfect, to be really good. The teen years are so intense, with everything looming up as vitally important, like there's no grey zone between triumph and disaster. I remember those years, when every small failure, every embarrassment, every flaw and blemish, felt like the end of the world.
   
   I'd love young readers to see that some of those superficial things, that feel so vital at the time, are really ephemeral. It's the moments of kindness, of integrity, and of creativity that last. I don't remember what I wore to my first date, or first dance, and I haven't seen either of those guys in thirty years. But I still vividly remember the kindness of one boy who found me feeling blue, and invited me over and talked for two hours about nothing much. He made me feel like someone cared. I can't tell you if he was good looking, I think maybe he had dark hair, but I can recall his voice and soft laughter.
   
   There's enough time in life to get it wrong, and then do better. I have a friend who became a lawyer, worked a year and decided it wasn't for her. She went back to school and became a pediatrician. She has a husband, a child, a profession she loves and it only took fifteen years to pay off her student loans. Sure, it might have been more perfect if she'd chosen the right path first, but who can say for sure - she's happy with absolutely good enough.
   
   You can choose, and then choose again. You can live though tough times, and they will fade in memory. You can make changes - people come back from significant setbacks and mistakes and can still be amazing. You can have a satisfying life. But you mustn't devalue things that are good, just because they're not perfect. Enjoy the sweet moments, focus on the qualities that last. And you have to have hope. I'd like to help readers believe that.

Now Available from Kira Harp:

Intervention Sometimes it seems to Seth like more trouble than it's worth to keep going on, to keep living and breathing and hurting and going to school with guys who hate him, and hiding who he is from everyone around him. Seth is sixteen, in the closet, and about ready to give up on life. But for his brother Jory, making an unexpected visit home from college, nothing is more trouble than it's worth to keep his little brother alive.

The Benefit of Ductwork Andy was six when he was adopted by the men he calls Dad and Pops. At seventeen, he has almost escaped his early years and found security in his dads' loving home. But his neglected early childhood taught Andy that nothing good can be his forever. When his parents decide to foster Kyle, a young gay teenager in need of a place to stay, Andy can't help wondering if he's going to lose his dads to the new kid.

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The Benefit of Ductwork Giveaway!

AUTHOR has generously donated a free copy of The Benefit of Ductwork for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.

Thoughts Behind "Normal?": A Guest Post by Stephen J. Mulrooney:

The love that we have for one another is the most beautiful expression of who and what we are, whether it is expressed between or within genders, generations, or the rainbow of races and creeds that comprise the human experience. The important thing is not who we love, but that we love.

With that in mind, I wrote and my husband published a novel entitled “Normal?” which endeavors to demonstrate that when it comes to the trials and tribulations of growing up, infatuation and love, the experience for us all is the same no matter where we stand in the spectrum of the human rainbow. The truth of the matter is that anyone who has ever loved, desired, or reached for some yearning just beyond their grasp has experienced the same highs and lows, the same dramas and traumas, the same hungers and thirsts, and the same heartaches and heart-quakes; no matter who they are, no matter who they love. We are all the same, only different. And that’s normal.

“Normal?” is written as a coming of age journey of a young gay boy at the center of an unusual extended family that includes everything from a few professional drag queens to a well respected rabbi. It is a story that grows and evolves in love, as every loving family must; and illustrates that when it comes to family, at the heart of the matter, it is the heart that matters most.

One of the amazing aspects of human nature this book endeavors to demonstrate is that we can create the love and the family that we want if we don’t have it now. Though it is seldom easy to free ourselves from the ties that bind, even when they are choking us, we must always remember that we are never helpless. There are always alternatives. We are bound first and foremost to the pursuit of our own happiness, wherever and with whoever that pursuit takes us. Without that foundation, we have nothing to build on. With it, we can build castles.

We are all creators, and a true family is a creation whether we have been born or have evolved into it. With the bricks of faith in one another and the cement of respect for each other, it is built day by day, hope by hope. And the most amazing part is ... all it really takes to build one is a little time, an open mind, and a lot of love.


Click HERE to read our True Colorz Review of Normal?

Blurb: “Were it a dream, it would be a most wondrous dream; but it’s more. It’s a life. And I don’t have to remember any of it. It remembers me.” With these words, Gene Poole-Hall takes us on a beautiful coming-of-age journey that will leave you questioning any preconceived impressions of the definition of normal, and lead you to the conclusion that when it comes to family, at the heart of the matter, it’s the heart that matters. Gene’s story begins with his adoption into an extended family that includes everything from a few drag queens to a well respected rabbi. If Gene’s life is anything but normal, he isn’t aware of it. He enjoys all the advantages of being an only child at the heart of a family of unrelated adults bonded together by mutual love and respect.

The core of Gene’s family is Mother, who is actually his biological uncle Ben. Mother is a bigger than life female impersonator whose warmth and compassion has attracted the most unusual extended family you will ever meet. Mother’s partner, Tom, whom Gene calls Dad rather than Uncle Tom for obvious reasons, is a Wall Street executive. Gene’s Uncle Josh, the rabbi, is Mother’s life-long best friend and first unrequited love interest. Gene’s aunts, Allie and Sue, whose lives are anything but a drag, are famous, if not infamous, drag queens from Mother’s band of performers. And that’s just the beginning of Gene’s family.

A sudden move to the suburbs and the unexpected addition of three new family members, Chip and Dale, an unusual set of twins, and Robbie, an attractive farm boy, soon add colors that Gene has never imagined, to his already colorful world. Travel through all the trials and tribulations of a young teen’s life as he explores all the joys, wonders and pitfalls of coming of age and experiencing the emotional and biological dramas and traumas of infatuation and love for the first time.

Purchase Link

Post by Stephen J. Mulrooney

Normal? by Stephen J. Mulrooney

Normal? by Stephen J. Mulrooney

Published by Busterfly LLC
146 Pages

Blurb: “Were it a dream, it would be a most wondrous dream; but it’s more. It’s a life. And I don’t have to remember any of it. It remembers me.” With these words, Gene Poole-Hall takes us on a beautiful coming-of-age journey that will leave you questioning any preconceived impressions of the definition of normal, and lead you to the conclusion that when it comes to family, at the heart of the matter, it’s the heart that matters. Gene’s story begins with his adoption into an extended family that includes everything from a few drag queens to a well respected rabbi. If Gene’s life is anything but normal, he isn’t aware of it. He enjoys all the advantages of being an only child at the heart of a family of unrelated adults bonded together by mutual love and respect.

The core of Gene’s family is Mother, who is actually his biological uncle Ben. Mother is a bigger than life female impersonator whose warmth and compassion has attracted the most unusual extended family you will ever meet. Mother’s partner, Tom, whom Gene calls Dad rather than Uncle Tom for obvious reasons, is a Wall Street executive. Gene’s Uncle Josh, the rabbi, is Mother’s life-long best friend and first unrequited love interest. Gene’s aunts, Allie and Sue, whose lives are anything but a drag, are famous, if not infamous, drag queens from Mother’s band of performers. And that’s just the beginning of Gene’s family.

A sudden move to the suburbs and the unexpected addition of three new family members, Chip and Dale, an unusual set of twins, and Robbie, an attractive farm boy, soon add colors that Gene has never imagined, to his already colorful world. Travel through all the trials and tribulations of a young teen’s life as he explores all the joys, wonders and pitfalls of coming of age and experiencing the emotional and biological dramas and traumas of infatuation and love for the first time.

Review: Normal by Stephen J Mulrooney is anything but normal. Normally, in a gay fiction novel, you'd find a jaded, snarky narrator. Normally, you'd find sarcasm and meanness and humor at the expense of others. Normally you would not get a happily-ever-after ending (that just wouldn't be good literature). Normally, you'd find gay characters who were equally as masculine and butch as any straight character, because, as you know, there is really no difference between gay and straight people... those perceived differences are simply unfair stereotypes. Normally, you'd find political correctness and lots of big words you've got to look up in the dictionary (or just pretend you know the definition of).

No, there are none of these norms in Normal. Normal is remarkably, beautifully, memorably ABNORMAL. It's a story of a sweet adorable kid named Gene who has the most amazing family you'd ever meet. He has two fathers, one that he calls Mother. Mother's a drag queen, and he's very motherly. He rules the house with an iron fist and a heart full of love. Gene's Uncle Josh, a rabbi, is Gene's closest confidant, and he tells the most wonderful stories. Gene has three siblings, all also adopted. And his older brother Robbie is Gene's hero. He harbors a not-so-secret crush on him from the moment they lay eyes on each other.

This story is so magnificent, I just might have to go back and read it again. I laughed. I cried. And I kept turning the pages, until sadly there were no more. But believe me, that's the only disappointment I had with this book--that it didn't go on and on.

I loved the writing style. I loved the little stories within that Gene told. He was a writer, and every time something touched his heart, he'd write a story about it. The author used a lot of puns that made me smile and sometimes laugh right out loud.

Really, this book was like candy to me. It was such a treat, and if I could give it more than five stars, I certainly would. From a literary standpoint, I'm sure plenty of the experts will have lots to bitch about, but as a reader, it was absolutely perfect, and anything but normal.

Review by Jeff

Featured Author & Giveaway: Sam Kadence

Sam Kadence has always dreamed about being someone else, somewhere else. With very little musical talent, Sam decided the only way to make those dreams come true was to try everything from cosplay at the local anime conventions to writing novels about pretending to run away to become a musician.

Sam has a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing, sells textbooks for a living, enjoys taking photographs of Asian Ball Joint Dolls to tell more stories, and has eclectic taste in music from J-pop to rock and country. All of which finds its way into the books eventually.

Connect with Sam Kadence on Facebook or visit Sam's website: www.samkadence.com.

Q&A with Author Sam Kadence:

1. If you could swap places with one of your fictional characters for 24 hours, who would you choose to be? Why? And what would you do that day?
   
   I’d swap with Kerstrande and just to mess everyone up I’d be super extra nice to people all day. I’d go where it was really public like a mall or something, call attention to the fact that I’m an ex-superstar (well maybe not so ex), kiss young girls and allow photographs to be taken of me. By the end of the day everyone would think I was possessed. I’d have a private little laugh with Gene who knows just how nice KC can really be.


2. Please tell us a little bit about Evolution.
   
   Gene isn’t ordinary in any way. He’s Asian-American, Buddhist, sees dead people, and auras, among other less pleasant things, and sings for a rock band. He was abandoned by his best friend, dropped out of high school, got his GED and is still determined to make something useful of life. He fears he’s going to be alone forever, but meets his match in cranky vampire, Kerstrande “KC” Petterson. The story is one of self-discovery, love, and power for both of them.


3. The cover art for Evolution is striking. What is the symbolism of the design?
   
   When I asked for the cover I wanted something symbolic of my main character Genesis and the Evolution of the story. Without giving too much away, Gene discovers that not only can he see the dead he’s not exactly a normal seventeen year old. He has an inner fire that is un-extinguishable. I wanted the cover to reflect his progression and strong spirit without lots of backgrounds or pictures of people who were never quite what we as readers envisioned for the character.


4. What is unique about this story compared to other books in the genre?
   
   Evolution is an urban fantasy story about a boy who is different, but refuses to conform. He doesn’t play the part that people expect him to, and while he puts others first, he is willing to give up everything and everyone for that one true love we all wish to find. Unlike a lot of young adult fiction he doesn’t spend every moment contemplating how the world is against him, even though in a lot of ways it is. Gene finds something to move him forward each day, whether it’s the music, his grumpy boyfriend, or even something as trivial as a new hair color to try. He really does seek to find the positive in other people while he’s bombarded with visual negatives from the special abilities he was born with. One of the side characters, Rob, said something that is very true about Gene: “You’re this mega positive force and you need a negative opposite. That’s why Petterson fit for you.” The cover reflects how bright his light is in the universe.


5. What inspired you to tell this story?
   
   I started on this story more than seven years ago, wanting to write something about this kid who’s barely making, has these crazy powers, but finds the one person who can be the center of his universe. The story comes from my first few years living on my own, struggling to make the rent and still keep food in the cupboards. Those first few years of trying to be a grown-up were pretty hard, and while I hoped to find someone who would complete me like KC does for Gene, that didn’t happen, but existing is no longer a struggle. I’ve evolved, much like the characters have, into someone stronger, more focused. That is the story of Evolution.


6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   That you can be awesome no matter what you do or who you are. Gene had a lot of things stacked against him. He dropped out of school, but got his GED. His best friend let him down more than once. His family cared about him, but not enough to shelter him from the harsh realities of the world. At seventeen he was on his own, making his own way, finding his own joy. Or at least he thought he was. Then he met KC and he realized what it really meant to get what he wanted. Sure his life still isn’t perfect by any means and love doesn’t conquer all, but he’s willing to keep moving forward, light the next candle, and give as good as he gets.

Now Available from Sam Kadence:

Evolution Gene Sage has only ever wanted to sing, but his band, Evolution, is pushing him toward the big time. He finds it hard to focus on making musical history when he’s dreaming of graveyards and seeing ghosts. And while all he can think of is hiding who he is from a world unforgiving of anyone different, he discovers he’s also the ultimate snack for vampires and demons. When Gene literally runs into—over—his idol, Kerstrande Petterson, rock god, vampire in hiding, and music cynic, his life falls over the edge into chaos.

Jaded by the world and nearly a decade in the music business, Kerstrande thinks Gene wants to use him to make Evolution immortal in more than one way, but he can’t seem to brush aside the young singer’s enthusiasm.

Getting involved with Kerstrande drags Gene into otherworldly power struggles. Between the ghosts stalking them, the media painting supernaturals as villains, and a vampire out of control in the city, the only way for Gene and Kerstrande to survive is for Gene to embrace his powers—and his destiny.

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Evolution Giveaway!

Sam Kadence has generously donated a free copy of Evolution for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.

New Releases for May 2013

Featured New Releases:

Normal? by Stephen J. Mulrooney

Published by Busterfly LLC

"Were it a dream, it would be a most wondrous dream; but it's more. It's a life. And I don't have to remember any of it. It remembers me." With these words, Gene Poole-Hall takes us on a beautiful coming-of-age journey that will leave you questioning any preconceived impressions of the definition of normal, and lead you to the conclusion that when it comes to family, at the heart of the matter, it's the heart that matters.

Gene's story begins with his adoption into an extended family that includes everything from a few drag queens to a well respected rabbi. If Gene's life is anything but normal, he isn't aware of it. He enjoys all the advantages of being an only child at the heart of a family of unrelated adults bonded together by mutual love and respect. The core of Gene's family is Mother, who is actually his biological uncle Ben. Mother is a bigger than life female impersonator whose warmth and compassion has attracted the most unusual extended family you will ever meet. Mother's partner, Tom, whom Gene calls Dad rather than Uncle Tom for obvious reasons, is a Wall Street executive. Gene's Uncle Josh, the rabbi, is Mother's life-long best friend and first unrequited love interest. Gene's aunts, Allie and Sue, whose lives are anything but a drag, are famous, if not infamous, drag queens from Mother's band of performers. And that's just the beginning of Gene's family.

A sudden move to the suburbs and the unexpected addition of three new family members, Chip and Dale, an unusual set of twins, and Robbie, an attractive farm boy, soon add colors that Gene has never imagined, to his already colorful world. Travel through all the trials and tribulations of a young teen's life as he explores all the joys, wonders and pitfalls of coming of age and experiencing the emotional and biological dramas and traumas of infatuation and love for the first time. This is a story you'll want to read over and over again. It is a beautiful tale that anyone who has ever loved, desired, and reached for a yearning just beyond their grasp can relate to. Gene's story is our story, and he tells it in a manner that will awaken all the remarkable and beautiful memories that have slept in some far corner of our hearts for too long.

Evolution by Sam Kadence

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Gene Sage has only ever wanted to sing, but his band, Evolution, is pushing him toward the big time. He finds it hard to focus on making musical history when he’s dreaming of graveyards and seeing ghosts. And while all he can think of is hiding who he is from a world unforgiving of anyone different, he discovers he’s also the ultimate snack for vampires and demons. When Gene literally runs into—over—his idol, Kerstrande Petterson, rock god, vampire in hiding, and music cynic, his life falls over the edge into chaos.

Jaded by the world and nearly a decade in the music business, Kerstrande thinks Gene wants to use him to make Evolution immortal in more than one way, but he can’t seem to brush aside the young singer’s enthusiasm.

Getting involved with Kerstrande drags Gene into otherworldly power struggles. Between the ghosts stalking them, the media painting supernaturals as villains, and a vampire out of control in the city, the only way for Gene and Kerstrande to survive is for Gene to embrace his powers—and his destiny.

Swans and Klons by Nora Olsen

Published by Bold Strokes Books

What does it take to survive in a world built on lies?

Sixteen-year-old Rubric loves her pampered life in the Academy dormitory. She’s dating Salmon Jo, a brilliant and unpredictable girl. In their all-female world, non-human slaves called Klons do all the work. But when Rubric and Salmon Jo break into the laboratory where human and Klon babies are grown in vats, they uncover a terrifying secret that tears their idyllic world apart.

Their friends won’t believe them, and their teachers won’t help them. The Doctors who rule Society want to silence Rubric and Salmon Jo. The two girls must flee for their lives. As they face the unthinkable, the only thing they have left to believe in is their love for each other.

That Witch! by Zoe Lynn

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Cassidy Ryan and Brynn Michaels attend the same high school, but they live in different worlds. Cassidy’s a popular cheerleader, and Brynn’s the social leper. One is all sunshine and rainbows, while the other could’ve been carved from an Edgar Allan Poe book.

Both girls have their problems, though. Cassidy is coming into her birthright—a long line of ancient magic Cassidy isn’t ready to have. Brynn is coming into her sexuality—something that will definitely cause problems with her very conservative family.

When a teacher assigns Cassidy and Brynn to work together on a project, the girls find themselves in a heap of trouble, because what they feel for each other can’t be denied. If they have any hope of changing ignorant and frightened minds, they’ll have to listen to their own hearts first.

Lost and Found Anthology

Published by Featherweight Press

Forty percent of America's homeless youth are LGBT teens. Rejected and abandoned by their families, churches, and loved ones, they are our throwaway kids. This anthology is an act of love, an attempt to cast light upon these precious angels who've been forgotten by the rest of society. All participating authors have donated their time and talent, and 100% of the royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to GLBT Youth Charities. Lost and Found was professionally and meticulously edited by Kris Jacen, and the stellar cast of authors include: Michele L. Montgomery, Tabatha Heart, Tom Webb,Jeff Erno, DC Juris, Freddy MacKay, Dakota Chase,Doug Starr, Wt Prater, Diane Adams and Caitlin Ricci.