Featured Author & Giveaway: J.L. Bowen

J.L. Bowen fell in love with the paranormal at a young age. She grew up watching the supernatural movies — The Exorcist (the movie she's still to chicken to watch), The Amityville Horror and JAWS (loves the first two). Now, she is hooked on the series, Supernatural, and loves the Winchesters!

She loves to still go on haunted tours and her favorites have been in London, especially Jack the Ripper. Her books are based on demons (not the possessing kind), but teens struggling with coming to who they are, accepting themselves.

Connect with J.L. Bowen on Twitter @jlbowen2 or visit her website: http://jlbowen.com.

Q&A with Author J.L. Bowen:

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 would change places with Rusty. I know he doesn't have any powers, but he's fearless, a true hero. He's willing to take on the bad guys to save the people he loves. For 24 hours, I'd ride his motorcycle, fight with Montae and learn how to fight.


2. Tell us about your novel, Ryker's Revenge.
   
   I wanted to tell Gunnar's story. He doesn't have as many people in his court like Armond, but he still survives. He had to succumb to his father's demands or face terrible pain. Gunnar never gives up and wants to be loved and accepted. He has to learn to trust people he never thought he could trust in order to reach his goal. Sometimes life isn't what it seems. Gunnar discovers this the Dark Demon way.
   
   Although he's a Dark Demon and has powers, he's really the new kid on the block. The one everyone envies because he's good looking and thinks he's too good for everyone. But he's not. It's all a sham. He's hurting and hiding, just trying to survive.


3. What has been your inspiration for writing Young Adult?
   
   I worked with trouble adolescents for years and I wanted to rewrite a book that tells about resiliency. I wanted my readers to know they could survive. All they had to do was reach out for help which is what both Armond and Gunnar have to learn in order to reach their goal. Is it scary? Hell, yes it's scary. But you'll never know unless you ask.


4. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   You're not alone. If you ask and seek for help, it will come to you. Sometimes our own misconceptions are our own worst enemy. Learn to trust people. I know it's hard. Sometimes people trust the wrong people and you need to look at who you can trust. Gunnar and trust were on the opposite ends of the spectrum and he learns to trust Armond in a most unusual way. I would love to hear from young readers and encourage you to contact me on my blog.

Now Available from J.L. Bowen:

The Healer Thirteen-year-old Armond Costa heals in three days, no matter what abuse his uncle and aunt inflict upon him. On his fourteenth birthday, he sprouts wings and discovers his aunt and uncle had lied to him. He's the lost Golden Demon's Healer. His father, King of the Golden Demons, insists he return with him and save his people from being persecuted by their mortal enemies, the Dark Demons. Now, Armond must choose between the Ellis brothers and seventeen-year-old Rusty Owens -- the only family he's ever known -- or condemn the Golden Demons to extinction.

Ryker's Revenge Gunnar, the Healer of the Dark Demons, wants to escape from his sadist father, the King of the Dark Demons, and return to the Golden Demons, but his father brands him with a dragon tattoo designed to kill Golden Demons. The choice to stay away from his friends is taken from his hands when they launch a rescue operation to save him, only to have one of their own injured by the dragon on his chest while another is captured by his father. Can Gunnar trust his sister, their father's lapdog, and the dragon on his chest to help save his friends and keep him free?

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J.L. Bowen Giveaway!

J.L. Bowen has generously donated a free copy of either The Healer or Ryker's Revenge for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen July 1, 2013.

The Gene Pull by Benjamin Shepherd Quiñones

The Gene Pull by Benjamin Shepherd Quiñones

Published by G. and J. Publishing
192 Pages
LGBT YA Sci-fi
4.5 Stars

Blurb: 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, Chris Cassidy, 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 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 takes the reader on a great adventure as Noah comes to grips with the bullying of his schoolmates, his growing inner strength and confidence, and the blossoming relationship with Chris’s younger brother, Jamie.

Review: This story was a pleasant surprise. The Gene Pull is a debut novel by twenty-year-old aspiring author Benjamin Quinones. I probably shouldn't admit this, but when I purchased the book, I had rather low expectations. It's published through a self-publishing company, and I figured that since the author was so young, the writing wouldn't be all that great.

What a pleasant surprise! With the exception of some annoying POV shifts, the word-crafting was brilliant and felt very seasoned. I loved the characters, the plot, and infusion of humor throughout the story. Granted, this is a YA story about a high school kid who just came out of the closet as gay the same day he gets abducted by aliens. The events and characters are at times over the top, but it was such an entertaining read.

I loved the main character Noah. He was self-deprecating enough to be viewed sympathetically, yet he didn't have a victim mentality (in spite of some pretty harsh bullying and homophobia from his peers). He ends up falling in love with another gay kid who's absolutely adorable--kind of a nerdy bookworm who's really sweet and lovable.

I really hope readers will support this author, and I hope he goes on to write a lot more really cool books. I'm adding him to my auto-buy list and will be on the lookout for more of his stories.

Review by Jeff

More New Releases for June 2013

Featured New Releases:

Dumb Jock by Jeff Erno

Published by Dreamspinner Press

Jeff Irwin is short, timid, and studious. A bit of a social outcast, he lives quietly in the shadows of the popular kids at his school, his life ruled by his ever-present fear of rejection or failure.

Enter high school football hero Brett Willson and the chance for Jeff to embark upon the challenge of educating the world’s dumbest jock.

But what develops between Brett and Jeff proves far more challenging than any tutoring session. In 1983, rural Michigan isn’t ready to embrace love between two men, never mind two teenage boys. If they’re going to make a go of it, Jeff will have to come out of his shell—and Brett will have to prove he’s more than just a dumb jock.

My Life as a Myth by Huston Piner

Published by Prizm Books

1969 freshman Nick Horton has problems. He suffers from bouts of depression, he’s a high school social outcast, and he doesn’t understand why he’s not attracted to girls. So when a series of misunderstandings label him a troublemaker, he’s delighted to have Jesse Gaston and Jesse's gang befriend him. Nick wants to explore his attraction to Bobby Warren, but Jesse promises to give him a new image and soon transforms the shy loser into an anti-establishment student hero.

Thanks to his new reputation, Nick finds himself besieged by would-be girlfriends and expectations that he live up to his public image. As Jesse’s PR campaign becomes more and more outrageous, Nick’s road quickly becomes littered with ridiculous misadventures and unexpected psychedelic explorations. Meanwhile he struggles to understand his emerging romance with Bobby while dealing with the Vietnam War’s continuing impact on his family and the dangerous goings-on at school.

Nick’s freshman year is a remarkable journey of struggle with his unwanted reputation and his deepening passion for Bobby. Is a world still reeling from the sexual revolution, Acid Rock, and the illicit pleasures of underage drinking and pot smoking ready to accept two boys in love? Will Nick and Bobby’s love survive or will the world’s prejudices drive them apart?.

Finding Ashlynn by Zoe Lynne

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Every Friday night, Jenna and her best friend, Stella, attend their local LGBTQ youth group meeting. It’s a great place for support and friendship, but Jenna wants to fall in love. In walks Ashlynn, a purple-haired girl who wants to know how bad coming out of the closet can be.

Living in two different worlds, Jenna and Ash have vastly different ideas about the difference between sex and love, the definition of virginity, and how to face a world out in the open where they can admit their true feelings… whatever they may be.

Banned Books by RJ Astruc

Published by Harmony Ink Press

At St. Peter’s, an exclusive British boarding school for boys, a teacher’s word is law—and Anthony Parker is leading a rebellion. When he is found reading a book containing “questionable content,” he receives a reprimand from the headmaster. Parker responds by secretly lending questionable materials to other students, aided by his best friend and long-time crush, Rafe.

The situation escalates when their draconic literature teacher discovers their subterfuge and compiles a banned books list. Parker and Rafe fall in with Peter Fritz, a broody outcast who’s turning the ban in his favor by buying and lending banned books to students—for a price. As the banned books library grows and hidden feelings threaten the boys’ burgeoning partnership, they discover that the challenges of growing up might outweigh the rewards of bucking the system.

Fireflies and Crickets (Ripples in the Water, Book Two) by Jackie Nacht

Published by Extasy Books

Junior year has completely sucked for Kennedy. On his last day, out in his front yard, no less, he’s outed by classmates in front of his own father. When questioned about it, Kennedy comes out to his parents, only to find himself being sent to spend the summer with his aunt the very next day. Pained by the rejection, he has a hard time coping with his new environment until he meets his aunt's neighbor, Evan. Together, the two will spend the summer enjoying friends and discovering first love. However, there’s the dark cloud hanging over their newfound relationship—thoughts of what will happen at the end of the summer and with Kennedy’s parents.

Featured Author & Giveaway: Zoe Lynn

Zoe Lynne strives to give LGBT youth stories they love with heroes they can relate to. Zoe Lynne began in October of 2012, with the sole focus being to create books with LGBT youth in mind. It is her hope to deliver characters who are both real and fantastic, characters you love and love to hate, but more so, characters you can relate.

Connect with Zoe Lynn on Twitter @ZoeLynneBooks or visit her website: www.zoelynnebooks.com.

Q&A with Author Zoe Lynne:

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?
   
   It would probably be Thorne from Love in the Spotlight. He’s just an awesome guy, but he’s doing the one thing I’ve always wanted to do, but have been too afraid to do—stand up in front of a crowd and sing my heart out. Yeah, I’ll do karaoke, but it’s not like being in a real band, singing my own songs. I would LOVE to be able to do that.


2. What inspired you to begin writing Young Adult?
   
   It was the 2012 GRL in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I was listening to various publishers talk about how there was a need to get more YA books out there, and it made me think about what I looked for in books when I was a teenager. I wanted characters I could relate to or feel something for. Ideas sort of came rushing then, and I immediately got on the phone with Bia Tanos (my co-author on That Witch!) and started pitching ideas to her. Zoe Lynne was born, though changed in its present state.


3. What do you do to relax when you are not writing?
   
   I don’t get much downtime, honestly. If I do, I try to hang out with my husband, maybe go out to see his band play or watch movies with him. We might go out and find something fun to do. Usually though, we’re both working on… something.


4. What is the one thing you need when you sit down to write besides your computer?
   
   Music is a must! Coffee would come second.


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   A sense of hope and triumph, I guess. I want them to know that (as cliché as it sounds) things do get better. Being a teenager is hard business. It doesn’t matter if you’re straight, gay, white or black or whatever. The hardest years of your life are going to be your teens. Things and feelings and the world doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Nothing’s fair. Everyone’s against you. But it doesn’t stay like that. You’ll grow up and things get really fun. So just keep pushing through it, knowing that it really will get better.

Now Available from Zoe Lynne:

Love in the Spotlight There's nothing in the world Steven won't do for his best friend Becca, including ditching his schoolwork -- something he would never do -- just to escort her to some club so she can chase down her dream boy who happens to be the drummer in some kind of band. He didn't expect to set eyes on the most godly creation under the stars, and sure didn't expect that gorgeous hunk of man to have the voice of an angel.

While Becca and Mr. Dreamboat drummer boy get to know each other better in the diner parking lot after the big show, Steven and Thorne discover a mutual love for pancakes and hot maple syrup -- not that flavored crap -- that opens doors to a relationship Steven never expected to find when he agreed to go out with Becca that night. But will Thorne ever be able to stand-up to his homophobic bandmates and come out so he can finally find love?

That Witch! 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.

Finding Ashlynn (Being True, Book One) Every Friday night, Jenna and her best friend, Stella, attend their local LGBTQ youth group meeting. It’s a great place for support and friendship, but Jenna wants to fall in love. In walks Ashlynn, a purple-haired girl who wants to know how bad coming out of the closet can be.

Living in two different worlds, Jenna and Ash have vastly different ideas about the difference between sex and love, the definition of virginity, and how to face a world out in the open where they can admit their true feelings… whatever they may be.

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Zoe Lynne Giveaway!

Zoe Lynne has generously donated a free copy of Love in the Spotlight or That Witch! for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. The winner will be chosen on June 23rd.

Featured Author: Robbie Michaels

Robbie Michaels grew up in rural upstate New York, the same setting as the beginning of The Most Popular Guy books. It was not always easy growing up thinking he was the only gay person in the world. He felt like a stranger in a very strange land for most of those years, always having to act a part, play a role, until he later met other gay folks and found out that he was not alone. He was teased and bullied when others suspected that he might be gay. But he survived those days and found that life does get better, even though at the time it sure didn’t seem possible.

Visit Robbie's website: http://robbiemichaels.com/.

Q&A with Author Robbie Michaels:

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?
   
   Wow, this is a tough question for me. I’ll tell you a secret: the character Mark in the books is me. Much of Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover is autobiographical. It’s my story. A lot of what you’ll read really happened. Not all of it, of course, but big chunks. There really was a Bill (and he was hot!), there really was a big truck full of chocolate that we had to unload. Bill did sit beside me, we really did talk, and he really did have jeans with all kinds of tears that gave me hints of what was beneath. I still nearly hyperventilate at the memory. So much of the book is elements of my life that I guess what I’ll say is I’ll be me because I like who I am now.


2. Please tell readers about your Most Popular Guy in the School trilogy.
   
   The Most Popular Guy in the School started out as just one book, what was published as Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover. But when I finished, the two characters just wouldn’t shut up in my head. They kept clamoring for more. I had so many ideas of future adventures for Mark and Bill that I just decided to keep writing and see what stories they had to tell.
   
   In book one, Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover, Mark, the math geek, gets thrown together with Bill, the jock. Bill is beautiful and excels at many things. He is the most popular guy in the school. But Bill harbors many secrets. In public he is admired and adored by those around him, but all is not well at home. When they are thrown together, Mark gets to finally talk with Bill. Since they run in different circles that do not overlap, they had never before had occasion to talk. Their conversation is easy and they work together well.
   
   When a monster snowstorm hits and Bill’s car decides to die, Mark rescues him and gives him a bed and shelter from the storm. While they wait out the storm, Mark gets glimpses of a Bill that no one ever sees. Bill is an intelligent, caring man, an artist as well as an athlete. Sign after sign point to the impossible: Mark is not the only gay man is his town after all. He confronts Bill, which freaks Bill out totally. They finally talk and then dare to share a first kiss. Life is finally good, but not for long when rumors start to spread that Mark is gay. When both guys are assaulted, life seems really, really bad, but just when things seem their worst, help arrives from the most unexpected people.
   
   In the second book, the guys head west to California to begin college. They get jobs, they go to school, and they meet some locals and get settled. But an unexpected opportunity presents itself and Bill just cannot say no. Before its over, though, both he and Mark desperately wish he had said no.
   
   The third book in the trilogy, A Star is Born, deals with some of the problems that arise when Mark and Bill find themselves on different roads. They had both been college students pursuing the same dream. But when Bill got an opportunity to appear in a movie they both thought it was great. But when one led to recognition of his talent and then led to another, and then another, Mark sees the two of them drifting apart and wonders if there is any hope for the two of them. Life throws them several curve balls and gives them challenges they never anticipated.


3. What inspired you to write the Most Popular Guy in the School trilogy?
   
   Believe it or not, I didn’t set out to write a book. One day while I was out walking the dog, something triggered a memory of an event in high school. When I got back home I sat down at the computer and quickly wrote out the event I had remembered. I thought that would be it.
   
   But the two characters just wouldn’t shut up. They kept running through my mind. To satisfy them, I finally returned to my computer and just started typing. I let them have free reign and I just hung on for the ride. I never knew where they were going to take us. I just had to keep typing to find out. That book was a book I had never planned or intended to write, but I am so glad that I did.
   
   Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover also gave me an opportunity to write about something that has bothered me for years. When she was growing up, my mother was abused by her father. He was a great father – until he drank, and then he became an out-of-control monster. He beat his family in brutal. In the book you’ll read about Mark’s father dating his mother and how he walked into one of those situations without any warning. That all really happened. Everything in that part of the book is nearly word for word what he told me. My mother was embarrassed about the whole thing and would never talk about it. I was afraid that she would be so mad with me when she read what I’d written, but instead she told me that she loved it and that it was perfect. I was very, very happy.


4. Can we expect any more YA titles from you in the near future?
   
   Indeed you can. I am just now finishing a book I’ve been co-authoring with J.P. Barnaby writing as Jamie Mayfield. Last fall I was at a conference and heard her speak. I was totally wowed by her presence. She writes so beautifully and has such phenomenal stories to tell. When the moderator asked for questions I asked her about something from her Little Boy Lost series. In that book she has one boy’s parents discover he is gay. They send him to a reparative therapy center to “fix him”, to make him straight.
   
   Reparative therapy, or conversion therapy, has always been a big issue for me because it does more harm to young gay men and lesbian women than just about anything else. I asked J.P. why she hadn’t developed that story line more. Right there in the room full of people she looked at me and asked if I’d like to write the story with her. I was floored. I thought she was joking but she kept pushing me. She meant what she’d said, so we started writing.
   
   Writing together with someone who is hundreds of miles away is a challenge. But we got over our initial problems and went on to write a book called Anything But Sunshine that tells about a group of guys locked up in a place called the Sunshine Center. They’re all gay but the leaders of the center are working to teach them how to be straight and to overcome the sin of homosexuality. I think it’s a strong book and I hope you will as well. We have one chapter left to write and then it will go to Harmony Ink Press for consideration and hopefully for publication. Harmony Ink Press has accepted a trilogy from J.P. that is a reworking of her Little Boy Lost series for young adults. I cannot wait for them to come out since it is such a powerful story.


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   What I want readers to take away from my books is very simple. Sometimes life sucks. But that moment is just one moment in a long stream of many, many moments. The sucking part is just one moment in the span of your life. Get through it and look forward because there is a whole world out there just waiting for you. The bad moment you might be in will not be that way forever. You’ll have bad times but there will also be good times. The key thing you have to do is first and foremost hang on. There is hope for a better tomorrow.
   
   Life is a wonderful, marvelous thing to be embraced and celebrated. Don’t ever give up. You are the only you there is, and we need you, we need your voice. You are not alone. There are many, many, many others like you out there and some day you will meet them and together you will change the world in a wonderful, positive way. I wish I could reach out and give each and every one of you a hug and the reassurance that you are an incredible person because it is true. If others try to tell you that there is something wrong with you, they don’t know what they’re talking about because you are just fine the way you are – you were born to be you. Remember Lady Gaga, “I was born this way.” Dream big and then go forth and live those dreams.

Now Available from Robbie Michaels:

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover (The Most Popular Guy in the School: Book One) High school can be some of the best years of life—and some of the toughest. Mark Mitchell's strategy for surviving is to emulate the mighty turtle: pull back inside his protective shell and keep a low profile to avoid trouble. And it works—nobody bothers him. Of course, nobody really knows him, either, even in a town so small it seems like everybody must know everyone else.

Mark certainly knows Bill Cromwell, whom he meets officially when his father volunteers him for manual labor at the school. Bill is his polar opposite: outgoing, gregarious, athletic. But when a massive snowstorm traps the two boys together for three days, Mark learns that being popular doesn’t mean you can’t be bullied or abused—or gay—and that bullying doesn’t stop at the school doors.

Mark isn’t naïve. He’s seen the news reports of gay teen suicides, and he’s determined not to become a statistic. But it’s not himself he’s worried about.

Go West, Young Man (The Most Popular Guy in the School: Book Two) A few short months ago, Mark Mitchell was a shy nerdy kid who kept his head down and stayed off the radar. He had nothing in common with the in-crowd. But then he got snowed in with Bill Cromwell and learned not to judge a book by its cover. One thing led to another, and now Mark has a boyfriend. A popular boyfriend. A boyfriend who wants to go to prom with him. But Mark worries that Bill is risking too much—his popularity, his friends.

Then there’s graduation: caps, gowns, and a whole new world awaiting Mark and Bill in faraway California. They rent an apartment, join the workforce, start college. It’s the beginning of the journey of their lives, and they should be enjoying it—but amid uncertainty, temporary separations, and bad communication, Mark and Bill have to struggle to hold on to the fledgling relationship that grounds them when the outside world seems to move too fast.

A Star is Born (The Most Popular Guy in the School: Book Three) Having left New York and their old lives behind them, Mark Mitchell and Bill Cromwell are settling into their new home in California, their jobs, and their college courses. At least Mark is, but when Bill’s acting career takes off, Bill leaves college—and Mark—behind to film around the world. Learning to live together was hard—being the boyfriend of a budding superstar is almost inconceivable. Though it’s a struggle to stay relevant to each other when they live in different worlds, Mark is committed to Bill and their relationship.

When Mark gets an unexpected long weekend, he decides to surprise Bill on location in Maui. After all, it’s Mark’s birthday, and he wants to spend it with his lover. But in the end, Mark is the one who’s surprised when he finds Bill in bed with his costar. The combination of fame, fortune, and infidelity seems to spell the end for Bill and Mark—until a personal tragedy drags them back to New York, where it all began, and reminds them what really matters.

Read a Book - Save a Kid

Close your eyes and imagine yourself on the streets of Chicago. It’s late October, the leaves have turned, and you can feel snow in the air. It’s an exciting time on the mile—Halloween is in a few days, then around the corner comes Thanksgiving with turkey and stuffing, and Christmas with happiness and family and light. But that isn’t for you. See, your family doesn’t want to see you. They made that incredibly clear when they threw you out in the almost snow. Eighteen years old and you have no place to sleep, no food, and no warmth in your soul. All because you let it slip that you were gay.

Take a moment and think about what that means.

You can’t get a job because you have no fixed address. Filthy, you clean up in public restrooms, but you never really feel clean. Under constant threat of being beaten, raped, or killed for what little you have, you are forced to beg for food or shelter along with thousands of others fighting for the same scraps. Discarded by society, you are chased from what little shelter you can find on trains, under bridges, or in doorways. You should be studying for the SATs, going to prom, being a kid, but instead, you’re fighting for your life.

So, where do you turn? What do you do?

Fortunately, there are shelters across the country to help homeless LGBT kids find safe shelter. One such place is Lost-N-Found Youth in Atlanta. They have a 24/7 hotline for kids who need help, provide STD testing and connect them with medical attention, and help them obtain lost or stolen ID documents. Shelters like Lost-N-Found youth help these kids get their GED and give them a fighting chance at life. But it takes money to run shelters such as these which is why every penny of royalties from the Jamie Mayfield line of books is donated directly to charities to help our homeless LGBT kids.

In the Waiting for Forever series, you will see some of the more horrifying aspects of what happens to kids who are thrown away by their parents. Not because it’s entertaining, but because it’s real. Children are tossed onto the streets every day for something they cannot and should not have to change.

How you can help:

• Find a local LGBT Youth shelter and donate your talents such as general repair, IT, moving, medical, or mental health services.
• Find a local LGBT Youth shelter and donate goods such as cars, food, household items, and gift cards.
• Set up a recurring donation so that the shelter has funds they can count on.
• Buy goods and services (like the Jamie Mayfield books or the Lost-N-Found anthology from Featherweight Press) which donate to LGBT Youth shelters.
• Watch out for the LGBT kids in your life and help to keep them safe. My hope is that the line takes off well and a great deal of money and awareness can be raised to help our kids be safe and healthy and happy.

Jamie Mayfield Releases:
Choices – June 6, 2013
Destiny – July, 2013
Determination – August, 2013
A Broken Kind of Life – Sept, 2013

Waiting for Forever: Choices
A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title
Waiting for Forever: Book I

Part One: The Throwaway Boy

As the country’s religious and secular leaders battle over equality in the abstract, Brian McAllister and Jamie Mayfield live in the crossfire. In their little town of Crayford, Alabama, loving another boy is the worst kind of sin. Best friends since childhood, they explore their love and each other in Jamie’s backyard tree house as they hide from the world. They happily plan for the future together—until their lives are rocked when their secret is exposed and Jamie’s family intervenes.

When hatred turns to violence in their sleepy little town, Brian tries to cope with the loss of his best friend, who is stolen in the night. In desperation, he turns to Adam, a new friend with a shared pain. Can Adam fill the hole left by Jamie’s absence? The answer will change everything.

Adapted from the award-winning Little Boy Lost series by J. P. Barnaby.

100% of the author's royalties are being donated to help homeless LGBT kids find safe shelter.

Pre-order from Dreamspinner Press

About Jamie Mayfield:
A survivor of the ex-gay residential institution The Sunshine Center, fictional author Jamie Mayfield went on to find his voice in novels. Always a great lover of books, Jamie found his passion as he began to pursue a liberal arts degree in creative writing. An avid reader, he’s a fan of gay romance, suspense, and horror—though not all in the same novel.

Jamie lives in San Diego with his fictional husband, Brian. He writes YA fiction as a way to let kids know that they have an entire LGBT family all around them. Above all, he wants them to know that they are not alone. It does get better.

Jamie Mayfield is a fictional character from the acclaimed Little Boy Lost series by female author J. P. Barnaby.

Website: http://www.JamieMayfield.com
Tumblr: http://JamieMayfieldYA.tumblr.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/JamieMayfieldYA
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/JamieMayfieldYA




Jamie is celebrating the release of Waiting for Forever: Choices with a 12-week blog tour and giveaway. View the full tour schedule HERE. Comment on any blog tour post or tweet using hashtag #WaitingForForever to enter to win a Kindle! Drawing will be held on 8/15/2013. You must be 18 to enter and have a valid US mailing address. No purchase necessary.

Featured Author & Giveaway: Bill Konigsberg

Bill Konigsberg is an award-winning young adult author and journalist. His debut novel, Out of the Pocket (Dutton), won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009. The novel was an Indie Next pick for 2008, and made the ALA’s Rainbow List and the New York Public Library’s Stuff of the Teen Age list for 2009. His second novel, Openly Straight, was published by Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic) in the summer of 2013. It was an Indie Next pick as well. Bill’s sports writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York Daily News, Denver Post, Arizona Republic and for The Associated Press as well as ESPN.com. He is currently working on his third novel, The Porcupine of Truth. He is also creating curriculum for an online certificate program in Youth Writing for the Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University. Bill lives in Chandler, Arizona, with his partner Chuck, and their Labradoodle, Mabel.

Connect with Bill Konigsberg on Twitter @billkonigsberg or visit his website: billkonigsberg.com.

Q&A with Author Bill Konigsberg:

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 would switch places with Rafe Goldberg, the main character of Openly Straight, and I’d CALM THE HECK DOWN. He is a character with a lot going for him. Great, fun parents, a lot of cool friends, good athletic and social skills, yet he’s a mess because he spends too much time in his head. If I were Rafe for a day, I’d go have a big adventure with Ben, Albie and Toby somewhere in the wilds of Massachusetts. Maybe go apple picking or take them skiing, and I’d laugh and have a good old time and try to stop being so self-conscious.


2. Tell us something about your character from Openly Straight that we won't learn from reading the book.
   
   When Rafe was in 9th grade, his best friend Claire Olivia asked him if he wanted to make out. Just to see what it was like with a girl. Since Rafe was gay, he wasn’t so sure, but since he loved Claire Olivia, he said, “Sure.” They kissed, and Rafe liked it fine but got no charge out of it. Claire Olivia said she didn’t either, but soon after went home, and Rafe has always wondered if she actually did like kissing him more than she would admit to him.


3. When Rafe from Openly Straight transfers to a new school, he starts over with a clean slate. If you could go back to when you were in high school, would there be anything you would wipe clean or would you keep everything as is? And would your answer be different if you went to high school today?
   
   If I could change one thing about my high school experience, it would probably be asking for help. I was depressed in high school, and I wish someone had noticed and gotten me the help I needed. Instead, my entire high school experience was really challenging because I had this knot of despair in my gut most of the time. Not a great way to live. As for my answer if I went to high school today? Probably the same. High school hasn’t changed as much as some teens think it has in 25 years. It’s the same with newer gadgets.


4. What part of the story was most fun to write? The most challenging?
   
   I loved writing the “bromance” scenes between Rafe and Ben. I loved the intensity of their feelings for each other, and the energy it brought out in Rafe. I believe I wrote 105 pages of the first draft in three days, and those were the “bromance” pages. The most challenging part was the part where Rafe has an epiphany at the end. I think part of the challenge was that I was learning the same thing Rafe was as I wrote it, so it was very raw. The other tough part was that he was learning by writing it out. It’s tough to write in another person’s voice, and have an epiphany in his thinking at the same time, and not have it come off as contrived. I think it worked out well, or as well as it could.


5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   Mostly I want young readers to come away feeling good about who they are. I think that’s the most important thing. My books aren’t “message” books, I don’t think, but I want readers to see themselves in the books so that they feel connected to a character. For some young LGBTQ readers, feeling connected to other people can be hard. If they can connect to my characters, that’s a good thing.

Read our True Colorz review of Openly Straight HERE.

Now Available from Bill Konigsberg:

Openly Straight A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud . . . and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

Out of the Pocket Star quarterback Bobby Framingham, one of the most talented high school football players in California, knows he's different from his teammates. They're like brothers, but they don't know one essential thing: Bobby is gay. Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? When he's outed against his will by a student reporter, Bobby must find a way to earn back his teammates' trust and accept that his path to success might be more public, and more difficult, than he'd hoped. An affecting novel about identity that also delivers great sportswriting.

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Openly Straight Giveaway!

Bill Konigsberg has generously donated a free autographed copy of Openly Straight for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.

New Releases for June 2013

Featured New Releases:

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books

A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud...and being ready for something else. Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write. And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

Choices (Waiting for Forever, Book One) by Jamie Mayfield

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Part One: The Throwaway Boy As the country’s religious and secular leaders battle over equality in the abstract, Brian McAllister and Jamie Mayfield live in the crossfire. In their little town of Crayford, Alabama, loving another boy is the worst kind of sin. Best friends since childhood, they explore their love and each other in Jamie’s backyard tree house as they hide from the world. They happily plan for the future together—until their lives are rocked when their secret is exposed and Jamie’s family intervenes.

When hatred turns to violence in their sleepy little town, Brian tries to cope with the loss of his best friend, who is stolen in the night. In desperation, he turns to Adam, a new friend with a shared pain. Can Adam fill the hole left by Jamie’s absence? The answer will change everything.

Adapted from the award-winning Little Boy Lost series by J. P. Barnaby. 100% of the author's royalties are being donated to help homeless LGBT kids find safe shelter.

Something Like Autumn by Jay Bell

Published by Jay Bell Books

Love can appear unexpectedly: a chance meeting at a friend’s wedding, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker… or while being robbed at a convenience store.

For some, love seems an impossible dream. Growing up gay in small-town Missouri, Jace Holden thought his chance would never come. When he meets Victor—a wild soul and fellow outsider—his chances of finding love go from bleak to a very uncertain maybe. Bracing his heart, Jace chases after his desire, hoping for a warm hand to hold his tight. Something Like Autumn tells the story of Jace’s life before the events of Something Like Summer, while also revisiting his time with Benjamin Bentley.

Children of the Knight by Michael J. Bowler

Published by Harmony Ink Press

According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in Los Angeles?

This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation.

With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army—the Children of the Knight. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and the children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo.

Can right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same.

The Last Blade (Verses of Vrelenden, Book Two) by Beau Schemery

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Ren Mallorian is finally a hero. He helped Celestrian, the lost unicorn, complete his quest, and he defeated the kingdom’s worst enemy, Grimthorn. Now Ren lives in the capital city doing odd quests for the king and his nobles—but he misses Celestrian.

One day the king summons Ren and the Prince of Toads, a noble who has taken the role of irreverent sidekick, and tasks them with assembling a team to combat an uprising in the Zombie Kingdom. On their journey across Vrelenden, they gather allies: Discimus, an accomplished wizard and a smug bastard (it’s a good thing he's pretty). Jaron A-Dale, the captain of a city guard and an accomplished knight. Acorn, a tiny and mysterious elf girl. And an unexpected and extremely dangerous traveling companion.

But is there more to the Zombie threat and its newly raised army of the undead than meets the eye? Ren is having a tough time keeping his head straight, and with Ren and Dish distracted—both by their romance of convenience and the absence of the men they love—this may prove Ren’s most dangerous quest yet.

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books
341 Pages

Blurb: A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud...and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

“That’s when I felt it.

One thin finger. Gently touching my thigh.

I kept talking about how alpha loses two protons and two neutrons, like his finger wasn’t on my thigh. And I think he liked that, because he kept asking questions, as if his finger weren’t on my thigh.

Nobody had ever touched me that way before, and even though my mouth kept motoring, I felt a little bit under a wave, maybe, water rushing everywhere and the shock of chill and the sound. It was almost deafening, the sound of us not talking about it, and I loved the dizziness it gave me.”

Review: I found it easy to relate to Rafe. Who hasn’t thought about getting away from it all and making a fresh start somewhere new? Rafe knows he’s fortunate to have family and friends who accept him for who he is. He knows he’s lucky to live in a community where he can be openly gay without fear of harassment. But he’s also feeling smothered by the label, as if it’s the only thing people see when they look at him. He wants his sexuality to be a non-issue, so he decides to move to a private boarding school on the other side of the country and reinvent himself. He doesn’t want to be straight. He just wants to not be gay for a while, so people will get to know the real him.

His plan seems to be working. He makes new friends right away. On his first day, he’s invited to join in a pickup game of touch football, and manages to do all right. That seems to be all it takes to be accepted into the jock crowd, and he loves the feeling of being “one of the guys”. The trouble is, as time goes by, he finds that in order to fit in, he has to deny the truth more and more, and one little white lie compounds into major heartache. I loved the progression from Rafe being in a position early on where he seems to have gotten everything he’s wanted to one where he slowly discovers the flaw in his plan. Ironically, he does what he does so that people will look past the label and get to know the real him, but the “him” they get to know isn’t the real him.

Throughout his experiment, Rafe keeps a journal, in which he reflects upon who he is, where he came from, and why he’s doing what he’s doing. With some careful prodding from his English teacher, he slowly realizes what the label “gay” means to him. Rafe learns a lot about himself over the course of the semester, and he comes to appreciate his family and friends in a new light as well.

So what is the lesson to be learned here? Just be yourself? It’s not that simple. Had Rafe not hidden the fact that he was gay, would he ever have gotten close to Ben? Is he better or worse off for that? This is a story worthy of further reflection once that last page has been turned. The message seems to be “embrace the gay”. You can’t be a whole, healthy, happy person if you deny that part of who you are. But at the same time, the message seems to be “quit making such a big deal about it.” A person shouldn’t be defined by his/her sexuality alone. In an ideal world, people won’t have to “come out”; being gay will just be another attribute.

The blurb says this book will appeal to both gay and straight kids, and I whole-heartedly agree. The book’s main theme is about the power of labels. Anyone can relate to that. It offers a poignant look at how we perceive not only other people in our lives, but also how we perceive ourselves.

Review by Madison