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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Featured Author & Giveaway: Eli Easton

Eli Easton
Eli Easton Eli Easton has been at various times and under different names a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fanfiction writer, an organic farmer, and a dog rescuer. She is now happily embarking on yet another incarnation, this time as an m/m romance and YA author.

As an avid reader, she is blown away when an author manages to combine literary merit, laugh out loud humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows, and six chickens.

Connect with Eli Easton on Twitter @EliEaston or visit her website: www.elieaston.com or Tumblr: http://elieaston.tumblr.com.

Q&A with Author Eli Easton:

  1. Tell us about your cover design for Superhero. Is there any symbolism from the story reflected in the cover?

    Yes, actually! The cover shows Jordan drawing Owen as a superhero. In the story Jordan wants to be a comic book artist and he and Owen start a comic that they publish on Tumblr. It’s called “Pin Man and Pencil Boy” and it’s basically them as superheroes (done tongue-in-cheek). Pin Man vanquishes villains by pinning them, like a wrestler would (because Owen is a wrestler). And Pencil Boy (which is Jordan) uses his magic pencil to draw or erase things to help them win their battles against the baddies. Owen also acts as a hero in Jordan’s life, supporting him after Jordan comes out at school.

  2. What did you like to read when you were a teenager?

    As a pre-teen I loved books like “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” and “The Bluest Eye”. But when I was 12 I visited my sister and her husband gave me “Carrie” by Stephen King. After that I was hooked on horror. All through high school I read Stephen King, Anne Rice, Dean Koonz, John Saul and authors like that. I still like horror movies, but these days I don’t read very much straight horror. I like romance and YA.

  3. How do you research for your books?

    Man, what did we do before Google? I am a Google fiend. I like to have images of a lot of the things in the story—not just the main characters but side characters, the pool in the backyard, a gymnasium, the truck Owen drives, etc. It helps me feel immersed in the story, so I Google around and find images that I like for those things. For this story, I also did a lot of Googling about wrestling—looking at wrestler stats, team names, wrestling uniforms. I found a good website with wrestling moves and lingo. I also watched some bouts on youtube. We’re so lucky to have all of that wealth of info available to us at a click of a button (and some judicious search terms).

  4. Is there one genre of YA that you would love to write but haven’t?

    I have a concept for a dystopian trilogy that I’m hoping to start soon. I also like paranormal quite a lot. I’ve written adult paranormal stories but would like to do some in YA.

  5. Do you need music or noise when writing or does it have to be completely quiet?

    I cannot write at all with music or the TV in the background. I really need to get into the language and dialogue in my head and that kind of sound makes it difficult. I live on a farm and natural sounds are fine, but nothing with words or even really compelling music because my brain will follow that instead of what I’m writing.

  6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?

    The main idea in Superhero is to live with integrity and to not let other people’s expectations or opinions hold you back from being what you most want to be.

Now Available from Eli Easton:

Superhero It’s not easy for a young gay artist like Jordan Carson to grow up in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where all anyone seems to care about in middle school and high school are the sports teams. But Jordan was lucky. He met Owen Nelson in the second grade, and they’ve been BFFs ever since. Owen is a big, beautiful blond and their school’s champion wrestler. No one messes with Owen, or with anyone close to him, and he bucks popular opinion by keeping Jordan as his wingman even after Jordan comes out at school.

Their friendship survives, but Jordan’s worst enemy may be himself: he can’t seem to help the fact that he is head-over-heels in love with a hopeless case—his straight friend, Owen. Owen won’t let anything take Jordan’s friendship away, but he never counted on Jordan running off to find a life of his own. Owen will have to face the nature of their relationship if he’s to win Jordan back.



Superhero Giveaway!

Eli Easton has generously donated a free copy of Superhero for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen on August 5th.

New Releases for August 2013


Featured New Releases:

Superhero by Eli Easton

Superhero by Eli Easton

Published by Harmony Ink Press

It’s not easy for a young gay artist like Jordan Carson to grow up in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where all anyone seems to care about in middle school and high school are the sports teams. But Jordan was lucky. He met Owen Nelson in the second grade, and they’ve been BFFs ever since. Owen is a big, beautiful blond and their school’s champion wrestler. No one messes with Owen, or with anyone close to him, and he bucks popular opinion by keeping Jordan as his wingman even after Jordan comes out at school.

Their friendship survives, but Jordan’s worst enemy may be himself: he can’t seem to help the fact that he is head-over-heels in love with a hopeless case—his straight friend, Owen. Owen won’t let anything take Jordan’s friendship away, but he never counted on Jordan running off to find a life of his own. Owen will have to face the nature of their relationship if he’s to win Jordan back.

Pitch by Will Parkinson

Pitch by Will Parkinson

Published by Harmony Ink Press

The day Jackson Kern walks into Taylor Andrews’s classroom is a momentous day in Taylor's life. He's had crushes before, sure, but as time goes on, this is starting to look a whole lot more serious. Still, Jackson doesn’t return Taylor’s feelings.

Taylor has his own admirers, though. Kevin Richards is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants right now is Taylor, so when Taylor rejects him, Kevin retaliates. At first Taylor’s entourage rallies around him, but then Kevin takes his deception one step further and Taylor sees his support dwindle, teaching him the valuable lesson about who he can truly consider a friend.

Lake Thirteen by Greg Herren

Lake Thirteen by Greg Herren

Published by Bold Strokes Books

It seemed like a good idea at the time….

Every summer three families take a trip together—this year it’s to a remote resort in the mountains of upstate New York. Scotty, a teenager who’s just come out, is nervous about how his friends will react to him. A late night visit to an old nearby cemetery seems like a great idea to the bored teens, but the old cemetery holds dark secrets hidden for almost a century—secrets that might have been better left undisturbed.

And what originally seemed like a boring week in the mountains gradually becomes a nightmare of terror for the teens and their families…



On the Right Track
by Sam Kadence

On the Right Track by Sam Kadence

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Ryunoski “Ru” Nakimura knows all about the trappings of fame. Expelled from a boy band for coming out as gay, he still wants to continue his career in music. Too bad his ex finds nothing better to do than exploit their relationship in the press, so Ru leaves California behind to lie low in Minnesota for a while.

Adam Corbin attends a Minnesota high school and wants to coast through as a typical student. He’s friends with an openly gay student, Bas Axelrod, but while Adam plays football, he also stays away from much socializing. Blending in and not outing himself has been easy because he’s never really been seriously interested in any of the guys he’s encountered.

When Adam meets Ru in a library, Adam begins to think he’s found that special young man who might make it worthwhile to just be himself. And for Ru, Adam looks like someone he might trade his fame for, if they could be together. Ru and Adam will both come to realize that courage and love must go hand in hand if they are to have a future.

Nail Polish and Feathers
by Jo Ramsey

Nail Polish and Feathers by Jo Ramsey

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Sixteen-year-old Evan Granger has no problems with being gay. Despite his mother’s objections, he wears nail polish and makeup to school and pursues his goal of becoming a professional drag queen.

TV drag star Taffy Sweet gives encouragement and Evan’s cousin Holly tries to protect him, but school bullies abuse him so badly because of his sexuality and the girly way he dresses that he ends up at the hospital emergency room. After that, even his new crush, a closeted football jock named Moe Garcia, is unhappy about Evan's choice to live his life openly gay. But even in girly clothes and nail polish, Evan is a force to be reckoned with, and he soon shows the bullies—and everyone else—that beating a drag queen up does not mean the queen is beaten down.

Appearances Matter (Dumb Jock #3)
by Jeff Erno

Appearances Matter (Dumb Jock, Book Three) by Jeff Erno

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Todd Hoffman, age sixteen, doesn't have an easy life. Not only does he live with his alcoholic mother in a rundown mobile home, but he's also a bit of a social outcast at school. He doesn't have the nice clothing, shoes, and car the other students have. He has only one really close friend, Shannon, but even she doesn't understand him completely. He knows he can never confide in her his deepest secret. He can't tell anyone, not even his favorite teacher.

But Todd finds a way to express his feelings when he learns about fan fiction. Being a gifted writer, Todd begins to write stories--gay stories--about another boy he's secretly crushing on. He posts the stories on a fan fiction website.

When the object of Todd's affection one day notices him and asks him out, Todd feels like he is suddenly living a dream, that his literary fantasy is becoming real. Soon, however, he realizes that reality and fantasy are two different things, and he has to determine if Galen, the high school soccer team captain, is the boy of his dreams or just another dumb jock.

This is book three of the Dumb Jock series, and the story is linked to the previous books by featuring several common characters. Jeff and Brett are present as are Adam and Trevor. Book three is a continuation of the first two installments, but also serves as a standalone read.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Featured Author: TA Chase

TA Chase
TA Chase is an author of YA LGBTQ stories. She spends her days creating worlds in her mind. She lives in the Midwest with her two cats, and when she's not writing, she's watching movies and reading.

Connect with TA Chase on Twitter @TaChase or visit her website: http://tachase.com/books/youngadult.

Q&A with Author TA Chase:

  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?

    If I had a chance to swap places, I think I’d do that with Kyle, the main character in I Call Death Dad, my gay YA paranormal story out at Featherweight Press. He’s just discovered that everything he thought he knew about his life and his parents was completely wrong. He’s been swept up in the epic battle between good and evil, plus he’s found a guy he could be interested in, if they both manage to stay alive.

    What would I do for that day? I’d train with Eric (Kyle’s crush) and get to use all the weapons Kyle does to defeat the Grim Reapers. Maybe even see if I could find some to destroy...lol. I’d also try and find out more about Norse mythology and what was real and what is merely legend.

  2. What inspired you to begin writing Young Adult?

    I love to read Young Adult books. There’s so much promise and discovery in them. I wanted to give young readers a chance to find books that have characters they could relate to. Not just as gay, lesbian, bi, or transgendered, but simply as teenagers.

  3. Tell us a little bit about I Call Death Dad.

    Like I mentioned in the first question, in I Call Death Dad, Kyle discovers a lot about his parents and where they came from when he turns sixteen. He finds out that there is more happening in the world around him, then his narrow view has given him a chance to see. When his eyes are finally opened, he discovers monsters, legends, and a cute guy who just might be his first love.

  4. In Pursuing Hope, the main character Pam faces a problem a lot of YA face...the dreaded prom. What was the inspiration behind the story?

    Pursuing Hope is a simple story at its heart. Pam wants to go to the prom. She’s out as a lesbian, but isn’t interested in any of the other lesbians in her school. One day, she runs into Hope at the grocery store, and finds her perfect date. First though, she has to find her.

    The inspiration behind it is the fact that finding the perfect date for prom is as important as finding the perfect dress and shoes. It might be a little harder for a gay or lesbian teenager to find that date, but the right person is out there for them if they search hard enough.

  5. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?

    That is doesn’t matter what their sexual orientation is. Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender, or Straight...they are perfect the way they are. Sure, life is hard and complicated, and down right hateful at times, but they should always keep their heads up and be proud of who they are. Because they’re human like the rest of us, and deserve to find happiness in life.

Now Available from TA Chase:

Pursuing Hope Discovering the girl of my dreams is as easy as running into her at the store, but finding her again turns out to be harder than I thought.

Hi, my name's Pam. I'm a lesbian, and I have a problem. I've been lucky because there wasn't a lot of drama when I came out to my family. No, my problem isn't my family, or even school. At the moment, my biggest problem is finding a date for prom. Just as I'm about to give up on finding the right girl, I run into her at the store. Now all my dreams of having the most awesome prom night ever depends on my pursuing Hope, and convincing her to come with me.


I Call Death Dad When Death's your dad, you never look at life the same way again. Okay, figuring out you're gay is hard enough, right? I mean I've barely admitted the truth to myself. Forget about telling anyone else about liking guys. I thought it would be the most difficult thing I had to deal with, until my dad showed up to claim me for the summer. Did I mention I hadn't seen him for more than twenty minutes each birthday? Seriously, he couldn't be bothered to visit me any other time, yet now he expects me to welcome him with open arms. Well, did I mention he's Death? And his plans for me will change my life.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Featured Author & Giveaway: Jackie Nacht

Jackie Nacht
Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long way. That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years. Then, she thought it was time to put her own stories on paper. She began writing short and sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after... and sometimes more than one, in the case of her YA Fork in the Road series, which has interactive endings.

Thinking back to her own book addiction, where there were many nights she stayed up way too late so she could read just one more chapter—yeah, right—she decided to write short romances for young adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give high school and college students, or working men and women something they can read during their lunch hour, in between classes or just when they want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of everyday life.

Connect with Jackie Nacht on Twitter @jackienacht or visit her website: www.jackienacht.com www.jackienacht.com/blog.

Q&A with Author Jackie Nacht:

  1. Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you.

    That just about every story that I’ve written came to me while running. I absolutely love to run and it has been a lifelong passion of mine. Running is also the time when I get to clear my head the most and just zone out and think for a while. Now, it is the time that stories come to me either from things I saw earlier in the day, inspired me or just popped in and demanded to be written.

  2. Is there anything from your own teen years that has been placed into your books? (Example: car you drove, song you listened to, food you loved.)

    Yes, the old fashion soda fountain in Fireflies and Crickets. I worked at one for a year when I was sixteen years old and absolutely loved it. Also, the fair was a real thing that happened in my town every year when I was growing up. And if you haven’t guessed it…my favorite drink was the Cappuccino shake.

  3. How do you research for your books?

    Barnes and Noble. For research, I have to have a print book in my lap so I can highlight it and dog ear it. Also, a lot of the places I’ve written in books I have lived or visited there. I need to visualize it in my head or I lose the scene.

  4. Do you have a nervous habit when writing? A guilty pleasure when writing?

    LOL! I bop my head and make faces. I copycat all the expressions my characters make in real life. As for the bopping of the head, I have no clue. It only happens when the scene is tough to write. I feel like the little engine that could.

  5. If there is one message you would like to get out from your book, what would it be?

    Please keep your eyes open. Look to reach your hand out to those that need it and help them. A smile or simple words of encouragement make a difference. For those who need help, please, I implore you to search for the one with the hand out. There are so many out there trying to find you. You are not alone.

  6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?

    That you are not alone. No matter what, there is always someone in your life that you can lean on even if you think there isn’t in a time when you need someone. It can be anyone from your parents, friends, siblings, to a person that is around you in passing just waiting for you to reach out and ask for their help.

Now Available from Jackie Nacht:

Fireflies and Crickets (Ripples in the Water, Book Two) After enduring a painful rejection, Kennedy journeys to discover first love and support in the unlikeliest place.

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.


See (Ripples in the Water, Book One) When love allows you to see in your darkest hour.

Drew has had a tough couple of months. Coming out to his parents wasn’t too bad except it hasn’t been brought up since. However, coming out to his friends his freshman year in high school is a whole different story. His friends turn their backs on him and have become leaders in the daily tortures he has since had to endure. When a humiliation page pops up on the internet showing pictures of Drew being bullied, he decides to end it all.

Just before he takes his life, the fourteen-year-old Mason appears telling him that he will be Drew’s husband in the future and spirits are guiding him to help stop Drew from making an irreversible mistake. Mason will be advised to take Drew on a journey to see what his future would be like if he didn’t end his life. When Drew is still unconvinced, Mason will show Drew the impact his life will have on the others around him if he does end it all. Will Mason be able to show him that Drew has a future to live for and give him the guidance to help him get through his darkest hour?


Kale's Spirit (Fork in the Road, Book One) When Kale comes to the fork in the road, who will you choose for his happily ever after? Kale has just a few more weeks of school and can’t wait to graduate and get on with his life. At home, he has amazing supportive parents but at school, he has habitual run ins with the popular kids, who want to make everyone’s life miserable. After catching the group in the woods doing drugs, Kale has an encounter fighting for his life. The road to recovery is long and Kale has the help from his rescuers Hunt and Volk. Hunt is the strong, take everyone under his wing kind of guy while Volk is the sweet, caring guy. Kale finds himself falling for both of them. Who would you choose for Kale to have his happily ever after?


A Snowy Winter Path (Fork in the Road, Book Two) When Gray snowboards his way to the fork in the road, who will you choose for his happily ever after? An interactive ending. Eighteen year old Grayson has been training hard to make it onto the Snowboard cross circuit until he hits a major growth spurt and his riding goes south. When he finds out he has an opportunity to get professional training and all is not lost, he realizes he has some tough decisions to make if he wants to make a go of being a professional snowboarder. He finds support from his best friend, Brody, and also from a most unexpected place—his brother’s training partner, Parker. While each of them help Grayson along the way, he also realizes both may be more interested in him being more than just friends. And now with his growing feelings, he needs to make a choice between the two. Who will be Grayson’s choose? An interactive ending where readers will get to choose the happily ever after.



Fireflies and Crickets Giveaway!

Jackie Nacht has generously donated a free copy of Fireflies and Crickets for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be selected on July 22, 2013.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Featured Author & Giveaway: Huston Piner

Huston Piner
A native of the US Mid-Atlantic coast, Huston Piner grew up in the Stonewall generation and witnessed firsthand the ignorance and prejudice that drives the brutality and oppression against LGBT people even into today’s times. Over the years, he nurtured a talent for writing but only recently began channeling his efforts towards today’s youths. As the survivor of a closeted youth, Huston writes adventures and romances that explore the struggles gay young adults of every generation experience as they mature and face questions about their sexual orientation. My Life as a Myth is his first novel. Huston lives with his partner in Chadham, Virginia.

Visit Huston Piner's website: http://huston-piner.livejournal.com.

Q&A with Author Huston Piner:

  1. What part of the story was the most fun to write? The most challenging?

    I particularly enjoyed writing about Nick’s growing attraction to Bobby. There are big differences between lust, crushes and falling in love. At first, Nick’s not even aware of his attraction and the way he slowly realizes he’s falling in love with Bobby just felt right.

    The most challenging part was the whole sequence dealing with Raymond’s return. I didn’t set out to write it that way and I remember thinking, “Oh my God!” as it unfolded. It was one of those times when you suddenly find your hands possessed by the Muses. It really sent chills up my spine and brought tears to my eyes.

  2. What are your writing goals for the next five years?

    I hope to keep writing books that entertain and help gay youth feel better about themselves. More books featuring a variety of LGBT characters who struggle with who they are, making mistakes as well as good decisions, can only help young gay people break out of the stereotypes and limitations society tries to force on them. When the day comes that a gay young adult novel is as unexceptional in a high school reading curriculum as Tom Sawyer we’ll have arrived where we should be.

  3. What does your main character like to read (if anything)?

    Nick reads a lot of poetry. He doesn’t talk about it, but references come out again and again. It’s interesting that he doesn’t initially realize that the poets he likes all reflect his own emerging orientation. Later, he wonders if people “who aren’t like” him understand really get them the same way he does. Poetry has that power; it reveals things about us to ourselves.

  4. Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you.

    I’m really a cat trapped in a human body. Now where’s my tingly toy?

  5. Is there anything from your own teen years that has been placed into your books? (Example: car you drove, song you listened to, food you loved.)

    The scene about Andy Framingham and the rest room is very similar to something that happened when I was a sophomore. It wasn’t nearly as explosive an event as what happens in the book, and for the record, I had nothing to do with it.

  6. Which authors do you enjoy reading?

    Whew! What a question! Tolkien, Whitman, Rimbaud, Rowling, L’ Engle, for a start.

    Then there’s Jay Bell, Dakota Chase, Stephen Chbosky, Jeff Erno, John Green, Jim Grimsley, Keith Hale, Kim Harnes, Brent Hartinger, Amy Lane, J R Lenk, David Levithan, Yann Martel, Chris O’Guinn, Anthony Paull, Dale Peck, Robert Reardon, K M Soehnlein, Kiyoshi Tanaka, Brandon Williams, and Bart Yates, to name a few.

  7. Do you need music or noise when writing or does it have to be completely quiet?

    Music played a significant role in My Life as a Myth, so while I was writing it I played a lot of songs from the late sixties. But I’ve always got music playing when I write anyway. I have to keep it low or I lose focus, but at the right volume it really helps the creative process. My iTunes collection is large and varied, and on any given day you might find me listening to Debussy, Nirvana, Patsy Cline, the Beatles, or Erroll Garner.

  8. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?

    I hope to inspire young readers with characters who confront the same issues and difficulties they face in their own lives. Society often places special problems and obstacles in the path of gay adolescents. A lot of LGBT young people feel alone and suffer low self-esteem. I want to inspire them to recognize the beautiful unique people they are and to learn from both the triumphs and the mistakes of the characters they read about. I also want to challenge closed minds to re-examine their preconceived notions and gain a greater appreciation of the damage and injustice bigotry and intolerance promotes.

Now Available from Huston Piner:

My Life as a Myth 1969 high school loser Nick Horton’s new friend Jesse Gaston promises to make him a superstar. But if would-be girlfriends, his dysfunctional family, and a suspicious principal weren’t enough to deal with, Nick falls in love with Bobby Warren and things really get complicated.

My Life as a Myth is a bittersweet romp filled with humorous misadventures, unexpected psychedelic explorations and moments of love, passion and tragedy. Can Nick and Bobby find their way in a world where acid rock rules, status is everything and being gay is the last taboo?



My Life as a Myth Giveaway!

Huston Piner has generously donated a free copy of My Life as a Myth for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address.

New Releases July 2013


Featured New Releases:

Forever Young

Forever Young by Jeff Erno

Published by Ai Press

In less than a summer, shy and introverted Robbie Myers goes from eighteen and never been kissed to the passionate intensity of first love that could last forever. Literally…

Eighteen-year-old Robbie Myers has difficulty talking to people. Not only is he shy, but he seems to say the wrong thing every time he opens his mouth, especially to the mysterious, handsome stranger who shows up at his supermarket job, defends him from an aggressive colleague and then asks him on a date. He can't believe a hot, worldly badboy like seventeen-year-old Colt Abernathy is actually interested. Yet he can’t deny that the ardor burning in Colt’s dark eyes is just for him. In the space of one breath, Robbie is launched from his plan to attend community college while living at home with his mom and saving up for a car to the tender yet passionate exploration of intense first love. Little does Robbie know…

Brought across during the height of the Civil War, Colt has remained trapped in the body of a lonely seventeen year old. When he spots the slim, blond-haired, blue eyed young man, pushing a line of shopping carts across a parking lot, Colt knows instantly they’re destined for each other. There’s just one major problem: if he survives the impending battle between vampires and the Matarians - an army of brutal vampire slayers - he’s going to live forever. Robbie isn’t…


Haffling

Haffling by Caleb James

Published by Harmony Ink Press

All sixteen-year-old Alex Nevus wants is to be two years older and become his sister Alice’s legal guardian. That, and he’d like his first kiss, preferably with Jerod Haynes, the straight boy with the beautiful girlfriend and the perfect life. Sadly, wanting something and getting it are very different. Strapped with a mentally ill mother, Alex fears for his own sanity. Having a fairy on his shoulder only he can see doesn't help, and his mom's schizophrenia places him and Alice in constant jeopardy of being carted back into foster care.

When Alex's mother goes missing, everything falls apart. Frantic, he tracks her to a remote corner of Manhattan and is transported to another dimension—the land of the Unsee, the realm of the Fey. There he finds his mother held captive by the power-mad Queen May and learns he is half-human and half-fey—a Haffling.

As Alex’s human world is being destroyed, the Unsee is being devoured by a ravenous mist. Fey is vanishing, and May needs to cross into the human world. She needs something only Alex can provide, and she will stop at nothing to possess it… to possess him.


Destiny

Destiny by Jamie Mayfield

Published by Harmony Ink Press

San Diego is so much more than Brian McAllister ever expected. He’s found friends, acceptance, encouragement, and an entire world of sexual adventure he never dared to imagine back in his little Alabama town. The only thing missing is Jamie. Encouraged by new friends Mike and Emilio, Brian builds a life for himself, haunted by a beaten and bruised boy no one seems to want to help.

Part Two: Fallen Angel

Dumped into gay rehab, blond-haired fallen angel Jamie Mayfield has been shunned by his parents and forced to find his own way. When Brian McAllister, the other half of his ravaged heart, explodes back into his precarious life, Jamie is astonished and dismayed. In the two years they’ve been apart, not a day has gone by that he hasn’t longed for Brian. How can Jamie protect Brian from the pain and brutalization of his life when he can’t even protect himself?

Brian and Jamie put every bit of themselves into saving each other, but obstacles keep them apart. Jamie’s own self-hatred may prove to be their undoing.


Last of the Summer Tomatoes

Last of the Summer Tomatoes by Sherrie Henry

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Kyle Jackowski, typical sullen emo teen, struggles to find a way to deal with his sexuality and finds himself in trouble with the law… again. But instead of being sent to a juvenile detention center like he expected, he is given a chance to commute his sentence by working on a farm for the summer.

Enter Sam, son of the farm owners, who shows Kyle what he feels is perfectly normal and that he doesn’t have to hide from his feelings. In turn, Sam’s parents show Kyle that his abusive stepfather and battered mother are not the norm. With their love and support, Kyle finds his place in the world—by Sam’s side.


Deep in the Count

Deep in the Count by Madison Parker

Published by M/M Romance Group

Brandon plays baseball for Virginia Tech. Although his coach is confident he has a successful career ahead of him, Brandon's not so sure. What if he doesn’t make it? What will he have to fall back on? He wishes he were smarter. He looks at his friend's roommate and thinks he’d give anything for that confidence and those brains. Because brains and confidence? That’s sexy! If only he could get Corey to notice him, come up with a plan that would appeal to Corey's inner geek…

Corey's program of study and academic standing are sure to land him a good job in his chosen career field: cryptology. Those popular kids? They think that because he’s a “geek” he’s missing out on life, but they’re wrong. He’s got his eye on the prize and doesn’t need the distractions of a social life. So why is he having such a hard time ignoring his roommate's flirty friend?


Another Dumb Jock

Another Dumb Jock by Jeff Erno

Published by Dreamspinner Press

In Dumb Jock, Jeff and Brett fall in love, but their relationship is not without challenges. Brett’s a football star, and Jeff is the classic nerd. Their coming of age and coming out story is set in the 1980s, and they face many obstacles. Yet their love for each other is strong, and they finally get their happy ending.

Now, almost three decades later, their children are teenagers. Adam, their fifteen year old son, is the star pitcher of his high school baseball team. He has grown up with two dads, in a loving, non-judgmental environment. Yet Adam has challenges of his own. He’s failing two of his classes at school, and he’s been suspended for fighting. He resents being labeled and insists that just because he has two dads, it doesn’t mean that he is himself gay.

When he is forced to accept help from another student in his algebra class, Adam starts to have feelings that cause him to question his very identity. He’s got to decide whether to follow his heart or to maintain the image he’s worked so hard to portray. Will he have the courage to take a stand for what he knows is right, or will he end up being just another dumb jock?

Monday, July 1, 2013

Featured Author & Giveaway: Michael J. Bowler

Michael J. Bowler
Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author who grew up in San Rafael, California. He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount and another master's in Special Education from Cal State Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films. A few of these masterpieces (LOL) are “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead” and “Things II.” These films are often unintentionally funny, but the reviews are intentionally snarky and hilarious. Checking out the reviews is much more fun than watching the movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for a number of years, both general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from qualified areas like English and Strength Training to he-doesn’t-know-what-he’s-doing-but-was-forced-to-teach-these-subjects-anyway areas like Algebra and Biology. (Oh, well, he and the students had fun, anyway.)

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a long-time volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state. Sadly, he knows far too many youth in prison. While some people tour the California Mission system on their summer vacations, he often tours the California prison system visiting these throwaway kids, reminding them they are not and never will be forgotten.

He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

Connect with Michael J. Bowler on Twitter @BradleyWallaceM or visit his website: http://www.michaeljbowler.com.

Q&A with Author Michael J. Bowler:

  1. Tell us about your cover design for Children of the Knight. Is there any symbolism from the story reflected in the cover?

    The graffiti-covered wall represents the gang members. The “A” symbol over their tagging is showing up all over LA, making the gangs angry enough to go after the tagger who did it. The boy is Lance, the homeless youth Arthur recruits to be his First Knight and second-in-command. Lance is a skater who becomes a knight; hence he’s clutching Excalibur close to his heart. His legs are pulled in because he’s a very tightly coiled kid who’s never felt worthy of love and has never let anyone into his heart before Arthur. He also harbors secret fears he doesn’t want the other kids to find out about.

  2. Which of your characters is most like you?

    There are parts of me in most of the main characters––Arthur, Jack, Lance, even Jenny, but mostly Lance. I was much like him as a kid, without the horrible childhood, thankfully. But I always felt on the outside looking in, always unworthy of being loved and wanted, always something of a loner, never quite fitting in with any group. That’s probably why I always gravitated to other kids like that as a teen and why, as an adult, I tended to work with the lost and disenfranchised and marginalized kids, like those with learning disabilities or those who were gay or emo or something else not quite “mainstream.” I’ve been hearing impaired my whole life and from grade school all the way through college I never met anyone even close to my age who was hard of hearing. I got made fun of and picked on by other kids as a child, and was often told by my parents that, “you can hear when you want to.” So when kids tell me their parents say they could choose not to be gay if they wanted to, I can relate to that kind of ignorant foolishness. In a sense, my so-called disability made me feel isolated, yes, but also made me more empathetic to others who society isolates for other reasons. I try to bring these feelings and emotions to life in my characters, even the gang members who often feel the same way, but are too “hard” to openly admit it.

  3. Do you need music or noise when writing or does it have to be completely quiet?

    I always use music when I write, but it’s instrumental film score music (I’m a huge collector and have been ever since I was a kid––another thing that made me “weird”.) Depending upon which scenes I’m on, I’ll pick some background music that fits the mood of the scene and it really helps me create that mood on paper. Sometimes the music generates dialogue and character interactions in my mind that I can put into the story. Some of the music I used for Children of the Knight would surprise you if I told you which films they came from because there is no obvious connection. It’s not the movie, you see, but the music that matters.

  4. Are there any LGBT charities or resources that are near and dear to you that you would like to give a shout out to?

    I think The Trevor Project is amazing and I fully support their work. We’ve lost way too many great kids due to bullying and it’s a problem that doesn’t have to be a problem, not if enough people care and pay attention to the world around them. And by people, I mean adults first and foremost because they set the example for kids.

  5. What message would you like to relay with Children of the Knight?

    I have worked with every kind of kid over the years, from the rich to the nerdy to the criminally inclined to the emotionally disturbed to the gang affiliated, with gay kids and straight kids and everything in between. The main message of Children of the Knight and its sequels is that all kids are basically the same. They’re just kids and none of them should be marginalized or discriminated against for any reason, but only encouraged and loved so they can become good adults. My books celebrate the sameness of kids, not their differences, which is why the gay boys are portrayed the same way as the straight boys. They fall in love, they’re heroic, they’re happy or sad, they fight, they make friends, they have hopes, and they have dreams. I would love for these books to reach a broad spectrum of the reading public, especially people who might not ever read anything about gay kids or who don’t personally know any gay kids and might just come to realize that these boys are the same as any other boys and not something to be feared or hated. So the message is––our differences don’t matter because at the end of the day we’re all just human.

  6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?

    In our society today, young people are inundated with “self-centered” media messages, and even witness in their daily lives far too many examples of adults who celebrate the “If it feels good, do it” and “It’s all about me” philosophies. In my books, especially my King Arthur series, of which Children of the Knight is the first, the message is that the way to make this world and this society better is to do what’s right, rather than what’s easy. There are a lot of other themes, as well, about the dangers of adultifying kids and how we need to spend more time really communicating with each other as human beings, rather than as computers or text messages, but that is the main one. Thus, my characters often face difficult moral challenges and have to make hard choices.

Now Available from Michael J. Bowler:

Children of the Knight 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.


A Boy and His Dragon Bradley Wallace Murphy just turned thirteen, and he's not happy about it. His life is lousy, with no relief in sight. He doesn't fit in at school, he's no good at sports, a bully torments him, he's a disappointment to his parents, and his only "friends" are fictional characters on a TV show called "Dark Shadows." He's on the verge of manhood - and wants no part of that, either. Then he finds the egg. And everything changes. From this egg hatches Whilly, a supposedly mythological dragon that bonds with him physically, emotionally and spiritually. The sudden responsibility of hiding and feeding and caring for a rapidly growing dragon in a small California city in 1970 forces Bradley Wallace to grow up whether he wants to or not. Through their adventures together, boy and dragon learn the true nature of their symbiosis, and Bradley Wallace comes to understand that he is not just a misfit kid who happened to find a misfit creature from some other time. He is something far more dangerous. More dangerous than anyone in history. So dangerous that he'll be killed if the truth comes out. The boy who doesn't want to grow up comes to realize that it might actually be better if he didn't.


A Matter of Time What is your destiny? This question haunts 20-year-old Jamie Collins. A junior at Santa Clara University in 1986, Jamie has lots of friends, a professor whom he regards as a mentor, and a promising future as a writer. Then the dreams begin - nightmares leading him to a destiny beyond belief. These visions transport him to a time and place fifty-five years before he was born: Titanic's maiden voyage in 1912! With less than a week to go before the 75th anniversary of its sinking, Jamie learns that his fate is inexplicably linked to that of the famous vessel. Somehow, the two timelines are overlapping, and when Titanic dies, Jamie will die along with her. Those dreams reveal something evil stalking the ill-fated ship, something that expedites the collision which sinks the great liner. Jamie comes to realize that because of his connection, he may be able to prevent the world's greatest maritime disaster, and save his own life in the process. But how? How can he stop a ship from sinking in 1912 when he hadn't even been born yet? And even if he can stop it - should he? What will be the effect on history if he succeeds? Jamie's quest to fulfill his destiny ties friends and family together in ways he could never have imagined. A Matter of Time is an emotionally charged voyage into the value of friendship, the power of love, the impact of evil, and the vagaries of Fate.






Children of the Knight Giveaway!

Michael J. Bowler has generously donated a free copy of Children of the Knight for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be selected on July 8, 2013.