Featured Author & Giveaway: Will Parkinson

Will Parkinson believes that no matter what obstacles are thrown in the path of young love, it will always find a way to win in the end. He wants his characters to have their happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to come easily.

None of this would have happened if he had followed the advice he was given many years ago. “What are you wasting your time on that for? It’s never going to amount to anything.” He believed it for the longest time, abandoning characters he’d created in his childhood.

He picked up his very first m/m story by a writer named Eden Winters, who was an absolute joy when they corresponded. She asked him if he wrote and he told her the story. Eden explained to Will that the voices in his head would never go away and how he needed to let them out. With that thought in mind, Will put e-pen to e-paper once more. It was truly a liberating experience and one he has no intention of giving up again.

Connect with Will Parkinson on Twitter @WillParkinsonau or visit his website: http://www.willparkinson.com.

Q&A with Author Will Parkinson:

1. What part of Pitch was the most fun to write? The most challenging?
   
   I loved writing Taylor’s story. Parts of his life and Benny’s mirror my own, so it was easy and fun to talk about some of the things and know actual facts (for example, Taylor’s mom works at a hotel in Milwaukee that I work at. Benny mentions a couple of vegan places in the city that I’ve eaten at.) The most challenging part was writing about Addy. Having a character who was hurt is never easy, especially when you know that it’ll get worse before it gets better.


2. What are your writing goals for the next five years?
   
   I’m currently working on ‘Wet Paint’. It’s going to be Addy’s story where he will (hopefully) find some peace. He definitely needs it, considering what he went through when he was a kid.


3. Which of your characters is most like you?
   
   Definitely Taylor. When I was a kid, I was afraid to let the world know who I was. Taylor’s dad talks down about Taylor’s art, the same way my father did about my writing. It’s hard growing up and being told that you’re wasting your time and something you love isn’t going to amount to anything. Why does it have to? Why can’t you just do it for fun, if that’s what makes you happy?


4. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?
   
   If I could have one superpower, it would be to force people to confront that which they most despise. Making a homophobe gay, a person who mocks those who are differently abled would have to live that life, a racist would have to see how it feels when they find they’re now that same race. When (if) they finally learn that lesson, then they’ll find life reverts back to what they knew.


5. Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you.
   
   I’m vegan. Have been for many years. Several characters in my stories are either vegetarian or vegan, too. I have 4 dogs and 3 cats.


6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   For the young readers who find their way to Pitch, I’d like them to know that they’re not alone. Everyone has problems, but having a good support system definitely helps. No matter how hard it might seem, you’re never going to be alone.

Now Available from Will Parkinson:

Pitch
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.

Purchase Link

---

Pitch Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Pitch, Will Parkinson is giving away a signed copy and a $25 gift certificate to the winner's choice of online book retailer. Please use the Rafflecoptor form below to enter the drawing. Click HERE for the complete tour schedule for more chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway