Featured Author & Giveaway: Sally Bosco

Sally Bosco has a fascination with gender: the perceptions we have, the attitudes people have toward those who don’t fit into the usual categories, and the feelings we have about our own genders. She is inexplicably drawn toward the Uncanny, the shades of gray between the light and dark, the area where your mind hovers as you’re falling off to sleep. She loves writing young adult fiction because she strongly relates to teenage angst, the search for self-identity and the feelings of being an outsider.



Her published novels include Death Divided (written with Lynn Hansen), The Werecat Chronicles, and her newest book (and thesis novel), Cevin’s Deadly Sin, the story of a hetero teen cross-dresser struggling to make it through his senior year in a small Florida town. She has also been published in Many Genres, One Craft, Small Bites, Hazard Yet Forward, and Cellar Door anthologies. She has an MFA degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

Connect with Sally Bosco on Twitter @SallyBosco or visit her website: http://sallybosco.com.

Q&A with Author Sally Bosco:

1. Tell us about your cover design. Is there any symbolism from the story reflected in the cover?
   
   The cover model exactly fits my image of Cevin, so I was very happy about that. The “V” in Cevin is made of a pair of red panties. These panties are the catalyst for all of the struggles Cevin experiences during the course of the story. They also symbolize different elements of the story: Cevin’s uniqueness, the struggles he faces with bullying, and finally they symbolize Tessa’s love for him.


2. In what way is your story unique compared to other books in this genre?
   
   Cevin’s Deadly Sin is unique because cross-dressing has seldom if ever been the subject of a book in young adult literature. Cevin isn’t a drag queen, and he isn’t transgender, he just has a need to dress in women’s clothing. Yet, he’s attracted to women. Heterosexuality is actually very common with cross-dressers. He is gender dysphoric to a certain extent. This means he identifies quite a bit with the female gender, yet in his daily life he doesn’t act particularly effeminate. His preferences are to a large part hidden. It’s unique to have such a person as a protagonist in a young adult book, particularly one that’s a romance.



3. If you could travel back in time and tell the teenage you one thing, what would it be?
   
   Don’t stress over relationships. Most of them aren’t going to work out, and you will meet “the one” when the time is right. That will come much later than you thought, but it’s all for the best, because you’ll develop proficiency and independence in your life that will make you much stronger and more self-assured. I swear, I’ve wasted so much time mooning around over relationships that didn’t work out. And for what? I wish I had spent all of that energy working on my writing.


4. Is there anything from your own life that has been placed into your books?
   
   Yes. Tessa’s bedroom is basically a dungeon. She’s painted everything black, covered her windows with black velvet drapes, has candles and gargoyles all over and has a large lion-head fountain that billows smoke. I had this exact same setup in a room that had been added onto my house as a sunroom (I know, ironic.) I loved using the room for writing. I'd sit in there and zone out from the world. Alas, the room broke down over the years—the walls actually started cracking—so I had to have it torn down and replaced it with a big, bright sun room. It’s still dark at night though!


5. Do you have a nervous habit when writing?  A guilty pleasure when writing?
   
   I love to write in cafés. The smell of the coffee, the activity of people bustling around, the general sounds of people talking and moving are an inspiration to me. It’s always been very difficult for me to write at home. I’m getting better at it. Still, I like knowing that when I'm at a café I’m there for one purpose, to write, and I find myself getting much less distracted than I would around my house.


6. What would you like young readers to take away from your novels?
   
   When you’re in school, it feels like the most important thing in the world is fitting in. If you’re different you feel like an outcast—an outsider. Yet, as you get older, these differences can become an asset. Try celebrating your differences. Your true self is unique and beautiful. The world is bigger than you think it is. You don’t have to fit in. You just have to be you. On the edge.

Now Available from Sally Bosco:

Cevin’s Deadly Sin Cevin thinks that moving to a small town is the worst thing that ever happened to him…until he falls for Tessa. She may be the one person who can accept him for himself and his cross-dressing, but her brother Hunt’s goal is to make Cevin’s life a living hell. When Hunt’s bullying escalates, Cevin has to figure out how to keep Tessa and make peace with his cross-dressing in order to save his own life.

The Werecat Chronicles Confused by heightened senses and a heat that overwhelms her body and mind, shy, sheltered Kenley discovers that she’s a werecat. And not just any old werecat—she’s part of a royal lineage that goes back to Egyptian cat goddesses. She’s eager to embrace her new heritage. After all, who wouldn’t want the strength and agility of a cat and, well, a few other special abilities? But when she falls in love with Luis, the crown prince of an opposing faction of werecats, she’s tempted to do the unspeakable to be with the boy she loves.

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Cevin’s Deadly Sin Giveaway!

Sally Bosco has generously donated a free copy of Cevin’s Deadly Sin for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen on April 21st.