True Colorz is your web source for all things YA in the LGBTQ community! Our blog features new releases, featured authors, interviews, and reviews/recommended reading.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Featured Author & Giveaway: Andrew Demcak

“Andrew
Andrew Demcak is an award-winning poet and novelist whose work has been widely published and anthologized both in print and on-line, and whose books have been featured by The American Library Association, Verse Daily, The Lambda Literary Foundation, The Best American Poetry blog, The Nervous Breakdown, and Poets/Artists. His first Young Adult (YA) novel, GHOST SONGS, was published March 13, 2014 by Harmony Ink Press. His first literary novel, If There's A Heaven Above, was published January 5, 2013 by JMS Books. His fourth book of poetry, Night Chant, was published by Lethe Press, 2011. His other poetry books are: A Single Hurt Color, GOSS 183::Casa Menendez Press, 2010, Zero Summer, BlazeVOX [Books], NY, 2009 and his first poetry book, Catching Tigers in Red Weather, three candles press, 2007, that was selected by Joan Larkin to win the Three Candles Press Open Book Award. He was a 2010 Finalist for The Crazyhorse Poetry Award. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Lambda Award, Thom Gunn Poetry Award, both the California and Northern California Book Awards, Best of the Web, and others. He has an M. F. A. in English/Creative Writing from St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA. 


Connect with Andrew Demcak on Twitter @andrewdemcak or visit his website: www.andrewdemcak.com.

Q&A with Author Andrew Demcak:

  1. In what way is your story unique compared to other books in this genre?

    Ghost Songs is genre bending in two ways: first, it's a GLBTQ YA novel that’s not a romance. The lead character, Todd, doesn’t spend all his time pining over some boy or worrying about his sexuality. It’s a ghost story and not someone’s diary entries. The second way is: Ghost Songs, as M/M fiction, has extremely strong female characters. Todd’s best friend Jennifer, and Todd’s mother, Eddie, are not just decorations in the background – their stories are as important as Todd’s.

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

    I’ve got two more unpublished novels finished: another GLBTQ YA novel, A Little Bit Langston, which is a speculative fiction coming out story (read: coming out = super powers) and my adult literary fiction, Limboville (it’s a farce about the most famous pulp fiction romance writer going through a divorce and cancer treatment – I know that doesn’t sound funny. But it is, as well as being very touching.) Plus I have two more completed poetry collections, Lazarus and The Excitable Gift, both ready to go. I am currently finishing my new poetry collection, Crytopedia, which is an encyclopedia of the weird and strange, all the prose poetry cut-up from Wikipedia articles.

  3. Do you believe in ghosts?

    Yes. I grew up in a haunted house. The ghost used to jingle keys down the hallways and come and sit on the edge of beds during the night. Creepy, but totally harmless. It was like the loop of an old film that kept playing.

  4. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

    Ahhh, that’s the theme of my new GLBTQ YA novel, A Little Bit Langston. The lead character James always seems to give off a green spark of electricity when he touches his best friend Paul. I wonder what that could be all about?

  5. What other interests do you have outside of writing?

    Knitting, collection 20th century American art pottery (Love Grueby, Rookwood, and Rose Cabat’s work), jogging, hiking, camping with my partner Roland (he’s an ex-Marine and is into all that stuff, too)

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

    The takeaway is a real sense that they are Okay as they are, and they do not have to do this alone. We are a large supportive community. Also, I like to think my books impart a kind of hope, or at least, a positive outlook, in spite of their heavy-duty subject matter.

Now Available from Andrew Demcak:

Ghost Songs It’s not easy being Todd Williams, a fourteen-and-a-half-year-old gay musical prodigy. The bullies, Bob and Ari, at his fancy private school make his life a living hell. Todd’s drunken, irresponsible mother, Eddie, constantly embarrasses him and puts his artistic future in jeopardy. And now, his best friend, Jennifer, who plays clarinet with him in the orchestra, isn’t speaking to him. Maybe Leroy, Todd’s friendly poltergeist, knows what’s going on with her. To top it off, he can no longer rely on Jennifer's help in the race to solve a puzzle that could lead to a buried treasure. Todd must learn to stand alone. He’s finding out that growing up is far scarier than he ever imagined.


If There’s a Heaven Above (18+) (Nominated by The American Library Association for its 2014 Rainbow Books List) "If There's A Heaven Above" takes the reader on a tour of the Southern California demi-monde Goth scene of the mid-1980s, as seen through the eyes of 18 year-old club-kid, Matt. Andrew Demcak combines innocence with experience, sex and drugs, Love and Rockets, with just the right touch of poetry. It is a thrilling ride along the freeways and turntables of that era: when AIDS was new, Reagan was King, and hope was a wounded kitten, cared for by the creatures of the night.






Ghost Songs and If There’s a Heaven Above Giveaway!

Andrew Demcak has generously donated a free copy of Ghost Songs and If There’s a Heaven Above for two lucky winners. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen on June 1st.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Featured Author & Giveaway: Krissy Bells

“Krissy
Krissy Bells was born and raised in the Detroit metro area. A former school secretary, she now spends her days as a stay-at-home mom. She is passionate about her family and friends, her Dachshund named Harry, and anything topped with cheese or chocolate.


Q&A with Author Krissy Bells:

  1. If you could travel back in time and tell the teenage you one thing, what would it be?

    Not to worry so much about what other people think of me and to stand up for myself. I still have to remind myself of those things daily.

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

    Snacks are absolutely involved in all of my writing sessions. I’m a procrastinator for sure and unfortunately chocolate is the perfect stress reliever for me. At least until I realize, I’ve say, emptied an entire bag of Dove chocolates or as I like to affectionately refer to them, Dovies.

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

    I totally hope I can write a fantasy novel one day. When books are able to take their reader to an entirely new world, I think it is truly amazing. Getting lost in a place filled with creatures and words and things that you have never even heard of before is a magical experience.

  4. What season do you like to write your stories in most or do you love writing in all of them and why?

    Fall is the perfect time to write. It is my favorite time of the year and always brings me my greatest inspiration.

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

    I hope that there are several that are present in the story of Aaron Garrett. More than anything I want readers to consider the ways in which their actions may unknowingly or even unintentionally affect others. I was inspired to write this story after the Phil Robertson, Duck Dynasty controversy occurred. I was shocked to see the outpouring of social media support for such ludicrous statements. It made me want to put myself in the shoes of someone struggling with their sexuality on the other side, maybe having to see their loved ones post support for the comments. Especially with social media, it has become much easier to hurt others without even having to look at the other person or be accountable. Whether it is memes with racially insensitive jokes or pictures of scantily clad girls being passed around and promoted. I just wanted to remind people that there are individuals that those things affect and hurt. There is a gay teen somewhere that saw that stupid meme you posted with homophobic content or a girl struggling with her body image that is constantly seeing people like and share pictures of women with unattainable physiques. I think social media insensitivity is unfortunately a problem that will continue to impact our future generations.

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

    That acceptance and love are the most amazing of gifts.

Now Available from Krissy Bells:

Fag Aaron Garrett is many things in life: he is a son, a friend, a student, and caring boyfriend to his lovely girlfriend Leigh Ann. In these roles, he is kind, hardworking, smart, loving, dedicated, and considerate. At Jefferson High School, he is a leader, a football star, and well-respected by his peers. Aaron’s life is perfectly on track, he is pursuing a college scholarship and hopeful for the future, except for just one thing: Aaron Garrett is gay. When a former child star from Aaron’s small Southern town saturates the national media after making homophobic comments, Aaron’s life is turned upside down as supporters rally around the sentiments. Social media attention begins to swell nationally and locally until it begins to eat away at every part of Aaron’s existence.






Fag Giveaway!

Krissy Bells has generously donated a free copy of Fag for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen on May 25th.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Featured Author & Giveaway: Alex Norris

Alex Norris
Alex Norris is an author and undergraduate at the University of Cambridge.


Connect with Alex Norris on Twitter @AlexSNorris or visit his website: www.AlexNorrisBooks.com.

Q&A with Author Alex Norris:

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

    I always enjoy writing no matter which part of the book I’m focused on, but there were certainly parts of this story that were harder to write than others. Anyone who has read the novel will know that it contains some fairly gritty scenes and some rather unpleasant events and these were, at times, very hard for me to write about. On one hand, I was keen to portray the events in the book in as realistic a way as possible, but on the other, I was cautious not to stray into giving overly explicit descriptions. There were times when I was unsure of how much sexual detail would be appropriate for certain scenes, but ultimately I think I struck a fairly good balance.

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

    Ideally, I’d like to release a new book every year. At the moment I’m sticking to that goal and am planning to release my second novel this summer. As I’m currently in my final year at university though, the future is a little uncertain at the moment. I don’t know where I’ll be in a year’s time or what I’ll be doing, but whatever it is, I will certainly make sure I have plenty of time for writing.

  3. Which of your characters is most like you?

    My main character, Lewis, is based very heavily on myself. At first I was cautious of creating a protagonist based on so many aspects of my own personality, mostly because I worried people would take the story as a memoir rather than a work of fiction. However in the end, I decided that the most important thing for me was to include a strong sense of realism. I decided that by drawing from my own emotions and experiences (some of Lewis’ memories are almost indistinguishable from my own), I would be able to create a character that was both convincing and relatable.

  4. Is there anything from your own teen years that has been placed into your books?

    I put lots of myself into my writing purely because I want to write realistic fiction that is heavily based on real life. Throughout the entire novel you can find references to popular culture taken straight from real life as well as the odd episode that I have loosely adapted from my own experiences. I find it’s very easy to fall into clichés when writing about certain themes and so I try to depend on my own experiences as much as possible. At one point of the book, Lewis is dogged by memories of a boy he was infatuated with, but who let him down. The whole episode is taken more or less word-for-word from my own experience. It is quite cathartic to talk about such difficult experiences through the prism of fiction – it gives you some distance from the events and lets you assess them objectively. Ultimately though, the aspects of my own life that are in the book are not necessarily specific to me, but are experiences and emotions that most people will have gone through, or will go through, at some point. I hope that people will be able to relate to what I write, and understand that much of it doesn’t come from imagination, but from memory.

  5. How do you research your books?

    Before I started writing this book I was wary of tackling such difficult issues as homelessness and prostitution. I was therefore very keen to do some good research so I could write about these themes convincingly. I volunteered with a local organisation that feeds people without homes or on low incomes, and it was my experiences there that inspired much of the story. I also talked to shelters about the problems facing homeless people and made sure I did abundant research online.

For the sexual aspect, my inspiration simply came from the slew of messages that I, as well as a lot of gay men with an online presence, receive from people soliciting for sex. I thought it would be interesting to ask what would happen if I was ever to accept such an offer. Although I never went as far as meeting any of these men, I was fortunate enough to talk to people who had met with men in exchange for money. Their experiences helped me get an idea of what it’s like to have sex for money, outside of the clichés we are often subjected to in films and on TV.

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

    I would like to change the way all people, regardless of age, view homelessness. So often we encounter homeless people, especially in big cities, but think of them as little more than inconvenient distractions from our own comfortable lives. I would like to think that after reading the book, people will reassess the attitudes they have towards people who have fallen on difficult times. 


    In terms of sexuality, I would like young readers to appreciate the fact that in the case of the novel’s protagonist, his being gay is very much a non-issue. Unlike a lot of LGBT literature, this is not a coming out story. This is a story of a young, gay student whose sexuality does not define him or dictate his experiences of university. It does, however, provide him with a unique idea of how his status as a young, gay man might help him raise money for his new homeless friends.

Now Available from Alex Norris:

Angel Cambridge University isn't everything Lewis wanted it to be. Still hung up on a lost love affair from the past and surrounded by friends he loves and loathes in equal measure, Lewis' life takes a dramatic turn after a chance encounter with homeless Rosie. Desperately seeking meaning among the vacuous student lifestyle, Lewis embarks on a quest to help those without homes and without voices.

Through a string of secret and sordid affairs with strange men he meets online, Lewis tries to raise money for his new homeless friends. Along the way he'll encounter a transvestite with the lips of Brigitte Bardot, a gorgeous French traveler, and a slew of lonely men willing to pay for satisfaction.

But as Lewis delves further into the depraved, secret life of Cambridge's backstreets, his faith in humanity and hope for his own future decline rapidly. How low is he willing to sink to make some cash?






Angel Giveaway!

Alex Norris has generously donated a free copy of Angel for one lucky winner. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below along with your email address. A winner will be chosen on May 19th.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

New Releases for May 2014


Featured New Releases:

Chasing My Dream

Chasing My Dream by Jeff Erno

Published by Top 2 Bottom Bookstore

Sixteen year old Nash Adams feels like the token gay guy in his small, northern Michigan high school. When his boyfriend dumps him on the very night they're supposed to go to the carnival together, Nash wonders if he'll ever find the guy of his dreams. Later that night, beneath a full moon, Nash gazes into the midnight sky and sees a shooting star. At the urging of his best friend Cala, he halfheartedly makes a wish. A few miles away, Caleb Cummings lies on the beach staring up at the sky when he notices a star that seems to be moving. He makes a wish of his own. When Nash and Caleb fall asleep that night, they wake up together. Though at first confused, it doesn't take long to figure out what has happened. They've entered each other's dreams. Initially they're each convinced the other is a figment of their imagination, but when the phenomena continues to occur, night after night, Nash wonders if there might be a way to find Caleb in real life. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone in this modern, technological age. But as he begins his search, he faces numerous frustrating obstacles. Eventually he has to decide if it is even worth the effort to keep searching for an imaginary friend. Maybe he should give up on his dream guy and look for someone in the real world..
Angles and Curves

Angles and Curvesby George Berger

Published by Queerteen Press

Steve is a student at a rural Montana high school who is taking twelfth grade for the second time. There he meets Heather and Gretchen, two elves in a relationship who are outcasts just like him. Though elvish kingdoms are formally recognized by the federal government, the Supreme Court doesn’t see elves as human, so they don’t benefit from the same basic rights that others do. Steve is transgendered, and can empathize with the elves’ plight. Friendships are forged between him and the elves when they realize all three have had problems with a bully named Melvin and the jocks at school, who are known to sexually assault elves. Despite his age, Steve lives alone, and has to produce a “parent” for parent/teacher day. He enlists the help of his elvish friends to hire an adult, but their scheme backfires when they’re caught soliciting an undercover policewoman named Sara Raimi. However, with their newfound connection to Sara, they look to find a way to catch Melvin and his cohorts. Angles and Curves is a fresh and enticing story about racism, sexism, and sexuality, and what it means to be human after all..
For a Price

For a Price by Hallie Burton

Published by Harmony Ink

At seventeen, Charles “Trey” Maddox Taft III has had better years. His father ran off with a younger woman, and with no alimony or child support, his family has to move from affluent Coconut Grove to a rough neighborhood near Miami’s Little Havana. It’s a completely different world, but Trey is determined to make the best of a bad situation, if only no one finds out he’s gay. On Trey’s first day in his new territory, he’s saved from being run over by local bad boy Bobby Cruz. Bobby is an unabashedly gay, sexually active high school senior who’s tired of one-night stands. After meeting preppie Trey, Bobby decides to try something new. Things go well at first, but being in a relationship is tricky and might take more work than either wants to do..
Grave's End

Grave's Endby Hayden Thorne

Published by Queerteen Press

It isn’t business as usual for Maelwine when a new family moves into Grave’s End House. With the old, great house standing untenanted for quite some time, being a house shade attached to it has turned the hours dull for Maelwine. He has no family to entertain him, no variations in his daily duty, which involves the rousing of shadows in every room when the sun goes down. Things change when the Villar family arrive, however, and Maelwine is finally happily caught up in the comings and goings at Grave’s End. That is, until he notices Royden Villar, a young boy with a secret that depresses his spirits and touches Maelwine in surprising and alarming ways. The more Maelwine studies Royden’s behavior, the more he glimpses the other boy’s heart, and, suddenly, new paths reveal themselves to Maelwine -- paths that are as muddy as they are dangerous. As a house shade, Maelwine is immortal and enjoys certain benefits that can only come with immortality. Not once has he questioned his situation. It is, after all, as Nature has always intended. But with Royden’s arrival, Maelwine’s forced to face difficult answers to unsettling questions about the nature of his existence. He’s only a house shade, after all, and nothing more. He doesn’t have a heart, doesn’t feel loneliness in the shadows of his world. Things should be easy, but Royden Villar has set certain wheels in motion, and there’s simply no turning back..
Little Black Dress

The Little Black Dressby Linda Palund

Published by Harmony Ink

Carmen is the most beautiful and desirable girl Lucy has ever known, and when Carmen is savagely murdered, Lucy’s teenage life crumbles. She is devastated by the loss of her first love, and when it appears the killers might never be found, she vows to solve the murder herself. Together with her best friend Seth, who is not only a master computer hacker but also the son of LA’s new Chief of Homicide, they gain access to the gruesome autopsy reports. They learn the true extent of the horror inflicted on Carmen, and Lucy gets closer to understanding the secret behind Carmen’s little black dress. After another beautiful girl is murdered, they uncover the brutality lurking within the corridors of their privileged Los Angeles high school. They put their lives on the line to come face to face with the murderer himself..
This Is Not a Love Story

This Is Not a Love Story by Suki Fleet

Published by Harmony Ink

When fifteen-year-old Romeo’s mother leaves one day and doesn’t return, he finds himself homeless and trying to survive on the streets. Mute and terrified, his silence makes him vulnerable, and one night he is beaten by a gang of other kids, only to be rescued by a boy who pledges to take care of him. Julian is barely two years older than Romeo. A runaway from an abusive home, he has had to make some difficult choices and sells himself on the street to survive. Taking care of Romeo changes him, gives him a purpose in life, gives him hope, and he tries to be strong and keep his troubles with drugs behind him. But living as they do is slowly destroying him, and he begins to doubt he can be strong enough. This is the story of their struggle to find a way off the streets and stay together at all costs. But when events threaten to tear them apart, it is Romeo who must find the strength within himself to help Julian (and not let their love story turn into a Shakespearean tragedy).

Monday, May 5, 2014

Featured Author: D.E. Atwood

“D.E.
When D.E. Atwood was in second grade, she finally grew tall enough to see the shelf above the mysteries in the bookmobile. She discovered a rich landscape of alternate worlds, magic, and space and has never looked back from the genres of fantasy and science fiction. When she was twelve, she declared that she was going to be a writer, and share the stories that she saw happening all around her. She wanted to create characters that others would care about, and that would touch their lives, like the books that she read had touched her own life. Today she has combined her interests, creating genre stories about the people who live next door, bringing magic into the world around us. When not writing, D.E. Atwood is a mother (to two children, a cat, a dog), a wife, a reader, a knitter, a systems administrator, almost a black belt in tae kwon do, and a music aficionado. Sleep, she claims, is optional.


Connect with D.E. Atwood on Twitter @DEAtwoodWrites or visit her website: http://deatwood.wordpress.com.

Q&A with Author D.E. Atwood:

  1. Which of your characters is most like you?

    I feel like the answer should be Jordan, because so much of him is drawn from within my own mind and heart, but if I'm being dead honest, it's Maria. Her pushiness, her exuberance, the way she ignores personal space and at the same time, the way she wants to be close. The way she sees the good side and thinks that things are going to work out as long as she believes hard enough. The way she wants to live her life just flat out, and wants to see the best in the people around her. She is what I would be if I had the ability to let go of fear; she is my natural personality turned up to an eleven. And she is very much a character of my heart for all of that. It was an absolute joy to give her the freedom to be herself on the page.


  2. What other interests do you have outside of writing?

    Loads! I love music, and my daughter and I like to go to concerts. This year we are hoping to see William Beckett, All Time Low, and go to Warped during the summer. Also on the potential list for summer outdoor shows are Def Leppard, Journey, and Steve Miller Band. My daughter is angling to see Queen's tour with Adam Lambert, but I'm not sure that one is going to work out, which is a pity because I'd love to see it too.


    
Then there's Tae Kwon Do, which I adore, perhaps to the point of obsession. My son started TKD when he was five and having trouble sitting still. Seven years later, he has his second dan and is working his way towards his third dan while he also learns how to coach. I started almost four years ago and am looking ahead to my own black belt test this summer, and my husband started about a year after I did. So it's a huge family thing that we do, and all three of us are also a part of the tournament team. My daughter doesn't do TKD, but she does do Combat Hapkido, which is the self-defense specific discipline that our school teaches, along with the rest of us. We spend a lot of time at the dojang, but I think it is worth it, both for the exercise for all of us, and for the confidence and strength that it teaches. 


    
TKD is a huge thing in my life because it is something I thought I couldn't do, and that I actually love doing. I'm short (tall is better), overweight, and well, old compared to lots of folks doing it. But I work hard at it, and I've actually won against an opponent in a tournament (shocked me! It was awesometastic!), and I'm going to be getting my black belt. This is huge as far as I'm concerned, because this is something I never saw myself doing. It's not a sport designed for someone my age, weight, and somewhat broken body. But I do it and I'm halfway decent at it.


    
What that says to me is don't believe the hype. The only thing to believe in is yourself. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't be successful because you're not the right "type" somehow. 


    
Er, so yes, tae kwon do. Obsessed. If you ever want to hear more about it, just stop by my blog, because I really do talk about it periodically.

  3. Is there anything from your own teen years that has been placed into your books?  

    In this case, it's the play that the book revolves around! I fell in love with Shakespeare as a teenager in the 80s. My parents dragged me (yes, at the time I thought I was dragged, and now I look back and treasure the memories) to various plays throughout my young life, and among them were various Shakespearean comedies. I learned to appreciate the humor and commentary that Shakespeare made about human life.


    A Midsummer Night's Dream was one of my favorite shows. My school performed it (I didn't take part, but my best friends were all in the show, so I was with them through every rehearsal) when I was in high school. I read it so many times, and analyzed it, and fell in love with all the words. Then I read a YA book which had it as a part of the story, and I fell in love with Puck all over again. Somehow Dream became a part of my high school experience, and a part of my growth, and Puck in particular with his mischief became a synonym for the way my own group of friends came together and changed over those years. 


    
I've wanted to write my own story including Dream for a long time, and when I sat down to do so, I knew I couldn't just let it stay with that one part of Shakespeare's works. I needed to branch out into other shows which had formed a large part of how I looked at life from a young age, like Twelfth Night, and see if I could let the Bard influence the characters in my story as much as he influenced me.


  4. How do you research for your books?

    I really try to focus in on the human experience. I'm a character-driven writer, and I want to be able to use everything I learn as filtered through my characters' eyes. So I read everything I can get my hands on, preferring personal memoirs to dry history. I love youtube videos where people tell me things. I love talking to friends who have experience with the topic, finding out what they recommend and then viewing/reading that. My research is almost random, with one thing leading me to another, and different facts and experiences setting of plot bunnies in my mind that I have to jot down, and then that sets off another need for research. I end up writing a lot down, and just assimilating other things into the back of my mind so they can be blurted back out later in the form of how a character sees the world.

    For Shadows, I am exceedingly grateful to my friends for helping with my research and pointing me toward useful resources.

  5. Is there one genre of YA that you would love to write but haven’t? (example: paranormal, contemporary, fantasy)

    There are two that I want to write desperately, and have stories vaguely plotted, but they aren't done simmering on the backburner of my brain yet.


    
First, I want to write my own dystopia. They are everywhere right now, and the best part about tropes is the idea of turning it on its ear. How can I write a dystopia and have it be unique and different and interesting? This is an idea that's still forming in my mind, and I have some of the characters and the outline of a vague few plot points so far, but I need to do a ton of research in order to properly build the world. I started just writing (my usual technique) and quickly realized that there is a ton more world-building involved than I can do off the cuff. I need to nail down all the specifics of the world so that they can come out in dialogue and description, without being intrusive. But I'm hoping I've got a good idea that will be edgy without being completely out there, and when it's done simmering, I'll get that written.


    
Second, I want to write a superhero novel. I grew up reading about superheroes and fell in love with the idea of how having some incredible power means having to look carefully at how you do things. I read a lot of Marvel comics because they weren't black and white issues. There were questions of morality and the why and how of decision-making during every storyline. Plus: SUPERHEROES. Didn't we all dream of being telepathic or telekinetic or being able to teleport at one time or another? It would be one way to bring those childhood dreams alive.

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

    I want them to know that they are not alone, and that there are other people out there who have similar thoughts, tastes, loves, problems, loves, interests, fears… and that those characters are making their way in the world and finding happiness, and so can every single teen out there. While growing up, I always looked for myself in books and the ones where I found something similar became my favorites. I hope to create adventures and stories which have characters that people can relate to.

Now Available from D.E. Atwood:

If We Shadows Born female, all Jordan wants is to slip under the radar and live the last year of high school as a boy. His parents and siblings support him, but he’d rather be recognized for his acting and musical talents than his gender issues.

When Shakespeare’s Puck gives him three magical potions—true sight, true seeming, and true love—Jordan discovers being true to himself isn’t as simple as he thought.

Jordan must navigate the confusion of first love, a controversial role in the fall musical, and his transgender identity, while fairy magic creates a net of complications over everything he does. In order to unweave the spells laid over his friends—his supportive older brother, James, his playwright friend, Pepper, and Maria, another transgender student—Jordan needs to understand exactly how far he’ll go to reach his goals of finding true love, true sight, and true seeming.