Featured Author & Giveaway: 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.

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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.

New Releases for January 2013

Featured New Releases:

By the Creek by Geoff Laughton

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Soon-to-be high school junior David Harper hates his family’s move to the country. There’s nothing to do, and he misses his friends in the city. But he doesn’t have a choice. His mother’s job is in Mason County now, so David and his mom are too, and he has to make the best of it.

At first, the only redeeming feature of David’s new home is the swimming hole across the field from his house. Then David meets Benjamin Killinger, and suddenly life stops being so dull.

Benjamin is Amish, and cooling off in the swimming hole is one of the few liberties he and his brothers enjoy. A friendship with an English boy is not—but that doesn’t stop him and David from getting to know each other, as long as it's on the neutral ground by the creek. After David risks his life to save Benjamin’s father, the boys’ friendship is tolerated, then accepted. But before long, Benjamin’s feelings for David grow beyond the platonic. Benjamin's family and the rest of the community will never allow a love like that, and a secret this big can’t stay secret forever...

A Snowy Winter Path by Jackie Nacht

Published by Divine Destinies

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.

The Battle for Jericho by Gene Gant

Published by Harmony Ink Press

A battle is brewing in the conservative little town of Webster’s Glen. Gay activist Dylan Cussler stirs up the establishment when he moves in with his boyfriend and sues the state over its gay adoption ban. Sixteen-year-old Jericho Jiles and his best friend, Mac Travis, decide to do their bit to convince Dylan and his boyfriend to leave town. But when Dylan turns up before they can finish trashing his house, Jericho panics, leaving Dylan unconscious and wounded.

Drowning in guilt, Jericho returns to Dylan’s home to make amends. He is surprised when Dylan forgives him and opens his eyes to the world around him. Soon Jericho comes to a life-changing realization: he is attracted to boys as well as girls. That’s a problem, considering Jericho has a girlfriend and very strict, very religious parents. Accepting his sexuality means he must question not only his identity and his place in the world but his relationship with his girlfriend, his parents, and with God.

No Tea No Shade by Stephani Hecht

Published by Divine Destinies

Sometimes the ones you love can hurt you the most of all.

Devlin is used to others thinking that he’s a jerk. He likes it that way. It makes it so, nobody ever expects too much of him. Only his close friends really know that soft side of him, and, that he’s never exposed enough so he can get hurt. Then Christian, Devlin’s boyfriend, needs him more than ever. Will Devlin be able to let his guard down enough, or will he risk losing Christian forever?

The Divide: Uprising by Kim Flowers

Published by Queerteen Press

During the Second Civil War, a new U.S. political party called the Family Protection Movement established The Divide, which separates Normal people from those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Seventeen-year old Serenity Blackwater lives in the normal Midwestern town of Mapleville, but she is not normal. She hacks into an illegal gay chat room and meets Dawn, a lesbian who lives in a gay community less than a mile away. Serenity discovers normal people can bribe their way inside the walls and decides to go, both to meet Dawn and check out what may be her future home.

Dawn is even more beautiful than Serenity hoped, and the two soon become a couple. But Serenity only has a few months before she must take the Normal Verification Test, and then she’ll be separated from her family forever. So she joins the Human Equality Organization, an underground group working to end The Divide. Dawn thinks the rebellion is too dangerous, and since Dawn’s ex-girlfriend Malaki is also a member, Serenity doesn’t tell Dawn about her involvement.

Serenity reveals to the HEO that her parents are leading a campaign to organize attacks on all Gay Communities. With her help, the HEO creates Project Jericho, in which all Gay Communities walls will implode at once. But after too many delays, and when Dawn discovers Serenity has been spending more time with Malaki than her, Serenity knows she has to start the revolution herself. She heads to D.C. to contact a group of senators secretly against The Divide ... or straight into a trap set by the Family Protection Movement.

Jackie Nacht: Introduction & Giveaway

When Jeff casually mentioned the possibility of starting a Young Adult LGBTQ literature website over a group dinner, I couldn’t resist raising my hand saying, “I want in.” Now I’ll admit I was a late bloomer when it came to reading. I read the required assignments all through school but was out doing sports every spare minute I had. Then when I got to college, I became addicted to reading all genres of Young Adult and have continued ever since.

Like Madison, I was a middle school and high school teacher after graduating college. I have seen teens fear coming to school, eating in the lunch room and even scared to join an after school activity because they may be bullied then too. I don’t quite remember bullying being as bad as it is now. Maybe I was too busy with my sports or completely oblivious, but I do know it’s a festering wound in the school system now.

It became even more apparent when my nephew came out in high school. While he would say he didn’t have it too bad, he still had the awful name calling and guys walking up to him saying, “I’m okay with you being gay, as long as you don’t hit on me.” What an awful thing to say. I also witnessed our extended family tell him he is possessed and disown him. He had the love and support of his parents, grandparents, my husband and me but it still was a painful experience for him. So, if he says he had it easier than a lot of gay teens, I can’t even imagine what other LGBTQ teens are going through on a day to day basis.

That’s why I got involved in this site and why I write. I want teens just to take a break from their day. To let them know there are people out there who love and support them just the way they are. Get an hour or two away from it all, or just to find a book where they can say, “Wow I can relate to that.” That’s why I love Jeff’s idea of a site where LGBTQ teens can find a list for their reading enjoyment. It’s easy and hopefully will make a difference.

To celebrate the launch of our site, I am offering a free copy of my new release, A Snowy Winter Path. Please leave a comment and your email address below to enter the drawing. Winners will be announced January 8th.

Jackie's Website: http://www.jackienacht.com
Jackie on Twitter: @JackieNacht

A Snowy Winter Path
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.

New Releases for December 2012

Featured New Releases:

See by Jackie Nacht

Published by Divine Destinies

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?

The 7th of London by Beau Schemery

Published by Harmony Ink Press

After his parents and family die, Seven escapes his factory job. By wits and will alone, he survives in a London divided into the affluent Fairside and the squalor of London’s industrial Blackside, where many struggle to eke their existence out of despair. But Seven has to fight for more than just food and shelter.

All over Blackside, a secret cabal of prominent citizens and the mysterious Mr. Kettlebent are snatching children. Rumor has it a wizard is controlling the queen, and the country’s most notorious villain is the only one who wants to stop him. Seven is determined to find out why.

Hired by the criminal Jack Midnight to steal the evil wizard’s spellbook, Seven soon discovers the mystery runs deeper than he suspected. But events spiral out of control, and it isn’t long before the intrigue sweeps Seven into its deadly current.

Bullied by Jeff Erno

Published by Harmony Ink Press

Every day, all over the country, teenagers struggle with the realities of bullying. Tormented, ridiculed, and beaten—simply for being who they are—these teens face alienation, humiliation, and even the explicit assertion that they have somehow brought this upon themselves, that they should just blend in. Bullied is a series of short stories exploring the world of these teens from several different viewpoints: the victim, the bully, the gay bystander, the straight friend, the concerned parent.

Closeted Bryan wonders why Christian Michaelson doesn’t just try to blend in if he hates being bullied so much. Star athlete David isn’t a homophobe—after all, he’s not afraid of anything. Jonathan, a Christian fundamentalist, must weigh the Bible against peer pressure and what he knows is right when he discovers his childhood friend is gay. Bully victim Chase Devereaux finds an unexpected ally in a brave fellow student. A single mom struggles to accept the reality that her only son is gay. Two tough gay teens are forced to confront their own inner demons when tragedy befalls a classmate they failed to help. And overweight Kirby finds the strength of character to make a friend, which leads to a lifestyle change and a chance at love. Each character grows as an individual as he or she comes to terms with what it means to be a gay teenager in America.

Dreams of Fire and Gods: Book One by James Erich

Published by Harmony Ink Press

A thousand years ago, two factions of gods, the Stronni and the Taaweh, nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Dasak by warring for the land and the frightened humans who lived there. Then suddenly the Taaweh vanished and the Stronni declared victory.

Now, as tensions escalate between the emperor and his regent, Vek Worlen, the vek’s son, apprentice mage Sael dönz Menaük, finds himself allied with a homeless vagabond named Koreh. Together they flee the capital city and make their way across a hostile wilderness to the vek’s keep, mere steps ahead of the emperor’s assassins.

But Koreh has dreams—dreams of the ancient Taaweh—and he knows the looming war between the emperor and the vek will be nothing compared to the war that is about to begin. The Taaweh are returning, and the war between the gods may destroy the kingdom once and for all.

Sock It to Me, Santa! by Madison Parker

Published by Madison Parker

Ryan is assigned to Jamie Peterson for his class's secret gift exchange. If word gets out that he has to make a handcrafted gift for flamboyant and openly gay Jamie, Ryan will be the laughing stock of the school. It's a good thing no self-respecting boy would be caught dead in a craft store, because otherwise he'd be at risk of being spotted when his mom drags him to her weekly craft workshops. He hopes Jamie will appreciate all the trouble he's going to for this assignment. Finding the perfect gift is gonna be tricky. Jamie deserves something good, though, after all the crap he has to put up with at school. At least, Ryan tells himself that's the reason he's putting so much thought into the gift. It couldn't be that he has feelings for Jamie, could it?