It's release day for the new edition of BOY SHATTERED. The new edition is from Dreamspinner Press. Here are the links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Shattered-Eli-Easto…/…/ref=sr_1_3
Dreamspinner site: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/…/boy-shattered-by-eli-ea…
It's available in ebook and paperback and will be coming in audiobook.
Eli
It's been a while since I read Big Love, so I read this as a stand-alone. It works fine in that regard.
This YA novel is about courage--the courage to be true to yourself no matter how non-conforming that is or the cost in bullying from others. Truman, the main character, lives in a small Ohio town and he’s openly gay and quite femme presenting. He is a senior in high school and doesn't hide his light under a bushel, so to speak. His has friends and a single mom who are incredibly supportive, so this isn't a bleak story in any way, though there is some bullying.
Truman's love interest is Mike, a good-looking, butch guy who has recently moved to town. He was gay in his previous home of Seattle, but he's trying to fly under the radar in Truman's small town. Although immediately attracted to Truman, for quite a while Mike ignores him, not wanting to reveal his own homosexuality. He's a bit hot and cold with Truman, but fortunately, he ultimately steps up to the plate.
There's a high school play Truman is involved with that brings matters to a head with both the town bullies and with Mike. Fortunately, Truman handles it with aplomb and we get an HEA.
If you enjoy gay coming of age stories, you will enjoy this one by Rick Reed. As usual, his writing is terrific and I read this through without a pause. Recommended.
Looks what's here! This fab cover for "Boy Shattered" was done by cover artist Anna Sikorska. I've been working hard on this book, which is angstier and more involved than any book I've written before. It's a YA romantic suspense story that revolves around a school shooting. Here's the blurb:
Brian
You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear.
I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?
Landon
Will you kiss me?
When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.
PUBLICATION DATE IS SEPT 25, 2018. More news coming soon.
Eli
Nov 9, 2016 is the release day for "Falling Down". This is a contemporary m/m romance set in New Hampshire in the fall. As is my tradition, this is my release day "Desktop" post, where I share images that inspired the story.
Here's the blurb:
Josh finds himself homeless at eighteen, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves are done and the harsh winter comes, Josh plans to find a place to curl up and let go. It will be a relief to finally stop fighting.
Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now a former Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.
Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expects that he’ll be the one to fall.
The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries begin?
Desktop Images:
Josh Rivers
Josh, 18, is from Alabama. He's been living on the streets for three months, having left home after his mother died. Josh was extremely close to his mom, who was a single mother for most of Josh's life. Her sudden death left Josh emotionally traumatized and without any financial or emotional support. Not seeing an easy way off the streets, or any point in trying, Josh is planning to take his own life at the begining of the book. But then he meets Mark. Josh's exterior was inspired by Adam Driver. He's very thin but has a large frame and big features.
Mark Sullivan
Mark, 24, is New Hampshire born and bred. The youngest of five boys, Mark grew up trying to emulate his macho older brothers and father and in denial about being gay. He went into the Marines to prove himself, but instead learns he can't stand combat and loathes everything about war. After being discharged , he questions his own courage and everything about himself. He's still in the closet to his family.
When I was looking for visual inspiration for Mark, the closest I found is Jeremy Renner.
Bigler's Pond
Most of the story is set at Bigler's Pond in a fictional town in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This photo was the inspiration for Bigler's pond, with its covered bridge and surrounding gold leaves in the fall.
The White Mountains
Josh decides to travel to New England to see the fall leaves since it was one of his mother's long-cherished dreams. He ends up in Gainsville, New Hampshire in the White Mountains. This is a fictional town but the area is based on Jackson, New Hampshire, pictured below.
I'm not even sure where the photo below was taken, but it still inspired me! I immersed myself in fall vibes to write this book.
Mrs. Fisher's house
Mark hires Josh to help him paint a huge old Victorian house with tons of gingerbread trim, like the house below.
Gregory Crewdson and Richard Tuschman
Josh has ambitions to be an artist (though he doesn't always admit it, even to himself). At one point in the book he thinks about a series of paintings that would have a similar feel to photos by these two photographers (whom I love).
The rescue
I had some help with my rescue/medical scenes from Claire, who is an EMT in New Hampshire. Below is a photo I found online of an emergency tent of the sort the police in the area might carry.
That's it for this desktop. Although "Falling Down" is one of the more angsty tales I've written, I tried to give it a melancholy sweetness. And of course there's an HEA!
This book will be on kindle unlimited for 90 days, then on all platforms.
Eli