A warm welcome to the authors of the Summer Love Anthology especially Rachel Davidson Leigh,author of “Beautiful Monsters” who kindly answered a few questions for us.
There is also an excerpt on her story and there is a giveaway you can participate in!
Welcome Rachel 🙂
Book Name: Summer Love
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Publisher: Duet, a Young Adult imprint form Interlude Press
Cover Artist: BuckeyeGrrl Designs
Pages or Words: 276 pages
Blurb:
Summer Love is the first collection of short stories published by Duet, the young adult imprint from Interlude Press. These short stories are about the emergence of young love of bonfires and beaches, of the magical in-between time when young lives step from one world to another, and about finding the courage to be who you really are, to follow your heart and live an authentic life. The contributing authors have written stories about both romantic and platonic love featuring characters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, pansexual and queer/questioning. The authors also represent a spectrum of experience, identity and backgrounds.
Beautiful Monsters
SUMMARIES & AUTHOR BIOS
A campaign volunteer is assigned to assist his high school’s Gay Straight Alliance for the Pride Parade, forcing him to face the students he had previously avoided, and the truth about himself.
Author: Rachel Davidson Leigh is a writer, educator, and small town native who tells stories she wishes she could have read as a teen. Beautiful Monsters is her first published work of fiction. She lives in Wisconsin with her family and two dogs who are spoiled out of their tiny minds.
The Willow Weeps for Us
Jack, the young son of a grocer, falls for a charming piano teacher at the dawn of World War II.
Author: Suzey Ingold is a writer, linguist and coffee addict, currently based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Brought up in a household where children’s books are quoted over the dinner table, literature has always had a strong influence on her life. She enjoys travelling, scented candles and brunch.
The Fire Eater’s Daughter
When a traveling carnival comes back to town, Ruth must choose between caring for her mother and a life with the beautiful and mysterious Constance, the fire eater’s daughter.
Author: Amy Stilgenbauer is a writer and aspiring archivist currently based in southeast Michigan. She is the author of the novelette series, Season of the Witch, as well as the Young Adult novel, The Legend of League Park. When she isn’t writing, Amy enjoys all things bergamot and tries to keep her cats away from her knitting.
Surface Tension
Logan just wants a summer where he can be anonymous and fit in without labels, but that all changes when he meets out-and-proud Dave at summer camp.
Author: Ella J. Ash is a lawyer by day and an author by night. She has been a writer in online fan communities since 2006. She also enjoys dance parties with her family and cooking experimental vegetarian cuisine. She lives in Toronto with her partner, three daughters and four tropical fish.
My Best Friend
In a letter to his best friend, a young gay man reminisces about their relationship.
Author: H.J. Coulter lives in Winnepeg, Canada, where she works as a respite worker and studies music, in hopes of one day becoming a musical therapist. My Best Friend is her professional writing debut.
What the Heart Wants
A young student discovers attraction and desire through her experience drawing figures in her summer art class.
Author: Naomi Tajedler was born and raised in Paris, where art has always been a part of her life—including painting, restoring books, and working in auctions. She started writing in online fan communities in 2009.
The Most Handsome
Carter, a Cape Cod boy who recently came out as transgender, meets and falls in love with a college student visiting for the summer.
Author: S.J. Martin lives with his partner and their cranky, rotund cat in Washington D.C. He’s a barista by day and a writer by night. He makes a mean cappuccino and lives for good coffee, good books, and good company. The Most Handsome is his first published story.
Something Like Freedom
A boy finds a safe space from which to imagine a new future after leaving his conservative parents’ home, thanks in part to a new friend.
Author: Caroline Hanlin is a full time statistician, a part time stage manager, and an avid sports fan. She currently resides in Boston, where she enjoys writing during her commute. Something Like Freedom is her first published short story.
On the Shore
A young woman retreats to her parents’ beach house to nurse a broken heart, but instead meets a vivacious girl who helps her find joy again.
Author: Rachel Blackburn is a writer, musician and librarian based in central Ohio. When free from work, she enjoys cuddling with her cats, drinking tea, and baking more cupcakes than necessary. On the Shore is her professional writing debut.
Categories: Please keep in mind that as an anthology, not all stories contain all elements listed.
Bisexual, Contemporary, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Lesbian Romance, M/M Romance, Romance, Trans*, Young Adult, Collection
Today I’m happy to be interviewing Rachel Davidson Leigh author of “Beautiful Monsters” in the Summer Love Anthology.
Hi Rachel, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
Hi! I’m a teacher, a writer, and a Midwesterner, who would probably live in coffee shops, given the opportunity. My story in the Summer Love Anthology, “Beautiful Monsters,” centers on Cody Markhausen, a teenage campaign volunteer forced into organizing a Pride parade, and his unwilling collaborator, Andreas Furneaux, who brings him to terms with a few unexpected realizations.
1) How do you feel about e-books vs print books?
Emotionally, I’m a fan of the print book. I’m a geek when it comes to book history and would probably talk to you for way too long about different forms of binding and typesetting. I’m a hoot at parties. At the same time, though, the immediacy and accessibility that comes with e-books. For blind readers alone, they’re revolutionary. I will almost always prefer to have a print copy in my hands, but I will defend to the death your choice to read on a screen.
2) What process did you go through to get your first book published?
It was a gift. Last summer, Interlude Press announced an open call for short stories and for some reason I thought I could do it. Before last fall, I had never submitted an original story for publication. I didn’t even think that was ever going to be a possibility, but something about this call and this Press allowed me to rethink how I understood my writing and how I understood myself. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the five different readers who reviewed and commented on “Beautiful Monsters” before it was even submitted. It might seem solitary, but writing always takes a big, beautiful, and generous community.
3) How do you find or make time to write?
I’m a big fan of lists and the emotional satisfaction of checking off completed items. So, I build writing into my daily to do lists and let myself feel good about getting it done, even when that only means a few hundred words on the page. Some days are harder than others, particularly when perfectionistic voices grow too loud. Those are the days when I have to write something ridiculous, just to remind myself of the joy of a crappy rough draft.
4) Name one person who you feel supported you outside of your family members?
I’m lucky to have many supportive people in my life (see all of those readers above), but I’ll have to go with the delightful Caroline Hanlin. We submitted stories for the IP collection together and had the good fortune to both be selected. As a first-time author, I can’t say how nice it’s been to be able to go through the entire publication process with a friend.
5) Tell us about a book you’re reading now.
Just one? Well, I just finished reading I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and I recently started None of The Above by I.W. Gregorio. They are wildly different novels, but I’ve been struck by how both authors have created characters with such distinctive voices. It’s a wonderful time to be writing and reading LGBTQ YA literature!
Beautiful Monsters
By Rachel Davidson Leigh
“Glad to see you could join the party,” Terrence deadpans, pressing a rainbow bandana into André’s hand. André grabs a second bandana out of the bag, stuffs one in each of his back pockets, and then goes in for a third.
“Cody was checking out the parade route,” André replies, in a smooth lie. “It turns out we’re still walking six blocks through absolutely nothing and then calling it a day.” Terrence laughs, and, as he turns away, André presses a handkerchief into Cody’s hand. “Use it wisely,” he whispers into Cody’s ear. “You’re one of us now.”
One of us. He’s never been part of an “us.” Cody stares down at the lines on the handkerchief and then at the two patches of color on the back of André’s jeans as he walks toward the arriving cars.
Cody expects panic, but it doesn’t come. Maybe he isn’t ready to be Gay with a capital G, but if “us” can mean being one of these idiots, then maybe he’s ready to have people of his own. As he watches the sharp sway of André’s hips, the heat rising up his neck doesn’t feel like fear. It feels like… clarity, as though the run put everything in perspective and now he can’t stop seeing André in crisp, dazzling color.
Someone presses a sign into his hand and guides him toward the parade staging area with the rest of the crew. Once again, he can’t hear himself think over the din, but it’s different now. At the meeting, and for years before that in the hallways, he felt like an invader locked out by a wall of sound, and now he’s somehow wandered inside.
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Where to find more information:
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Twitter: @duetbooks, @interludepress
Pinterest: pinterest.com/interludepress
Other: duetbooks.com
Other: duetbooks.tumblr.com
Tour Dates & Stops:
23-Jun
Because Two Men Are Better Than One
Cathy Brockman Romances
24-Jun
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
25-Jun
26-Jun
29-Jun
30-Jun
Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
1-Jul
2-Jul
3-Jul
6-Jul
Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
Rafflecopter Prize: One $25 Interlude Press gift card. Five multi-format Summer Love eBooks.
Congratulations to all of you–it looks fantastic!
Thanks! I’m a huge fan of all the other stories in the collection. It’s nice to be in good company. : )
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Thank you so much for hosting us today! It was a pleasure getting to talk about the process. I’ll look forward to your review!
Thank you for having us today !
Congratulations to Interlude Press, Duet Books, and all the authors! Thanks for the giveaway chance and post!