Love Bytes is happy to welcome author Jay Jordan Hawke, today with us with their blog tour of Onwaachige the Dreamer.
Welcome, Jay.
Author Name: Jay Jordan Hawke
Book Name: Onwaachige the Dreamer
Series: The Two-spirit Chronicles #3 (Series is best read in order)
Release Date: December 17, 2015
Pages or Words: 200 pages/57,547 words
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Blurb:
What would you do for the boy you loved? What if to save him you had to abandon him forever?
Fourteen-year-old Joshua Ishkoday faces an impossible decision as a terrifying dream sets him upon a thrilling and treacherous journey of self-exploration through the dangerous vastness of the Wisconsin northwoods. There, along with his best friends, Mokwa and Little Deer, Joshua summons the power to confront his greatest fears. To do so, all he has to do is trust in his dreams. Unfortunately, Joshua discovers that his dreams have been deceiving him thanks to the intrusion of strange creatures. For out in the middle of the forest dwell the enigmatic Memegwesi, bizarre manitous who have a special plan for Joshua. Joshua soon realizes that he has three monsters to battle: the extraordinary creatures haunting his dreams, the dangerous torrential storm brewing in the northwoods, and finally, the greatest demon of all—his homophobic mother.
Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Paranormal, Young Adult
A Scout is Brave – Excerpt #11
The laughter never stopped. Joshua took one last look at Tommy’s body, and the full impact of this cruel murder finally hit him. The slaying of Tommy Drapos was utterly cold and senseless. Tears poured down Joshua’s face as an empty sadness gripped him. But as he stared at the beast, the sadness transformed into an intense rage.
“You bastard!” Joshua shouted at the top of his lungs, challenging the demon.
Joshua could barely hear himself scream over the deafening sounds of thunder. No one heard his voice. For a second, he wasn’t even sure if he had screamed. The thunder and laughter masked his voice so completely. Yet somehow the creature had heard him, and the laughter stopped. Joshua saw the dark, shadowy figure turn and look toward him.
Joshua’s red feather suddenly flew from his hair, as if torn from him, and fell to the ground, weighted down by the downpour.
Fear suddenly gripped him. He was alone in the middle of the woods, the sole witness to a callous murder. The slayer was gazing menacingly at him.
Pukawiss the Outcast
Joshua walked into the Trading Post, where his grandfather was standing behind the counter. He sat behind the counter next to Gentle Eagle, and laid his head on his grandfather’s shoulder.
“I’m tired, Grandfather,” Joshua said as his eyes started to close. “It’s been a long day.”
“Ha, it’s not even noon yet,” Gentle Eagle said, finding Joshua’s comment amusing.
Joshua simply mumbled an incomprehensible response. For a second, he felt like he was dreaming again. He recalled the dream about Mokwa in the canoe in the middle of the lake. He could practically hear the thunder from the distant storm reverberate through his entire body.
“I see your early-morning dance practice is taking its toll on you, Joshua.”
“What?” Joshua said, coming out of it. “No, it’s not that,” he replied, his head still resting comfortably on his grandfather’s shoulder.
“Why so tired, then?”
“My dreams, I think. They freak me out,” Joshua answered quietly, drifting off.
“Dreams?” Gentle Eagle asked. “What have you been dreaming about?”
“I don’t know, many things,” Joshua replied, his eyes still closed.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Gentle Eagle asked, sounding very concerned.
“Because they’re just stupid dreams. I have them all the time. I never get any sleep because of them.”
“Dreams aren’t stupid. They are sacred messages from the manitous,” he informed Joshua. “Did you know that?”
“No,” Joshua responded, just wanting to drift off into a deep slumber.
“If you have a dream, especially a recurring dream, you should pay attention to it. Someone is calling your attention to something.”
“Grandfather, more often than not, they just don’t make any sense,” Joshua said, starting to get into the conversation.
“The manitous don’t always make sense at first. But pay attention and all will eventually become clear,” Gentle Eagle advised.
“I don’t even know how to start,” Joshua said. “They are so weird.”
“Do you dream of the future?”
“Sometimes the future, but also sometimes the past,” Joshua said.
“You’re just like your father,” Gentle Eagle confirmed. It was the second time that day someone had said that to Joshua.
“What does my father have to do with any of this?”
Onwaachige the Dreamer
“I don’t think I can sleep now,” Joshua said.
“Just a power nap,” Mokwa said. “Just a pow….” Mokwa drifted off to sleep, unable to finish his words.
Joshua laughed inside as he turned his head and caught a glance of Mokwa. His bright red Mohawk looked like a sopping wet raccoon tail hugging the log, having been drenched by the rain. And Mokwa looked so vulnerable, so exposed, in his boxers. A flood of potent emotions came rushing back to Joshua. This time his feelings were not just of the warmth and comfort of being with friends and brothers. This was his full blown crush, all over again, the one that had made him hopelessly despondent for much of the summer. Wanting the impossible, the unavailable… there was nothing worse. But who wouldn’t want Mokwa? Joshua thought, as he peeked at Mokwa’s slim body glistening in the sun.
A rush of guilt suddenly overcame him. He had fallen hopelessly in love with Cody at summer camp. He even ran away from home to protect him from harm. His thoughts for Mokwa felt almost like a betrayal. Or maybe his thoughts toward Cody were a betrayal of Mokwa. Joshua sighed as he contemplated the agonizing dilemma brought about by the torturous emotion that was love. But things really weren’t that complicated. He could never be with Cody again, period. No matter how he felt about him. His dreams had warned him of that. Cody was hundreds of miles away anyway. But Mokwa, he was right there in front him. Of course, in a very different sense, Mokwa was also hundreds of miles away. He was hopelessly in love with Jenny, after all. I’m so done with love, Joshua thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Buy the book:
Jay Jordan Hawke holds a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in history, as well as a second master’s in Outdoor Education. He loves everything sci-fi, especially Star Trek! He teaches high school history and anxiously awaits the day when he can write full time. His hobbies include camping, movies, reading, running, and writing. His first book, Pukawiss the Outcast, was a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Best Young Adult Gay Fiction. He resides in one of the Great Lakes states.
Where to find the author:
Tour Dates & Stops:
17-Dec: The Hat Party
18-Dec: Inked Rainbow Reads
21-Dec: Velvet Panic
22-Dec: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
23-Dec: BFD Book Blog
24-Dec: Havan Fellows
25-Dec: Prism Book Alliance
28-Dec: The Jena Wade; Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
29-Dec: MM Good Book Reviews
29-Dec: Love Bytes
30-Dec: Bayou Book Junkie; Happily Ever Chapter
Rafflecopter Prize: Two e-books to two different winners from any of the three books in the series (Pukawiss the Outcast, A Scout is Brave, or Onwaachige the Dreamer).
Congratulations, Jay–the Rainbow Awards are so prestigious!
Thanks Trix!
I’ve enjoyed Scout & Puckawiss so have Onwaachige on a to buy list.
Thanks so much. I appreciate that!
congrats jay
Congratulate on your Rainbow Awards win, Jay! This is awesome news.