‘Crossing the Touchline’ is a story close to my heart. As a kiwi and an avid rugby follower, I was weaned on the All Blacks and am passionate about the team along with probably two thirds of the rest of the country. Being a small nation of only about 4 million people we do amazingly well in a variety of sports in the international arena, but none more so than rugby, where we have the undisputed pre-eminent international team.
The All Blacks have won over 77% of their games in their 120-year history, a feat pretty much unrivalled by any other sports team on the planet. And these are international games not national competitions. They are not a national team they are an international representative side.
The major rugby playing nations include NZ, Australia, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, South Africa, France, Italy, Argentina, Japan and Canada but there are others, and it is starting to grow in the US as well Even those who don’t know the game may recognise the All Black name or have seen the haka, The Maori ‘war dance’ or challenge which is performed before every test match⎯a test match being a game played between two rival international teams.
And no, the All Blacks haven’t had a single out gay player in all that time, although there have obviously been rumours over the years. In rugby as a sport in general there have been only a few high profile out gay players at all, considering the numbers that play the sport; a couple of retired internationals in England and Australia, some influential club players, and a referee. There have also been some important out women players as well, but there is a hole in the international level male rugby scene, particularly in NZ.
NZ rugby and the All Black management themselves have been very vocally supportive of inclusivity in recent years, walking the talk. The All Black, and Black Fern (women’s team), rainbow jersey worn last year is a good example. It was part of their ‘Diversity Is Strength’ campaign.
I think the biggest barrier to a player being an out gay All Black today, is in fact the publicity and media scrum that is going to happen to that first courageous guy. It will be ridiculous and it won’t just be NZ. It will be an International affair, such is the attention the All Blacks pull on the international rugby stage.
You think I’m kidding? In 2004 one of our more famous All Blacks, Ma’a Nonu, known for his fashion quirks such as bleaching his dreads, wore eyeliner out on the field as an All Black, and the international press went ballistic from South Africa to Taipei. All wondering if the All Blacks would be able to maintain their ‘hard men of rugby’ image after that. I mean, really!
So yes, it is going to be a big deal when it happens, and perhaps the greatest question is not about support within rugby but rather the reaction of fans. That was my inspiration around creating Reuben’s partner Cam to be a very out, unapologetically fem, strong gay man. Rugby and the public might say they are ready for a gay player, but I think a lot of people imagine that to be someone who ‘passes’ well for straight. I wanted to ask the question whether they are ready for the player, or in this story’s case, the partner of the player⎯to be someone like Cam. He was certainly ready for them. He is my favourite character so far. I hope you enjoy their story.
Cover Design: Kanaxa
Length: 119,000 words approx.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Blurb
An Auckland Med. Story
What if you’ve worked your whole life for a dream, to play rugby for the most successful sports team on the planet, the New Zealand All Blacks?
What if that dream is so close you can smell it?
What if you meet someone?
What if you fall in love?
What if your dream will cost the man who’s stolen your heart?
And what if the dream changes?
Reuben Taylor has a choice to make.
Cameron Wano is that choice.
Jay Hogan is a New Zealand author writing in m/m romance, romantic suspense and fantasy. She has travelled extensively and has lived in quite a few countries. She has a BA degree in Nursing and in Theology, and in another life, she was an Intensive Care Nurse, Counselor, and a Lecturer.
She is a cat aficionado especially of Maine Coons, and an avid dog lover (but don’t tell the cat). She loves to cook- pretty damn good, loves to sing – pretty damn average, and as for loving full-time writing -absolutely… depending of course on the day, the word count, the deadline, how obliging her characters are, the ambient temperature in the Western Sahara, whether Jupiter is rising, the size of the ozone hole over New Zealand and how much coffee she’s had.
She has complex boys telling stories in her head that demand attention and a considerable number of words to go with them. Their journeys are never straightforward and even surprise Jay. She does her best to plot things out ahead of time but those pesky characters seem to have a mind of their own. Go figure.
You can find Jay at:
https://www.facebook.com/JayHoganAuthor
https://twitter.com/jayhoganauthor
jayhoganauthor@gmail.com
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