Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, the place to be when you're in the mood for something literarily nourishing....because we're the ones that stock the bookshelf FULL of choice picks to satisfy.
First up, I would like to wish EVERYONE a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY....aka INDEPENDENCE DAY here in the states. Many thanks to all those who have served, do serve, or even just give of themselves in their communities....your service does not go unnoticed.
Second thing....today we're playing host to a potentially controversial title that's BIG on the "let freedom ring". Currently on tour with Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours, it's an GLBTQ Young Adult title that's sure to turn a few heads whether for the story, the concepts, or simply curiosity. Ladies and gents, let's greet today's featured title....
Caught in the Crossfire
by
Juliann Rich
Young Adult GLBTQ
Date Published: 6/16/2014
Two boys at bible camp. One forbidden love.
That’s the dilemma Jonathan Cooper faces when he goes away to Spirit Lake Bible Camp, situated along Minnesota’s rugged north shore, for a summer of fun. He is expecting mosquito bites, bonfires with S’Mores, and photography classes with Simon, his favorite counselor who always helps him see life in perfect focus.
What he isn’t expecting is Ian McGuire, a new camper who openly argues against phrases like pray the gay away. Ian is certain of many things, including what could happen between them if only Jonathan could surrender to his feelings.
Jonathan, however, tosses in a storm of indecision between his belief in God and his inability to stay away from Ian. When a real storm hits and Ian is lost in it, Jonathan is forced to make a public decision that changes his life.
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Well, whatcha think?
Thoughts....comments...ideas?
But wait a second...while you're mulling that over, let's take a peek inside with a special EXCERPT!
Ready....set.....read!
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CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
by Juliann Rich
CHAPTER SEVEN EXCERPT
All
rights reserved.
“Hey,
wait up! I’ll join you,” Ian called to me as I walked along the beach later
that evening, occasionally stopping to pick up and examine a flat, thin stone.
Looking for just the right one. “Whatcha
doing?”
“Not
much. Just skipping rocks.” Spirit Lake stretched in front of us. The sound
of laughing voices carried over the campground.
“Cool.
I’ve never done that before.”
“Really?
It’s easy. Like this.” I leaned back, arm extended, and aimed low so the
stone would skim the surface and skip across it. Except it didn’t. My first
attempt flopped and sank.
“Like
that, huh?” Ian mocked.
“Not
exactly.” I picked up another stone, wafer thin and flat, and let it fly.
One...two...three...yes, four full skips and then it too sank and disappeared,
but man, it was beautiful while it flew! “More like that.” Pride crept into my
voice.
“Okay,
my turn.” Ian crouched and examined the rocks. He took his time. Finally he
chose one, elliptical and rounded at the bottom.
“Mmm,
I wouldn’t—”
He
stopped me with one glance.
“Oh,
okay. Whatever you want.” I grinned.
Ian
wound his arm back like a baseball player and pitched the rock. The splash
was even bigger than I’d hoped.
“Excellent
form, McGuire. You might have broken a record...for the shot put!”
“Aren’t
you just hilarious? Fine, you show me. How did you hold your arm?”
I
picked up the thinnest, flattest rock I could find and reached back with my
arm, waist high and parallel to the ground. Ian stepped behind me. He slid his
body against mine and stretched his arm out, pressing it against my arm. The
breath from his mouth, hot against my neck, stirred my hair. A shiver ran down
my back when he whispered, “Like this, Jonathan?”
“Yeah,
I like...um, I mean, yeah, like this. For skipping stones.” My heart pounded. I
stepped away and looked at Ian.
“For
skipping stones, huh?” His eyes searched mine, looking for the place I never
showed anyone. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really cute when you’re
showing off?”
The
rock I’d been clutching slipped through my fingers and clattered onto the
beach. Panicked, I looked around. Aaron, Sean, and Sara were sitting with a
bunch of kids by the bonfire. Jake and his group were hanging down by the dock.
I looked back at Ian. “Excuse me?”
“I
asked if anyone has ever told you that you’re cute before. Especially when
you’re showing off.”
Sara
looked in our direction. A frown passed across her face.
“Ian,
what are you talking about? I’m not, you know...” My voice came out like a
cross between a whisper and a hiss.
“Gay?”
Though a cool breeze blew off the lake, I felt myself flush with heat.
“Yeah.
I’m not gay,” I whispered.
“That’s
good to know. Thanks for clearing that up.” Ian turned his attention back to
the lake. He wound his arm back again like a baseball pitcher, gripping a small
boulder in his hand.
“Is
that what you meant earlier? That I’d be a great junior counselor except that
I’m...” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. An image of the locked safe in
my bedroom flashed into my mind. For my coin collection, I’d said, when I had
asked for it for Christmas. No coins, just a couple of books. Rainbow High, The Boys and
The Bees. And
of course, the copy of Boy Meets Boy.
Reading’s
just a hobby. It didn’t mean anything, right?
“Yeah,
but it was just a crazy thought that flew through my head. I mean, of course
you’re not gay. You spent a whole minute sucking face with Bethany today. What
gay guy does that?” Ian’s voice dripped sarcasm. His arm snapped forward. The
stone soared through the air and splashed into the lake. It sank deeper and
deeper through the layers of water, cutting through the strong current until it
probed the bottom of Spirit Lake.
I
stared at the place where the rock had hit, shattering the perfect surface. The
ripples expanded and drifted toward me. “Are you gay?” I
whispered.
“What
do you think?”
“I
think you’re terrible at skipping rocks.”
“Yes,
I am, Jonathan. I definitely am.” He chuckled.
As
the ripples eased into the vast lake, I told myself that he was only talking
about his rock-skipping skills, but I knew better.
Nothing
about Ian skimmed the surface.
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Oooh.
Looks like someone's closet door is shaking.
Wonder if Ian will be a good influence and help Jonathan accept himself and allow others to accept him as well....or make him hide further behind heavy curtains of self loathing...
I suppose reading it is the only way to solve this dilemma.
Last chance readers...what say you?
Will you read it? Will you not?
Why in either case?
Do tell...and while you're telling, be sure to stop by the official tour page and check out the other sites participating in this tour. There's loads to explore and discover with just a little CLICK.
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Minnesota writer Juliann Rich spent her childhood in search of the perfect climbing tree. The taller the better! Perched on a branch ten to thirty feet off the ground and surrounded by leaves, caterpillars, birds and squirrels was a good place for a young girl to find herself. Seeking truth in nature and finding a unique point of view remain crucial elements in her life as well as her writing.
Juliann is a PFLAG mom who can be found walking Pride parades with her son. She is also the daughter of evangelical Christian parents. As such she has been caught in the crossfire of the most heated topic to challenge our society and our churches today. She is committed to writing stories that shed light on the conflicts that arise when sexual orientation, spirituality, family dynamics and peer relationships collide.
Juliann recently won the Emerging Writer Award at The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans.
Juliann lives with her husband and their two chronically disobedient dachshunds in the beautiful Minnesota River Valley.
Website: http://www.juliannrich.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliannRich1
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Special thanks to Cami at Reading Addiction Blog Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this tour as well as those forthcoming, be sure to stop by their official site.
Until next time...happy reading!
With the sentence 'Jonathan, however, tosses in a storm of indecision between his belief in God and his inability to stay away from Ian' you had me hooked.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a truly thought provoking read, thanks for sharing.