Blog
29
Jun
2015

Summer Love Anthology

A whole book of stories about summer time love. I have to say that I am super excited to read this anthology. Plus all of the authors in this anthology are new to me so I’m doubly excited to find some new favorites. One of the authors, S.J. Martin, stops by for an interview where he tells us a bit more on where the story came from. After the interview, be sure to read all about the book and an excerpt from one of the stories as well. At the very bottom enter for a chance to win one of five copies of the book or a giftcard.

Amanda C. Stone: Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing S.J. Martin, author of The Most Handsome. Hi S.J., thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about your current book.
S.J. Martin: The Most Handsome is a story about Carter, a young transgender man who develops a crush on a handsome and mysterious stranger while working a summer job on Cape Cod.
ACS: How difficult was it to get into the main character’s head?
SJM: It wasn’t very difficult at all. Carter’s experiences were the exact opposite than the ones I had as a transgender person in my twenties. I really wanted to write a light, breezy, story where the character being trans wasn’t the main topic of the protagonist’s story. It’s a story that I would have loved to have read as a young person trying to find my identity. Generally, in young adult literature any transgender character undergoes a lot of suffering or bullying. They often have very unsupportive parents and friends. In my story, Carter has already gone through most of the hardest parts about being transgender-he’s out to his family and friends, and they are all very accepting and loving.
ACS: Is this book a standalone or do you plan on visiting it again?
SJM: I really enjoy the universe I’ve created for The Most Handsome. I think I’d have a lot of fun writing more about Carter and his adventures. In fact, I’ve got some ideas running around in my head right now that I’m looking to write down.
ACS: Why did you choose to write M/M stories?
SJM: Stories about same-sex couples tend to resonate the most with me, and I love creating more. I don’t always write LGBT characters, but I’d say that the bulk of my characters tend to be. I’m a forty-three-year old gay man, and when I was growing up, there were a sad few titles with happy gay relationships. Maybe it’s a little “rose colored glasses” but I love a good, breezy, romance. I also enjoy darker themed stories, but my favorites are boy-meets-boy.
ACS: Where do you find your inspiration?
SJM: I find inspiration from introspection, a lot of staring into space-lost in my own world, and some autobiographical stuff tossed in. Other writers inspire me as well, they often give me prompts and ideas to run with. I’ve been very supported, especially by the Interlude family.

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.

Excerpt:
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.

About The Authors:
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
Facebook: facebook.com/interludepress
Twitter: @duetbooks, @interludepress
Pinterest: pinterest.com/interludepress
Website: duetbooks.com
Tumblr: duetbooks.tumblr.com

Buy Links:
Interlude Press: store.interludepress.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1941530362/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1941530362&linkCode=as2&tag=dueboo-20&linkId=PSLGE6VBRPEALU2J
Independent Bookstores: http://www.indiebound.org/book/978-1-941530-36-8?aff=InterludePress

Tour Stops:
23-Jun: Hearts on Fire, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Cathy Brockman Romances
24-Jun: Boys on the Brink Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
25-Jun: Up All Night, Read All Day, Happily Ever Chapter, Velvet Panic
26-Jun: Bending The Bookshelf, Mikky’s World of Books, Prism Book Alliance
29-Jun: Bike Book Reviews, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Amanda C. Stone
30-Jun: Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, BFD Book Blog
1-Jul: TTC Books and More, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Bayou Book Junkie
2-Jul: MM Good Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads
3-Jul: Emotion in Motion, Love Bytes
6-Jul: Molly Lolly, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, My Fiction Nook

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 Comments

  1. Samuel Martin says:

    Thank you so much for hosting this stop of our tour. I hope you enjoy the book-we’ve got a great group of authors gathered. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite? 🙂

  2. […] June 29 Bike Book Reviews Rainbow Gold Reviews Amanda C. Stone […]

tia

Cancel reply