Today I'm welcoming Mia Kerick and featuring her newest eBook, A Hard Day's Night. A fan of her work since I read Beggars and Choosers, I am really happy to help share her latest YA title with readers!
Hello,
Cia and friends, and thank you for welcoming me to your blog in promotion of my
first novella, “A Hard Day’s Night.”
A
stereotype can be defined as “...a fixed, over generalized belief about a
particular group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996).
They
serve several purposes in our lives, not all of them bad.
Stereotypes:
*help
people to quickly process new information
*help
us to organize our past experiences
*help
people to make predictions about others’ behaviors.
Although
the term has strong negative connotations, and for excellent reasons, most
people rely on them almost daily to help them function in society. Creating
stereotypes allow us to create generalizations, which reduce the amount of
processing our minds must do when we encounter a new person. Our brains simply
do not have enough power to cope with the amount of information in the universe
without categorizing other people.
However,
generalizations have a dangerous side, which is their potential to be
distorted.
Stereotypes:
*lead
to the belief in exaggerated differences among groups
*lead
us to focus on the information that supports the generalization and ignore that
which doesn’t
*allow
us to think that unfamiliar groups do not have much diversity
People
often have preconceived notions, or believe in stereotypes, about what it means
to be a LGBTQ person. They think they can identify whether or not a person is
gay based on the things they like, how they look and dress, and how they
behave. This leads to misconceptions
that can be dangerous and painful.
In
“A Hard Day’s Night”, Lennon and Fin have developed a series of stereotypes
that they believe are true for all gay men. In fact, they so believe in the
truth of these stereotypes that they think if they do not fulfill these
stereotypes, they cannot be gay men. These stereotypes include the beliefs that
all gay men groom themselves in certain ways, enjoy certain types of foods and
activities, and possess specific behavioral traits.
Fin
sets up a pre-planned day, during which the two teens together explore these gay
stereotypes. In other words, they audition
themselves for the role of “gay man” by shopping for what they consider to
be proper “gay” clothing, going to a hair salon for fancy beautification
techniques, indulging in foods they believe you must be gay to enjoy, dancing
and singing, among other things; some of which they enjoy, and others of which
they actually despise.
The
end result of Fin and Lennon’s hard day and night of “gay exploration” is not
what they expect, in fact, the two boys learn something about gay stereotypes
and a great deal about themselves.
Get
to know two teenage boys as they get to know themselves in a more deep and
meaningful way. Check out “A Hard Day’s Night” by Mia Kerick and enjoy Beatles
references, memories of John Lennon, humor and romance, all tied up in two
boys’ 24-hour journey of self-knowledge.
a subdivision of CoolDudes Publishing Pty LTD
Author: Mia Kerick
Publisher: YoungDudes
Publishing
Format: Epub, Kindle,
Mobi, PDF
Price: 2.99
Pages based on PDF:
79
Format: Novella
Genre: Gay Romance
Publication Date: 1st
September, 2015
BISAC Audience: 13+
BISAC Subject: Teen,
Gay, Romance
Theme
Having
written six young adult books that involve questioning religion or gender
identity. In “A Hard Day’s Night”
Lennon and Fin question their sexual orientation, thinking that only if they
fulfill specific gay stereotypes can they be gay. So, where each of the main
characters questions something about being LGBTQ, the exact nature of their
confusion is different.
However,
the stakes are very high for each boy.
The
story is simplistic in its telling, with brilliant humor and characters who are
normal in exceptional circumstances; to experience being gay for just one day.
What
is important to note, though, is that it isn’t so much the actual things that they do—stereotypical activities that gay men enjoy—as much as the time
spent together intimately examining their feeling and emotions, that allows the
two boys to accept the reality of their sexual orientation.
The
formal experience—“we are going to spend 24 hours seeing what gay life is
like”—allows the two boys to stop hiding and to open their hearts and minds to
the possibility that they could be gay as well as that they have feelings for
one another. It is not important exactly what
the two young people do together, but that they set aside the time to
examine themselves and as such, it is a plot and goal oriented series of events
that bring the two friends together.
Blurb
High school
senior Kalin (Lennon) Macready knows several facts for certain: John Lennon is
his hero. Beaumont Finley Danforth (Fin) is his best friend. And—this is the
complicated one—he feels more for Fin than mere friendship.
For weeks, Lennon
pesters Fin, who like Lennon admits to questioning his sexual orientation, for
a commitment to spend twenty-four hours together exploring “the gay side of
life.” Fin reluctantly agrees. Each boy will seek to answer the daunting
question, Am I gay? Lennon pre-plans the day, filling the hours with what he
assumes “gay life” is all about: shopping for fashionable clothing, indulging
in lavish dessert crepes, boogying to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, and yes,
listening to show tunes.
However, Lennon
quickly realizes that in creating his plan he has succumbed to the most common
and distorted of gay stereotypes. Can he be gay and not fit them? And more
importantly, is it possible that spending one very hard day and night together
will help Fin accept that he’s gay, too? If so, maybe Lennon has a shot at
winning the heart of the boy of his dreams.
“A Hard Day’s
Night” is an amusing young adult contemporary romance about two boys who seek
to discover if they must fulfill stereotypes to be together.
In the end, maybe all you need is love.
Contest
There
is also a grand prize of three Beatles jigsaw puzzle memorabilia to be
won by one commenter. The winner will be chosen from all stops. There
is only one winner. We have only one set of three puzzles. Photo is
included. We use giveawaytools.com to establish the winner.
Sample
Chapter
Prologue
“Fin
and I have managed to get locked into what I will refer to as a repetitive
pattern of affable behavior, and, in my opinion, it’s working out
splendidly. We are the dearest of friends.”
Scratch
that. Starting over.
And
since I know it’s well past time for some brutally honest self-talk, I sit up
in my bed, and by the warm glow of my Yellow Submarine nightlight, study my
frayed picture of John Lennon. To complete the visual, it’s the photo from
Mom’s retro record set, The White Album, that I pinned to the wall
beside my bed and have worshipped regularly since I was in the seventh grade.
Behind those round wire glasses, the man’s piercing eyes don’t lie—John was a brutally
honest sort, often to his detriment. After all, back in 1966 didn’t he assert
that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ? Now, that is certainly
calling it exactly as he sees it.
Not
that I necessarily agree with the sentiment, I respect that kind of directness
in a person.
I
owe him this much.
Out
of respect for John, I revise and reissue my previous assertion.
“The
Finster and I are stuck in a rut of pleasant compatibility…an unusually deep
rut, at that.”
This
attempt at telling-it-like-it-is is definitely an improvement, but it’s still
not right on the money, and I’m nothing, if not specific.
I
prop up my pillow and lean hard against the creaky antique headboard (call
it like you see it, Lennon—the headboard is just plain old), with the
certain knowledge that I’ve completely outgrown this flimsy, twin size bed of my
childhood.
So
maybe it’s more like this….
“Fin
and I each have one leg semi-submerged in a muddy ditch, and we’re in it well
past our knees. This is the kind of murky and dark, seemingly bottomless, pit
that will suck the rubber boot right off your foot with a single, hollow,
slurping sound, and then belch with satisfaction.” For the third time I speak
aloud in an effort to make my declaration official. “It appears that the two of
us are gonna be stuck here in this mucky BFF-swampland for the long haul—bootless
and slowly sinking into the sludge—unless, of course, I act decisively and with
haste. And with great vigor—because, to accomplish the task I have in
mind, I’m most likely going to have to shift into full-hyper-dunk-mode, possibly
coupled with the drama-queen-approach. Neither of which poses a problem
for me, other than that they require an excessive expenditure of energy.”
That
was most definitely a mouthful, but an accurate mouthful.
And
all I need is one day. Just one gay day.
Thankfully,
ever proud of the open-mindedness he hides so well from his ultra-conservative
family, Fin has granted me my greatest wish. On Saturday, March 21st, Beaumont
Finley Danforth II (IMHO this BFD is a Big Fucking Deal) is mine for the
day to do with as I please. I sincerely hope that a single day is sufficient to
help Fin figure out what I already know.
Um,
Lennon…maybe now is not the right time to start suffering with a debilitating
bout of self-doubt.
Confidence
is of key importance in this endeavor.
No,
I do not have any worries, and yes, I do have twenty-four
feminine-side-exploring, team-switching, relationship-igniting hours to make my
homeboy see the rainbow-hued light. Starting bright and early tomorrow
morning.
On
that note, I’ll get started with my beauty sleep. I sure hope I’m gonna need
it.
I
wiggle down so I’m flat on my back with my feet sticking six inches over the
end of the bed, pull the covers up to my chin, and listen to my mental
arrangement of “Imagine” until I fall asleep.
Author
Biography and Image
Ms. Kerick is the mother of four
exceptional children—all named after saints—and five non-pedigreed cats—all
named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband
of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but
don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia
focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their
relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love
story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia
filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of
whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and
stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping.
She
is thankful to CoolDudes Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, and
CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.
Mia is a
social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human
rights, especially marital equality, which is now the law of the land in the
United States—woot! woot! Her only major regret: never having taken typing or
computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered
pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
Links
gmail: miakerick@gmail.com
Goodreads,
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474518.Mia.Kerick
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Mia-Kerick/e/B009KSTG9E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_link_2?qid=1410298098&sr=8-2
YoungDudes Publishing (a subdivision of CoolDudes
Publishing), is proud to release this unusual book that celebrates two teenage
boys’ acceptance of their sexual identities with plenty of obvious humor, but
with an inner core of poignancy.
We feel certain you’ll be glad you chose to review it.
Regards
Louis J Harris Louis
CEO
CooldudesPublishing
http://www.cooldudespublishing.com
YoungDudes Publishing is a subdivision of CoolDudes Publishing PTY Ltd
CEO – Louis J Harris
Hi Cia!! I missed this on the day you posted! SO very sorry! I am going to promote it like it happened today!! THANK YOU for having me!!!
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