LGTBQ YA books can save lives

I came across this very powerful video on YouTube today and I felt this message, even though it was originally posted in 2011, still needs to be heard today. Please note, although the ultimate message of the video is positive, you'd have to be inhuman not to be powerfully impacted by the examples shown of LGBTQ youth who lost the fight against hate and bullying.

 

I wrote "Beneath Angel's Wings" in part as a response to all of the news stories I had read about LGBTQ kids who took their lives because they didn't believe anyone cared about them. I can only hope  my book can help an LGBTQ kid realize that there are people who do care, and maybe they simply haven't met them yet.  I hope even more my book  can show a straight kid how he or she can change another person's life simply by making a decision to help instead of ignoring others' hate and prejudice. 

 

If you know any LGBTQ youth who may be at risk, share your favorite book featuring LGBTQ characters with them. You may be saving a life!

 

And if you only know straight kids, share your favorite LGBTQ books with them as well. As the video says, knowledge is the key to eliminating ignorance.

School's Out For Summer Sale

Summer vacation!  Are there two better words in the whole world? 

When I was young, summer vacation was a time to hang with friends, go on adventures, and read the books I wanted to read, instead of the ones we were assigned in school. Now that I'm older, I miss summer vacation with a vengence. What I wouldn't give for a couple of months to relax and catch up on movies, TV shows and, of course, reading! 

The good news is, e-books make it easy to read just about anywhere, so even without taking the summer vacation off, I can still grab bits of time here and there to get in some quality reading.

Whether you're off for the summer or still reading in your spare time like me, I still want to help you celebrate summer, so for the remainder of the month of June I'm lowering the price of Beneath Angel's Wings to just $2.99*.  For the price of a fancy cup of coffee you can read one gay teen's coming of age story and learn how a run-in with a stranger helped him redefine friendship, family and love.

And don't forget, half of my proceeds will be donated to Project Fierce Chicago to help them establish a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth!

Spend a bit of your summer with Angel and Adam, now at 40% off.

Beneath Angel's Wings is available in e-book format from the following retailers:

Amazon (kindle format readable across a variety of devices with free reading apps or via browser app)
iTunes (for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac)
Barnes & Noble (for Nook and other devices with Nook reading apps)
Kobo (Kobo e-readers and other devices with Kobo reading apps)
Smashwords (available in mobi, epub, pdf, lrf, and pdb formats)

*currently the lower price is available on Amazon, iTunes and Smashwords.  Hopefully B&N and Kobo will catch up soon!

Fundraising for Project Fierce Chicago

Even before I actually published Beneath Angel's Wings, I knew I wanted to donate half of the proceeds from any sales of the book to organizations that helped LGBTQ youth. For the first six months since the release of the book, those funds were designated for Lost n Found Youth, an Atlanta-based organization helping homeless LGBTQ kids get off the streets. I want to thank all the readers who purchased my book between last November and yesterday for helping  me donate to this very worthy organization.  I will finalize my calculations and give you the grand total of the donation in the next few days.

Starting today, sales of the book will contribute to a similar and also very worthy organization, this one in Chicago. Project Fierce Chicago is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to reduce LGBTQ youth homelessness in Chicago by providing affirming transitional housing and support services to homeless LGBTQ young adults.  The group has done a lot of grassroots work and is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to purchase the home that will enable them to accomplish their mission. I am very excited to be able to help, in however a small way.

The best thing about this change is that I know the characters from Beneath Angel's Wings would approve :). So please, help me spread the word about Project Fierce Chicago and their efforts and let your friends know that their purchase of Beneath Angel's Wings will help support this very worthy cause. Thank you!

Beneath Angel's Wings is available in e-book format from the following retailers:

Amazon (kindle format readable across a variety of devices with free reading apps or via browser app)
iTunes (for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac)
Barnes & Noble (for Nook and other devices with Nook reading apps)
Kobo (Kobo e-readers and other devices with Kobo reading apps)
Smashwords (available in mobi, epub, pdf, lrf, and pdb formats)