H.M.S. Brown - Author: Pride 2023 - Books and Authors Day 10

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Pride 2023 - Books and Authors Day 10 - The Artist's Scope

Hello and welcome to Day 10 of 30 Days of Pride - Books and Authors!

For Pride Month 2023, I’m sharing some of the fabulous books and authors I’ve discovered featuring LGBTQ or LGBTQ-friendly characters or written by LGBTQ or LGBTQ-friendly authors.

WAYWARD GUILT is available now for pre-order and can be found at these booksellers. The paperback version will be available for pre-order in early July. AMAZON - KOBO - BARNES & NOBLE - APPLE

Hey friends - I've got a self-rec today. I've been recommending books and authors who are terrific at writing LGBTQ stories and LGBTQ characters. Some authors are part of the queer community, and some are not.

I've been asked before why do we write about members of the queer community in our books? In my opinion, it's because they're a part of our lives. Whether directly or indirectly doesn't matter. They exist, and we should never exclude them.

I know this is stretching it because I'm quoting a movie line that I don't know is based on reality or not, but work with me here.

In the movie, A Knight's Tale, Chaucer, played by Paul Bettany, is quoted as saying that "All human activity lives within the artist's scope." Again - no idea if the real Chaucer actually said that or not, but that's neither here nor there. I just know I'm writing what I see in real life, i.e. what's in my scope.

While I totally made up the small town of Grant's Crossing, Ohio, the characters in it are based in reality. In my reality, in my life, members of the queer community are a part of my real family. They're my friends. They're my coworkers. They're my students. There's no way in hell that I'm going to deliberately exclude them. That wouldn't seem normal to me. Nor would it seem right.

Meet Joey Parker and Logan Shepherd, two characters you're going to meet in my novel, Wayward Guilt. These pictures are how I picture them in my mind as I wrote. Joey is one of the three main characters in my book, along with Derek Mitchell and Juan Palacios, the three men who grew up and ultimately served together. Logan is an important secondary character whom you'll see in subsequent books as well.

They are two amazing men who fall in love with each other, starting in their senior year in high school and lasting throughout the book. They're both athletic - different sports - and they both pursue what they think is best for them. Joey is an only child who grew up in a single-parent household. Logan has two siblings and grew up in a well-off family. Joey's father is a total jerk. Logan's father is overbearing and strict, though not for the reason you might think.

Are there challenges? Sure. They're human. Is there romance? And heartbreak? Fights? Reconciliations? Good times and bad times? Absolutely. All of that. I've fallen in love with these two characters, and their story almost didn't happen since it was all based on one single line from a book that will come out late next year. Wayward Guilt was originally supposed to be a prequel but ended up being Book 1, so I could bring these two to life. I'm excited about the books to come, especially with Logan.

Lainee Mitchell and Tasha Rand are girlfriends, and they already have a daughter, Catie, whom her doting Uncle Derek affectionately calls Catie Cat. It's adorable. And yes. My opinion is biased!

Lainee is also a competitive athlete, having competed on the swim team through college. Tasha? I don't know yet. I've only worked out a few things on her so far though I know her family has cut ties, but the Mitchell family considers her one of their own.

Lainee is an important secondary character, but I haven't yet decided where to take her and Tasha's story. They live down in Cincinnati for the time being. I'm not sure yet if they'll make a permanent return to Grant's Crossing or not. We'll have to see what happens! We'll definitely see them in future books.

I hope you'll take this opportunity to pre-order my book, Wayward Guilt - Heroes of Grant's Crossing Book 1, so you can get to know and fall in love with all these wonderful characters, too!

As always, I appreciate you for stopping by!

Take care, and happy reading!

- Heather

WAYWARD GUILT is available for pre-order at these retailers. AMAZON - KOBO - BARNES & NOBLE - APPLE Please add WAYWARD GUILT to your wishlist.

You're already on my official website, but you can also learn more about my books and me at Bookbub and Goodreads. I hope you'll follow me on both!

As always, my reviews can be found on Goodreads and other retail sites.

Pre-order your e-Copy of WAYWARD GUILT - Heroes of Grant's Crossing Book 1! (Print version will be available for pre-order in early July.)

AMAZON - KOBO - BARNES & NOBLE - APPLE