Aaron Hartzler: Waiting for the Rapture
Posted on April 18, 2013 by Brent Taylor in Features, Interviews
“A librarian who read the book recently contacted me and said, ‘I loved your book, I just wish there had been more gay content in it.’ Of course my response was, ‘Me TOO!’ I wish I had been able to knock down the closet door at 16 and take the world by storm.”
Aaron Harzler explores sexuality and religion in his young adult memoir Rapture Practice, published this month by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Carol Anshaw: Capturing Time
Posted on May 20, 2012 by Brent Taylor in Features, Interviews
“I’m queer, much of my world is queer. It would feel weird to create a fictional world without queer characters in it. Plus, the ways we inhabit our lives is fiercely interesting to me. Our place in the greater culture is changing and I want to chronicle that.”
Picked as last month’s Lambda book club read, Carol Anshaw’s Carry the One (Simon & Schuster) is a complex story about three siblings, one of which is a lesbian. They are catapulted into different directions after one fatal accident, a moment they can pinpoint as the night that changed their lives. Carry the One is about addiction, love, loss, recovery, and time. It’s harrowing and wonderfully crafted. (more…)
Emily M. Danforth: Exploring Compelling Young Adult Characters
Posted on April 10, 2012 by Brent Taylor in Features, Interviews
“What I hope The Miseducation of Cameron Post offers to its readers is a nuanced picture of a particular time and place as seen through the eyes of a young woman discovering her sexuality and her voice.”
Last month, Harper Collins published creative writing professor Emily M. Danforth’s debut novel, The Miseducation of Cameron Post. About a girl growing up Miles City, Montana, and what happens when her aunt unearths one of her deepest secrets, the novel eloquently portrays life in a small town with small-minded people. In a market where sassy gay male protagonists reign supreme, Cameron Post is a refreshing character to read about—she’s a lesbian.
Danforth, a former resident of the town where her novel is set, sat down to answer a few questions about writing and growing up gay in Miles City, Montana. (more…)
J.H. Trumble: Beyond Self-Awareness
Posted on November 30, 2011 by Brent Taylor in Features, Interviews
“I want readers to find themselves in this novel, to see their own potential for greatness, authenticity, to understand that they are not their mistakes and that others do not have the power to define them unless we give them that power, and to see that there is great power in time and perseverance.”
In December, Kensington will be publishing J.H. Trumble’s debut novel, Don’t Let Me Go. It’s upper YA/adult crossover, and an absolutely fantastic story about a senior in high school, Nate Schaper, and what happens when his boyfriend goes away to NY for college and he’s left battling homophobia in his Texas town alone. It also deals with hate crime, etc., but it’s really just an intense love story. (more…)
P.C. Cast: Standing up for What’s Right
Posted on January 13, 2011 by Brent Taylor in Interviews
Paranormal Setting. Real-world Issues
Our teen correspondent Brent Taylor chats with New York Times bestselling author, P.C. Cast. A former high school teacher, Cast understands the reality and complexity of American teen life even if her characters live in paranormal worlds. Cast’s latest young adult novel, the 8th book in the House of Night series, Awakened (St. Martin’s Griffin) is co-authored with her daughter Kristin Cast.—AGC
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4Qs for Nick Burd
Posted on August 26, 2010 by Brent Taylor in Interviews
1. In your novel, The Vast Fields of Ordinary, is the main “love story” between Dade/Pablo or Dade/Alex. How so?
I think the real love story is between Dade and Alex, but that’s not to say that the relationship that Pablo and Dade have isn’t significant in its own way. Pablo is way too closeted and messed up to be “in love” with Dade. The fact that Alex is the one who sort of draws Dade out of his shell and helps him be more comfortable with himself and his sexuality is what makes their story a real love story, at least in my eyes. (more…)
Top 10 Most Memorable LGBT Teen Fiction Characters According to Brent
Posted on August 24, 2010 by Brent Taylor in Features
With every book I read, I connect with each character in a unique way. I take something different from each one of them. By reading about these characters, I’ve figured out important things about who I am and who I want to be. Here are the Top 10 LGBT Teen Fiction Characters that have had the biggest impact on me. (more…)
