I am very honored to have on my blog today Julie Lynn Hayes. She is discussing her latest book "It Started With a Dare."
Blurb:
Boredom at the Junior Prom leads to a dare
that leads to a kiss between two seventeen year old boys. Being gay in rural
Georgia is no picnic. As circumstances force them together, Mark and Blake
uncover truths about themselves, embarking on a daring relationship. But
they’ve got one major strike against them already—Mark is unwilling to come out
about his sexuality, and Blake doesn’t want to live in a closet.
Can they fan the flames of their relationship, or will it sputter and die?
Can they fan the flames of their relationship, or will it sputter and die?
Excerpt:
"If you want to dance closer, I won't
bite. Honest." The perky brunette flashed him a smile. She took a step
closer to Blake; he instinctively stepped back. She pouted at him, although
she'd honestly expected nothing less.
Blake freed one hand, pushed his wire glasses
back up his nose—they had a disconcerting habit of sliding down, especially
when his nose was sweating, like now. He didn't know if it was the heat from
all the moving bodies packed into a relatively small space or because it was
his first formal dance, even if it was just the Junior Prom. If this
smaller version was stressful, he already dreaded next year's event.
Blake's entrance into puberty was slow, much to
his chagrin. Where other boys were shooting up like proverbial weeds, he'd only
managed to reach five foot seven, and he still had traces of his baby fat. He
kept his dirty blond hair short on the sides, with a little more length on top.
His hazel eyes viewed the world myopically, through the glasses he'd worn since
a bout of lazy eye at the age of five left his vision in need of aid. He
thought his nose was altogether too fat for his face, and he thought his cupid
lips made him appear too feminine, while the dimple in his chin was something
he could do nothing about.
"Do you want me to dance closer?" he
asked Violet. True to her name, she wore a purple dress which came up above her
knees and matching stockings. He thought she looked cute in it, like the flower
she'd been named for. One wrist was decorated with a corsage of birdfoot
violet. Blake had made it for her. He enjoyed making things. The flowers were
in bloom this time of year, and he knew where to find them.
"Never mind, Blake, I was just
teasing." She offered him a small smile, and he relaxed. Besides, he reasoned,
the slow music wouldn't last long, and it didn't, suddenly belting out another
faster, louder tune. One that made his temples throb.
"Want some punch?" he asked. He
really wanted to get away from all this noise. It seemed to be quieter by the
refreshment table, and he could use something to drink himself. She nodded, and
he gratefully took her arm in order to escort her. They'd taken but a few steps
when he felt himself violently jarred by someone. He was forced to relinquish
his hold on Violet as he attempted to keep from falling.
Blake's eyes traveled upward, as the person
he'd collided with was taller than he was. He caught a glimpse of
blue-green eyes and bright red hair. He knew who the boy was—Mark Wittington.
They'd been going to the same schools ever since grade school, but he honestly
couldn't say he knew Mark, other than to recognize him. He started to
apologize, sure that the collision had been his fault, caused by his innate
clumsiness.
But he never got the chance.
He suddenly found himself gripped by strong
hands, one on either arm, and nearly lifted the few inches of height which
separated them. His lips were ground almost mercilessly against Mark's. Blake
was too surprised to even think to push him away or to protest.
All too soon, the kiss had ended and Blake
found himself back on his feet, reeling slightly. His head was swirling and his
lips tingling from the contact. It wasn't that Blake hadn't been kissed
before—he had—but nothing like this.
He touched his finger to his lips, trying to
comprehend what had just happened and why. But his thoughts were disrupted by
braying laughter. He shook himself out of his daze. Mark stood there, a
vicious grin upon his face and his index finger pointed directly at Blake. He
was laughing. So was the smaller guy that stood beside him. Blake thought his
name was Dylan, but he didn't know him either. Not just them, but everyone in
the gym seemed to be staring and laughing. At him.
Blake's face flamed scarlet. He was unused to
being the center of attention, especially not a situation such as this. His
eyes frantically moved about the circle of laughing people. His peers. His
classmates. Even Violet seemed to wear a knowing grin.
It was too much. He felt tears threatening to
cloud his vision. No way would he let them see him cry. He had to get out of
here, had to go. Now. Turning toward the point in the crowd which seemed the
thinnest, he stumbled through it. The bass of the current musical selection
pounded in his brain while the hoots and hollers and catcalls of the other
students followed him as he found his way out of the brick building and into
the parking lot.
He followed the line of the building until he
was out of sight of everyone and everything. Then he turned his face toward the
comfort offered by the silent edifice and began to cry, his shoulders heaving.
Great sobs racked his body; he was sure he was going to be sick.
Blake squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stem
the tears. His glasses were useless now until he wiped them off. Why?
Why? Why? What was the point of that? To make fun of him? Mark didn't even
really know him, so why bother?
But more importantly, why did his kiss
feel so good?
Julie Lynn Hayes was
reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to
be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty
years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing
her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her
imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of
before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness
in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She
lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and
movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. Currently unemployed, she continues to write her books and
stories and reviews which she posts in
various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she
doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after
all. Her published works can be found at
Romance First Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, and Silver Publishing.
Buy Links
.jpg)
.jpg)
