Realistic – Page 3

Writing Across Barriers

By Olivia|2020-03-28T13:41:39-05:00May 26th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog|Tags: New Releases, Queer Girls, Realistic|

by Bill Konigsberg With my new novel The Porcupine of Truth, I tried to be brave. I decided to do the one thing that writers talk about as being among the most challenging things an author can do. To give a realistic interior to an “other.” To write across a boundary such as sexual orientation. I wrote from the point of view of a straight male character. I know, I know. I should probably get a medal. But I did it because I fully believe that straight guys deserve the same rights and privileges I’ve been afforded. They [...]

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Tanuja Desai Hidier’s “Dimple Lala/ GayYA Bday Party Playlist”

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:41:49-05:00May 7th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Fun Things, Guest Blogs|Tags: Intersectionality, Minor Queer Characters, Other Media, PoC, Queer Girls, Realistic, South Asian|

4 original songs from Tanuja’s ‘booktrack’ albums When We Were Twins (songs based on her first novel, Born Confused) & Bombay Spleen (songs based on her new novel, sequel Bombay Blues) to celebrate GayYA’s 4th birthday! And for now, and always, I knew: Love had to be allowed in wherever, whenever, and in whatever form it took. We didn’t have to shrink to fit it, box it to casket. And even then, when we found it dying, could opt for ashing down rather than burial, scatter it to all five corners of the earth and ether. Whatever could [...]

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They Turned My Gay Teen Novel Into a Movie. Here’s What I Learned.

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:00-05:00May 3rd, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog|Tags: gay, Other Media, Queer Guys, Realistic|

by Brent Hartinger Geography Club (HarperTeen, 2003) They've turned my 2003 gay teen novel Geography Club into a movie. It came out in 2013 (and it's on Netflix now if you're curious). Since then, people have asked me how it all happened and what I've learned from the whole experience. What did I learn? The story starts when I graduated from college and decided to try to make a career writing novels and screenplays. It was the early 90s, and one of my first books was a young adult novel about a gay teen named Russel Middlebrook and his misfit [...]

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New Releases: April 2015

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:01-05:00April 5th, 2015|Categories: Archive, New Releases|Tags: Bisexual, Fantasy, gay, graphic novel, New Adult, New Releases, Queer Girls, Queer Guys, Realistic, Representation, Trans|

April 2nd (USA) Weathering the Storm (Harmony Ink Press, 2015) Weathering the Storm by Caitlin Ricci -- (GAY) Goodreads Summary: "Robbie’s dad has always been hard on Robbie and his brothers, but when their mom dies on Robbie’s sixteenth birthday, he becomes downright abusive. Robbie doesn't understand why his dad is so mean to him or why his brothers resent him for their mom's accident, but he desperately tries to hide the bruises. On top of that, after his dad's horse training jobs run out, he moves them to Colorado to their uncle's ranch in the [...]

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Excerpt Tour: Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:02-05:00March 26th, 2015|Categories: Archive, New Releases|Tags: gay, LGBTQIA, New Releases, Queer Guys, Realistic, Romance|

Here at GAY YA we are extremely excited about the upcoming SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli, and today we have the pleasure of featuring an excerpt from the book! Get excited because SIMON it's an amazing debut, and you do not want to miss it. No seriously, all that praise it has been getting online? Completely worth it and you need to check it ouuuut. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Balzer + Bray, 2015) But first, what is it about? Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the [...]

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Sneak Peek: Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:42:03-05:00March 19th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Sneak Peek|Tags: Historical, lesbian, Queer Girls, Realistic|

Today, we're honored to be hosting a short excerpt from the newly released Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman. The records on my turntable were stacked starting with Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of the Canyon. When Rox flipped the switch, she listened and said, “I love Joni,” like she was her best friend or something. It was the first time I had ever seen Rox without her waterproof mascara. She looked younger. Also, wearing my flannel nightgown and slippers, she looked downright sweet. “Would you [...]

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5 Reasons to Love Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

By Sonia|2020-03-28T13:42:06-05:00March 5th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Historical, Latin@, Queer Guys, Realistic|

by Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) opens in the summer of 1987 in El Paso, Texas and follows Aristotle Mendoza’s journey toward self-discovery. Fifteen year old Ari is smart and witty but quite isolated from other boys his own age. However, after meeting Dante Quintana at the pool he begins to feel a renowned interest in life and an unfamiliar feeling for Dante. Benjamin Alire Saenz[1] creates a beautiful flourishing relationship between the two young boys that forces both of them to look inward. Ari and Dante find solace, [...]

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Review of I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN

By Katie|2020-03-28T13:42:07-05:00February 13th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: gay, LGBTQIA, New Releases, Queer Guys, Realistic, Romance|

I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN is a complex story about FAMILY, secrets, GRIEF, love, growing up, FINDING AND BECOMING YOURSELF, self-esteem, and art. It’s perfectly described in one of the epigraphs with the following e. e. cummings quote, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are” (spoiler alert: It takes a whole lot of courage. And it’s incredibly difficult). The novel reflects on the journey to becoming that person. FROM GOODREADS: Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly [...]

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New Releases: February 2015.

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:07-05:00February 4th, 2015|Categories: Archive, New Releases|Tags: Bisexual, gay, lesbian, Queer Girls, Queer Guys, Realistic|

February 5th (USA) Unspeakable (Atom, 2015) Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton -- (LESBIAN) Goodreads Summary: "Megan doesn't speak. She hasn't spoken in months. Pushing away the people she cares about is just a small price to pay. Because there are things locked inside Megan's head - things that are screaming to be heard - that she cannot, must not, let out. Then Jasmine starts at school: bubbly, beautiful, talkative Jasmine. And for reasons Megan can't quite understand, life starts to look a bit brighter. Megan would love to speak again, and it seems like Jasmine might be the answer. [...]

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Author Interview: Danny M. Cohen

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:42:08-05:00January 27th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Interview|Tags: gay, Historical, New Releases, Queer Guys, Realistic|

Today we are talking with author Danny M. Cohen about his debut novel, TRAIN, which comes out today! Happy release day Danny! Train by Danny M. Cohen (Unsilence Project , 2015) About the book: TRAIN is a YA historical thriller with a particular focus on the Nazis’ persecution of homosexuals. This novel is self-published in partnership with Unsilence Project. “This thriller gives voice to the unheard victims of Nazism — the Roma, the disabled, homosexuals, intermarried Jews, and political enemies of the regime.” (via Danny Cohen's website) Over ten days in 1943 Berlin, six teenagers witness [...]

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