Congratulations Blog Hop Winner

Congratulations to Maya!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left comments.

Andi

Hop Against Homophobia: Last Day

This is the final day of the the blog hop. It's been great to be involved in such a huge undertaking. I have been really touched by the people who have stopped by and left comments. Thank you.

I wanted to end this blog hop with something upbeat. So, I am posting the first installment of my YA M/M sci-fi romance, Lucas & Riley from The Ravens Crossing. I hope readers will check out TRC, follow along, and pass it on to others. TRC has several story lines which include two M/M couples, one F/F couple, three F/M couples, and one questioning character.

This is also the last day to enter to win a copy of Were the World Mine. All you need to do is leave a comment below. I'll be using random.org to pick a winner. The winner will be announced tomorrow May 21st.

***

Lucas & Riley: Week 1

By Andi Lea

“Are you planning on going to the Valentine’s dance Saturday night?” Lucas stared across the hall as he stuffed his notebook in his backpack.

Riley leaned against the lockers, tilted his head towards Lucas, and hitched his thumbs into his jean’s pockets. “Yes,” Riley grinned. “C’mon you’re going to be late for your meeting.”

“I don’t need an escort.” Lucas slammed the locker door shut. He wasn’t mad, he was annoyed that Riley kept a constant watch on him since the funeral.

“I am not escorting you. I am ditching class.” Riley pushed off the lockers and slipped into the stream of students in the hallway.

Lucas tossed his backpack over his shoulder and watched Riley easily maneuver against the current of the crowd. At over six feet tall, Riley was comfortable with everything about himself. Lucas thought, after being friends for six years, he would feel comfortable with his own feelings for Riley. He struggled with his feelings every day.

Walking a few feet behind, he watched as Riley stopped briefly to talk with a group of kids. Riley leaned down so a blond haired boy could hand him something. Riley smiled as he put his hand out. Lucas fought a pang of jealousy as the other boy handed Riley what was no doubt a Valentine’s card. The group walked away whispering to one another. The blond had definitely staked a claim, the others were moral support. Lucas shook his head and stuffed his feelings down.  

When Lucas caught up, Riley was standing in front of the counselor’s office door. Lucas avoided making eye contact. He could see the red envelope in Riley’s free hand. He turned his attention to a large flyer of black hearts on a red background which announced the Love Conquers All dance for Saturday night at the Broussard Community Center.  The dance was organized by the Gay Straight Alliance for all of the surrounding high schools. Lucas really wanted to go to the dance, with Riley, but he wouldn’t ever admit it. The silence was becoming awkward as the hallway emptied. Riley put his hand on the door handle. Lucas let his vision blur over the red and black poster. 

“Hey, Luc?” Riley asked.

Lucas turned to face him. “This might take a while.”

“I’ll meet you at your house later.” He opened the office door for Lucas and smiled. “Good luck.”

Lucas watched Riley walk to the front office. Through the glass windows he watched him sign out and leave. Lucas wondered why Riley was ditching his last class of the day. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to think about it as a voice welcomed him into the office.

“Have a seat Lucas.” Mr. Dearborn said. Lucas shut the door behind him and sat down.

An hour later, Lucas was walking to his car. He had just gotten off his cell with his great-aunt Katherine to let her know all of the paperwork had been taken care of at school. He was now responsible for his own decisions as an emancipated minor. Lucas took a breath as he shed the last of his nerves over this.

Lucas instantly forgot about everything as he pulled up to his house and saw Riley’s Jeep out front. He pulled in the driveway, parked, and headed to the front of the house. Something glittered on the ground. He looked down at a trail of small silver triangular shapes that led up the steps to his front door. He bent down and picked up the foil wrapped, chocolate, candies as he made his way to the door. The trail continued through the hall and into the dining room.  He stopped at the table where an extremely large foil covered chocolate sat. Lucas dumped the pile of chocolates in his hand onto the table. He looked at the candy sitting there with a long thin strip of paper flopped over the top of the foil. Lucas put down his backpack and read the message.

Now that I’ve kissed the ground you walk on, will you go to the dance with me?

His heart started beating double time. He looked around the room for Riley, but he didn’t see him anywhere. His neck was hot and the flush crept up his face. He could barely hear himself think for the blood pounding in his ears. Lucas took a deep breath. Before he knew what he was doing he unwrapped one of the small chocolates and popped into his mouth. He focused on the smoothness of the candy as it melted in his mouth. Slowly he swallowed as his breathing evened out.

From the window he heard a steady thumping sound. At first he thought it was his heart again, but he looked out the window to see Riley palming shots into the hoop set up on the side of the garage. He read the message again, and then pinched his arm, he wasn’t dreaming.

Lucas walked through the dining room to the back door in the kitchen. He opened the door and watched Riley for a few seconds. If he didn’t know better he would think Riley was nervous too. Just as Lucas summoned enough courage to say something Riley stopped and turned towards him.

Riley, six feet two inches of hot, stared at Lucas. He held the ball against his side. His brown hair with golden highlights fell over his dark brown eyes. Lucas took another deep breath and leaned against the door frame.

“Yes.” Lucas managed without panicking.

***

Read Lucas & Riley Week 2

Hop Against Homophobia Continues

I am fortunate to work with a great team of people on a fantastic project called The Ravens Crossing. TRC is a YA LGBTQIA fictional web series. Currently, there are thirteen main characters written by three authors. We have just passed our three month mark for the first season. Stories are posted six days a week.

TRC is a completely fictional world set in a real city. It's a science fiction/fantasy continuity series. There are continuing story lines and lots of romance.

It's a huge project and we wouldn't be able to do it without the support of our families, volunteer staff members, and our friends in the LGBT community.

Two of the main characters I write about are Lucas & Riley:

Lucas Holden

Lucas has spent most of his life taking care of himself and staying out of trouble. He’s never been in the closet, but he hasn’t exactly lit up a neon sign advertising he’s gay either. As the only child of an unemployed, absentee, single mother, Lucas has done everything possible to maintain his grades, play two sports, and plan for a college get-out-of-town card. If it weren’t for the support of his great-aunt Katherine and family friend Pierre Broussard, he’d have given up long ago.

When Pierre and his husband are killed in an accident, Lucas finds himself heir to Pierre’s estate. He now has a stable home, a car, a business to deal with, and a position as a board member of the Broussard Youth Center. His mother has run off, Pierre is gone, and he is an emancipated minor. Only his best friend and secret crush, Riley, is aware of how much Lucas has to handle.

It’s his junior year in high school and Lucas is thrust into the spotlight of Wildwood. Trying to balance what he can control and understand what he can’t. He thinks things can’t get more complicated, until Riley makes it clear that Lucas is the love of his life. This is one situation Lucas is not ready to deal with.

Riley Stallings

Riley met Lucas during their first year in middle school when they both joined the lacrosse team. After being suspended for staging a mock fight with their lacrosse sticks, everything clicked.  They’ve been best friends ever since. From lacrosse and soccer triumphs to boyfriend fails, they’ve been there for each other every time. Even in-school suspension.

It’s junior year of high school and Riley is active in the Gay Straight Alliance, student government, soccer, and lacrosse. He is the guy everyone wants to have around, always willing to lend a helping hand or a stunning smile. Riley is the oldest of the four Stallings kids, he has involved parents, and supportive family. He cares for his family a great deal, but he is ready to start living his own life. He and Lucas are applying to the same colleges and plan to be roommates. If things go according to Riley’s plan, they will become something more. Riley can’t imagine a future without Lucas. The challenging part is getting him to agree.

Riley thinks his biggest obstacles are the growing complications in Lucas’s life. But, when life in Wildwood begins to spin out of control, Riley learns what he is willing to sacrifice to safeguard their future.

***

The Hop Against Homophopia blog hop continues through May 20th and there are nearly 300 blogs participating. Each blog is doing an individual giveaway. I had several ideas about what to giveaway and I decided on one of my favorite films, Were The World Mine. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below. You have your choice of the DVD or Instant Video through Amazon. (If you live internationally we'll figure it out). The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on May 21.

Hop Against Homophopia

It's the first day of the Hop Against Homophopia blog hop. The blog hop runs until May 20th and there are nearly 300 blogs participating. Each blog is doing an individual giveaway. I had several ideas about what to giveaway and I finally decided on one of my favorite films, Were The World Mine. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below. You have your choice of the DVD or Instant Video through Amazon. (If you live internationally we'll figure it out). The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on May 21.

Today is the 10th Annual International Day Against Homophobia aka IDAHO. The blog hop kicks off today to coincide with this event.

In 2003, Fondation Émergence organized the first "National Day Against Homophobia" in Québec. Over the next few years, several countries joined the effort and May 17 was designated as the official date to rally international awareness.

Each year IDAHO selects a theme. This year the theme is sexual diversity in the workplace. I am fortunate enough to work in an extremely diverse workplace. I work with a diverse group of people who, variously, fit into the LGBTQIA alphabet. Everyone is accepted on their ability not their gender identity or sexual orientation. I hope in the future this will become the rule instead of the exception. 

I work with an amazing group of people on a project which promotes diversity and a positive message for young adults. I'll be sharing more about my work at The Ravens Crossing (TRC) each day of the blog hop. I hope that visitors to this blog will check out what we are doing at TRC and share it with others.

A good place to start at TRC is First Time Here?

The Ravens Crossing (TRC) is a LGBTQIA friendly series. It’s  a young adult, sci/fi fantasy, internet series set in a fictional world within a real city. TRC is a continuity story, told through 1000 word flash fiction segments, involving multiple characters, multiple points of view, and one goal: To tell a continuing tale of extraordinary events.

• new stories six days a week, Monday through Saturday
• all content at www.theravenscrossing.org  is for entertainment.
• there is no cost to read the stories or enjoy the TRC site

Let's Have a Kiki

Coming up this month is the one year anniversary of my blog! It's all very exciting for me. So many wonderful things are happening and I want to celebrate! So, I'll be doing a lot of dancing. Dance with me today with the newest Scissor Sisters song, Let's Have a Kiki, from their upcoming album Magic Hour (out on May 28).

So, if you've been following along you all know my love of Scissor Sisters. If you are new around here I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do. The new album is coming out just in time for my one year anniversary-- this makes me squee like only a fan girl can!

Go DANCE! Because there is a dance that goes along with the song. And make sure you watch Jake! He's marvelous!