Book Name: Wet Paint
Author
Name: Will Parkinson
Author
Bio:
WILL PARKINSON
believes that no matter what obstacles are thrown in the path of young love, it
will always find a way to win in the end. He wants his characters to have their
happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to come easily.
None of this would have happened if
he had followed the advice he was given many years ago. “What are you wasting
your time on that for? It’s never going to amount to anything.” He believed it
for the longest time, abandoning characters he’d created in his childhood.
He picked up his very first m/m
story by a writer named Eden Winters, who was an absolute joy when they
corresponded. She asked him if he wrote and he told her the story. Eden
explained to Will that the voices in his head would never go away and how he
needed to let them out. With that thought in mind, Will put e-pen to e-paper
once more. It was truly a liberating experience and one he has no intention of
giving up again.
Author
Contact:
Cover
Artist: Reese Dante
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Although Addy’s heart
and body bear the scars from his life before he was adopted by the Deans, he’s
ached for something he thought he would never find. Until he met Benny. He
isn’t sure how anyone can care for someone as broken as he is, even though he
wants it desperately.
High school senior
Benny Peters has his whole life planned out for him, until a chaste kiss at
summer camp opens a new world of possibilities. Determined to erase Addy’s
insecurities, Benny works to take away his boyfriend’s pain and replace it with
love.
When
Addy’s past intrudes on their future, it’s going to take everything Benny can
muster to show that no matter what – or who – they face, they belong together.
Excerpt:
ADDY SAT in the car, worry
creasing his brow. Not even an hour ago, he’d been so happy. Why was he so
nervous now? His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with his
dad. Would Benny still want him when he found out what had happened? Would he
think Addy was too broken? Addy shivered. He tried to tell himself Benny would
never be like that, but how could he know for sure?
“What’s up, little man? I can
hear you thinking from over here.” Benny chuckled.
“Nothing, Benny. I’m okay.”
“Addy, c’mon. I can tell you’ve
got something on your mind. I need to know what it is. I can’t help if you
won’t let me.”
Addy took a deep breath. “I’m
afraid,” he admitted. “Of what? Camp?” “No... of losing you.”
“I don’t understand. Why would
you think you’d lose me?”
“Benny.” Addy sighed. “I need to
tell you some stuff. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s really not going to be
nice.”
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1. What drives
you to write books for kids and teenagers?
When I was growing up, there were no books
geared to young adults. If there had been, I wondered how many lives would have
been different or saved. I write YA because I want young people to know that
there ARE others out there, and that life can have a happily ever after, no
matter how rough it seems.
2. As a young
adult, what were your favorite books and how does that compare to your
favorites today?
As a young
adult I loved to read. My favorite book (which still ranks high on my list) was
‘My Side of the Mountain’. Today’s books deal with a lot tougher subjects.
Books are not nearly as sanitized now as they were when I was a kid, and I
think that helps them relate better to young adults now.
3. How
much of your writing is based on your own experiences as a child or teen?
Most things I
write have some kernels of fact in them (though not everything). Taylor’s
father isn’t happy with his art. Mine wasn’t pleased with my writing. Jackson
wants to fit in somewhere. I knew that feeling.
4. What
do you envision happening in the YA field in the next five to ten years?
The YA field
is growing by leaps and bounds as people find out the stories are not just for
young adults, but anyone who is interested in a story. Sex is not required to
make a strong story, in my opinion.
5. What
challenges do you think teens face today that you did not?
I think young
adults are faced with a lot more bullying. With social media and the Internet,
it’s impossible to hide. Things go viral so quickly and there is no way to keep
others from seeing it, so like a school of piranha they pile on because they
think destroying someone else makes them cool.
6. As an
adult, how do you keep your finger on the pulse of today’s youth?
My stories are
a little different, I think. Youth today are a lot more worldly in a lot of
cases. Benny, for example, talks more like an adult. Addy still retains some of
his youth. But I don’t think it does a lot of good to try and pretend that I’m
a young adult writing young adult stories. I’m not. I think kids need someone
who will talk to them like they’re adults, and not try to be anything else.
