Back in 2009, my first novel Horizons was published. I never thought it would grow into a series. I was a newbie writer then and didn't realize that book characters, like children, evolve. Spin-offs are created with fresh plots and an entire universe is born. Eight years later, I'm releasing the fifth book in the Horizons Series featuring the original cast with several new additions.
You don't have to read the first book to catch up. The truth is a lot of readers don't have the time or inclination to start from the beginning. I get that. It's a personal preference. That being said, there are a lot of readers like me who enjoy the ups and downs of family dramas, and watching characters flourish while wrestling with everyday decisions is entertaining. For those who are hesitant to pick up the fifth book in an established series, I want to assure you that there's enough information so it can be read as a standalone.
On November 6, Chyna Davidson, my intersex character I introduced in Chyna Doll, returns with his boyfriend, Luca Dilorio, the adorable six-year-old you first met in Taste. Much has changed since you last saw these guys. They're both nineteen, sexually active, and on their own for the first time. Issues that were left unresolved in Chyna Doll come to a head and Luca is having a difficult time dealing with all the changes.
I hope you'll welcome them back into your lives. Here's a short snippet from the novel.
Excerpt #1-Luca
LUCA PACED AS much as one could in a small dorm room. He would have been better off running a few laps to get rid of some of this nervous energy, but he’d been waiting ages for Chyna to return his texts, and he couldn’t concentrate for shit. With his luck, he’d trip over his own feet, and that would defeat the purpose. Exercise was supposed to relieve stress, not add to it. It was almost six in the evening, way past the time most people quit work, or didn’t the rule apply to models?
Supporting Chyna’s endeavors when it was a distant ambition was one thing, but now that dreams were finally starting to happen, he wasn’t sure he could handle the abrupt shift from high school sweethearts to long-distance lovers. The thought of anyone touching, looking, or even talking to Chyna in his absence was giving Luca a tension headache.
Ever since he and Chyna began dating, way back in their freshman year of high school, he’d developed a protective streak that was oftentimes out of control and even embarrassing. He’d talked to his dads about it on several occasions, and the advice he’d received was heartfelt and sensible, but it didn’t stop the surge of emotions that swamped him when he imagined Chyna getting manhandled.
They’d all witnessed Chyna’s shame the day he’d been attacked at the Homecoming dance. It was a scene seared into Luca’s memory, and no amount of brain bleach would wipe away the vision of Chyna’s pain and humiliation as he stood with his bodice crumpled around his waist, so the entire student body could see the lengths he’d taken to pass himself off as female. Luca had vowed to protect him at all costs from any future attacks, and he’d succeeded for three years. But now things were different. The playing field had changed and he wasn’t in control anymore. There was no telling what kind of trouble would surface without his constant vigilance.
Melinda had assured him that Chyna would be in a safe environment, and future roommates would be carefully screened, but until he saw them with his own eyes and talked to them to make sure they weren’t homophobes or generally weird, he wouldn’t stop worrying.
Through My Own Lens is available for pre-order at all your major retailers. If you decide to buy at NineStar Press, there is a 30% discount available until the book releases. Type in PREORDER at check out to get the deal. https://ninestarpress.com/product/through-my-own-lens/
Or you can one-click at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Through-Own-Lens-Horizons-Book-ebook/dp/B076JHRZQW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
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