“This was it. They were alone. Jack was wrapped in Damon’s arm before a grand, lovely vista. It had to be the moment Damon would make his move. Jack waited. But Damon remained where he was, his arm around Jack, his face pointed out into the night. Would that be it? Was it all they’d ever be?”
I never considered myself to be much of a romantic. At least not in real life. Feelings, especially romantic feelings, can be confusing. But it turns out I am a romantic, after all. I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time. Or, at least, a story like it, focusing on queer joy and finding happiness in adversity.
What if you were a queer teenage musician outed by his vengeful ex-boyfriend and not a fairy tale princess trapped in a castle tower? What if your wicked stepmother was your ordinary, thoughtless, uncaring mother? What if your fairy godmother was your older brother? What if your Prince Charming was captain of the JV soccer team? Maybe you’d be forgiven for not realizing you were living in a sort of fairy tale.
Faced with the impossible choice of staying home to risk being sent away to Father Sullivan’s special school for exceptionally happy boys or moving in with his older brother in California, 16-yr-old Jack Martin leaves behind everything he knows in Minneapolis to go to San Francisco. He finds himself at a new school with new friends and the freedom to be himself. Then sparks fly when Jack meets Damon, his Geometry tutor (and captain of the JV soccer team.) But Jack wonders if Damon feels those sparks, too. And does their budding friendship have a chance to become something more?
Jack’s on Fire is a heartwarming, modern, queer fairy tale about friendship, chosen family, and young, queer love perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Jay’s Gay Agenda. Sure, there aren’t any fairies or wands. But what else would you call it when everything starts magically going your way?
My first queer YA romance novel will be available for Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback on September 27, 2022. But you can pre-order it now!