Spotlight: To Be a Different Someone + Guest Post

To Be a Different Someone
Sean McKissack
Genre: LGBT Coming of Age
168 pages
Purchase: Amazon

 

James Kane could be summed up in one word: loser. He silently lived as a ghost amongst his parents and he had zero friends at school…unless you count his cousin who had to defend him against the abusive Matt Tracker. When his parents divorce, James moves to Montana and stays with his grandmother, where he makes an extreme adjustment to his life-becoming a different someone named Jennifer. The transition comes with frightening issues Jennifer never thought of. After two years of recovery, she returns to her old high school to start over but she meets up with her past tormenter and gets caught in a web of secrets as she finds herself falling in love. Her conscience gets the best of her as she tries to be truthful to Matt about who she once was, but will he accept her as his girlfriend when she tells him about their past?

The story continues in three seepage books:

“It Can Only Go Up From Here”-the continuation of the narrative that deals with Jennifer and her estranged father who is now a member of the Senate in Olympia, Washington. 

“I’m On the Outside”—The original story from the vantage point of Matt Tracker, allowing us to see what happened between James and Matt in the years before and what occurred during the two year gap. 

“You Can Call Me Queen Bee”—a side story about a teenager named Monica Preston and her “coming out” during a murder trial—her brother’s.  Monica’s bother, Michael, was Jennifer’s first boyfriend and things didn’t turn out right.

Coming Soon:

It Can Only Go Up From here

 

 

Guest Post: How did To Be a Different Someone come to be?

I started writing it in 2004 as a screenplay with the title “Man! I Feel Like A Woman”, but I shortened it to FLAW. The screenplay used songs by Shania Twain to move the narrative along. I didn’t do anything with the script as I didn’t think there was a market for it and that it was missing something…twelve years later, after learning a former co-worker had one of his books published, I decided to rewrite the screenplay to focus it on Jennifer by writing it in first-person narrative, and to complete the missing two year gap in screenplay when  “James Fitzgerald Kane” vanishes and  “Jennifer Aylesea Monroe” appears in town.

I started to try and market the book and found a publisher in Torquere Press who rejected it at first, but the next day, they accepted it. They were taking a gamble on me as they were a primarily adult gay romance fiction house and here I was bringing a YA transgender story where the story is not entirely about Jennifer but the others around her. 

I had suspicions that Torquere compared my synopsis to a book that recently been published by another house: Merideth Russo’s “If I was Your Girl”  (a book I had not heard of until two weeks after my editor was working with me). I refused to read that book until after the galleries for my book, now re-titled “To Be a Different Someone (as Torquere was afraid of the negative connotation of the original title…apparently, they never heard of the song).

The book had to undergo a review by a psychologist who deals with LGTB youth. She had no issues with the book but she asked how I knew what her patients talked about. 

Unfortunately. Torquere Press fell onto some dark times right after the book was published and I never received any payments for the initial publishing but I was able to recover my rights and the rights to the cover artwork. Next, I restored the chapter titles to the Shania Twain references (I kept the new title)  and self-published it. 

About the Author:

Sean McKissack’s ability to view the world around him and find a story and truth enables him to prepare the stage in a reader’s mind for a heart-felt life cinema. Inspired by God, music and his experiences, he captures teaching and growing moments commonly found during adolescence. His writings epitomize the good and the bad in life, the joys and the pain, culminating in the coming of age and wisdom.

Sean hails from Southaven, Mississippi and he’s always thinking of new stories to write

Book Tour Recap and Grand Finale: Against My better Judgement + Giveaway


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you’ll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch – Author Interview

What do you hope readers will take with them after they’ve read it?

A smile on their faces, laughter in their hearts, and the knowledge that being true to yourself and believing in your convictions will carry you a long way. Ultimately the story is about perseverance and self-belief.

Read. Write. Love. – Guest Post

Sara Donovan’s Top Ten Things to Take on a Stakeout

Sara Donovan here. Conducting surveillance of possible perps is an important part of an investigation. This is not to be confused with observing the idiosyncrasies and the comings and goings of neighbors. That is just good security. The keys to any successful stakeout are: 1) finding an unobtrusive location to park the car that provides a good visual field of the target’s location; 2) be prepared for long, boring hours of no activity; and 3) take precautions to keep from being made. In this regard, I have put together my list of the top ten things I take on a stakeout to ensure its success, even if the target never shows (that’s why I have #8). 😉 . . .

Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters – Interview

4.) What can we expect in upcoming installments of this series?

You’re going to see a lot more of Zoe (and her hair’s ever-changing colored streaks), the continued growth of Sara’s inner belief (and where her “intuition” takes her), and definitely more of Mauzzy. There might even be a sister in Mauzzy’s future. 😉 I’ve been saving up book ideas for decades, so at this point I can almost close my eyes and pull a sheaf of paper out of my bursting filing cabinet for a new Sara and Mauzzy Adventure. ROTC boys might be replaced with Naval Academy midshipmen; stolen antiquities with possible heists and suspicious deaths; and Marty the Mall Cop with Serg the Air Marshal. And I have some ideas to allow for Mrs. Majelski to make an appearance or two. Have I said too much?

Hallie Reads – Guest Post

Something Fishy Is Going On

This post is at the request of several of my followers, who have asked for themed recipes related to my book, Against My Better Judgment. Since there are three meals referenced in the story, I have provided below the recipe for my family’s favorite that also happens to make an appearance in Chapter 40. However, first a little background. . .

Hearts & Scribbles – Excerpt

I nonchalantly edged my body around, fighting off multiple tendrils of fabric clutching and grabbing at my head and shoulders. I popped my head out of the blouses, and after clearing disheveled hair from my eyes, was confronted with the no-nonsense visage of—a mall cop. On a motorized two-wheeled scooter.

From within my inner sanctum of the clothes rack, I laid on him all the cool innocence and southern sweetness I could muster. “No, but thank you for asking. Everything is okay, officer.”

Andi’s Book Reviews – Review

“This is one of the quirkiest groups of characters I have read in a long time! . . . So if you’re into quirky characters and Egyptian history, this is a book you may want to check out!”

The Obsessed Reader – Excerpt

As we moseyed down the sidewalk, I cocked an eye over my shoulder at the empty parking space where the mystery car sat just two minutes ago. Even for Sketchville, there was something about it…

Mauzzy was doing his usual refusal-to-pee routine when I noticed the cottage to the immediate right of mine had the lights on. A guy moved in the front room, but I couldn’t quite tell what he was doing. He must have moved in earlier in the day.

Wishful Endings – Guest Post

Saturday – According to Sara

It is said that one can learn a lot about someone by what’s in their grocery cart. I thought I would give a little introduction to Sara Donovan, the main character of Against My Better Judgment, by helping her prep for a Saturday of errands. Below is a Saturday – According to Sara. . .

Harlie’s Books – Review

“Sara is just a great character. She has her flaws, in which some are hilarious and quirky but nonetheless, I loved her spunkiness. . . . I honestly can’t say that I’ve read a humorous, romantic comedy/mystery like this one before. I’m glad that I did . . .”

Teatime and Books – Excerpt

Wait. The bus?

I was back in the moment, my rumination of recent events a fading memory. I fired up all four cylinders and sped past the evil beast. Tearing into the parking lot, I caught sight of my Nemesis in the rearview mirror. It was approaching fast, black smoke shrouding it like an executioner’s hood.

I threw the hatchback into a primo space right next to the stop, the front tires smacking up the low concrete barrier before rocking back. In that instant, the bus hurled a fiendish guffaw at me, once again heralding my impending defeat.

howisyourbook – Review

“Read this suspenseful story with totally relatable characters and of course an awesome pet named MAUZZY . . .”

brittreadsalattebooks – Review

“And it will not be my last I absolutely love this little cozy mystery. It was the type of book one can finish in one sitting. The author is a wonderful storyteller I loved his narration. . . . I will say I highly recommend this book, and encourage you guys to order it, and read it!”

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post…


Against My Better Judgment
(Mauzzy and Me Mystery, #1)
By B.T. Polcari
New Adult Contemporary Mystery, Romantic Comedy
Paperback & ebook, 298 Pages
September 16th, 2020 by The Wild Rose Press

When freshman year at the University of Alabama draws to a close, Sara Donovan finds herself grappling with the same old question—listen to her head or follow her heart. What she ends up doing is purchasing an Egyptian souvenir funerary mask, and after a mysterious phone call, she’s certain a ring of antiquities smugglers are operating in Tuscaloosa.

With finals never far from her mind and her return to ‘Bama hanging in the balance, she should be studying. Instead she launches her own investigation to prove her mask is indeed a stolen artifact, and not a cheap trinket. When it comes time to snoop, Sara is more than ready, or at least she was until a hot new teaching assistant moves in next door.

Suddenly she learns things are never as they seem. Ever.

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About the Author

Ever wonder what retired business executives do after they have put in years of effort for society and decide it is time to hang up their hat? Perhaps strolling along the country club’s fairway, or lounging on a 50-foot yacht?

Alas, B. T. Polcari is unlike your typical retired executive. Empty nester and Scarlett Knights alum, Polcari is still learning the meaning of “retired” while feverishly typing away on the next new book idea, smashing the fuzz off the little green tennis ball, or blasting bowling pins for a perfect game. Yes there is a boat, but not one that comes with its own crew; this retiree prefers to bustle along a serene lake in a quaint single seat Sunfish sailboat.

Perhaps the only time BTP can be found in a quiet moment is while enjoying the morning company of two family dachshunds over a newspaper and cup of coffee. B. T. Polcari currently resides in Chattanooga, TN and is thrilled to be fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming a published author.

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Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a print copy of The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Open to US and internationally to those who receive free shipping through the Book Depository
Ends October 21, 2020

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