Love Me, Please
by Chris Bedell
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GENRE: YA LGBTQ Thriller
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BLURB:
Colton should be like every other
seventeen-year-old, hanging out with friends, procrastinating on homework, and
dreaming about which colleges he should apply to, but Colton’s focus when he
gets home every day is on how violent his alcoholic mother will be. Will he be
her ashtray again or worse?
Tripp has the perfect life – handsome, from a
wealthy family, and is the football player everyone wants to date. Tripp just
wants to date one person – Colton, but he can’t seem to break through that
tough exterior and get Colton to trust him.
A friend’s party opens the door for both to
potentially get what they want, but it’s that same party ends with Colton’s
best friend dead. Caught between wanting to finally find happiness with Tripp
and discovering what happened to Declan, Colton discovers that he isn’t the
only one who’s kept secrets. How well did he really know Declan and can he
trust Tripp enough to let himself believe he’s worthy of being loved?
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EXCERPT:
The placard clinked against the door, and I cocked my head.
A group of guys in varsity jackets just entered VERONICA’S. I was more
concerned with the guy I locked eyes with, though. More specifically, Tripp. He
and his friends just walked by my table.
My throat tightened. Mom’s words and actions weren’t the
only thing that would remain burned in my mind for the foreseeable future. I
couldn’t forget about punching Tripp and how I wanted nothing more than to
apologize for our altercation on Monday.
Gina leaned closer. “What the hell was that about?”
I sipped my caramel latte. “Nothing.”
“I’m not that gullible. I saw the look you guys exchanged.”
“Leave it alone!” I exclaimed.
“Do you like him?” she whispered.
“Gina, please!”
“I’m not judging. I have a gay uncle.”
“Cool.”
Gina squealed at me. “I’m serious. That glance isn’t the way
you’d look at a friend.”
I resisted making a fist or screaming; it would’ve been a
shame to throw over ten years of friendship away just because discussing my
sexuality made me uncomfortable.
“If there’s something you wanna tell me, then don’t hold
back,” Gina continued.
“I’m bisexual,” I blurted, making sure not to speak too
loudly.
Relief trickled through my body. For one moment, my life wasn’t
a warzone. I told Gina my truth and said fact fucking mattered. I couldn’t help
feeling great. I let someone in, and my life hadn’t imploded. So, maybe there
was hope for me yet.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Chris Bedell's previous publishing credits include Thought
Catalog, Entropy Magazine, Chicago Literati, and Foliate Oak Literary Magazine,
among others. His 2019 books include his NA Thriller BURNING BRIDGES (BLKDOG
Publishing), YA Paranormal Romance DEATHLY DESIRES (Deep Hearts YA), and YA
Thriller COUSIN DEAREST (BLKDOG Publishing). In addition to his YA Thriller
BETWEEN LOVE AND MURDER, his 2020 books include his YA Contemporary I’LL SEE
YOU AGAIN (Deep Hearts YA), YA Thriller THE FABULIST (BLKDOG Publishing), YA
Thriller I KNOW WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED (BLKDOG Publishing), and YA SciFi
DYING BEFORE LIVING (Deep Hearts YA). Besides his YA Thriller LOVE HIM/HATE
HIM, Chris’s 2021 books include his YA Fantasy CROSSING DESIRES (Spectrum
Books) and rerelease of his YA Fantasy IN THE NAME OF MAGIC from JMS Books.
Furthermore, Chris graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh
Dickinson University in 2016.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @ChrisBedell
Instagram: @CJohnBedell
Author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Bedell/e/B086JMTWRY/
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The Questions – please choose at least 5
You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your
choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
I’m gonna cheat a little bit with this question. I wouldn’t
take a person—I’d take my dog (Blondie, a female Black Mouth Cur, who is a
little over a year old). As for the personal item, I’d probably bring one of my
favorite books—not sure which book, though. I’d have to give that some long and
serious thought.
Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them:
hammer, saucer, traffic lights
Lucas sat in his used station wagon while red traffic
lights glowed against the pitch-black sky. He forgot his hammer at work. Yet he
had bigger problems. A flying saucer had followed him the last few blocks, and currently
hovered less than a hundred feet above his car. Because Lucas couldn’t ignore
his pulse roaring in his ear while sweat coated his brow—he wouldn’t be the second
person in his family to be the victim of a UFO abduction.
What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
My hypothetical idea about how to spend romantic time with
a partner would be just enjoying nice food (whether takeout or home cooked) and
talking. Nothing like talking and food.
When you start a new story, do you begin with
a character, or a plot?
I’m also gonna cheat with this question, because I’m
gonna say I begin with both. Usually, when I start a new story, a character (or
characters) who is involved in some sort of situation (plot) comes to me. I could
have the most interesting characters in the world, but if I don’t have an
interesting situation for them, then I don’t really see the point of writing
about those characters.
If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play
you?
If they were to make a movie of my life, I’d want the Canadian
actor Connor Jessup to play me. He’s been in things such as American Crime,
Closet Monster, Netflix’s Locke and Key, among others. I just think he’s a
really creative actor who brings something interesting to each role.
Thank you for hosting.
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