So I've been sitting on this news for a while and today I can finally announce it. This December (release date tentative), I'm going to be contributing a story to a brand new New Adult Anthology of short stories called FIFTY FIRST TIMES, releasing from Avon Impulse!
I'm super excited about this project not just because of the awesome theme but because the group of authors in this anthology is beyond awesome. Authors like J. Lynn, Molly McAdams, Lisa Desrochers, Sophie Jordan, Carrie Ryan...the list is long and totally kickass. You can see the full list here on Goodreads. I can't wait to read their stories.
Here's the official Publisher's Marketplace Announcement:
Julie Cross's FIFTY FIRST TIMES: A NEW ADULT ANTHOLOGY, in which 19 favorite and bestselling authors, including J. Lynn, Carrie Ryan, and Sophie Jordan write fictional stories about their characters' first time, to Tessa Woodward at Avon Impulse, for publication in December 2013, by Nicole Resciniti at The Seymour Agency.
My story is one of two male/male stories in the anthology. "Two In the Morning" (title tentative) is about Malcolm and Bates, two college roommates and childhood best friends. Bates has realized he's in love with his best friend. And Malcolm has no clue Bates is gay. So when the two have to travel home together for Thanksgiving and share a bed at Malcolm's family's house, things are going to get complicated. I can't wait for y'all to read it. It was SO much fun to write.
Here are the opening lines of my story (told from Bates' POV):
There were three things I knew for sure as I lay in the dark of my cinder-block cell of a dorm room.
One: I shouldn’t be awake.
Two: I definitely should not be listening to my roommate round second base with Cami/Cassie/Chloe, or whatever her C-name was.
And, three: I should not be sporting the monster of all hard-ons from all those deep, growly sounds Malcolm kept making.
Now, this anthology is the brainchild of my friend and fellow author, Julie Cross. She's the one who came up with the idea, gathered the authors, and is editing the stories. So, I'll share what she has to say about the project...
From Julie Cross:
FIFTY FIRST TIMES: A NEW ADULT ANTHOLOGY
Fifty First Times is a collection of fictional short stories from variety of published Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Romance authors aimed at a New Adult audience. Each story magnifies a moment in two characters’ lives that shows the reader their decision to take physical intimacy to a new level, the events leading up to this moment and in some cases, the events that follow.
MY VISION FOR THE BOOK
Despite the implications from the description, Fifty First Times is not a book about sex. It’s about trust. It’s about the difference between love and lust. It’s about responsibility and growing up. It’s about each character’s individual definition of virginity which varies considerably from story to story. It’s about the couple who decides not to go through with it, the two boys who finally aren’t ashamed, the eighteen year olds in WWII era who’s wedding night could very well be their last night together, the deaf pair who have no choice but to take body language to a new level, the boy grieving the death of a close relative who meets an unexpected stranger on a road trip, the girl who’s drunken one night stand helps her come to terms with her feelings for a guy she’s been too afraid to open up to, the couple trapped in a fallout shelter anxiously awaiting the end of the world in a dystopian future, the pair facing racial and culture barriers proving that love can exist underneath the external layers of humanity, and of course the two young people fumbling and laughing, getting everything wrong yet making a memory that will never fade.
Doesn't all of that sound so awesome? I mean, I'm in the thing and *I* can't wait to read the variety of stories. So what do you think? Are you ready to read something from the "New Adult" side of me? ;)
UPDATE: It's now up for pre-order on Kindle (even though the title needs to be fixed on this listing).