Our Books Winter's Silence Shades of Gay

Winter's Silence

Synopsis

Childhood isn't easy…especially for Emily Horowitz. As the only Jewish child in her neighborhood, Emily's spirit bears a peculiar burden. On the first night of Chanukah, she marches grimly home, a note pinned to her pocket about her refusal to sing Christmas carols in music class. But Emily's baby brother has just been diagnosed as autistic, confirming her mother's worst fear. Emily is about to become a forgotten child, lost inside a stormy world of grown-up problems and childhood fantasies. And winter has barely begun…

Sample Chapter

Everything was all slushy on the way home from school. I tiptoed carefully round the puddles, Leigh steered her bike right through them. The wind messed up her braids, yellow hair went in her mouth and over her eyes like it was snow.

I wished I had a bike too. I covered the note pinned to my jacket and prayed that Mama would use her soft voice on me when she read it.

Leigh hummed a Christmas song as we rounded the corner. “I can’t wait ‘til the concert, can you, Emily?”

I shrugged.

“C’mon,” Leigh said. “It’ll be so fun.”

I scraped melting snow off my boot. “But there’s no Jewish stuff.”

“There’s a menorah next to the tree, isn’t there?”

I pushed my hands down deep into my pockets, I wanted to fold myself up. “Yeah, but…”

Something hit the back of my head and slid down my neck to under my shirt. A slushball. Read More…

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Shades of Gay—Coming in May 2010…

Synopsis

Arthur Jensen is completely comfortable with his gayness, or so he thinks. A straight-arrow, straight-A student, he keeps to himself. Only his best friend Emily knows, and she's not telling; she's already an outcast as it is because of her inability to fit into small town life. But as they begin their senior year, everything is going to change for Arthur and Emily. Arthur decides to make a move towards his gorgeous new neighbor Mitch, and discovers how cruel small town people really can be.

Sample Chapter

I've been thinking a lot about progress, not perfection. That's what they always say in all those AA meetings the court says I have to go to. Those meetings are a joke, but I'm the only one laughing. All you do is sit around and listen to some person who hasn't drank in 20 years go on and on about how they used to be one of us and then wait for everyone else who raised their hand first to quit yapping so you can have three minutes to yourself to whine about your sucky life and how you want to drink but you're not going to. Then everyone gives the dollar you're forced to donate to stop the club from running out of money and closing its doors on these unfortunate drunks and giving them yet another reason to drink. After that, you all thank G-d for this fellowship time and the person in charge signs your court papers and you're free for another week.

Like I said, it's a joke no-one is laughing at.

Another one is this: I'm not an alcoholic.

Yeah, I know, everyone says that. But in my case, it happens to be true. I'm just a 19-year-old kid who got caught doing stupid shit and agreed to be labeled with a social disease so it wouldn't go on my record.

Maybe I'd better back up a little.Read More…

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