It’s a new year, and with it comes the first book in my new
series. This year, I’m dipping my toe into the new adult fountain with the
release of The Truth Inside. Publicly
anyway. This is not my first new adult rodeo, but that’s a story for another
time. Today, I want to focus on what’s important.
The Truth Inside
is the first book in my New Beginnings new adult series. At this time, there a
total of six books planned. Each book will be a standalone romance novel that
focuses on the journey of one young couple. All of the characters are friends
and will appear in each other’s books. Reading each book is helpful but not
necessary to understand and enjoy each book individually.
The Truth Inside
is the story of Nate Holland, a transgender MMA fighter. Nate’s had so much
rejection in the past from parents to peers that he’s decided to keep his birth
gender a secret. Things get complicated when he meets Natalie Cox. Nate finds
himself falling for her but still afraid to take that leap and tell her the
truth. When he finally does, Natalie’s reaction is the last thing he expected.
The preceding paragraph was not a spoiler. Readers learn
early on that Nate is transgender. The story isn’t about the readers trying to
unravel Nate’s big secret which is held until near the end of the book. It’s
about Nate’s journey as a transgender man and athlete and how that affects his
relationship with his friends and ultimately his girlfriend.
This story isn’t about going for the shock value. I’ve read
far too many stories labeling themselves as romance novels that are all about
how everyone reacts to the trans character. Often, these stories are erotica,
which is fine with me since all of my novels feature some pretty graphic sex
scenes. My biggest problem with them is that the trans character doesn’t reveal
his or her truth until in the midst of getting hot and heavy with the new love
interest. Once that happens, the scene and usually the book as a whole, tends
to focus on the reactions of the non-trans character and how that person copes.
That’s not to say there aren’t books out there with solid
story lines that explore a trans character’s journey. There are, and I’ve read a
few. That’s the problem. There are so few. Certainly not enough when you think
of how many transgender people are in this world.
With Nate’s story, I wanted to stay true to what it means to
be transgender. I wanted to tell as beautiful story that didn’t demean what it
means to be transgender. I am not transgender, but I did my best to provide an
accurate and beautiful portrayal, thanks in large part to the number of
transgender people who have been open to sharing their stories with the world.
In keeping with the spirit of authenticity, I somehow
managed to convince transgender activist Jeffrey Rubel to lend his image to the
cover to portray Nate Holland. That’s right, Jeffrey donated his image and time
with no expectation of compensation, which is never going to stop amazing me.
I hope that I’ve done this story justice. I hope you enjoy
it, and if you do, I ask for only two things. First, please review the book on
Amazon. The more reviews it gets, the more we can spread the word about this
book. Second, tell others you liked it and encourage them to read and review.
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