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Book Title: Stolen Heart
Author: Kristian Daniels
Publisher: FriesenPress
Cover Artist: FriesenPress
Genre/s: M/M Romance
Trope/s: Friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, Forgiveness, Love, Hate crime
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 60 000 words/284 pages
It is a standalone book.
Buy Links
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Will Elliott’s past dampen his new life?
Blurb
Life is better with you.
As a teen, Elliott Denison grapples with life, love and sexuality. His heart had been shattered every time his parents pushed him away. Life had forced him to be strong enough to endure Stanstead’s biggest bully and strong enough to come into his own as an openly gay man.
Now he was 26 years old, and a wave of emotion invaded him as though a switch had been sparked in his mind when Chase Harrison unexpectedly crossed his path. Everything Elliott ever wanted growing up was there in front of him. It doesn’t take long for Elliott to enter into Chase’s life.
Then the ugly past rears its head. Only this time, the face is a shadowy online stalker and an anonymous hater.
Book Trailer
Excerpt
I got back home a few hours later. “Hi, I’m back,” I said. As I headed towards my room, my father asked me to join him in the living room. I did.
“What?”
My father was sitting in his chair with my mother by his side. Something didn’t look right.
“Are you a homosexual?” my father asked calmly but sternly as he turned my laptop around. I hadn’t even noticed it there.
My worst nightmare was staring at me. Ah, shit. “How come my laptop is down here?” I asked.
“I asked you a question,” my father said.
My eyes started darting around as if looking for a place to hide, but I finally looked at my father and answered, “I don’t know.”
“This is a sin!” my father yelled, slamming the laptop shut. He approached me, pointing his finger at me. “This behaviour stops now, you hear? I will not have a sinner in my house! We didn’t bring you up like this, and no son of mine will partake in such disgusting, perverted activities! If you don’t change, I will send you to conversion therapy.”
I looked at my mother for some support or compassion, but she stood there and did nothing. My father stormed outside and slammed the door behind him.
“Mom,” I said, “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
“You are a sinner,” she said, slapping me across the face. “You are a disgrace to this family. I would rather have a criminal for a son than a pervert. If you want to remain part of this family, you will cease this deviant behaviour immediately; otherwise, I want you out of this house.”
“Mom, please… Don’t say that. It’s not my fault. I tried to resist these feelings. Believe me, I tried.” My eyes were starting to tear up.
“You didn’t try hard enough,” she said.
“This is how God made me, Mom. I can’t change that.”
Her eyes became dark, and her pupils dilated, “Don’t you take the lord’s name in vain! Why do you insist on hurting us like this?”
“I don’t want to hurt you! Do you think this is to hurt you?”
“Liar!” Her face was so close to mine that I could smell her breath. Then she walked out.
I ran outside, slammed the door behind me, and sat on the front steps, trembling. I couldn’t stop sobbing. I called Chad and asked him if I could crash at his place.
“What happened?” Chad asked.
“My parents found out I was gay! They saw the video on my laptop. The things they said to me were so hurtful. I can’t live here anymore! All that matters to them is what the bible says! They’re ready to throw me out! I don’t mean anything to them!”
“Calm down,” Chad said. “I’ll come to pick you up. Pack your things.”
I went inside, grabbed all that would fit in my duffle bag, and stormed back outside to wait for Chad. I didn’t bother telling my parents where I was going; they wouldn’t care anyway. Chad drove up the driveway, I got in, and we left.
“What did you tell your parents?”
“I told them what you told me,” Chad said.
“Are they cool with me coming over?”
“Yes, they’re fine with it. How are you holding up?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to think. I feel so ashamed.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault.” As we pulled up the driveway to his house, Chad suggested that I see a school counsellor next week. “Maybe they can help.”
“Yeah, maybe. Thanks for everything,” I said.
As we walked in, Chad’s parents met us at the door. His mom said, “Hi, Elliott, welcome. I want you to feel comfortable here. Consider this your home now. Chad told us a bit of what happened, and we’re so sorry you had to live that.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hardwicke.
“Come, I’ll show you your room,” Chad said as we walked up the stairs. “Rest up. If you need anything, I’m just across the hall. It will be alright, I promise.” Chad hugged me and went back downstairs.
I sat on the bed, hunched over with my head in my hands, rocking. “What am I suppose to do now? Am I such a bad person?”
About the Author
Kristian Daniels writes coming of age, gay romance and gay love stories. His stories are about the life and tribulations of the LGBTQs community, their fight to be accepted and loved. It’s also about their struggles, rejection and their suffering. Writing a novel was always a thirst for him, and with Stolen Heart, it became a reality.
Author Links
Blog/Website | Facebook | Twitter
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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
AUTHOR NAME: Kristian Daniels
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’ve been with my husband for twelve years, married him three years ago. I don’t have any children, my husband has a wonderful son and daughter. I take care of my ageing father, who lives with us. I’m not an exercise addict, but I like taking care of myself. We like to travel south twice a year, we welcome the opportunity to be by ourselves, reconnect and enjoy each other’s company away from our busy life. I’m a new author. Stolen Heart is my first novel. Creativity has always been a significant part of my life, I studied Fashion Design for many years, I designed wedding and bridesmaid dresses for local clients and friends. I studied ballet and jazz and performed in local musical theatre as a dancer and actor. I’m very trendy, more so than my husband, I love clothes and changing hairstyle and colour.
What would people be most surprised to know about you?
They were surprised when they discovered I was an author. I never discussed my passion for writing, so they were in awe when they saw advertising for my book.
Do you have a favorite quote (either from your own books or one’s you’ve read)?
“Love is love, no matter who you love” is my favourite quote. It reflects what I truly believe, and it conveys a message to society of being accepting and not judging.
How long have you been writing and what made you fall in love with writing?
I’ve been writing most of my adult life and part of my teens. I remember writing movie scripts and dialogue in my teens with the hope of making a homemade movie with my father’s Bell and Howell moviemaker. I wrote a short play in my early twenties but never got the opportunity to stage it. Writing is an extension of me, what I think, what I’d like to say. I’m an introvert, so writing gives me a voice to expose my emotions and expose my caring side to comfort people like me from the LGBTQ+ community who feel alone and have gone through hurtful moments in their lives. What I love about writing is the freedom to express myself, convey a story and touch people.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I always wanted to be a writer but did not make the time for it because of my full-time work and other obligations. In the three years, I finally made the time to fulfill this passion of mine.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
To write as many books as I have a story to tell.
What’s your favorite part of writing?
To see my story and characters come alive through my words, range of emotions and from my heart.
Tell us about your writing style.
I would say I have a narrative writing style. Depending on my story and from who’s perspective I am telling it, I can write in the First Person or a Third person. Stolen Heart was written in the First Person, from Elliot POV.
What does your writing process look like?
Before I begin writing, I develop the foundation of my story, what the story will be about. Then who my characters will be and a brief description of each character such as their occupation, lifestyle, age, their emotional issues if they have any. Then I will describe what the bad guy’s relationship with the main characters, his or her interference in achieving the main character’s goal. Then I will think of the secondary characters their relationship with the good guy or bad guy, where the story takes place and how it will end.
When/where is your favorite time/place to write?
I write mostly in the evenings. I have a dedicated room in my home where I go to write. If I’m alone during the day, I will sometimes use that time as well to write.
Why did you choose to write GLBTQ romance/fiction?
For my first book, I wanted to write about the emotional rollercoaster an LGBTQ person goes through. Being a gay man, I remember my journey from my teen to adult to finally accept myself for who I was regardless what others thought, which was can still be painful. I wanted to share that same-sex people can fall in love, stay in love and be a family.
Do you write any other genre?
Stolen Heart is my first novel and my next book is similar to this one. But I would like to write a mystery type of story where we need to find clues before a big event happens.
Describe a scene in your writing that has made you laugh or cry?
There is a scene where Chase is in a coma and no one knows if and when he will come out of his coma. When I wrote this scene, tears were running down my cheeks because the love between those two characters is so strong and the prospect of not knowing if the one you love with all your heart will or will not make it was hard to write because I went through a similar situation and I’m sure readers have also.
Give the readers a brief summary of your latest book or WIP. What genre does it fall in?
My next project is a story about two relationships, two teenagers and two adults living in different cities whose lives have been blemished by their parents. The book will take the reader into what conversion therapy does to a person. How far would a religious parent go to get their way and the poisoning to their entourage by a spoiled and manipulative schoolmate? The title of it will be “The sins of our sons.”
Give us a little insight into your main characters. Who are they?
Elliot is a shy teen who is secretly in love with his best friend. He was born into a religious family, and the scripture is how they live by.
Chad, Elliot’s best friend, is Elliot’s support and strength that he needs to survive through High School.
Chase will do anything not to displease his parents. He will wreck his life for them.
Paul’s family immigrated from Germany and has been raised by a strict father, an emotionally abused mother. Paul becomes emotionally unstable growing up and become addicted to drugs.
Will we be seeing these characters again? Is this book part of a series?
Maybe in another book. This book is not part of a series, but I’m working on a story that will see Elliot’s life and Chad’s life interconnect after several years.
Which actor would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
Elliott – Timothée Chalamet
Chad – Ansel Elgort
Chase – Nick Robinson
What genre/s do you enjoy reading in your free time?
Gay romance
Science fiction
Murder Mystery
What was the last book you read? What did you like about it?
Seven Nights – Van Barrett
I liked how the story unfolds, how the main characters, both straight after having tasted what it feels to be with another man, continue to live their lives as dictated by their parents because that’s the way their lives have been planned.
Have you held any interesting jobs while you worked on your books?
I managed an Information Technology team for a government-industry for 17 years. Today, I’m an advisor for the same company on Information Management part-time.
How do you relax?
I walk my dogs. I exercise, unfortunately, not enough, LOL. I watch movies and entertain friends. I relax by the pool.
What hobbies do you have outside of writing?
I design and sew clothes for friends and family.
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