One of the nice things about doing guest author posts is that a lot of new and first time authors ask or agree to come visit.  I get to learn about them and their work before most other people discover them. That’s the case with today’s guest – Sophie Bonaste. She’s here to talk about her debut novel – The Sacrifices We Make.

Guest Author: Sophie Bonaste

Hello all! My name is Sophie Bonaste and I am going to be taking over Andrew’s blog for a short time. But before I begin, I want to send a big Thank You to Andy for letting my post this on his blog.

Okay, so I want to try something. I want everyone to think about their very first friend. I know it sounds a little strange, but try. Who was the first friend that you had? Now I’m not talking about the first baby you lay next to in the nursery when you were born. I’m talking about that first person that you shared things with. That you played with. The first person that you consciously thought of as a friend.

Now here’s the big question. How old were you? Were you younger or older?

Psychology tells us that a person should make a friend by the time they are in preschool. So about the age of four. I can say that by the age of four I had a friend and I’m sure that a lot of you can say the same.

But what if you didn’t have a friend at that age? What if you were older? Much older? In my novel, my main character doesn’t make a real friend until he is seventeen years old. Now to many people that might seem unfathomable. So much of childhood if wrapped up in friendship that to not have that seems abnormal. But I’m not so sure it is in every case. Some cases, sure. But not all of them. Friendship is all about connections.

Here’s the interesting thing, though. Connections can change over time. How many of us can really say that we’re still talking with our childhood best friend? I know that I can’t. I haven’t talked to my first best friend in over five years. But am I upset by that? Not really. I’m a very different person than I was when I was growing up. So is she. And along the way I’ve made new friends. Friends that I can share experiences with like my friends at work. Friends that I share interests with like all of the AMAZING people I’ve met since I started into the world of published M/M romance. And most importantly, I have friends that I really connect with as a person.

Growing up is hard. Growing up when you feel like you don’t connect with anyone is even harder. But now that we’re all adults (or at least near adulthood) I ask you: does it really matter? We’ve all had problems in the past, our own demons to overcome. All that matters now is that we can find people we can connect with. And if you can do that, then it really doesn’t matter how old you were when you made that first connection. All that matters is that you have one now.

But that’s just my take on the situation. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know either in the comment section or by contacting me using the links below.

Well, I guess that’s the end of my rant. Thank you so much again to Andrew for letting me take over his blog. And as thank you to all the readers, I want to invite everyone over to my blog to check out the giveaway information for “The Sacrifices We Make”. The link is below. Just click on the Giveaway tab on the right side on the home page. I will leave you will all the information for my debut novel, which is now available from Harmony Ink Press!

Blurb:

Adam Jameson has always felt like an outsider in his own home, where his parents’ constant efforts to instill religious fervor have instead filled him with fear. Most of the time, he just wants to stay out of everybody’s way.  But when Adam is forced to volunteer at a homeless shelter his senior year in high school, everything changes. He’s introduced to people who care about more than religion and, as a result, he starts to come out of his shell. For the first time in his life, Adam finds people that he wants to be around.

Mickey Stafford lives on the streets, a teen kicked out by his parents for being gay. He comes to the shelter for food and medical care, and after they literally run into each other, the two boys strike up a friendship. As Mickey introduces his new friend to the world he lives in, Adam starts to question everything: his parents, their religion, even his own beliefs . Once Mickey kisses him, Adam starts soul-searching and finds his heart, which is full of love for Mickey. But these two young men will have their love put to the test, as they face a future of uncertainty and fear.

Buy Links:

eBook for “The Sacrifices We Make”- http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4285

Paperback for “The Sacrifices We Make”- http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4294

Biography:

Sophie Bonaste is a novelist who never set out to be a novelist. As a child, she wanted to a Broadway actress and spent her childhood in numerous productions. But when adulthood set in and reality took over, Sophie chose to give up the theatre for a steady paycheck and instead turned to writing as a creative outlet. She stumbled into the M/M genre through fanfiction and never looked back. Sophie is quite happy with her change in artistic expression and doesn’t plan to stop writing for a long time.

A self-proclaimed nerd, Sophie is an avid fan of all things Star Wars and Harry Potter. (Sophie is a member of the Slytherin house, for those who were wondering.) Sophie also spends many hours watching and re-watching nerdy television shows. When she is not obsessing over the latest and greatest in nerdy entertainment, Sophie can be found screaming at her television during American football games. (Go Pack Go!) Sophie currently lives in Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes from her childhood town of The Middle of Nowhere.

Social Media Links:

Sophie’s Website- sophiebonaste.blogspot.com (Click this link for the Giveaway Information!)

Sophie’s Email-sophiebonaste@gmail.com

Sophie on Twitter-https://twitter.com/SophieBonaste

Sophie on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/sophie.bonaste

Sophie on Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7263780.Sophie_Bonaste?from_search=true