Nostalgia, Nirvana, the Nineties: Top Ten Ways to Die

When I hear myself saying my latest release is close to my heart, I have to laugh a little. Because I say that about ALL my books, don't I? But when I described my new novelette Top Ten Ways to Die to my sister, she said, "Wow, you really put a lot of yourself into this one."

It's lesbian fiction. It deals with the death of a parent. It incorporates plenty of arguments with Mom--about Nirvana, about clothing, about whether that goth girl Tara is a bad influence. It reverberates with the shock a whole class feels (teacher included) when one student tries to commit suicide.

There's a lot packed into this piece. And did I mention it's set in 1994? What else is new, right? In case you haven't memorized my back list, it just so happens my book Sylvie and the Christmas Ghost is also set in 1994, as is Gayboy (also known as And Plaid All Over).

Why 1994?

Well, here's the thing: I tried really hard to set this story in any other year. Any year but 1994! But when I got into research mode, I soon discovered one of the essential elements of Top Ten Ways to Die (Kurt Cobain's suicide) occurred in... you guessed it... 1994. Turns out I can't get away from this year.

As much as Top Ten Ways to Die is fiction about teenagers, I can't help but wonder if I didn't write it more as nostalgic fiction for my own generation--for people who want to stroll down memory lane, relive the 90s from a teenage perspective. I find that whenever I write young adult books set in the 80s or 90s, the readers who really eat them up are the adults who came of age during those decades.

When Jess’s dad dies unexpectedly, her world is turned upside-down. The only good things left in life are her girlfriend Tara and Kurt Cobain’s tortured grunge sound. But when a classmate attempts suicide, Jess goes into a downward spiral. Her mom is afraid she’s obsessed with death, and doesn’t want her hanging out with Tara or listening to Nirvana. What’s left for Jess in Hicksville if everything she loves is taken away?

I invite you to grab a copy of Top Ten Ways to Die right now from one of the following retailers:

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/top-ten-ways-to-die-1
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=vKp3DgAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1219652964

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/top-ten-ways-to-die-foxglove-lee/1126005406
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713853

Instafreebie: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/SO4le

Tell your friends!

You can also purchase Top Ten Ways to Die in print from Amazon. I highly recommend it, but, then, I would, wouldn't I?

While I'm sharing links, here's where you can buy the ebook from Amazon:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRZTWFQ?tag=foxglovelee-20
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06XRZTWFQ
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XRZTWFQ

Behind the Curtain with Gayboy

I'm bringing you behind the scenes with this post. Strap in, tie those shoelaces (made ya look!) and grab a warm mug of cocoa. Here we go!

In August I published a sweet, lovely bisexual teen novelette called And Plaid All Over. More recently I published a gritty, honest bisexual teen chapbook called Gayboy.

And, actually, they're both the same book. Different name, different cover, different branding, but the story inside is exactly the same.

The plan from the very beginning was to a/b test this story. What's a/b testing? It's when you present different versions of something to see what will have better results. In the case of Plaid/Gayboy I wanted to see whether a softer or harder title and cover design would sell more copies.

Of course, I'm being totally unscientific about this by actually telling you what I'm up to. I published the Plaid version first and kept it exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, then I unpublished it. My plan was to do the same with Gayboy, but I gave up pretty fast because Kindle Unlimited never works out for me. The bulk of my sales come from other ebook stores, so I've uploaded Gayboy pretty much everywhere.

The only thing I didn't change was print version. Chalk that up to laziness. But that also meant I was able to include in the Gayboy blurb: Paperback version available as "And Plaid All Over." Because, of course, I changed the title and cover art to test design concepts, not to trick anyone into buying the same book twice--yet another reason I'm letting you in my evil plan to take over the world. I mean to a/b test this book. Sorry, I glanced at the wrong notebook for a sec.

Now I know what you're thinking: which one's the winner--a or b? Plaid or Gayboy?

Well, the wheels fell off when I changed so many testing parameters, so I can't really say. What I can say is that you are more than welcome to scoop up a copy of Gayboy anywhere you like. 

Oh, and if you want to know what the actual story is about... well, you could read it. Or you could check out this post I wrote: http://foxglovelee.blogspot.ca/2016/08/new-teen-fiction-bi-guy-his-best-friend.html

There are plenty of places to find Gayboy, including:

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gayboy-foxglove-lee/1125245376
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1179950968
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/gayboy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1I8V9V?tag=foxglovelee-20
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01N1I8V9V
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N1I8V9V
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/332231797/Gayboy
24Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=1808057

New Teen Fiction: A bi guy, his best friend, the 90s and show tunes!

I keep coming back to the 90s. I just can't help myself. 1994, in particular, grabs me. Sylvie and the Christmas Ghost was set in 1994. My new novelette, And Plaid All Over, is set in that same year. It's about two best friends who are madly in love... with Forever Plaid.

In case you haven't heard of it, Forever Plaid is a one-act musical about a singing group from the early 60s who time-travel into the future to give a concert for you, the audience. It's a weird musical for a pair of teenagers to be obsessed with, but there's a bit of a based-on-a-true-story aspect to And Plaid All Over: in 1994 or so, my best friend and I went to see Forever Plaid multiple times. Not as many times as Marco and Anna, but more than most teens. We'd stand in line for rush tickets. Much like Marco and Anna, we were always the youngest people in the audience.

For all you 90s historians out there (or at least for fans of musical theatre), I've got a few artifacts to show you.

Here's my "Plaidbill" from one performance, so when Anna asks "Why's it called a Plaidbill?" you'll know what she's talking about:

Marco and Anna are members of the Frequent Plaid Club. Here's what that's all about:

And when Marco hooks a plastic bag from the gift shop around his wrist, this is the bag:

Having said all that, And Plaid All Over is a work of FICTION so please don't sue me, Forever Plaid people!

And Plaid All Over is a cute little novelette about a bi guy with a crush on an actor, his best friend who kind of annoys him sometimes, and their mutual love of Forever Plaid (and... each other?).

You can read And Plaid All Over as an ebook from Amazon, but if you prefer paperbacks you can actually get this book in print too even though it's quite a short read.

Here be the linkages (I don't know why my urls look like they're not hyperlinked when they are...):

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KOUZTCO?tag=foxglovelee-20
In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01KOUZTCO
In Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01KOUZTCO
In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01KOUZTCO