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About Dead Sea by Mia Kerick
Title: Dead Sea
Author: Mia Kerick
Series: Mia Kerick Story Ballades #2
Genre: Young Adult LGBTQ+ Romance
Kyle is a swaggering bully; Lenny strives to be invisible.
Kyle has been left alone in the world; Lenny is the world’s biggest loner.
When Kyle saves Lenny from drowning, their lives will never be the same.
After a brutal encounter with school bullies, Lenny swims out into the ocean, determined to let the current whisk him away. Next thing he knows the meanest kid in town is pulling him from the waves, promising to be his Dead Sea, and to never let him sink.
All Kyle wants is to get out of beach cleanup, is that too much to ask? So he goes for a swim, only to come upon the most epic “nobody” in the senior class drowning in a riptide. Lenny’s haunted gaze grips him, and Kyle makes the impulsive decision to save his life or die trying. And through this ordeal, Kyle and Lenny are transformed.
Kyle’s heroic act sets him on the straight and narrow, and he opens his heart to the young man he dragged from the ocean. Lenny changes too but is still unable to reveal the truth of his pain. While drowning in a sea of secrets, the reformed bully and wary victim fall in love. But staying afloat in the Dead Sea is not as simple as it seems.
Excerpt from Dead Sea
© 2021
Mia Kerick
Kyle
“I know I told you I wanted to talk about schools and futures, but there’s something else I want even more.” Time to come clean.
Lenny opens his mouth to speak—three times. No sound comes out. Damn, he’s cute.
“I wanna kiss you so bad. Can’t remember wanting nothing so much since I was a kid on Christmas Eve hoping for a Gameboy.”
This time when he opens his mouth, he gasps. And it’s more sexy than cute.
“Would that be okay? You know, if I kissed you?” I suck in a breath too, figuring I’ll hold onto it until he answers. Hope it doesn’t take too long—that could spell problems.
“Listen, Kyle, you don’t know everything about me.”
I push the air out of my lungs in one huge gust. Good news, Grampa: he didn’t say no fuckin’ way will I let your lips near mine.
“There’s plenty you don’t know about me too, Lenny. Like how I pants-ed Chad Giza at the seventh grade Valentine’s Day party in Mrs. Webster’s class because I was so pissed-off I got zero candy-cards from girls and he got a dozen. But I still want to kiss you.”
When Lenny smiles, his lips look as good as the finish line at the end of a marathon. Not that I ever ran a marathon, but I figure this is how I’d see it.
“Then kiss me,” he whispers.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I say this even though, technically, I was the one who asked him. I lean in, put my sweaty palms on his shoulders, and pull Lenny toward me. He slides my way without a tug-of-war—and I press my lips onto his.
I start with a soft dry kiss, so as not to freak him out. It doesn’t last for even a whole second. Then I pull off Lenny’s lips. I need to check out his face to make sure he’s not losing his marbles. His eyes are closed and long dark eyelashes rest on his cheeks. His forehead is smooth of wrinkles, and his lips are loose and ready for more. And his light brown curls are tousled just right from the wind. Lenny looks like an angel. Seriously, Gramps, the dude belongs on the top of Mom’s keep-your-hands-off Christmas tree. Nope. Lenny’s my angel, and it’s time for another kiss. I swoop in again, and this time, after I cover his lips with mine, I stay. I kiss him once, in the dry sweet way. And when I poke open his mouth with my tongue, he lets me in.
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About Mia Kerick
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.
Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.
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