The Thing: Deacon

As part of The Thing, J.A. Rock and I will be posting little character intros for Mark Cooper versus America. Say hello to Deacon! 

Student Snapshot - by Simon d’Angelo, Sophomore Staff Reporter.

This week’s Student Snapshot is Deacon Holt. Deacon is a Junior. He’s studying Engineering, is a member of Phi Sigma, and, for the over 21’s, also works at O’Malley’s Bar downtown.

Sd’A: Any advice for this year’s Freshmen on how to succeed at Prescott?

DH: It’s a good school. Study hard, don’t blow off your classes, and ask for help if you need it. You’ll do fine. Also, the best time to do laundry is when everyone else is eating.

Sd’A: Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.

DH: Well, the laundry thing took a while. Look, it takes some time to get a handle on college life. It can be tricky to find the balance between studying, and working, and partying when you’re new.

Sd’A: What about some advice to any Freshman considering rushing?

DH: Pick your fraternity carefully.

Sd’A: Are you referring to the famous rivalry between the Phi Sigs and the Alpha Delts?

DH: Not at all. I’m just saying that before you decide to pledge to a fraternity, you should make sure that you’re a good fit. Some fraternities have a focus on academic achievement. Some have a focus on community service. And some have a focus on...on other things.

Sd’A: Point taken. Thanks for your time, Deacon.

The Thing! Also, win things!

Welcome to the J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry Joint Mark Cooper Versus America Happy Birthday Giveaway Multi Hemisphere Blogapalooza. Or, as it will be known from now on, “the thing”.

So here’s the thing.

Want to win a copy of Mark Cooper versus America? It’s out on the 28th of January, but we’ve got fun stuff lined up from today -- J.A.’s birthday -- right through until past release day -- Lisa’s birthday! We couldn’t have planned it better. Seriously. We couldn’t. We don’t plan well at all.

The details of the thing:

From today, January 16 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, J.A.!) right up until January 24 we’ll be running some fun little character interviews and interactions on Facebook, and also on Twitter, and cross posting to our blogs. Then, on January 24 we’ll ask you a question that relates to something we’ve posted during the week. You can send your answers to us via email, or via private message on Facebook or Twitter, or by carrier pigeon if you have one just fluttering around. Then, on the 26th, we’ll announce our winner!

Why the 26th? Those of you playing from the southern hemisphere might recognise January 26 as Australia Day. And in a book about an Aussie boy, how could we ignore that? So one lucky winner gets a copy of Mark Cooper versus America. And you will probably all get a lamington recipe, so you can celebrate the day as was intended.

On January 27 we will be over at the Blog of Sid Love, being interviewed, and also giving away another copy of the book.

On January 28 we’ll be over at Boy Meets Boy Reviews, celebrating Release Day (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA!) with another giveaway.

And on January 29th, we’ll be at Joyfully Jay, doing the same.

But if you missed the chance at those four giveaway, check out our blogs on the 28th -- Release Day! -- for a fun frat quiz. Are you an Alpha Delt or more of a Phi Sig? Or should you even be in college at all? Leave us a comment telling us which character you’ve matched, and you’ll enter the draw for another chance to win the book. That will be drawn on February 4, once J.A. and Lisa have come down from their birthday cake-related sugar highs.

So that’s the thing. And here’s the blurb for the thing:

Mark Cooper is angry, homesick, and about to take his stepdad’s dubious advice and rush Prescott College’s biggest party fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Greek life is as foreign to Aussie transplant Mark as Pennsylvania’s snowstorms and bear sightings. So, when the fraternity extends Mark a bid, Mark vows to get himself kicked out by the end of pledge period. But then he’s drawn into Alpha Delt’s feud with a neighboring fraternity.

Studious Deacon Holt is disappointed to learn Mark’s pledging Alpha Delt, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa’s sworn enemy. Mark is too beautiful for Deacon to pass up an invitation for sex, but beyond sex, Deacon’s not sure. He wants a relationship, but a difficult family situation prevents him from pursuing anything beyond his studies.

Mark and Deacon’s affair heats up as the war between their fraternities escalates. They explore kinks they didn’t know they had while keeping their liaison a secret from their brothers. But what Romeo and Juliet didn’t teach these star-crossed lovers is how to move beyond sex and into a place where they share more than a bed. That’s something they’ll have to figure out on their own—if the friction between their houses, and between Mark and America, doesn’t tear them apart.

Coincidence? Yes.

It’s funny how we don’t like coincidences in fiction. When the hero on the run in the apocalypse just happens to find that truck with the keys still inside, or the one house in town not looted for supplies -- well, you might as well get the creaky mechanism rolling and lower the god from the machine onto the stage, because I'm done. Which is funny, because coincidences happen all the time in real life.

I think it’s because fiction has an obligation to make more sense than reality.

Lately my co-writer J.A. Rock and I have moved on from fighting about Australian versus American English. Now we’re doing this thing where I pick characters from our books and name them after her close family members. Whose names I don’t know.

Seriously.

So far I’ve managed to do this four times. I’ve named characters after her brother, her cousin, her father, and a dog she had when she was a kid. Best part of that? The character I named after her dog is a dog character.

So, while I try and figure out if I’m just psychic or am developing a combination of godlike and/or superhero powers, I’m also just going to enjoy the ride.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, this is why the dedication in When All The World Sleeps reads: To the real Kenny. Because we feel bad.

Me, for naming such a terrible character after you. And J.A., for not telling me a lot sooner.

I think that means she's a worse person than me, right? 

EDITED TO ADD: Make it five times. Picked another cousin today! 

The State of Play

I'm not usually one of those people who writes down the things she has achieved during the year. Mostly because that takes a level of organisation that I just don't have. Also, I can't find a pen. Ever. 

But here's how things stand for me at the end of 2013: 

Books Published: 2 (All with J.A. Rock) 

The Good Boy, and The Boy Who Belonged. 

Also The Naughty Boy, but that was a short. 

So let's call it two and a half. And while we're at it, thanks to everyone who made this happen for The Boy Who Belonged: 

Freebies: 2

Here are two very different animals: Falling Away and The Last Rebellion. (Psst: follow the links to download them!) 

Books Written: 

Mark Cooper versus America (with J.A. Rock) - out on January 28 from Loose Id. 

King of Dublin (with Heidi Belleau) - out in February 24 from Riptide. 

When All The World Sleeps (with J.A. Rock) - out on March 24 from Riptide. 

Sweetwater - part one written and part two still percolating - looking at a September release from Riptide. 

Bliss (with Heidi Belleau)

The Two Gentlemen of Altona (with J.A. Rock) 

Currently Writing: 

Merchant of Death (with J.A. Rock) 

Sweetwater, part two. 

Dark Space 2, a sequel. 

And two untitled sci-fi projects that are similar in theme, but very different in tone. 

And let's not forget The List, which is a Google Doc where J.A. Rock and I put all our ideas...even the crazy ones with tentacles. The List has two parts. The first, called LIST O' PROJECTS TO COMPLETED, has ten items on it. The second part, called LIST O'POSSIBLE PROJECTS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE REAL LIST O'PROJECTS, has one single item on it only. But it's a doozy. 

So, I'm thinking 2014 will not be the year I run out of ideas... 

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to print this post out and give it to my mum to explain how I never get any housework done. 

Arse. Brought to you by Mark Cooper.

I'm so excited! Mark Cooper versus America is out on January 28, and JA Rock and I have a cover to show you: 

Mark Cooper is angry, homesick, and about to take his stepdad’s dubious advice and rush Prescott College’s biggest party fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Greek life is as foreign to Aussie transplant Mark as Pennsylvania’s snowstorms and bear sightings. So, when the fraternity extends Mark a bid, Mark vows to get himself kicked out by the end of pledge period. But then he’s drawn into Alpha Delt’s feud with a neighboring fraternity.

Studious Deacon Holt is disappointed to learn Mark’s pledging Alpha Delt, his fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa’s sworn enemy. Mark is too beautiful for Deacon to pass up an invitation for sex, but beyond sex, Deacon’s not sure. He wants a relationship, but a difficult family situation prevents him from pursuing anything beyond his studies.

Mark and Deacon’s affair heats up as the war between their fraternities escalates. They explore kinks they didn’t know they had while keeping their liaison a secret from their brothers. But what Romeo and Juliet didn’t teach these star-crossed lovers is how to move beyond sex and into a place where they share more than a bed. That’s something they’ll have to figure out on their own—if the friction between their houses, and between Mark and America, doesn’t tear them apart.

Is it wrong that the thing I'm most proud about in this book is the fact that we get to use the word "arse" instead of "ass"? Because ass, as we all know, is the incorrect word. Right, JA? 

Anyway, Mark Cooper versus America is a really fun book. We had heaps of fun writing it, and I hope you'll have heaps of fun reading it. I think Mark is one of my favourite characters, and not just because he says "arse", but because he's fun, he's fearless, and he's stubborn. That stubbornness isn't always a good thing, or a smart thing, but he's also eighteen, and who didn't do some dumb things at eighteen? 

With that in mind, here's one of my favourite Aussie songs: