Blog Tour, Exclusive & Giveaway:
Dead Sea by Mia Kerick

Story Ballads, Book 2

He risks his life and finds his heart.

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 loser 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. 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.

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Hi, everybody! Mia Kerick, here, and I’m so happy to be at Books, Tattoos, and Tea today with my new release, Dead Sea.

Today’s post is about HIDING! Why, you ask? Because hiding is what the main characters, Kyle and Lenny, do best.

People hide in so many ways—they’re almost impossible to count. I’ve brainstormed some ways people hide. (There are many more ways that will surely come to your mind—I don’t have a corner on this market LOL.) And this is the perfect way to introduce you to how Kyle and Lenny take cover from each other and the world in Dead Sea.

Let’s start with me… I’m an introvert and a person who consistently hides. I do it by staying at home—I’m talking about BEFORE the pandemic. Home is safe. I can be alone. No one can see me here unless I let them. There’s no better place to hide than on my own living room couch.

People also hide is less obvious ways. For example, if you drink enough alcohol, you can hide in inebriation. Do you think that drunkenness is an effective cover for true feelings? Maybe if you drink enough, the real you isn’t exposed to the world. Maybe you even think you’re so well hidden it can protect you from pain.

Lots of people hide beneath extravagant clothing and makeup. You can literally hide in a brilliant blaze of fabric and color. Sunglasses help too. Who’s under there? Sometimes it’s hard to say.

Strangely, many people confuse hiding in wardrobe and makeup with expressing themselves, and to be honest, I think it is different for different people. What do you think?

What about hiding in dishonesty? If you never offer the truth of what you think or how you feel, you’re hiding in lies. Stating an honest opinion bares your soul to everyone. Keeping all of your thoughts and feelings to yourself is a way of taking cover.  Even if you think you are just being PC.

And then there’s compulsive rule following. (Um…I’ve been known to hide in this one.) By blindly following rules, you never call attention to yourself. You are invisible if you never rock the boat.

Even certain body language can hide you. Slumped shoulders, head bowed, gaze cast to the ground… Yes, it’s subtle, but it’s still hiding.

Another clever way to hide is to stay a foot behind the most obvious loudmouth in the group—no one will notice you if they’re gawking at him.  Am I right?

Hiding one’s true self is a major theme in my new release, Dead Sea. Kyle is a blustering bully—impossible to miss. But the truth is that he hides his fear and vulnerability behind intimidating behavior. Lenny hides in silence. His belief is that he can only find safety in invisibility, and so he strives every day to achieve it. Lenny never says a word, dresses plainly (um, well, most of the time), joins no clubs or sports, and offers no opinions. He believes that obscurity is safety.

But the truth always comes out and invisibility is rarely possible. What happens when Lenny’s secret life is are exposed to the whole town? Will Kyle also have to come out of hiding?

Pick up a copy of Dead Sea and find out!

❤ Mia

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Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of Dead Sea, Mia is giving away a $15 Amazon Voucher!

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cc0f2a57157/?

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About the Author:

Award-winning gay romance author, Mia Kerick, knows that a satisfying romance novel is riddled with challenges. For true love to prevail, the leading men are gonna have to put in some effort. But the HEA is oh-so rewarding.

Mia has a great affinity for the damaged teenage soul in literature. Her YA gay contemporary romance focuses on such tropes as hurt/comfort and dark secrets that keep them apart. In Kerick’s books, the course of true love never does run smooth.

Mia’s books have been featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine. They have won a 2019 IPPY GOLD award for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction, a 2018 YA GOLD MOONBEAM Children’s Book Award, a YA Readers’ Favorite Award, several Gold Rainbow Awards in YA and adult categories, a Reader Views’ Book by Book Publicity Literary Award, the Jack Eadon Award for Best Book in Contemporary Drama, a YA Indie Fab Award, a First Place Royal Dragonfly Award for Cultural Diversity, a First Place Story Monsters Purple Dragonfly Award, and more.

Mia cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights. 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.


Contact Mia:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miakerick/
Twitter: @MiaKerick
https://www.miakerickya.com
https://www.miakerick.com

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