ABROAD: Book One by
Liz Jacobs
Series: Abroad
Duology
Publisher: Brain
Mill Press
Release Date (Print
& Ebook): June 27th wide release; early access June 17th
Length (Print &
Ebook): ~100K words; 372 pages
Subgenre: NA;
LGBTQIA
All buy links or
pre-order links:
Book Blurb:
Nick Melnikov doesn’t know where he
belongs. He was just a kid when his Russian-Jewish family immigrated to
Michigan. Now he’s in London for university, overwhelmed by unexpected
memories. Socially anxious, intensely private, and closeted, Nick doesn’t expect
to fall in so quickly with a tight-knit group of students from his college, and
it’s both exhilarating and scary. Hanging out with them is a roller coaster of
serious awkward and incredible longing, especially when the most intimidating
of the group, Dex, looks his way.
Dex Cartwell knows exactly who he
is: a black queer guy who doesn’t give a toss what anybody thinks of him. He is
absolutely, one-hundred-percent, totally in control of his life. Apart, maybe,
from the stress of his family’s abrupt move to an affluent, largely white town.
And worrying about his younger brother feeling increasingly isolated as a
result. And the persistent broken heart he’s been nursing for a while . . .
When Nick and Dex meet, both find
themselves intrigued. Countless late-night conversations only sharpen their
attraction. But the last thing Nick wants is to face his deepest secret, and
the last thing Dex needs is another heartache. Dex has had to fight too hard
for his right to be where he is. Nick isn’t even sure where he’s from. So how
can either of them tell where this is going?
Quotes from the
author about the book:
ABROAD is a story of struggle, love, identity, fear, family, and
friendship. It's about finding your people. It's a story of how our
cultures can define, constrict, and, ultimately, free us. It's a story of
immigration and its fallout, of confusion and clashes and how help can come
from the most unexpected places. It's the story I have always wanted to tell,
ever since I was a confused, frightened immigrant kid with no recourse but to
adapt to unfamiliar surroundings or sink. In many ways, while fictionalized and
quite altered, this is my story.
Teaser Excerpt
No, Izzy wasn't drunk. She was happy. She'd needed this. She
just felt...unbalanced. Not right. Something was niggling at her, but she
couldn't catch it, not without a bigger net.
Maybe it
had been that stupid fight with Dex.
Maybe it
had been the talk with Nick about her course.
Maybe she
was just overthinking everything, which never ended well, and anyway, she never
dwelled on the bad shit. Why was she even doing it now?
Maybe that
was why, when she was taking a quick rest against an empty bit of wall,
catching her breath, and saw a girl appear in front of her and beckon her for a
dance with a tilt of her chin, Izzy went.
"What's
your name?" the girl shouted in her ear once they were bouncing up and
down on the dance floor. Her breath was hot against Izzy's skin and smelled
beery.
"Izzy!"
"What?"
"Izzy!
Like Isabel, but, like. Shorter?"
The girl
laughed and pulled back enough to catch Izzy's eye. "I heard you the first
time, love, just having a laugh."
It should have annoyed her, and maybe it
would have, had a guy done it. But somehow, it only made Izzy laugh. Flush and
laugh, but luckily, she was probably pink all over from the dancing alone, so
at least it wouldn't be noticeable.
"What
about you, then?" she shouted.
"I'm
Ruby!"
Izzy
thought that if they hadn't been shouting, Ruby's voice would have been husky.
It had that edge to it. She had that
edge to her, anyway. She was shorter than Izzy, just enough to probably be of a
height when Izzy wasn't wearing heels. With heels on, Izzy brushed the other
side of six foot, which she loved more than most people, probably. She'd once
cried on her mum's shoulder that she felt like an elephant compared to all the
other girls (and, what was worse, boys) in her class, and her mum had petted
her head, then said, "Isabel? Great Danes don't produce chihuahuas."
It had been so absurd, it had actually comforted.
She liked the way she towered over
Ruby, because it didn't feel as if she should be able to. Ruby was sort of tall
and lanky but had a presence about her; she felt bigger than her build. She,
too, had tattoos. Seriously, was this a queer lady thing? She'd have to ask Nat
later, because Nat had also already started on an arm sleeve, but Izzy had
thought it was more of a Nat thing, not a lesbian thing. Ruby's left arm was
covered shoulder to midway through her forearm. Vines and sea monsters and
things. It was cool. She had a lip piercing, an eyebrow piercing, and short
black hair in a sort of chunky haircut where the fringe periodically fell over
her darkly-lined eyes. In this light, it was impossible to tell what color they
were, but regardless of anything, she was easily the coolest girl Izzy'd ever
met.
Author Bio:
Liz Jacobs came over with her family from Russia at the age
of 11, as a Jewish refugee. All in all, her life has gotten steadily
better since that moment. They settled in an ultra-liberal haven in the middle
of New York State, which sort of helped her with the whole “grappling with her
sexuality” business.
She has spent a lot of her time flitting from passion
project to passion project, but writing remains her constant. She has flown
planes, drawn, made jewelry, had an improbable internet encounter before it was
cool, and successfully wooed the love of her life in a military-style campaign.
She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her essay on her
family’s experience with immigration.
She currently lives with her wife in Massachusetts,
splitting her time between her day job, writing, and watching a veritable
boatload of British murder mysteries.
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