Books

A Different Kind Of Boy

A story about inclusion and making friends

When Michael starts school, he discovers that he doesn’t enjoy the same things as the other boys, like playing ball. Some of his classmates bully him for being different. Can Michael overcome the bullying and find a friend like him? Developing healthy social skills when entering the school-age years is critical for all children. This includes those who are developing with “different” interests to what society expects. As a child, Michael Simones had little interest in sports, and bases his story on how he handled his exclusion and bullying growing up. He hopes that his own experience will inspire healthy…

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Across The Bridge

A Queer, Anti-Suicide/Pro-Living Coming-Of-Age Story

As a queer teen in a small American town in the 1980s, Ryder purposely stays in the shadows. At high school he meets friends, including his first crush, Nate, who unconsciously showed him a road to being proud of who he is. A pride that stays with him for life. But growing up in this small, queer-phobic town wasn’t easy, and along the way Ryder will battle to overcome thoughts of suicide. Queer youth (no matter what the decade) have to deal with high school heteronormative expectations that do not match who they are. How did Ryder, Nate and friends…

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Across the Bridge 2

Ryder is back to share the hurtful and hateful experiences he endured growing up in a rural American town. He describes his experiences of hate-filled anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and physical assault, along with more positive stories about Nate, his first crush. In such a hostile, anti-LGBTQIA+ environment, how did Ryder turn the negative into a positive path forward in life? He wants you to know that, no matter your circumstances as a queer teen or young adult, there is support out there. What did Ryder do to immerse himself in positive and supportive queer messaging? In Book 2, he candidly offers…

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