Book Spotlight: JERKBAIT by Mia Siegert

Mia Siegert is a long-time friend and supporter of A Broken Winter. We met over a decade ago, when we were both writing characters for a Gravitation-based RPG. I played Yuki Eiri and she played Fujisaki Suguru. We didn't talk much, largely on account of me giving the impression of being a world-class asshole (I was Yuki-fucking-Eiri!). Eventually Mia discovered I'm not an entirely heartless bastard and we began chatting often, sometimes all night. At one point I sent her the link to Tubgirl and the fact that she continued to speak to me afterward indicated we had something special. 

Mia is one of the hardest working people I know, whether it’s cranking out costumes for a production of CATS or tackling important social issues with her writing. Mia’s debut novel JERKBAIT is being released on May 3^rd, 2016. It reached #1 on Amazon.com’s list of new releases in the young adult/teen LGBT issues category. 

“Even though they're identical, Tristan isn't close to his twin Robbie at all—until Robbie tries to kill himself. Forced to share a room to prevent Robbie from hurting himself, Tristan starts seeing his twin as not an NHL prospect, but a struggling gay teen who is terrified about coming out in the professional sports world. Trapped together in their claustrophobic room, Robbie suggests they run away with "Jimmy2416," a guy Robbie has talked to online for months but never met. Tristan must decide whether to tell his parents about Robbie's plan, losing his twin's trust forever, or go on a journey that will put their lives and innocence in jeopardy.” – Official description

JERKBAIT fearlessly tackles issues faced by athletes who fall outside the heteronormatic paradigm. It’s an unflinching look at the perils of not fitting in and the consequences of the pressure to conform. Mia’s extensive hockey knowledge brings a lot of insight into the game and her thoughtfulness and compassion adds a lot of humanity. 

Pre-order your copy today, and/or add it to your “to-read” list on Goodreads!

JERKBAIT on Goodreads 

Pre-order: Canada - Chapters/Indigo

United States - Amazon  

Elsewhere - Book Depository

What If

Ever wonder what A Broken Winter might look like if Archie the Redcat wasn't the artist? Before deciding on Archie I went through dozens of applications from artists. Some of them made it as far as being commissioned for an illustration depicting various characters and/or a scene from the script. Here's a selection of what could have been.

Mark Devera    

Silvina Rinaldi 

Alfa Robbi

Dan Rive   (That's Kokkan as a young boy (with Reisen) in the top panel. Kokkan (as a teenager) with Kuroda in the middle, and Kokkan as an adult.)

Catalina Silva

Thank You

The fundraising campaign has come to a close. Thank you to everyone who contributed with a donation or helped by spreading the word. Even though the goal wasn't quite reached there's still enough contributions to ensure you guys will have a bunch of new pages to read when Archie is finished working on them.

Additionally, thank you to those who offered their support in regard to the flooding situation in Calgary. Unfortunately the house I was renting won't be habitable anytime soon (if ever, given the structural damage) and I was forced to relocate elsewhere. However, the sheer number of people who donated their time, energy, and vast quantities of food to ensure everyone in the community had all the help they needed and were sufficiently well-fed made it an unforgettable experience. 

In other news, I'll be doing a podcast interview with Moonhawk Studios on Friday, July the 5th at 10:PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT to discuss A Broken Winter. Check it out if you enjoy listening to shy, socially inept writers talk about cannibalism.

Fundraising

I'm not sure what has inspired me to start an A Broken Winter blog apart from innate masochism. Anyone who's ever had the misfortune of following me on LJ knows that updating for me is much like pulling teeth, only marginally less pleasant. That said, I'll at least attempt to keep everyone well-informed in terms of what's going on with the comic as well as provide (hopefully) useful/relevant information and things like previews of upcoming chapters.

At the moment, I'm currently engaged in a fundraising campaign in order to help finance more chapters, so if you have a few dollars to spare please consider clicking the link below.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-broken-winter-arc-one/x/3433586