Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I definitely love reading a wide variety of stories – however, at the heart of them – you might notice quite a heap involve plots centred round ‘coming-of age’ tales, wherein we get to take the journey with the character whose about to undertake a pivotal part of their journey towards maturity, adulthood & along the way finding the voice and wings needed in order to fly into their own tomorrow on their own terms. The kinds of stories you really can rally inside and gather behind because they have *something!* relatable inside them about the process of growing up and of finding out about who you are whilst your reading someone else’s tale.
These are the stories which help us re-examine our own lives and our own life’s choices – whilst giving us the benefit of reading a wide variety of lives & lifestyles. I love the coming-of age niche in literature because it strikes such a lovely balance between reading stories for younger readers & the stories we will be seeking out as adults. Sometimes even, you’ll find the coming-of age section is such a wholly full section to read you might not long for another type of story for quite a long while! I tend to read these in batches and groupings of interest – this particular title stood out to me as Rose is endeavouring to segue away from the path her family has chosen to live. Rose wants more for herself and she wants to seek an independence outside her family’s dynamic.
Before sharing this spotlighted post about Rose, I saw a YT video about the author behind “Educated” which was featured on #EllenTube. She also grew up in a family who was living outside the regular realms of society and she also, in turn decide to make what they felt was a radical choice to live outside that chosen lifestyle. What is interesting is how whether the story is told from a living perspective or from a fictional one – there is something to be said for the stories which champion the independence of the soul & the fortitude of strength it takes to carve out your own future when there is so much uncertainty about how to go about doing it.
I find these kinds of stories wicked inspiring – which is why I wanted to be a part of the blitz to celebrate & champion this story. I selected the extract from this story which I felt resonated with me the most about the kind of person Rose is and the woman she is daring herself to become. I’d love to hear from you about what you felt about this extract and if you’ve earmarked this story to read yourself. I am definitely going to be sourcing this through my local library this Spring & eventually I’ll be purchasing my own copy as I think it has a solid premise which needs to be read.
As a side note – this is the second story in recent memory I’ve focused on from Acorn Publishing – as previously I highlighted Fly Girl!
My Name is Rose
by Alexa Kingaard
Rose is unsettled, curious, and bored. Life in a hippie commune is her parent’s dream come true, not hers. She doesn’t share their passion for living off the land, nor does she enjoy the isolation that is thrust upon her. When she convinces them to send her to public school in the nearby town, a new world opens up to her.
As she pursues her education, Rose chooses a different path, leaving her parents heartbroken at her insistence they are hiding something from her. She’s convinced her father isn’t the man her mother married.
Although she finds love far away from her roots and upbringing, her wounds only deepen as she keeps her family at arm’s length. What she loses during those years can only be retrieved with her understanding that “a Rose by any other name is still a Rose.”
Places to find the book:
ASIN: 978-1947392434
on 22nd February, 2019
Published by: Acorn Publishing (@PublishingAcorn)
Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Hardback and Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #YALit OR #Contemporary #YoungAdult
About Alexa Kingaard
Alexa Kingaard was born in San Diego, CA and has lived most of her life in the area. She currently resides in Carlsbad and is the mother of an adult son and daughter who continue to be her biggest fans and cheerleaders. A realtor for fifteen years, she remains involved with her profession and praises her brokers and clients for giving her the nod to be creative.
She gives all the credit for completing her debut novel, KEEP FOREVER, to her inspiration and late ex-husband, Jeff, who battled the residual effects of the Vietnam War for decades after his return.
Her second novel, MY NAME IS ROSE, will be released through Acorn Publishing March 15, 2019.
Enjoy reading an Extract from ‘My Name is Rose’:
Excerpt – Chapter 11
We strolled together down the corridor, acclimating ourselves to the environs of dorm living. It would be loud, for sure. Freshmen, sophomores, a few juniors arrived in all shapes and sizes. Most of the girls looked fresh out of high school, and they probably felt as lost as we did. Some had already situated themselves in front of the TV set in the common area. Others took advantage of their last weekend of summer, checking out the activity board and bolting for the front door.
I marveled at the momentum and excitement that permeated the air and took a deep breath to still my thoughts. Had I been too hasty with my decision to leave the commune? Did my school girl fantasy of trying to come to grips with my parentage propel me into an environment where I didn’t belong?
I shrugged it off. I knew I had made the right decision.
Cecily and I continued to investigate our surroundings.
Almost in passing, more of a question to myself than to Cecily, I asked,” What do you think I would look like with short hair?”
I pulled at the uncombed ends, a head of hair that hadn’t been trimmed in a decade and had absolutely no style. It was just hair, lots of it, lackluster, drab, and long, in need of something different to coincide with my long-awaited sense of freedom…a more mature, post-high school appearance.
“I think you would look adorable. Open your face. People could see your eyes. They’re really pretty, Rose…so dark…very unusual.”
I startled. Nice of her to say.
I tried to imagine myself with hair that didn’t go past my waist. A short pixie – no, too drastic. Maybe a perm – not even my most rebellious self could justify a move that extreme.
The next morning I found a hairdresser close to campus, a wise choice I thought, since there was a line out the door by the time I arrived without an appointment. She convinced me that a blunt cut, shoulder length, feathered bangs, a slight undercut to create movement was what my perfect oval face needed.
I reluctantly followed her advice. I winced when she pulled all my hair away from my face, tied it loosely with a rubber band, and with one motion of her razor-sharp scissors, sheared off the entire mass of hair three inches below the knot. I could hear it sever every strand, like slicing bread, and watched it fall at my feet in a dull brown heap, ready to be swept up and thrown in the trash. Almost two decades of my identity, in five seconds, gone.
My face registered my shock and horror. I felt the chair slowly turn around, my back to the mirror, as the stylist prepared herself to take on the challenge. After what felt like hours, she finally removed the black cape, shook off the pieces of uneven, chopped waves and tendrils that clung to the plastic, and gently rotated the seat to reveal my image. Pleased with herself and waiting for my reaction, I squeezed my eyes shut. I was unsure if I might cry at the end result, a vision so unfamiliar, I was positive I would hate it. I regretted taking the plunge, and before I peered out from my new, shagged bangs brushed to the side just below my eyebrows, I held my breath and reassured myself that it was just hair. If I didn’t like it, even if I detested it or was embarrassed by it, it would always grow back. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.
I followed my reflection in every store window all the way home. A few boys, ready to pursue conquests and casual victories, cast second glances in my direction. A totally new experience for me. I put my head down and walked quickly past, too fearful to engage in conversation or to stop to get acquainted, but by the time I reached my room, my confidence had soared.
“So cute!” shrieked Cecily when I flung open the door and presented myself to the only person who had seen both the before and after version of me.
As I’ve read all the extracts attached to this book blitz whilst trying to choose which one I wanted to host on my own stop on the blitz – I had the chance to get a sampling of what is going on in Rose’s life and how her choice to separate from her family to seek out University is truly a remarkable feat as it isn’t something that was expected nor planned by her parents. In the extracts I was reading you start to see the growth in Rose – how she moves from being a part of her family to a young woman who wants to live independent of them. How she is attempting to sort out her own identity without their influence and how being a school is a freedom of its own as it is affording her to learn things about herself, her world and life in general she might never had otherwise known.
The story has a strong sense of purpose and plotting – it has a wonderfully layered character in Rose as she is just starting out on her own and attempting to live life on her own terms. I can’t wait to read the story in full to watch her progresses – as this first goal she’s accomplished of reclaiming her right to choose what she wants to do with her hair and her outward appearance is a stake in the claim on her soul. She’s starting to blossom despite her concerns and her insecurities – I have a feeling each new step she takes towards tomorrow is one step further away from her past and in effect, the best route towards embracing ‘Rose’.
This book blitz is courtesy of:
Most of the blitzes I host for this touring company have giveaways attached to them, which is why I route to the main page via Xpresso Tours as an easy reference for where you can find that information.
Find others hosting via @XpressoTours!
I am enjoying being a hostess for:
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. This also extends to Book Spotlights & Book Blitzes which I choose to highlight which might have content inclusive to the post materials which I did not directly add a contribution but had the choice whether or not to feature those materials on my blog.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “My Name is Rose”, author photograph of Alexa Kingaard, author biography, blitz tour banner and host badge were provided by Xpresso Book Tours and are being used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Stories in the Spotlight banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
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