Pray the Gay Away (A Southern Thing series book 1) by Sara York | Audio Review, Interview & Giveaway {TTC AOTM}

~ July 2015 | Author of The Month ~ 

Sara York | 'A Southern Thing' series

{featuring Jason Frazier, narrator for the series}

This month I'm doing the AOTM feature a little different, I'm featuring the Author of the series as well as the narrator. Each week I will share my review for another book in the series with you, along with both an Author and Narrator Interview Q&A. Sara York and Jason Frazier were kind enough to answer a series of questions for me, so each week I will post several questions with their answers. You'll have to check back each week to see the next series of questions and answers as well as the new review for that week. 

There is also a great giveaway from the Author this month including a Signed paperback copy of Pray the Gay Away, book 1 in the series. And for audible fans, I'm giving away an audible copy of book 1 as well. So sit back and enjoy week 1 of July's AOTM, Sara York and her 'A Southern Thing' series! 

Pray The Gay Away

Book 1 of 'A Southern Thing' series. 

Star football player, Jack Miller, had it all. The perfect family, looks, girls hanging on his every word, and the respect of most people in his town. But one thing was missing--a man to be his own. 

When Andrew Collins showed up in small town, conservative Sweet, Georgia, he looked more scrawny mutt than high school senior. Andrew's plan was to keep his head down and graduate high school, leaving his family behind to start his real life. 

When he meets Andrew, Jack thinks he's found heaven, but reality holds him in check until one night when his lips gently slide across Andrew's and fireworks go off. 

As lust and something a little deeper brings them together, compelling them to take chances, people start to notice. Then the unthinkable happens, and Jack's parents find out he likes guys. The battle lines are drawn and they vow to pray the gay away.

Buy links: Amazon | Audible 

Anyone on the outside looking in would think that Jack Miller has the picture perfect life. Star football player, well behaved son of the local Preacher and a ton of great friends. If you looked through the well-hidden cracks in the surface, you would see the truth. Jack is miserable trying to be someone he is not, his father is the very definition of the word hypocrite, his family is a stone’s throw away from falling apart, and all those friends that gather around him, they are only there because of Jack’s status.

Andrew Collins and his parents move to Jack’s small town in an effort to escape the scandal in their last town when Andrew was caught kissing another young man. His parents are emotionally distant, controlling and verbally abusive at best. When the Preacher at their new church suggests that his son Jack be a shoulder for Andrew to lean on while he adjusts to life in the new town, no one could know the ramifications of the two young men becoming friends. 

When two kindred spirits unite they will recognize each other straight away. That is what happens with Jack and Andrew. They fall hard and fast and do the best they can to keep their budding romance a secret from everyone. When their parents learn the truth behind their relationship the results are both volatile and disturbing. 

I will start by saying this story is very dark, dramatic, angsty and deep. But there is also love and understanding between the two young men that lead the story. Jack knows he is gay but he hides his sexuality from everyone for fear of how they will react. Besides, he is the star quarterback and the Preachers eldest son, a certain appearance is expected of him, one that does not include an attraction to the same sex. Andrew got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, and his life has been a living hell ever since. His parents use demeaning tactics like fasting and starvation to ensure their son walks the line, or at least their line that is. So while the way these two young men were treated by their own parents, the people that are supposed to love them unconditionally, made my blood boil; I have to give York credit for making their time together something beautiful and intriguing. Jack and Andrew are both very young and inexperienced. York captures that youth, inexperience and vulnerability perfectly in the story and its equal parts endearing and heart breaking.

Narrated by Jason Frazier and I really enjoyed how his voice was as young as the characters were. He really captured that jock persona for Jack while keeping true to the awkward and unsteady aspect of Andrew. I felt like he completely immersed himself in these characters so I had a feel and vision of what they would be like we’re I to meet them in real life. And oh my word, Jack’s father, between York’s creation of this monster on paper and Frazier bringing this vile human being to life, he literally made me sick. By the end of the story I just wanted to climb into my I-pod and strangle him with my bare hands, then grab Jack and Andrew and hug them until they passed out. 

While the story is difficult at times to listen to, it’s so well written and conveyed, I have to list it as a must read. I love when an author can take on controversial subjects, like a small Georgia town stuck in the middle ages and a hypocritical minister and tell them in such a way that I am engaged throughout. I was born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia, so I know first-hand that what York wrote in this story is sadly true to fact more often than not. Add to that Frazier’s narration that chronicled this journey for Jack and Andrew with such emotions as awe, shock, concern and love and I don’t see how you could pass this one up.

Be warned if you have triggers… this story contains scenes of violence. But there is also love and compassion thrown in the mix.

Writing is Sara York's life. The stories fight to get out, often leaving her working on four or five books at once. She can't help but write. Along with her writing addiction she has a coffee addiction. Some nights, the only reason she stops writing and goes to sleep is for the fresh brewed coffee in the morning. Sara enjoys writing twisted tales of passion, anger, and love with a good healthy dose of lust thrown in for fun.

Author links: website | facebook | twitter 

This weeks Q&A with Author Sara York...

What inspired you to start writing, and how long have you been at it?

I’ve always wanted to write but didn’t really have any idea where to start. I’d played with writing but didn’t have the tools that I needed. I joined RWA in 2002 and learned so much. In 2002 my sister announced that she was going to live in the Bahamas on a boat, and while on the boat she would write a novel. It was my dream to write a novel and I knew that I had to have a novel written before she came back. That year, while she was living on her boat in paradise, I wrote. That novel may never see the light of day, but it had to happen to get me where I am now. 

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

You can’t rush it. You need to take time to develop your craft. Don’t cheat yourself by trying to move too quickly through the process. When you think your story is ready to see the light of day, read it again. You owe it to yourself to take the time to get it right.

Who is your favorite author and why?

I love Ethan Stone. His books are realistic with just the right amount of action. I also love Kindle Alexander’s books too. Kindle’s books are full of romance with a great story. Both of them produce high quality stories that I can get into.

How do you develop your plot and characters? Which comes first?

The plot and character come together at about the same time for me. They are twined together in such a way that I’m not sure I could pull them apart and explain how I develop them. The characters drive the plot and the plot develops the characters so that they develop together.

Jason Frazier

Voice Actor & Performer 

Follow Jason: website | IMDB | Youtube | Facebook | Audible

Jason Frazier is a Los Angeles-based voice actor and performer 
working in animation, interactive, audiobooks, theater, commercials, 
new media, film and television. SAG-AFTRA / AEA / ASIFA / TV Academy. 

This weeks Q&A with Narrator Jason Frazier...

What inspired you to start recording and do voice actor work?

I was inspired to become a performer at a very young age; the films THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and Disney’s animated classic ALADDIN (1992) both had a profound, inspirational affect on me. Watching those films helped me recognize the performer in myself — I felt “connected” to certain characters and moments — and I just nurtured it from there into adulthood. I loved the large, epic, fantasy quality of THE WIZARD OF OZ, which spurred my love of villains and theatrical performances with real presence. Margaret Hamilton really knocked it out of the park with a role that she’d be forever identified with (the Wicked Witch of the West). On the other hand, I was equally enchanted by the combination of amazing animation and color, catchy songs and fantastic voice acting in ALADDIN. Even though I had seen Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) and THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) prior to ALADDIN, it was really ALADDIN that cemented how great the animated feature experience was for me. It has everything about animation I love, including, yes - another fantastic villain, Jafar (my favorite Disney villain). Interestingly, I’ve been friends with Jonathan Freeman, the voice behind the animated villainy, for over 14 years now, and it’s a connection and relationship I’m incredibly grateful for in my life. That’s really how performing and voice acting first entered my life.

How long have you been doing narrations for Authors?

In terms of doing voiceover and narration specifically for authors and audiobooks, I’ve been doing that for the last two years. However, I’ve been doing other forms of voiceover (animation, series, interactive, etc.) long before that and have been a professional performer for over 10 years, working in other mediums including stage and film.

What advice would you give a new narrator just starting out?

I don’t really consider myself a “narrator,” truthfully — I’m a performer and voice actor, so I really like to make sure that these audiobooks are “performed” rather than just “read.” A title becomes infinitely more enjoyable and listenable when you feel like you’re right in the mix with the characters and can almost picture the scenes developing in your mind as you listen. I like to think of the titles I produce as “recorded plays” or “radio plays.” I dunno, there’s something about making these things listening “events,” like going to a good night of theater or, back in the day, sitting in front of the radio with your family and sharing that entertainment together. So, my advice to a NEW narrator starting out in this facet of the business, would be to really cultivate their acting and performance chops first. Be a good actor, know how to access your emotions, know your range and how to play with it, both for variety and given the material at hand. Don’t just read. Be invested in what you’re saying/performing — the listener can hear every little thing in their headphones. So make the most solid, effective choices as you can. Beyond that, there are the technical requirements of recording with the proper quality equipment and in a good, acoustically treated room/studio.

What was your favorite audio book to record to date?

I’d have to say that my favorite audiobook to record to-date was BLAME IT ON THE MISTLETOE by Eli Easton for Dreamspinner Press. I loved the holiday theme and the growing romance between the two main characters felt very real and believable. There were so many parts where I found myself laughing during recording…the writing just has a good playful energy to it, even though it deals with some heavy topics in-between. I found it to be incredibly well-written, with the characters all each clearly defined and there was a forward momentum of the book from chapter to chapter, so you felt like the book was going somewhere and not stagnating in a certain place or being redundant. As a performer, those are two of my pet peeves, and Eli’s work was completely free of that. Also, who doesn’t love a HEA?!??! :)

I am loving the Q&A so far, great insight into the minds of the Author and the Narrator. 
Don't leave until you take a few minutes to enter our amazing giveaway, just follow the RC below to enter and be sure to stop back by next week for the next series of questions with Sara and Jason, and my review of Sending Jack off to Jesus, book 2 in A Southern Thing series! 

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