Title: Stolen Heart
Author: Kristian Daniels
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2021
Publisher: Friesen Press
Will Elliott’s past dampen his new life?
Life is better with you.
As a teen, Elliott Denison grapples with life, love and sexuality. His heart had been shattered every time his parents pushed him away. Life had forced him to be strong enough to endure Stanstead’s biggest bully and strong enough to come into his own as an openly gay man.
Now he was 26 years old, and a wave of emotion invaded him as though a switch had been sparked in his mind when Chase Harrison unexpectedly crossed his path. Everything Elliott ever wanted growing up was there in front of him. It doesn’t take long for Elliott to enter into Chase’s life.
Then the ugly past rears its head. Only this time, the face is a shadowy online stalker and an anonymous hater.
I got back home a few hours later. “Hi, I’m back,” I said. As I headed towards my room, my father asked me to join him in the living room. I did.
“What?”
My father was sitting in his chair with my mother by his side. Something didn’t look right.
“Are you a homosexual?” my father asked calmly but sternly as he turned my laptop around. I hadn’t even noticed it there.
My worst nightmare was staring at me. Ah, shit. “How come my laptop is down here?” I asked.
“I asked you a question,” my father said.
My eyes started darting around as if looking for a place to hide, but I finally looked at my father and answered, “I don’t know.”
“This is a sin!” my father yelled, slamming the laptop shut. He approached me, pointing his finger at me. “This behaviour stops now, you hear? I will not have a sinner in my house! We didn’t bring you up like this, and no son of mine will partake in such disgusting, perverted activities! If you don’t change, I will send you to conversion therapy.”
I looked at my mother for some support or compassion, but she stood there and did nothing. My father stormed outside and slammed the door behind him.
“Mom,” I said, “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
“You are a sinner,” she said, slapping me across the face. “You are a disgrace to this family. I would rather have a criminal for a son than a pervert. If you want to remain part of this family, you will cease this deviant behaviour immediately; otherwise, I want you out of this house.”
“Mom, please… Don’t say that. It’s not my fault. I tried to resist these feelings. Believe me, I tried.” My eyes were starting to tear up.
“You didn’t try hard enough,” she said.
Her eyes became dark, and her pupils dilated, “Don’t you take the lord’s name in vain! Why do you insist on hurting us like this?”
“I don’t want to hurt you! Do you think this is to hurt you?”
“Liar!” Her face was so close to mine that I could smell her breath. Then she walked out.
I ran outside, slammed the door behind me, and sat on the front steps, trembling. I couldn’t stop sobbing. I called Chad and asked him if I could crash at his place.
“What happened?” Chad asked.
“My parents found out I was gay! They saw the video on my laptop. The things they said to me were so hurtful. I can’t live here anymore! All that matters to them is what the bible says! They’re ready to throw me out! I don’t mean anything to them!”
“Calm down,” Chad said. “I’ll come to pick you up. Pack your things.”
I went inside, grabbed all that would fit in my duffle bag, and stormed back outside to wait for Chad. I didn’t bother telling my parents where I was going; they wouldn’t care anyway. Chad drove up the driveway, I got in, and we left.
“What did you tell your parents?”
“I told them what you told me,” Chad said.
“Are they cool with me coming over?”
“Yes, they’re fine with it. How are you holding up?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to think. I feel so ashamed.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault.” As we pulled up the driveway to his house, Chad suggested that I see a school counsellor next week. “Maybe they can help.”
“Yeah, maybe. Thanks for everything,” I said.
As we walked in, Chad’s parents met us at the door. His mom said, “Hi, Elliott, welcome. I want you to feel comfortable here. Consider this your home now. Chad told us a bit of what happened, and we’re so sorry you had to live that.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hardwicke.
“Come, I’ll show you your room,” Chad said as we walked up the stairs. “Rest up. If you need anything, I’m just across the hall. It will be alright, I promise.” Chad hugged me and went back downstairs.
I sat on the bed, hunched over with my head in my hands, rocking. “What am I suppose to do now? Am I such a bad person?”
What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
My biggest influence was how little had changed from when I was growing up gay and today. During my research, what stunned me the most was a lot of what my generation went through, today’s youth are going through the same experience. I wanted to write about how it is to grow up being different in modern society to demonstrate how devastating it can be and, most often is, to someone’s intellect and emotional state. I wanted to share what rejection by one’s family for whatever reason, whether it is based upon beliefs, religion, society’s perception, or your image can do to a person no matter what age you are.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
Apart from writing the story, I enjoy developing the storyline. What I enjoy the most about it is seeing your single idea grow from sentences in your outline into a story in a book. Then my other favourite process is creating and developing the characters and their names. I try to match their names to their personality.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I get fully engrossed when I’m reading suspense novels. They’re one of my favourite books to read. It’s hard for me to put down and continue reading the book the following day, so to counteract this, I read those novels when I’m vacationing at a resort. I can read all day lounging by the pool.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
It would be Dan Brown. I am intrigued by the number of hours of research and preparation he must put into developing his stories. He is one of my favourites authors and writer.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you “later in life”?
I’ve always wanted to write since I was a teenager. I read a lot too at that age. I read poems, books, books written for teenagers and young adults, and I loved reading plays. I thought of becoming a playwright as a career growing up, but I didn’t. I began making time to write later in life. Stolen Heart is my first novel. Before Stolen Heart, I wrote short plays, short stories but never finished them.
Kristian Daniels writes coming of age, gay romance and gay love stories. His stories are about the life and tribulations of the LGBTQs community, their fight to be accepted and loved. It’s also about their struggles, rejection and their suffering. Writing a novel was always a thirst for him, and with Stolen Heart, it became a reality.
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