Illinois Authors

Delacourte 2020

Before heading off to college in the fall, Rachel Walls decides to give in to the universe for the summer and say yes to everything, bringing her friendship, new experiences, and, if she lets her guard down, love.

Curiosity Quills Press, Reston, VA : ©2016.

All her life, sixteen-year old Piper has been content to go along with her ultraconservative family's mission to warn the heathens of the impending judgment of God through anti-gay protests. So when she's cast as Romeo in her school's production of Romeo & Juliet, Piper is as shocked as everyone else. The production proves to be vastly different than her other on-stage experiences-- previously limited to playing AIDS Girl in her church's annual Hell House--And Piper soon discovers not only does she love acting, she's also pretty talented. The school principal, influenced by people like Piper's dad, demands that the part of Romeo be recast appropriately or the show cannot go on. Now, Piper faces a choice: become the figurehead to appeal the principal's decision-- in direction opposition to her family and everything she's ever believed--, or accept the message the administration's ultimatum sends to gay students, including someone she has come to call a close friend. Namely, that they should be ashamed of who they are or whom they happen to love. For the old Piper, it would have been a no-brainer. But being Romeo has affected her in ways she never imagined, and so has her new friendship. Now Piper finds herself face to face with the real cost of all her family's efforts, and it challenges everything she thought she knew about life. And God.-Amazon.