Quite a while ago now a Facebook friend (and real life one, when we happen to bump into each other *lol*) started a Kickstarter project. A project with a difference. Chaz Harris and Adam Reynolds wrote a children’s book, with two male leads who fall in love. It also includes a Queen named Elena (popular name *grin*) who happens to be pretty darn awesome with a sword. With this story in mind, and the Kickstarter project growing rapidly, Chris and Adam were able to begin work on the book. Now, that project is complete, and the end result is bloody stunning. Below is the media release, giving a little more background, and of course links! I’ve already bought my e-copy, I’m just waiting for payday so I can go grab a physical copy 🙂 Go grab your e-copy today, let’s encourage diversity!

NEW CHILDREN’S FAIRYTALE ‘PROMISED LAND’ PROVES LOVE IS LOVE

Authors Encourage LGBTQ Acceptance With Illustrated Children’s Book

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 14 February 2017 ~ Wellington-based authors Adam Reynolds & Chaz Harris have released their first children’s book Promised Land after a crowdfunding campaign that gained global media attention last April.

In Promised Land, a young Prince and a farm boy meet in the forest and a growing friendship between them blossoms into love. However, when the Queen re-marries, her sinister new husband seeks control of the enchanted forest and the land the farm boy’s family are responsible for protecting.

In a Kingdom where all are considered equal, regardless of what they look like or who they love, Promised Land is a new fairytale about friendship, responsibility, adventure and love. Written by Adam Reynolds & Chaz Harris, the book features 32 stunning illustrations by Christine Luiten & Bo Moore which are sure to delight kids young and old.

When asked what motivated him to work on the project, co-author Adam Reynolds said, “I wanted to create the kind of story I wish I’d had growing up, one where the sexuality of the characters was not the defining focus, or a reason for any conflict.”

On the importance of positive media portrayals of LGBTQ characters, co-author Chaz Harris replied, “If you don’t see yourself in stories, you don’t see yourself in the world. I grew up without any stories to show me that ‘happily ever after’ could even exist if I was gay. That makes coming to terms with your sexuality a very isolating and traumatic experience for many young people. With everything happening in the world right now, we need to change the message of fear and intolerance towards anyone who is different.”

In addition to the handling of its gay lead characters, the book has also attracted praise for being about an interracial relationship and subverting the traditional gender roles of female characters.

The eBook version of Promised Land is available on Amazon and iBooks in English, Spanish, Spanish for Latin America and Brazilian Portuguese, with further languages to follow. The authors have also released eBooks and an Audiobook on their online store. The audiobook is narrated by award-winning actress Geraldine Brophy and features a vibrant soundtrack from award-winning composer Tane Upjohn-Beatson.

More information and copies of the book can be found at www.promisedlandstore.com

As you can see, the artwork in the book is utterly breathtaking, this is a book that you NEED a hard-copy of too, to truly appreciate it. I can see this book taking the charts by storm, and I’m so excited about that. Go check-out the book site Promised Land have a look for yourself and please SHARE this post everywhere! We need books with diversity, and the only way we get them is by encouraging people to create them. By sharing, and showing others that these sorts of books are SO sought after, we’ll encourage more of it! After-all, my trilogy started because I got sick of all the damsels/damaged women in fantasy worlds. Create the world you want to see, share the love by making it public, and change the world.

Have a fantastic week!