Hi, Melissa!
Thanks for hosting me today as part of the Optical Osmosis blog tour. I know
outside of the occasional shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter, I haven’t been
around as much. Spending most of my free time releasing a new book doesn’t
leave me a lot of wriggle room when it comes to visiting good friends. But
that’s hardly a good excuse for me not to say hi.
Saying hello is
essentially where Optical Osmosis begins, right where the main character’s sister
calls him. It is Christmas morning, and Greg Gnops is trying to sleep away the
lingering effects of a December 24th party. His sister, Ashley,
calls him under the guise of wanting to say hello and chat with him a bit. This
is all well and good, except that it’s barely 7 A.M. when she calls. Greg
immediately chalks this up to his sister being her usual self, like she’s the
center of the world and all should bow before her. For a long time, he doesn’t
suspect that maybe her early call might’ve been a cry for help.
Later in the
story, Greg starts to think that Ashley’s partying lifestyle may have collapsed
into a debilitating bout with alcoholism. Of course, he has a heck of a time
trying to convince her to get the help she so clearly needs. It doesn’t help
that Ashley’s new boyfriend, Flint Kyles, disagrees with Greg’s assertion that
Ashley drinks too much. It’s only because of Ashley’s best friend, Dani Staras,
that Greg doesn’t lose all hope in getting through to his sister. In fact,
Dani’s the one who convinces him that Ashley has a problem to begin with.
Of course, the Greg/Ashley dynamic is just a piece of the puzzle that is
Optical Osmosis. I think the reason why this dynamic came to be is because of
my own relationship with family members. I’ve seen some of them choose the
lifestyle Ashley chooses. It’s not one I would choose for myself, but rather
than pass judgment I’ve focused more on the consequences of the choices we
make. Hopefully, the consequences come across genuinely as you read my story.
Here's where you can find Jeff
Here's where you can find Jeff
Twitter handle: @JeffBeesler
Twitter page: https://twitter.com/JeffBeesler
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyBeesler
Bio: Born in May
of 1978, Jeff Beesler has been writing since the 7th grade, although
he likes to point out that his elementary teachers in 2nd to 6th
grades kept sending him to Young Author’s Conferences throughout his school
district. When not writing, he can be found chatting it up on social media,
reading books, or playing computer games.
Book
purchase links
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