So I've been asked by a few people what my book The Hardest Lesson is all about.
That is a good question. Though it's hard for me to explain.
The story is about a young man named Thomas Christopher McKenzy. It starts out near the very end of a school shooting when the perpetrator of said shooting is writing a suicide note before planning on killing himself. Who the perpetrator is is unrevealed. After this it flashes back in time to when Thomas Christopher McKenzy first entered Junior High.
His life is rather carefree, innocent, idyllic and he's happy... but things soon go wrong as Christopher McKenzy finds himself to be the most unpopular and hated student in school and as time goes by he seems to become increasingly more paranoid, self-loathing and fearful as he experiences the worst the school system and the world have to offer.
Do you know what it's like to want to kill yourself every single day for years? Well you'll find out if you read "The Hardest Lesson."
I'll tell you right now that this is a very dark book and it's definitely not intended for the faint of heart. The book deals heavily with bullying and with our nation's corrupt and failed school system. It's also, I can safely say without exaggerating, probably the single most anti-school (as well the most anti-bullying) book ever written.
It's definitely not your typical story- or even your typical school shooting book story (of which there actually are quite a number). It deals heavily with bullying, Columbine, and of course- school in general.
If you've known what it's like to want to take your own life or to experience bullying, or if you despise school and all it doesn't have to offer then you'll probably enjoy and understand this book. If you can appreciate darker tales which are more psychological than supernatural then you might also appreciate this.
But if you own a copy of High School Musical then you're better off not reading this.
Actually, I take that back- if you're that type of person then you're -exactly- the kind of person that needs to read this book. After all it would be a shame to just preach to the choir. Of course, whether you'd actually be willing to read through it all is up to you.
The release date should be December or January. I have to finish up something personal first (PT- the sooner I finish it, the better) but then it'll be out.
The book will be available in two parts- the first part will be available online for free and will cover the first act of the book. The second part will cost $5 if you wish to finish reading.
Why this setup? I'm not famous or anything and random strangers aren't going to want to give money to read some strange, unknown book they've unfamiliar with by someone they've never heard of. Plus it's really a bitch to go get published- why should I go to the trouble of kissing the asses of 100 editors' assistants to show them a story that'd probably scare them away from publishing or which might make them demand to censor and change stuff to suit their demands? In this format I enjoy complete literary freedom with no restrictions.
Plus this is the internet where an infinite amount of free media content exists to read and be absorbed. Nobody will have any objections to reading something for free if it's interesting and well-written enough.
If they enjoy the first act then they'll be willing to forgo less than the price of a large McDonald's meal to enjoy the second act. If not then they can use that five bucks to go to McDonald's and pick up a copy of Twilight on the way home at the dvd kiosk conveniently located just outside their main entrance which just helped cause the neighborhood Hollywood Video to go out of business.
Anyway, I hope this explanation answers your curiosity about the book. It's not totally explanatory but I don't want to reveal everything about the story before it's even out. Plus I don't want to spoil the ending or other details leading up to it. There are currently 2 sample chapter which offer a very vague look at the book, selected for viewing since I feel they have no spoilers and can be viewed independently without knowing any of the rest of the story.
Well, take care and I hope you check back in and read the book.