Home › blog tour › Welcome to Day 4 of The HYPE Blog Tour @YvetteMCalleiro #Hype #NewRelease #BookPromo #YAFiction

Welcome to Day 4 of The HYPE Blog Tour @YvetteMCalleiro #Hype #NewRelease #BookPromo #YAFiction

Posted on Posted in blog tour, guest post, New book release Tagged with ,

Hi everyone. Today, it gives me great pleasure to have fellow author Yvette M Calleiro over to tell us all about her new book! Take it away, Yvi >>>

GIVEAWAY:  3 e-book copies of HYPE! Leave a comment below for your chance to win! 

 

About this Book:

Cici’s junior year in high school is going to be the best year ever. Popular co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, she’s dating the starting quarterback. Even her jealous co-captain’s attempts to steal her boyfriend can’t curb her enthusiasm.

 

When her mom moves in with her fiancé, a handsome, wealthy man, only one small detail threatens Cici’s perfect life. The school’s social pariah is about to become her stepsister, and Cici wants nothing to do with her.

 

Everything changes when someone Cici cares about throws her life into a tailspin, and the one person Cici couldn’t stand becomes her only ally.

 

Warning: This story contains scenes of sexual assault.

 

From Yvi about Sexual Abuse:

Writing a story that includes sexual abuse is not easy to do, especially for a young adult book. When this story idea came to me, the character’s voice was so loud in my head that I couldn’t ignore it. Cici needed this story told because the truth is that it happens way too often. As a teacher of 25 years, I have lost count of the number of students who were abused in some way, some of them sexually. The aggressors were boyfriends, relatives, and stepparents. Not all instances were rape, but they were all unwanted advances and violations.

So, I wrote Hype. It’s a story of a horrific violation, but that isn’t the full story. It’s also a story of strength and resilience, of despair and hope, and of trauma and healing. The first part is light-hearted and full of high school drama. The second part goes through the different stages trauma victims must process. It’s heavy at times, but those are sprinkled in around moments of normalcy and love.

I took extra care when writing the rape scene. Honestly, a huge part of me just wanted to skip right over it, but I couldn’t. Rape is real and violent and traumatic, and we need to be able to have open discussions about it. So, I wrote the scene. I kept the details out of it because they weren’t necessary. I focused on Cici’s thoughts during that scene. My beta readers and critique partners reassured me that the scene honors those who have been victimized without being graphic. This excerpt taking you into Cici’s thoughts after the rape:

I should tell the cops. They would arrest him, right? What if they believed his story? What if they believed I’m making it up because I wanted him, and he rejected me? Would my mom really believe his lies? I replay scenes from the past few months…me agreeing with Mom that he’s hot, me enjoying the tutoring sessions, me watching movies with him, us being in the Jacuzzi together. But those were all innocent moments. She would realize that, right?

I was raped. There’s proof. Had he worn a condom? It all happened so fast. I have no idea. Knowing him, how calculating this was, he probably did. I was bleeding. The doctors could show I lost my virginity. I start to believe I could prove what he did to me and then lose all hope as I play my own devil’s advocate. He will just say I had sex with Ryan and freaked out when we got into a fight. He’ll say I needed to blame it on someone and chose him.

And if I report it, everyone will find out. Ryan will hate me. No one will believe me. I mean, hell, I even told my friends how hot he is. But I need to tell someone. I can’t let him get away with this. I sit there crying until the water runs cold.

There is so much fear after a rape. Society has created a rape culture that tells the rapist that the victim asked for it and tells the victim that he/she will never be believed. It’s one of the many reasons why rape victims do not report the crime. Recent events, like the #MeToo movement, have started to turn that tide, and I hope we get to the day when rape victims are empowered to speak up and rapists are condemned and convicted.

Until then, we have open conversations and lend a helping hand when someone confides in us that he/she has been raped. If you have been a victim of sexual assault, you are not alone. There is a support network waiting to help you. Visit http://www.rainn.org or call 1-800-656-4673. You are brave. You are strong. You are worthy. You are loved.

To follow along with the rest of the Hype tour, please visit the author’s blog. Thanks for your support!Author Photo for Yvette M Calleiro

Author Bio:

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.

Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Hype banner with QR code

Amazon Links:

Hype – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7BFNXG

The One Discovered (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 1) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I4L2Q40

The One Enlightened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 2) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0QI51I

The One Betrayed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 3) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191O1892

The One Revealed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 4) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBKJHIO

The One Awakened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 5) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0781WT73J

The One Chosen – A Diasodz Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0986Q6P1D

Breathless – A Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLVDHQX

 

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/Yvette-M-Calleiro/e/B00I4RJMUU

 

Social Media Links:

Author Blog: http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YvetteMCalleiro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yvettemcalleiro

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7800735.Yvette_M_Calleiro

Thanks, Yvi! It’s great to have you over to visit. I wish you all the very best with HYPE. I’ve bought my copy and look forward to reading it! 🙂 

41 Comments on “Welcome to Day 4 of The HYPE Blog Tour @YvetteMCalleiro #Hype #NewRelease #BookPromo #YAFiction”

  1. Congratulations on your sensitive handling of a difficult subject, Yvette.

    Harmony, this is my first visit to your blog. It is lovely! Thank you for hosting.

  4. Great blog post, Yvette, and thank you for sharing, Harmony! Yvette tackled the rape scene with sensitivity and power. This excerpt evokes the confusion and horror running through Cici’s mind as she tries to make sense of her stepfather’s attack. I pray this book brings awareness to this issue, especially to young people and their friends and families who have either experienced it, or who know someone who has.

    • Thank you for your praise of this scene, Patty. Your input during my revising and editing stage helped bring that scene to life. I appreciate your help and your support. If this story encourages even one survivor to seek help, my heart will be full. 🙂

  5. Kudos to you, Yvette, for not shying from a huge social problem. As you say, it happens way too often and way too often, the victim remains silent for all the reasons that went through CiCi’s head in the excerpt. I look forward to reading this story. Best wishes for a great book launch. Thank you, Harmony, for hosting!

  8. Powerful scene, Yvette, and you’ve captured it well. I look forward to reading the full story. Thank you, Harmony, for hosting today. 😊

  10. A difficult subject indeed, but one that happens all too often. Best of luck with the release, Yvette.

    Thanks for hosting today, Harmony.

  11. Congratulations, Yvette. It is not easy to write about sexual assault. I also attempted it in my latest book and it was painful and difficult. All the best with this book. Thanks for hosting, Harmony.

    • It truly is. You want to show the horrors of the act while also not being too graphic. And I wanted to make sure I portrayed the victim correctly as well. I look forward to reading your story as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts today, Robbie! 🙂

  12. This was a powerful moment in the story. A great read that where I could feel her pain.
    Thanks for hosting, Harmony!

    • You’re so welcome, Yvi. Best of luck with your launch. I look forward to reading HYPE 💕🙂