Atlantic Canadian Publisher For Young Adult Authors | Fierce Ink Press

Halifax, NS (April 8, 2013) —  Author and poet Carol Little shares her difficult childhood and teen years in the latest Fierce Short published by Fierce Ink Press. In her creative non-fiction piece I Used to Think I’d Make a Good Boy, Little talks about the challenges of growing up in a small town when you don’t fit a particular gender mould.

Taunting, bullying (both mental and physical) and efforts to make her conform plagued Little as she grew up. With her slight build, boyish looks and wardrobe purchased from the boy’s section bullies found her an easy target. When not being bullied at school, she was surrounded by family members who were hell-bent on teaching her how to be a ‘real girl’.

“I wrote this piece as a way to reach out to youth who are struggling with identity issues, like I was, and sometimes still am,” Little says. “I think it’s important for people to understand that they’re not responsible for being what anyone else expects them to be, and that ultimately the healthiest thing we can do in life is to accept ourselves. In addition to coming to terms with my sexual orientation, I’ve dealt with depression, anxiety, and suicide in my teens and young adulthood, and didn’t feel I had anyone to turn to.”

In I Used to Think I’d make a Good Boy, Little shows that even if it takes a while, things do get better.

Twenty per cent of the proceeds from the sale of I Used to Think I’d make a Good Boy go to AIDS PEI, a charity that Little feels strongly about.

“I chose to support LGBTQ youth programming through AIDS PEI with this piece because they are a small, underfunded community organization in my home province that does the type of outreach work I feel was lacking when I was a teen,” Little says.

Also available at Smashwords.com

At-A-Glance

What is it about?

Being true to oneself in an environment that forces conformity to gender roles.

Who will read it?

Anyone who had trouble fitting into societal moulds.

When is it releasing?

April 9, 2013

About the Author

Carol Little is a novelist and poet, currently living in Prince Edward Island. Her first novel, Hide Your Life Away, was nominated for the 2009 Montaigne Medal, was a winner in the General Fiction category of the 2009 Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and a finalist in the 2009 Indie Book Awards. Her first collection of poetry, A Study in Love, was published in 2010 and was nominated for a 2011 Golden Crown Literary Society Award, and was shortlisted for a 2012 Island Book Award. Little is currently working on her MA in English Literature while writing new poems and fiction, and raising twin daughters.

Tagged as: Carol Little, I Used to Think I’d make a Good Boy, press releases

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