Book News and Excerpt: Give Me a Break – Tahlia Newland
In June 2012, Tahlia Newland will be publishing her YA magical realism novel, Give Me a Break. Tahlia has very kindly shared some information about the book and an excerpt.
The book tackles an important issue in today’s society: bullying.
Tahlia says: “If all bystanders stood up to bullies, there would be no more bullying. This story is designed to encourage bystanders to find the courage to step in, also to give victims ways to handle being harassed and for bullies to find alternative ways to feel strong.”
The book aims to illustrate a simple method that people can use to develop self-esteem and the confidence to stand up to bullies and also help show that love and compassion can combat hatred and fear. Give Me a Break is due for release in June 2012 in ebook formats and will be out in paperback in July.
Excerpt: Breaking the habit
(Give Me a Break is told from the point of view of both Carly and Dylan. This excerpt is from Breaking the habit, one of Dylan’s chapters.)
At school, up until now, I’d rather be alone with a book or a computer than a girl, and a group of girls was just plain scary, but if I wanted Carly, I had to deal with her friends too. This hard drive just wasn’t programmed right anymore.
I looked at my watch. Still ten minutes until the bell. Was I going to hide, or reprogram myself so I could just amble up to her and say “Hi, what’s up,” or something equally as lame, without my face going red and my palms sweating?
My nerdy habit was as rigid as a lump of concrete. It sat on the ground in front of me, a clump of intersecting geometric shapes with smooth planes and unblemished edges painted in earthy tones, practical, no nonsense, well ordered. I kicked it and clenched my teeth at the spike of pain that shot up my toe. The habit didn’t budge. I suppose that shouldn’t have been surprising. I’d spent years building it.
“What ya doing, wuss?”
I spun around. Justin thrust his leering face into my personal space. I stepped back, trying to keep my disgust from showing.
“Dreaming about a bit of pussy, are you?” he continued.
“Nothing so gross,” I replied.
“If you think it’s gross then you ain’t never tasted any,” he jeered then sauntered off with a smirk, his buddy Ty trotting at his heels.
He was the gross one, but maybe I should be thankful for that. If he hadn’t threatened Carly, I might never have had the courage to talk to her. Urgency cuts through reticence pretty quickly. I didn’t have his help now though. Or did I? He still provided a topic of conversation. Would it be enough to draw her away from Kirsty? I figured it was worth a try.
I tried to walk towards her but my legs wouldn’t move. Heavy metal chains shackled my ankles to the habit. I yanked my foot against the weight, trying to break free, but only managed to rattle the chains. Better brains than brute force here, I thought, and examined the comfortable lambskin-covered shackles. For years they’d kept me close to an attractive lump of concrete that provided a seat, a desk and even a footstool. My laptop had buffed its well-used spot on the
desk to a shine.
I turned at the sound of Kirsty’s laugh. She walked around the corner of the hall with Carly, but Carly didn’t laugh. She looked miserable.
I needed a block splitter or a hacksaw, or some machine to break this habit into tiny pieces so I could get away from it and cheer up my girlfriend. With a flick of my finger, I created a magnificent tool of destruction. A polished dark wooden tripod sat over the concrete habit. A large silver weight hung beneath the apex, connected to a silky white rope that ran through a series of golden pulleys into my hand. I held it with ease, the ability to break the nerdy habit at my command. All I had to do was let go.
I glanced at Carly then opened my hand. The rope whizzed through the pulleys, the weight dropped and smashed the concrete into several chunks. I stared at it, my heart doing strange little flip flops. It’d taken so long to make that habit with its comfy seat and nooks for every gadget a good student needed.
I took one step towards Carly then jerked to a stop. The chain on my left leg was still attached to a lump of concrete, one too heavy for me to budge. I had to smash this thing so completely that it would never weigh me down again.
Take two.
I took a step back, hauled the weight up again and dropped it. Repeatedly, I lifted the weight and dropped it until I had the scene in the can, the chains had fallen apart and all that was left of the habit was dust. Freedom!
Cue actor.
I strode down the path – to a gently building guitar rift – and touched Carly’s arm. “I need to talk to you for a minute,” I said, drawing her away.
“What?” She looked surprised but happy to see me.
I took her hand and looked her in the eye. “Is he still hassling you?”
She shrugged. “A bit.”
“I’ll help sort him out,” I said, feeling kind of heroic.
“What’s so private you can’t share?” Kirsty asked peeking her head around Carly.
I swallowed. My feet felt heavy and I thought I heard chains clanking, but I must have imagined it because I’d smashed my nervous nerd habit into dust and there was no way I was going to build another one. “None of your business,” I replied.
“Ooh, feisty.” Kirsty grinned and turned away.
I slipped my arm around Carly and drew her close. She looked up and me and smiled. My nerdy habit had given me safety, but without it, I had the excitement of a girl on my arm. I decided to go back later and bury the dust, just to make sure.
Sixteen year old Carly wants to write her own life and cast herself as a superhero, but when she stands up to a bully, the story gets out of her control. Dylan, a karate-trained nerd who supports her stand, turns out to be a secret admirer, and Justin, the bully, makes Carly his next victim. While romance blossoms, Dylan faces attacking words, an unreliable movie director, a concrete habit that requires smashing, and an unruly Neanderthal. Meanwhile, the bully’s increasing harassment forces Carly to deal with flying hooks, unflushable cowpats, and deadly dragons. An old hippie shows her an inner magic that’s supposed to make her invincible, but will Carly learn to use it before the bully strikes again and Dylan resorts to violence?
Tahlia writes magical realism and urban fantasy for young adults & adults. She likes stories that are inspiring & empowering and that question the nature of reality, mind and perception. She is an avid reader, an extremely casual high school teacher, an occasional mask-maker and has studied philosophy & meditation for many years. After scripting and performing in Visual Theatre shows for 20 years, she is now a bone-fide expatriate of the performing arts. She lives in an Australian rainforest, is married with a teenage daughter and loves cats, but she doesn’t have one because they eat native birds.
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About the Author:
By day a publicity assistant, by night an avid blogger and reader. I'm happiest when I'm surrounded by books and cats, with my husband by my side. Luckily, that's a pretty apt description of most days!
Donna Brown – who has written 617 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
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