Bruising Reed

A letter from Finnegan Scott --

Hello, I've been a follower of exchristian.net for a few years now; it has been a major source of encouragement through my own deconversion, and like many others I was emboldened to post my testimonial.  My deconversion from fundamentalist Christianity has been such a life-altering process that I was compelled to write a book about it--not a memoir, but a novel about a high school kid living in the Bible Belt who grew up as christian and loses faith because of things the church does to manipulate him while growing up.

I have just begun the arduous process of trying to get published, and I guess all I'm asking is to get some help generating some buzz about it, something as simple as a post and a link to where I have it posted online.  Or if you could read it first and post something about it that would be even better.  So far I've received excellent reviews from people who have read it, and of course because of the theme and subject matter, it would have a high appeal to the people on this site.  And, of course, it's free to read until I do get published.

Synopsis:

The Bible Belt is slowly strangling eighteen-year-old Reed Hollington, and it only seems to tighten its grip the harder he struggles against it...

At age ten, Reed literally has the hell scared out of him at church camp, and he gives his life to Jesus out of the fear of burning forever. At age thirteen, after his parents neglect to tell him about “the birds and the bees” to protect his innocence, he is left figure it out alone, which leads to an incident with unimaginable consequences. He is left with a haunting wound, but after he survives a near-death experience and credits it to God, his faith is galvanized, transforming him into a zealous Christian and the model teenager in his hometown of Chisholm, Texas.

Fast-forward to the start of Reed’s senior year. Life has not turned out like the once-popular golden boy had once hoped, and we learn why--he has doubts about his faith. Big doubts. Now an outcast to his own family and his former friends, he is resigned to simply surviving his final year of high school so he can leave his small hometown. But thanks to a volatile election-year climate, and the credible threat of an extreme Right-wing takeover, survival will become a literal ordeal for Reed. However, he will not be alone.

If interested in reading more, here is the link: "Bruising Reed"  http://inkpop.com/projects/29442/bruising-reed/

If you can do anything at all to help me out I will be extremely grateful, and if you decline I totally understand and won't take it personal.  You've already done enough for me and countless others just by having this website.