Caleb McEllis has been haunted by the same nightmare for as many years as he can remember; he's swallowed by darkness and unable to escape. It was the perfect metaphor for the small, conservative town where he grew up. Once he graduated from high school, he vowed to never return, hoping to escape the teasing he experienced since childhood.
On his way to work one night, however, his nightmare becomes reality and something in the darkness comes for him, causing him to careen off the freeway and flip his car. During the ensuing chaos, a stranger pulls Caleb from the wreckage moments before lighting it on fire. As the night continues, Caleb discovers that this stranger knows more about him than he should, perhaps even more than Caleb knows about himself. Caleb is forced to trust the stranger or run the risk of being killed by whatever attacked him on the road. He soon learns that the things he thought he knew about himself are based on lies he's been told since childhood and as they unravel he is forced to confront the truth about what he really is. In order to survive, Caleb must let go of his past and embrace his true nature.
Awakened is a young adult paranormal fiction novel, infused with humor and a little bit of male on male romance. With a twist on the traditional shape-shifter genre, it will leave you wanting more! Awakened is the first in the series.
Kenneth Creech writes young adult LGBTQ+ fiction where the main characters don't have to come out. Growing up in a small town in Arizona prompted his love of reading at a young age. Having read countless books featuring characters who struggled to come to terms with their identity, he decided to write about LGBTQ+ characters who were already themselves and could struggle with something else.Kenneth began writing in high school and was included in the 2001 nonfiction anthology, Coming Out Young and Faithful. He wrote and published the Awakened duology and the short story "What I Now Know" in the award-winning anthology Queer for the New Year (2022). In his free time, he's taught sociology, helped hundreds of high schoolers get into college, acted as an advisor for several gay-straight alliances, and planned quite a few weddings for other people. Kenneth lives in Texas with his husband.
