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Helping Hands
Intervention
Sometimes it seems to Seth like more trouble than it's worth to keep going on, to keep living and breathing and hurting and going to school with guys who hate him, and hiding who he is from everyone around him. Seth is sixteen, in the closet, and about ready to give up on life. But for his brother Jory, making an unexpected visit home from college, nothing is more trouble than it's worth to keep his little brother alive.
Author and Editor royalties from this book will go to The Trevor Project.
Author and Editor royalties from this book will go to The Trevor Project.
34 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Kira Harp
4 books21 followersI've been writing since I could put words together. Early stories were about dolls and horses and kids who surmounted the odds and came home with a kitten. Gradually I learned about punctuation and point-of-view and my characters grew up. But real life came along, with forays into psychology and teaching and then a biomedical career and children. Writing happened in my head, for my own amusement, but didn't make it to paper.
Then several years ago, my husband gave me a computer. And my two girls were getting older and developing their own interests. So I sat down and typed out a story. Or two. Or three. Now I have adult novels published, and my love of Young Adult fiction has led me to Featherweight, and the chance to share some of my YA stories.
I currently write constantly, read obsessively, and share my home with my younger teenager, my amazingly patient husband, and a crazy, omnivorous little white dog. I can be found at my author page here on Goodreads, and look forward to sharing many more stories with YA readers in the future. My first published YA story, Intervention, came out from Featherweight on January 1st 2012, and my second, The Benefit of Ductwork, will come out on January 5th. Both are part of the Helping Hands line of books with the profits going to LGBT charities.
Then several years ago, my husband gave me a computer. And my two girls were getting older and developing their own interests. So I sat down and typed out a story. Or two. Or three. Now I have adult novels published, and my love of Young Adult fiction has led me to Featherweight, and the chance to share some of my YA stories.
I currently write constantly, read obsessively, and share my home with my younger teenager, my amazingly patient husband, and a crazy, omnivorous little white dog. I can be found at my author page here on Goodreads, and look forward to sharing many more stories with YA readers in the future. My first published YA story, Intervention, came out from Featherweight on January 1st 2012, and my second, The Benefit of Ductwork, will come out on January 5th. Both are part of the Helping Hands line of books with the profits going to LGBT charities.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 16, 2012
No romantic love story here but who cares this was wonderful! Jory is the brother everyone wants or can only wish for the sudden situation Jory stumbles upon is frightening you have to admire the way he deals with it and Seth it was perfect. This was sweet and sends a positive message I loved it and that brief glimpse of a potential relationship at the end was great, I hope it comes to realization later because I want to read more about Seth and Jory!
April 23, 2013
What a great short YA story. Starts off with despair and finishes with hope and new beginnings. It may not be the usual teen romance but that's beside the point here. It's message is loud and clear and there for us all to read and witness the immense pressures that young gay people are under and the awful consequences that may and do arise for some of them when they are targeted by intolerance and hatred! This is the great Kaje Harper writing as Kira Harp and it's a wonderful way of supporting The Trevor Project a crisis intervention centre for LGBTQ youth. In this story Seth has a wonderful brother but not all teens have the family or outside support to fall back on. I'd urge everyone young or mature to read this and hope they would benefit from it's insight. Short but so worth picking up.
March 13, 2012
Definitly worth reading! Emotional, touching, sad, but above all hopeful!
Go Seth! And Go Jory!
Go Seth! And Go Jory!
January 19, 2012
Suicide (or, as in this case, a character who is suicidal) is an extraordinarily difficult subject to portray with real skill. If this author's point was to give hope to a reader, she accomplished it wonderfully. A timely message of hope aimed at a YA audience, but a truly lovely read for anyone of any age. Wonderful characters and skillful handling of a very delicate subject. Very nice.
I still haven't learned how to do that cool thing to hide spoilery text, so here's your only warning: SPOILERS FOLLOW!
I particularly liked some of the twists on tropes and archetypes. Seth's brother, Jory, is one of the best characters I've read in m/m fiction lately. He flails a little about how exactly to be supportive to his little brother, but he is, nonetheless, unapologetically supportive. And that extends to almost literally grabbing Seth by the scruff of the neck and making him see that things really do get better. Jory doesn't run around waving rainbow flags and marching in parades, but he doesn't need to--his method of support is no less stalwart and admirable.
I also liked that it was the father who apparently accepted Seth as he was, and it was the mother who was having a difficult time with her son being gay. It's usually the other way around, and I liked the different dynamic. I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of it, but in truth, it wasn't the point in this story and the story didn't lack for the omission.
A really good inspiring read. I hope it reaches its target audience and manages to instill the hope inherent in every page.
I still haven't learned how to do that cool thing to hide spoilery text, so here's your only warning: SPOILERS FOLLOW!
I particularly liked some of the twists on tropes and archetypes. Seth's brother, Jory, is one of the best characters I've read in m/m fiction lately. He flails a little about how exactly to be supportive to his little brother, but he is, nonetheless, unapologetically supportive. And that extends to almost literally grabbing Seth by the scruff of the neck and making him see that things really do get better. Jory doesn't run around waving rainbow flags and marching in parades, but he doesn't need to--his method of support is no less stalwart and admirable.
I also liked that it was the father who apparently accepted Seth as he was, and it was the mother who was having a difficult time with her son being gay. It's usually the other way around, and I liked the different dynamic. I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of it, but in truth, it wasn't the point in this story and the story didn't lack for the omission.
A really good inspiring read. I hope it reaches its target audience and manages to instill the hope inherent in every page.
April 22, 2013
3.5
Oh if we could all have a big brother like Jory.
This was a pretty emotional read. Seth tugged my heart strings, knowing that he is just one of many kids that feel that way just made this tale all the more heartbreaking.
But this story, despite the dark beginning, progresses into a sweet fairy tale. So while the beginning is all to real, the swift Intervention by Jory is sadly not so real.
But then I read for the fairytale endings so I’m happy to go with the flow on this one.
December 21, 2014
No romance here, but still a very worthwhile read. Seth is a high school junior who is being bullied at school for being gay. His older brother Jory spends the weekend trying to show Seth that it gets better, he just needs to make it through high school. I wish everyone had an older brother like Jory!
January 4, 2012
4.5 stars
I first read this as a free-read on Kaje Harper's website. Kira Harp is actually her pseudonym for YA story. Then turns out it is being published as a part of Helping Hand project. So yay!
This story is powerful in a sense that it gives hope to teenagers being bullied because they are gay. The beginning of this story hits me on the solar plexus ... imagining how horrible the world is for Seth to put the gun inside his mouth. Then intervention comes. This is NOT a love story between to young teenagers, it is more a love story between brothers. Because the intervention comes in form of Seth's older brother, Jory, who tries to show Seth that world can get better after high school. That Seth just has to hang in there and makes it to college.
"Just ... you are gonna stick around, right? Long enough to flip off all those jerks at graduation and move into your own little room smelling of sweat socks. And find out who you can be in the real world? Gonna hang in there with me?"
Definitely a story that needs to be read by more people, especially those who has siblings or friends who are being bullied. Because supportive words CAN help ...
I first read this as a free-read on Kaje Harper's website. Kira Harp is actually her pseudonym for YA story. Then turns out it is being published as a part of Helping Hand project. So yay!
This story is powerful in a sense that it gives hope to teenagers being bullied because they are gay. The beginning of this story hits me on the solar plexus ... imagining how horrible the world is for Seth to put the gun inside his mouth. Then intervention comes. This is NOT a love story between to young teenagers, it is more a love story between brothers. Because the intervention comes in form of Seth's older brother, Jory, who tries to show Seth that world can get better after high school. That Seth just has to hang in there and makes it to college.
"Just ... you are gonna stick around, right? Long enough to flip off all those jerks at graduation and move into your own little room smelling of sweat socks. And find out who you can be in the real world? Gonna hang in there with me?"
Definitely a story that needs to be read by more people, especially those who has siblings or friends who are being bullied. Because supportive words CAN help ...
January 22, 2012
"It tasted like nothing...Shouldn't something this important taste more...real...The gun waited patiently to do its job."
And so begins the opening lines to Intervention, a short story by Kira Harp, a new voice on the Young Adult LGBT literary circuit. Quite frankly, I was hooked from the opening paragraphs. The story revolves around 16 year old Seth, who is gay, bullied, and desperately alone. His life is such that he can do no more than reel from one horridly abusive moment to the next...mocking taunts and slurs, hastily scrawled notes dripping hated epithets, and finally, alone, as a friend watches helplessly, beaten by non-tolerant bullies. When the story opens we find him unable to recover from the beating, hopeless, tormented, ready to pull the trigger...until his hand is stayed by the compassionate loving hand of his brother Jory. In the ensuing pages, Jory never leaves Seth's sight, escorting him to a college party to let him see what life is like outside the limited halls of high school. Revealing to him a future that can be lived in the presence of tolerance and acceptance...a way to live that is marked by life-building moments and not by despair and loneliness. While there are many wonderful moments in this sweet little story, the finest, the purest by far, is the loving embrace one brother gives to another--just that..a hug...and with it an outpouring of support and care, redemption and healing. And, in that moment, as tears pricked my eyes...I felt a fervent moment of hope that all young men and women who struggle alone in this world that openly hates that which is different, that judges whom we shall love and how we should love...in that finely written moment, I hoped that there were Jory's out there for all of them...for all of us.
What a beautiful thing it is to be inspired by a story...to find hope in the written word.
Intervention is one short story in a series currently being offered at Featherweight Press. The proceeds of all these stories are going to various LGBT charities--Intervention's proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project
I could encourage you to purchase this story for just that reason alone...but then I would be remiss. For you see this is really a well written little gem...an eloquent story of hope and it deserves to be read for no other reason than that. The other? Well that is simply icing on the cake.
And so begins the opening lines to Intervention, a short story by Kira Harp, a new voice on the Young Adult LGBT literary circuit. Quite frankly, I was hooked from the opening paragraphs. The story revolves around 16 year old Seth, who is gay, bullied, and desperately alone. His life is such that he can do no more than reel from one horridly abusive moment to the next...mocking taunts and slurs, hastily scrawled notes dripping hated epithets, and finally, alone, as a friend watches helplessly, beaten by non-tolerant bullies. When the story opens we find him unable to recover from the beating, hopeless, tormented, ready to pull the trigger...until his hand is stayed by the compassionate loving hand of his brother Jory. In the ensuing pages, Jory never leaves Seth's sight, escorting him to a college party to let him see what life is like outside the limited halls of high school. Revealing to him a future that can be lived in the presence of tolerance and acceptance...a way to live that is marked by life-building moments and not by despair and loneliness. While there are many wonderful moments in this sweet little story, the finest, the purest by far, is the loving embrace one brother gives to another--just that..a hug...and with it an outpouring of support and care, redemption and healing. And, in that moment, as tears pricked my eyes...I felt a fervent moment of hope that all young men and women who struggle alone in this world that openly hates that which is different, that judges whom we shall love and how we should love...in that finely written moment, I hoped that there were Jory's out there for all of them...for all of us.
What a beautiful thing it is to be inspired by a story...to find hope in the written word.
Intervention is one short story in a series currently being offered at Featherweight Press. The proceeds of all these stories are going to various LGBT charities--Intervention's proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project
I could encourage you to purchase this story for just that reason alone...but then I would be remiss. For you see this is really a well written little gem...an eloquent story of hope and it deserves to be read for no other reason than that. The other? Well that is simply icing on the cake.
February 13, 2012
Yet another great story from one of my favorite authors. If only there were more fine brothers like Jory and fine fathers like Seth's, this world would be a better place. It's disheartening to know that so many kids go through what Seth is going through and have no one to turn to. Every day that these kids are bullied is another day closer to a potential disaster. When are people going to wake up to that reality??
So happy that the proceeds from this story are going to The Trevor Project. Such important work they are doing!
So happy that the proceeds from this story are going to The Trevor Project. Such important work they are doing!
November 7, 2011
Very good short story about a gay teen being bullied in high school. I was riveted from the opening scene where his older brother walks in on him with a gun in his mouth. The story is positive and hopefully helpful. It ends on an optimistic note and of course the romance reader in me is spinning a HEA. This author is a pseudonym for Kaje Harper who needed a new name for non-explicit YA material.
January 24, 2012
I'm glad Seth had his older brother Jory to help him. So many kids don't have anyone to lean on.
The story is aimed at the GLBTQ community but it's good for any young person who feels different.
If you are thinking about suicide call someone first and talk about it.
Befrienders Worldwide
The story is aimed at the GLBTQ community but it's good for any young person who feels different.
If you are thinking about suicide call someone first and talk about it.
Befrienders Worldwide
January 20, 2012
Now that's a hell of a love story. My heart went out to both of those guys. It's short and leaves me wanting to know more about both Seth and Jory, but I am so happy with what I do know about them so far that I don't feel slighted in the least... if that makes any sense? I'll be reading this again, I'm sure.
August 11, 2016
An impressive and touching story. This one hit a part of me with this short yet it's a powerful read. Gives one hope and worth taking the time to read it.
January 9, 2014
Too short by far, but I did really like it. And this one cut very close to home. Nicely affirming in the end.
January 2, 2012
I loved it when I read it the first time and I loved it even more now. It's a great story!!!
January 17, 2012
A warm loving story about acceptance and family.
October 10, 2023
I've owned this book since it came out and have no idea why it took me so long to read it. The message is powerful. The story, plot, characterizations and complexities are all equally compelling.
It's not a romance but it is LGBTQ lit. It's the story of a teen who nearly commits suicide and the brother who fought for him and helped him see a different side to his story and gave him HOPE, something we all need, but especially those young men (and women) who are living in fear of discovery of their sexuality.
They have support and this author is an outstanding advocate. The story proceeds support The Trevor Project. Let's spread the message: love our children unconditionally and give them the tools to take the next right step.
It's not a romance but it is LGBTQ lit. It's the story of a teen who nearly commits suicide and the brother who fought for him and helped him see a different side to his story and gave him HOPE, something we all need, but especially those young men (and women) who are living in fear of discovery of their sexuality.
They have support and this author is an outstanding advocate. The story proceeds support The Trevor Project. Let's spread the message: love our children unconditionally and give them the tools to take the next right step.
April 3, 2016
Title: Intervention
Author: Kira Harp
Publisher: Featherweight Press
ISBN: 978-1-60820-401-4
Buy Link: http://www.featherweightpublishing.co...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Sometimes it seems to Seth like more trouble than it's worth to keep going on, to keep living and breathing and hurting and going to school with guys who hate him, and hiding who he is from everyone around him. Seth is sixteen, in the closet, and about ready to give up on life. But for his brother Jory, making an unexpected visit home from college, nothing is more trouble than it's worth to keep his little brother alive.
Summary:
Every time I hear a news story about another young adult who took his or her life after enduring abuse from bullies I wonder where we as a culture went wrong. I myself was bullied for years and when I asked to change schools my parents asked if I I was going to let them win. The feeling of isolation with no hope that it will never go away was all that Seth knew until his older brother was there to show him that there was so much to live for and refused to let him give up. I wish that every child had someone like that in their life, but there is hope and help if they are take the first step and ask for help. There help out there and people who will stand by them. This story tells others that they are not alone and gives them the information they need to find their future. This story touched me a in a way that I didn't expect and I will never forget it!
Author: Kira Harp
Publisher: Featherweight Press
ISBN: 978-1-60820-401-4
Buy Link: http://www.featherweightpublishing.co...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Sometimes it seems to Seth like more trouble than it's worth to keep going on, to keep living and breathing and hurting and going to school with guys who hate him, and hiding who he is from everyone around him. Seth is sixteen, in the closet, and about ready to give up on life. But for his brother Jory, making an unexpected visit home from college, nothing is more trouble than it's worth to keep his little brother alive.
Summary:
Every time I hear a news story about another young adult who took his or her life after enduring abuse from bullies I wonder where we as a culture went wrong. I myself was bullied for years and when I asked to change schools my parents asked if I I was going to let them win. The feeling of isolation with no hope that it will never go away was all that Seth knew until his older brother was there to show him that there was so much to live for and refused to let him give up. I wish that every child had someone like that in their life, but there is hope and help if they are take the first step and ask for help. There help out there and people who will stand by them. This story tells others that they are not alone and gives them the information they need to find their future. This story touched me a in a way that I didn't expect and I will never forget it!
June 29, 2012
All I could think of when reading this short story was, I wish EVERY kid going through a rough time had a brother like Jory. Someone to convince them that there is hope, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that yes, things will get better. It is very difficult to see that when you are at the point of suicide, when it seems your world is bad and will just get worse. It can be impossible for an adult, let alone a young person (Seth is 16) facing hatred and hurt. There is no gray at those times. Life is seen in dark and light, and darkness can overtake you.
Jory is there for Seth, showing him that life is worth it and gets better. High school is NOT the be-all, end-all of life (and the overweight Brian was a great add, because it’s not just being gay that gets you bullied, it’s being different in any way. I think Seth needed to see that.) Jory is a man who loves his little brother, and it shows.
This is a powerful story, especially for any of us who have lost someone to their hopelessness about life. The ending, in particular, is just a show of hope.
Jory is there for Seth, showing him that life is worth it and gets better. High school is NOT the be-all, end-all of life (and the overweight Brian was a great add, because it’s not just being gay that gets you bullied, it’s being different in any way. I think Seth needed to see that.) Jory is a man who loves his little brother, and it shows.
This is a powerful story, especially for any of us who have lost someone to their hopelessness about life. The ending, in particular, is just a show of hope.
January 24, 2012
I think I wish they had half stars... My rating on this is 4.5. I loved the older brother character in this story, and I'm so glad the main character had someone there to help him. I think that the brother's "intervention" was good and made a difference in the main character's life.
My only complaint with the story was that I felt there should have been more urgency on the brother's part. Having been in the brother's position on more than one occasion myself, including with a close family member, I felt there should have been more emphasis on arranging help for the main character, possibly immediately. However, Ms. Harp did an excellent job showing the brother's concern and fear, and there is mention that the main character will need help and that the brother will be there for him and will make sure he gets the kind of help he needs from someone who will understand the situation.
Overall, this was an excellent story, very well-written and with engaging characters. I'm hoping we'll see more of them.
My only complaint with the story was that I felt there should have been more urgency on the brother's part. Having been in the brother's position on more than one occasion myself, including with a close family member, I felt there should have been more emphasis on arranging help for the main character, possibly immediately. However, Ms. Harp did an excellent job showing the brother's concern and fear, and there is mention that the main character will need help and that the brother will be there for him and will make sure he gets the kind of help he needs from someone who will understand the situation.
Overall, this was an excellent story, very well-written and with engaging characters. I'm hoping we'll see more of them.
January 14, 2014
The story itself was just okay, it was really too short to get too attached to the characters or to have a developed plot since we only saw a glimpse of Seth’s hardship and story started at Seth’s lowest point, which was at the start of Jory’s intervention. Although the story itself wasn’t one to sweep us away, its message and purpose was loud and clear and I believe an important one to share with its target audience – young adults in trouble and in doubt.
I enjoyed my high school years and at that time it was pretty much my whole world. As easy as high school was for me (relatively speaking since I had great friends and a wonderful family to support me) and much as I enjoyed it, it was still a challenging time so I can only imagine how hellish it would be to someone who was bullied on top of everything else. I think stories like this that remind these young adults that high school is just a pit stop in their lives and that there’s a whole world waiting for them is so very important.
I enjoyed my high school years and at that time it was pretty much my whole world. As easy as high school was for me (relatively speaking since I had great friends and a wonderful family to support me) and much as I enjoyed it, it was still a challenging time so I can only imagine how hellish it would be to someone who was bullied on top of everything else. I think stories like this that remind these young adults that high school is just a pit stop in their lives and that there’s a whole world waiting for them is so very important.
January 3, 2013
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews