Akiva Hersh's Blog, page 2
December 4, 2019
Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway December 9th-20th 2019
I just can’t wait for Christmas to start our giveaway, so I’m beginning it early!
From December 9th through December 20th you have a chance to win one fabulous prize, everyday.
Just go to akivahersh.com/giveaway to enter EACH DAY. In fact, it’s best to sign up with your email address now to get daily reminders to register your entry. How do you do that? Just complete the form here! Enter your name and email address and you’ll receive reminders to enter daily and notification of who wins, each day.
Name *
Name
First Name
Last Name
Email *
Subject *
Sign me up for reminders about the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway !
Message
Thank you!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at akivahersh.com/giveaway by checking the website and completing the task for that day. Tasks could be watching a video, liking a post, or commenting on a picture on Instagram. Rafflecopter will draw a winner every day and the winner will be posted on my website.
U.S. Residents. 18+ only.
December 3, 2019
12 Days of Christmas Giveaway
Enter for a different prize each day.
Sign up for reminders at https://akivahersh.com/giveaway
November 20, 2019
The Main Character from Boy in the Hole Suffers from OCD
In Boy in the Hole Jacob, the main character wrestles with multiple barriers that prevent him from getting want he truly needs: self-awareness which leads to self-acceptance.
When he shifts his attention out toward his external reality, he is confused and uncertain about religion. He is revolted by his dysfunctional family. He gets bullied and molested by a trusted figure. But inwardly, Jacob has same-sex feelings he doesn’t know what to do with and he suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Most of his obsessions revolve around one question: “What if…?” What if the house burns down. What if mommy gets sick. What if someone makes fun of me. On and on the questions roll like agates endlessly crashing together in a lapidary tumbler. He fears the future and feels no sense of control over his life.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can take many forms. Some obsess about cleanliness. Some are compelled to stop on the side of the road and check behind their car, feeling certain they just ran over a person. Others battle intrusive thoughts that don’t line up with how they see themselves and therefore create fear and doubt about one’s identity.
Jacob has intrusive thoughts about bad things happening both to himself and others he cares about. When a “bad thought” comes, Jacob must make some physical movement and/or sound or phrase to “erase the bad thought” and feel at peace again. For example, in Boy in the Hole, Jacob sees a sick person when he is with his mother, Rose. He is careful not to look at the sick person then directly at Rose for fear she will catch the illness. Instead, he is compelled to click his teeth, nod, and say to himself, “Everything will be okay.”
If you know someone with OCD (over a million Americans suffer from the disorder), there are things you can do to help them:
Learn more about OCD.
Encourage your friend or family to get help. Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been shown to improve the condition.
Stop enabling their compulsions. Have you unwittingly been participating in an OCD ritual? For example, your friend needs to check the locks on the doors multiple times or they feel they must flip light switches up and down until it “feels right” while you wait. Don’t wait! Assist them with a mindfulness technique, a breathing session, or some other pattern to distract them from the thought and keep moving.
Keep a calm, peaceful mood about you when you are with the person who has OCD. Learn their triggers.
Educate others in your sphere of influence about OCD.
Sunlight is a natural disinfectant. Darkness breeds disease. Expose OCD for what it is and the light will begin to heal the disorder.
November 18, 2019
$0.99 Boy in the Hole Black Friday Deal
Like the softcover better? Order the Soft Cover and enter code BITH12DAYS for 50% off!
Did you know Boy in the Hole is available in audiobook format? Purchase on Audible or on iTunes.
November 8, 2019
Boy in the Hole is Now Also an Audiobook
Boy in the Hole is now also an audiobook!
Boy in the Hole is about a boy growing up in the 70s from the Deep South who emerges from a family of deviancy & alcoholism masked by religion & wealth.
November 6, 2019
Thanks for entering the Boy in the Hole Giveaway
You can order the softcover for 30% off http://bit.ly/BOYINTHEHOLE_SC w/the coupon code TBR.
Expires 11/15.
Best,
Akiva
October 21, 2019
Boy in the Hole is Having a Promo Sale on Amazon!
On 10/29 Boy in the Hole will be on sale for $0.99 in celebration of International Internet Day.
On 10/30 Boy in the Hole will sell for $1.99 in celebration of National Candy Corn Day.
On 10/31 Boy in the Hole will sell for $2.99 in celebration of Halloween.
You can purchase the digital version on Amazon here: bit.ly/BOYINTHEHOLE
If you prefer the soft cover, you can pre-order it now on Amazon. The soft cover edition will ship 11/4/2019.
If you want an autographed copy, please go to: https://akivahersh.com/novels
Thank you for your patronage!
Akiva Hersh
September 18, 2019
Boy in the hole: From Curse To Blessing
The title of my novel, BOY IN THE HOLE, suggests there is a landscape with contours and variations in the terrain. Along the way, someone has fallen into a very deep pit. A boy. But the boy in the hole is a metaphor for experiences that visit us; the kind that forces themselves upon us; they are often alien and unknowable. They come to us with no names. They stop us in our tracks and leave an imprint, changing the course of our lives.
They can be a blessing or a curse. If another human being comes along and teaches us about the experience, we call it a blessing. The person names it: anger, grief, puberty, coming out, abuse. But if we are left to our own devices and limited resources, the experience becomes a curse left to wander our soul-terrain and revisit us at other times and places and wildly demands to be touched and named and blessed by another human being. The energy of that experience will not rest until it is given its due. It agitates, it craves sex and substance, it lashes out, it lies, it distracts, it punishes, it cuts. All this thrashing is the seeking for the calmness of integration.
BOY IN THE HOLE deals with sexual identity; physical and sexual abuse, bullying, and the catastrophic failure of family and religion as support systems. Each is a unique hole. Each potentially is a blessing or a curse. The main character, Jacob, finds a tribe of mentors who teach him to name the experiences he has and offer him the ability to learn a supreme power—the ability to bless oneself—but at a considerable cost.
Stories encourage us. They can be a map. We can look to them to see how other people have found answers. Stories can name our experiences and transform the curse into a blessing. If you are struggling with LGBTQ issues, have gone through abuse or bullying, reach out for professional help and also remember there are others out there who can relate to you and we have stories that might help. May BOY IN THE HOLE be a blessing to you.
For professional help consider:LBGTQ+ Resources: The Trevor ProjectChild Abuse: https://stopabusecampaign.orgSexual Violence: https://www.rainn.orgBullying: https://stompoutbullying.org/August 22, 2019
Indiana Gay Teen Shows Strength In Weak Moment
"I'm not okay, but I will be," says the Indiana teen who was ridiculed and beaten because of his sexual orientation at Alexandria Monroe High School. These are the words of a survivor. A fighter. Words that belong to someone stronger than the bullies who mercilessly pelted him in the locker room while making a video of the attack. Those boys are cowards who should be charged with a hate crime.
But for some LGBTQ teens, that strength does not come so easily. Factors like family, religion, and friends can fail, even undermine the support a teen needs when struggling with sexuality or gender issues.
A Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified that 33% of LGBT teens have been bullied on school property and 27.1% experienced cyberbullying. These teens reported a higher likelihood of missing school than their heterosexual counterparts out of concern for their safety.
Bullying affects a child’s ability to learn; more seriously, it endangers their lives. LGBTQ youth are at a greater risk for depression, substance abuse, and are a higher risk for suicide.
The first step in addressing the problem is awareness.
Watch out for the signs of bullying:
Pay attention to your child’s belongings that have mysteriously gone missing.
Notice changes in their eating habits (binging or avoiding foods).
Watch for a sudden resistance to going to school, place of worship, etc.
Note any sudden loss of friends.
Take seriously talk of suicide or self-harm.
The second step is to make a safe space for LGBTQ Youth
Declare a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and follow through with consequences.
Schools and communities should reach out to LGBTQ youth and strengthen those connections.
Schools and churches can invite LGBTQ organizations like PFLAG and The Trevor Project to educate and elevate the awareness of the community.
Form Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to create safer schools.
Speak acceptance to these youth, teach them what bullying is, and empower them to have a voice. Model how to stand up to bullies and help them find safe spaces and to look for the people-helpers nearby.
Protecting LGBTQ youth against bullying and educating those who bully is a community effort.
"Stay true to yourself and if you get hit, do the best you can to make sure it never happens again,” the Alexandria Monroe High survivor says. Powerful words from a young man strong enough to stand up for himself. Whoever you are, you're my hero. But no one should have to fight alone. Let us no longer tolerate bullying.—let us make a priority to end the bullying of our LGBTQ youth in our communities around the world.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
