Book excerpt: “This is not just a luminescent work, it is a transcendent and transformative one. Jill Malone finds and plays the desperate times of the teenaged years like an old Gibson. The reader is instantly, effortlessly, back in those halls of high school, the auditoriums and locker rooms and gyms, the whispered conversations in the library, solving math problems on the phone, sneaking out late at night, wondering, always wondering, if you have gone too far this time, or not far enough. . . . Malone continues to delight with each new book. Her writing reveals a sure, deft skill at the subtleties and ever-changing emotions of characters as they grow and progress. . . . Malone is the real thing, a novelist of great touch and tone, like a fine musician, the kind who play because they love the music and look up at the end of a song, surprised to find an audience.” —Lesbian.com, June 4, 2013 Between God and the army, fifteen-year-old Cole Peters has more than enough to rebel against. But this Chaplain’s daughter isn’t resorting to drugs or craziness. Truth to tell, she’s content with her soccer team and her band and her white bread boyfriend. And then, of course, there’s Meghan. Meghan is eighteen years old and preparing for entry into West Point. For this she has sponsors: Cole’s parents. They’re delighted their daughter is finally looking up to someone. Someone who can tutor her and be a friend. But one night that relationship changes and Cole’s world flips. Giraffe People is a potent reminder of the rites of passage and passion that we all endure on our road to growing up and growing strong. Award-winning author Jill Malone tells a story of coming out and coming of age, giving us a take that is both subtle and fresh. Praise for Jill Malone's debut Red Audrey and the Roping: "A lyrical, passionate novel about desire, about danger, and about the need for self-forgiveness. A wonderfully impressive writing debut."—Sarah Waters "With its lyrical dialogue, complex characters, and atmospheric setting, this is a dazzling and dramatic debut."—Richard Labonte, Book Marks Reviews "Finely tuned, daring, and perceptive, Malone's auspicious debut leaves us wanting more."—Booklist Praise for Jill Malone's A Field Guide to Deception: "This gem of a book avoids the second-book blahs and gives us a poignant, real story of relationships and all they cost."—OutSmart Magazine "An absolutely gripping and beautifully written story."—AfterEllen.com "Beautiful, essential reading."—Outinprint.net Jill Malone's second novel, A Field Guide to Deception, won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction and was a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Literary Award. Her first novel, Red Audrey and the Roping, won the Bywater Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction. Jill Malone is a regular blogger and her following is moving beyond the queer reading community. She lives in Spokane, Washington.