Title: Seeking Warmth
Author Name: Brigham Vaughn
Publisher: Two Peninsulas Press (Indie/Self-Published)
Publication Date: December 12, 2018
Word Count /or Page Number: 20,151 words
Formats/Price: ebook – $2.99
Buy Links:
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Summary:
Benny Fuller is on his way to rock bottom. He’s seventeen, fresh out of juvie, homeless, and
desperate to find a job. His dad’s in jail and his drug-addicted mom is in no shape to take care of his
sick sister, Angel. A run-in with his ex-boyfriend, Scott Sullivan, makes Benny feel even worse. He’s
a thief with no future. Scott is smart, with plans for college and a great future ahead of him. Benny
knows Scott can do so much better than him. Because no matter how hard Benny tries, he can’t
seem to find a job or a way to take care of Angel.
The further Benny falls, the more he needs Scott’s help. Benny will have to let go of his pride and
trust Scott and the Sullivan family in order to get the Christmas miracle Benny and Angel so
desperately need.
Reader Advisory: This is an older (15+) YA story with themes of homelessness, drug use and
prostitution (off-page), neglect of minors, and foster care.
Review
My Rating - 5 Stars!
Brigham Vaughn's Seeking Warmth is one of the best books I have ever read. Not for it's genius or complex tale, but for it's beauty and tenderness.
Benny, fresh out of juvi, is homeless and jobless. He's struggling to get his life back on track, not only for himself, but so he can find his younger sister and become her guardian.
Benny's situation is explored in a manner than is riveting, superbly written, and extremely atmospheric. You will feel as if you are experiencing all Benny is suffering through.
Benny struggles on his own, refusing to accept help from his ex, Scott, as he feels he has nothing to offer him. But, as hard as Benny's working, he has to learn to accept some help, and that there is nothing wrong with that.
Seeking Warmth is a touching and absolutely heart-warming story of love and hope. I am in awe of the impressiveness and power of this Brigham Vaughn tale.
Excerpt:
People hurried past Benny Fuller without seeing him. They were bundled up warmly against the
snow, clutching their holiday shopping bags and packages. They were too intent on their destination
to see the kid they pushed past. Now that the sun was going down, the crowds were beginning to
thin. The wind picked up and the fat, fluffy snowflakes grew smaller and sharper. They stung his
cheeks and made his hands ache. It had been early spring when he went into juvie. He’d had a hat
stuffed in his old, beat up Army-style jacket but no gloves.
When the caseworker picked him up at the juvenile detention center and drove him to a foster
home, she frowned at his bare hands. She said something about making sure he had a pair of
gloves—and a warmer coat and boots—but she got a phone call a few minutes later and apparently
forgot. He hadn’t said anything to the foster care lady about it either. So now the slushy snow soaked
into his shoes as he walked and he still had no gloves or winter coat. He’d have to make do. But that
was nothing new for him, was it? Benny had been doing that for a while now.
He kicked at a piece of torn, soggy cardboard on the sidewalk as he passed it. It did nothing to
relieve the gnawing hunger in his stomach or the cold air that crept down the collar of his jacket and
numbed his fingers.
It was satisfying though. Something to do to let out all of the frustration and fear boiling inside of
him. His job search had amounted to nothing. Everything amounted to nothing. There were no
opportunities for kids like him.
He’d been wandering the city for a week. Ever since he left the foster home they placed him in. It
hadn’t seemed bad at first. It was clean and there were only two other kids there, both younger. But
one of them was a nightmare. Benny had never seen anything like it. The boy screamed and tried to
hit the little girl all the time. The foster mother did nothing to stop it. The little girl had bruises on
her arms and legs from the boy and it made Benny sick to watch it happen. Within the first day
Benny was there, the boy bit Benny hard enough to draw blood, but Benny was the one who got
yelled at by the foster mother for provoking him. Benny hadn’t done anything but sit down next to
the kid.
Benny had tried to help out, thinking maybe the woman was just overwhelmed, but she yelled at him
for interfering. The day after he got there, the little girl had to go to the doctor for pinkeye. Benny
was left home with the boy. It was a nightmare. After the boy screamed and hit him and acted like a
little monster all day, Benny couldn’t handle it anymore. As soon as the woman got home with the
girl, Benny crawled out the bedroom window and left.
He went straight to his childhood home, even though there was no one there waiting for him. He
collected his car and a few belongings, but he knew he couldn’t stay or Child Protective Services
would just drag him out of there and back to a foster home.
But once he left his old house, he had nowhere else to go. He had a car though, thankfully. It had
sat, unused, while he was in juvie. It was still registered, thankfully, although the insurance on it had
lapsed. He’d have to hope he didn’t get pulled over, or he’d be in big trouble.
With no home and no job, what else could he do now but wander? Sit in his car and feel sorry for
himself? Even if he wanted to, he didn’t have any money for gas so he couldn’t do it for long. He
tried to run the engine as little as possible. Just enough to keep himself from freezing to death. At
least when he was up and walking, his blood was flowing.
He wasn’t warm, but at least he wasn’t dead. That was something, right?
Up ahead, a brightly-lit storefront spilled yellow light onto the snowy sidewalk. Its warmth beckoned
Benny to come closer, but as he approached, he recognized the building and scowled. Sullivan’s Fine
Gifts, the sign on the window read. Damn it. His wandering had taken him to the last place he should
be.
Stupid. Why did I come here? He wondered. It wasn’t like he could go in and see Scott Sullivan. God, he
wanted to though. Scott was the only person Benny had ever trusted. The only one who really knew
him. Scott was the best thing that had ever happened to Benny. Too bad Benny was the worst thing
that had ever happened to Scott.
Benny stood in front of the gift shop long enough for the snowflakes to settle on his too-thin jacket.
His breath fogged the window and cold and hunger faded away as he stared into the store owned by
his ex-boyfriend’s parents, mesmerized by the cheerful lights and decorations. It advertised home
and family.
Warmth. Security. Love.
All the things Benny didn’t have.
Author Bio:
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time author. She devours books at an
alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a
killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy
Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift
store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to
discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and
polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
To stay up to date on her latest releases, sign up for the Coles & Vaughn Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/dkyS7P
Social Media Links:
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Brigham-
Vaughn/448104198635015
Facebook Fan Group (Brigham’s Book Nerds):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/brighamsbooknerds/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorBVaughn
Blog: https://brighamvaughn.wordpress.com/
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