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We are thrilled to participate in the blog tour for Heidi’s latest title, Enjoy the Dance. We’ve got some important facts from Heidi to share with you today, along with a great giveaway. We’ll be sharing our review with you later this week. First, here’s the 411 on Enjoy the Dance by Heidi Cullinan:
***About the Book***
Enjoy the Dance by Heidi Cullinan Also by this author: Carry the Ocean, Lonely Hearts
Series: Dancing #2
Published by Self-Published on October 11, 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Character(s): Professors/Teachers
Pages: 224
Goodreads Buy the Book
Dance with your heart, and love will follow.
Kindergarten teacher Spenser Harris has carved a quiet, stable future out of his tumultuous past, but his world turns upside down the night a homeless teen appears on his doorstep—a boy whose story mirrors the one Spenser has worked so hard to overcome. The decision to shelter Duon is easy. What’s tricky is juggling the network of caregivers in Duon’s life, especially Tomás Jimenez.
Tomás wouldn’t have hesitated to take Duon in, but his plate is already full working three jobs to support his family. Though Spenser’s carefully constructed walls are clearly designed to keep the world at bay, Tomás pushes past Spenser’s defenses, determined to ensure the man is worthy of his charge. As the two of them grow closer, Tomás dares to dream of a life beyond his responsibilities, and Spenser begins to believe he might finally find a home of his own after all.
But Spenser and Tomás’s world is poised to crash around their ears. Duon’s grandmother isn’t sure she wants him to be raised by a gay man and challenges Spenser’s custody. Tomás’s undocumented parents could be deported at any time, and all the while the state of Minnesota votes on a constitutional amendment against marriage equality and the US Supreme Court debates whether or not Spenser and Tomás get a happily ever after. All they can do is hold tight to their love, hope for a better future…and remind each other to enjoy the dance.
***Undocumented Families Facts***
In Enjoy the Dance, Tomás, one of the heroes, is an American citizen, but his parents are not. They came into the country without visas or green cards long ago, for reasons which to them were necessary and justified, but the fact remains that now here they are, unauthorized, undocumented, and as the story progresses, circumstances make that fact increasingly stressful.
This is of course a truth for many Americans. There are a number of myths about unauthorized immigrants in the united states, and so as a two-part series, here and at Scattered Thoughts and Rouge Words, I’m not making an argument, I’m simply laying out some documented facts about who is in this country without citizenship. Just like Tomás’s parents.
- More than half of all undocumented immigrants are believed to pay taxes despite being ineligible for almost all Federal and state public assistance programs.
- The US spent more than $18 billion on immigration enforcement last year, nearly twice as much as ten years ago.
- The US spends more money on border enforcement than all other criminal law enforcement combined.
- Mexicans who enter the US illegally by crossing the southern border pay coyote (human smuggler) fees of $300-4000 per person. Asian immigrants who enter the US illegally pay tens of thousands of dollars, possibly as high as $75,000.
- Undocumented immigrants are extremely vulnerable to trafficking because of fear of law enforcement and deportation. Current laws extend most labor and employment protections to undocumented immigrants. Unfortunately, unaware of their rights and often fearful of the consequences of attempting to seek assistance, these workers remain extremely vulnerable and isolated.
***About Heidi Cullinan***
Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her family. Heidi also volunteers frequently for her state’s LGBT rights group, One Iowa, and is proud to be from the first midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.
***GIVEAWAY***
But wait, there’s more! Leave us a comment on this post to be entered to win a copy of Enjoy the Dance. Good luck and don’t forget to check out Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for the rest of Heidi’s fast facts about Undocumented Families!
1. Having the right people around you is one of the most important things you can do for yourself when the times get tough. You want to surround yourself with people who are loving, caring and honest.
2. Focus on What You Can Control, Not What You Can’t
Thank you for the chance!!!!!