RJ Scott's April Blog Tour for Autism Awareness

A fact about Autism: 
Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average

The topic of this years blog tour is PREJUDICE.

When I see the word prejudice the things that come to my mind are the larger social issues like race, sex, and sexual orientation. These are things I would never claim to have any prejudice toward. I see variety and gender and love, and I don't see how anyone can have a problem with that. My friend having a girlfriend makes no difference to how I live my life or view my relationship with my husband. Another friend falling in love with and marrying a guy from India didn't leave me thinking the sky was going to fall. On the large scale, I don't think about it. However, I have to confess that in some ways I guess I can and have been prejudice and I think we all can be, often without even thinking.

Two examples - A hard habit to break:

* The way someone looks, speaks or acts. Most of us are guilty of prejudging a person from a look or the minute they open their mouth. Films and TV shows will often reflect these stereotypes - the ditzy blonde, the OTT special needs guy, the crazy religious nut, the 'no way he's passing for a girl' transvestite - and we laugh. It's not meant in a bad way, but we do laugh. Reality shows about certain groups within society also do nothing to overcome the preconceived ideas about people. In the UK there are so many shows about different class groups in society - the posh ones are OTT posh, eccentric, frivolous, and ridiculous, the people living on estates are shown as out of work, large families and everybody's on benefits. It does nothing to change those ingrained prejudices.


* The use of words without thinking how derogatory they may sound. I work in a school and kids (and grown ups) still go to the 'Paki' shop for sweets, they call their friends mongs and retards, and they say things are gay. It's the culture they've grown up in, the one I've grown up in and I guess it's hard to break. It's not necessarily intentional. I don't believe for a minute when they say their homework is gay that many, if any at all, actually link gay/bad to gay/homosexual and therefore believe homosexual = bad. These words are in their vocabulary, their friends' and their family's too. Maybe one day things will change.

Giveaway

As part of the blog tour, we're each having a small giveaway. So here is your chance to win a copy of my and RJ Scott's latest book, Under The Sun (Sapphire Cay #2) - plus an additional choice from my back catalogue here. So no worries if you don't have the first Sapphire Cay book, you can pick that too! Just leave a comment with your email address and at the end of the blog tour a winner will be selected at random.

Edward McAllister, wedding planner extraordinaire arrives at Sapphire Cay for a wedding. He has four days to go until the big day and his plans are smashed when he spots the stage he was setting is destroyed.

Doesn't matter that the guy pulling down the old gazebo and digging trenches is hot - he is messing with Edward's OCD and Edward isn't afraid to let the other man know exactly how he feels.

Jamie Durand is an ex marine and son of the former owners of Sapphire Cay. He is on the island to get his head around his new life after leaving the forces due to
injury.

When Edward arrives in his space he is bemused at the instant dislike the uptight man is showing towards him.

Not an auspicious start. But just you wait when Edward relaxes and Jamie opens up. Then you will see fireworks.

Find more blogs from the blog tour at RJ Scott's master post here