Love and Discrimination at Heart of Author’s First Novel

Campbell, CA, August 26, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Less than one year after Proposition 8 changed the California constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, Bay Area native Andrea Michaels has astonished the literary community with her first book, “John’s Symphony.”

Shocked by the passage of Proposition 8, Ms. Michaels saw the need for a sensitive and insightful story about a same-sex couple, struggling against religious and societal prejudices.

As Whoopi Goldberg declared, “If you're not sure how you feel [about same-sex marriage], go and meet some of the families and see what they're looking for. Once you take it out of the caricature of what gay people are and what gay marriage is, and put it in the reality of family and what these folks are fighting for, it's really amazing..." Ms. Michaels not only gives readers the chance to meet such a family, but also lets them feel what the characters, John and Teagan, feel when they meet, fall in love, and are forced to fight the discrimination of the Church, society, and even John’s family.

In a timely novel, which examines same-sex relationships, Ms. Michaels notes, “The true tragedy of outlawing same-sex marriage is that same-sex relationships are just like all relationships. Two people meet, they fall in love, they argue about finances, and grow old together. There’s no reason to single them out.”

“John’s Symphony” meets the Defense of Marriage Act head on and demonstrates the bias and unfairness in our current laws. According to NPR, as of June 3, 2009, thirty-eight states have adopted a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages or, similarly, a defense of marriage statute defining marriage as specifically between a man and a woman. “John’s Symphony” challenges this new status quo and shows the true consequences of such discrimination.

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Andrea Michaels is 25 years old and lives in the Bay Area. “John’s Symphony” is published through lulu.com and can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/johns-symphony/7488033. Any requests for comment can be sent to Ms. Michaels via email at johnssymphony@gmail.com.

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