WELCOME TO THE BUNNY TRAIL
We're so glad you're along for the journey!
Firenze |
New York City |
Sardinia |
Messages from
The Bunny Trail trilogy
Human connection, built through compassion and patience,
has the power to transform lives.
Those who feel different, isolated, or misunderstood are not broken.
They simply need spaces where they can be seen and valued for who they truly are.
Kindness can break through walls built by shame, fear, and loneliness.
Identity is not determined or fixed by how society labels us.
Refusing to abandon someone going through a difficult time can have profound effects.
Healing rarely comes from big, dramatic rescues but from the willingness
to just walk alongside someone on their journey.
The Bunny Trail story believes that love, friendship, and acceptance can
help people reclaim their sense of belonging in the world.
has the power to transform lives.
Those who feel different, isolated, or misunderstood are not broken.
They simply need spaces where they can be seen and valued for who they truly are.
Kindness can break through walls built by shame, fear, and loneliness.
Identity is not determined or fixed by how society labels us.
Refusing to abandon someone going through a difficult time can have profound effects.
Healing rarely comes from big, dramatic rescues but from the willingness
to just walk alongside someone on their journey.
The Bunny Trail story believes that love, friendship, and acceptance can
help people reclaim their sense of belonging in the world.
The Bunny Trail Series is available on Amazon
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Message from one of the authors of
The Bunny Trail
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I would like to take a moment to explain the intentional decision to publish this series under a pen name. It was not a casual choice but a deliberate one grounded in the nature of the project and the community it represents.
Although The Bunny Trail trilogy was written by a single author, it is, at its heart, a collective work. The series carries within it the lived experiences of eleven members of the LGBTQ+ community from across the globe. Voices spanning Europe, Asia, and North and South America were woven together into one narrative tapestry. During the isolation of 2020 and 2021, my teenage son and I reached out to our friends and acquaintances through Instagram and Facebook, inviting individuals to share their personal stories via Zoom. We were humbled and deeply moved by the generosity and enthusiasm of the responses. In keeping with a promise made for the safety and trust of those involved, no recordings were ever made. Every word preserved on the page was carried there by either my son or myself. From the outset, all participants were told that their experiences would be thoughtfully interwoven into a larger LGBTQ+ Young Adult trilogy. Though some were understandably hesitant at first, they ultimately embraced the vision. Upon reading the final draft of The Bunny Trail, they expressed not only approval but joy, as they recognized fragments of their own truths reflected with care, dignity, and light. My son and I are fully aware that The Bunny Trail trilogy would likely never have come into being without the strange stillness of the COVID-19 pandemic. While much of the world was confined indoors, suspended in uncertainty, we found ourselves opening outward into conversation and unexpected community. Both my son and I recognize that this kind of sustained, global intimacy was a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of circumstance. And though we never lose sight of the immense difficulties that marked those years, we remain deeply grateful for the rare gift of slowed time. We are profoundly proud of this work and the remarkable individuals who entrusted us with their stories. Their courage in sharing the complexities of their journeys made this trilogy possible. So, we ask kindly that you approach this story with care in your critique. The character of Bunny is drawn largely from my own life. But the character of Michael / Bastian is something far more collective. He is a tapestry of the extraordinary individuals who trusted us with their truths, and he carries within him fragments of many lives. Because of that, I feel a deep responsibility not only to the work itself but to the people whose stories helped shape it. I will always strive to safeguard the dignity of their experiences and to uphold the authenticity of what they so bravely entrusted to us. Their stories were not offered lightly. Instead, they were given in vulnerability and in hope. For that trust, I remain deeply indebted. This trilogy exists because of them, and the experience of bearing witness to their journeys has been one of the most meaningful honors of my life. Thank you for being here to experience their beautiful stories. DJ |
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Sebastian LeFay
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For more information on Sebastian LeFay,
the gorgeous model on The Bunny Trail series book jackets, please visit sebastianlefay.weebly.com.
the gorgeous model on The Bunny Trail series book jackets, please visit sebastianlefay.weebly.com.
LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULT FICTION
romance fiction
romance fiction
Bunny & Michael
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The Bunny Trail Book Series includes the three books The Bunny Trail, Thou Wilt Go Now, Rabbit, and I Go With Thee.
The Bunny Trail is a coming-of-age novel that follows the unlikely yet unshakable bond between Bunny, a precocious, observant child from a troubled home, and Michael, a boy born with a severe facial deformity. Set between the romantic streets of Florence, Italy, and the raw, electric energy of New York City, the story opens with their serendipitous childhood meeting that sparks a friendship destined to shape both their lives. As they grow up side by side, Bunny becomes a beloved presence in Michael’s family, offering him comfort, courage, and the freedom to be himself. Summers spent together become a safe haven from the emotional weight each carries. |
When Michael undergoes reconstructive surgery as a teen, he grapples with what it means to be seen, and he learns how much of his identity is skin-deep. Through Bunny’s unwavering friendship, he begins to understand that his healing is more than physical.
The second half of the novel shifts to Bunny’s voice as she navigates early adulthood in New York. Battling the long shadows of neglect and striving to carve out her own identity, she is sustained by the memory of Michael and their enduring connection.
Spanning years of self-discovery, separation, and reunion, The Bunny Trail is a deeply emotional exploration of identity, resilience, and love that doesn’t follow a script. It’s a story about being truly seen by someone else and learning to see yourself.
Review of The Bunny Trail
from manybooks.com
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The Bunny Trail by DJ Tombe is a heartwarming and thought-provoking story of found family, identity, and resilience, centering on the unlikely friendship between Bunny, a spirited and brash girl, and Bastian/Michael, a reclusive and sensitive young man.
Bastian has spent his life in near-isolation on his family’s estate in Italy, shunned by a world unprepared for his appearance. His solitude is broken when young Bunny, the granddaughter of a family employee, stumbles into his hidden refuge. Far from recoiling, Bunny embraces him, quickly nicknaming him Michael and forging a friendship that transforms them both. |
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Bunny’s summers with Michael and his family become a lifeline for her, offering stability and affection missing from her troubled home life.
Through her presence, Michael’s family begins to heal in small but meaningful ways, their interactions steeped in warmth, humor, and vulnerability. As Michael grows older and undergoes reconstructive surgery, his journey of self-discovery takes a new turn. Yet, his transformation is not just physical. With Bunny by his side, he grapples with the complexities of identity, visibility, and acceptance, realizing that changing his face does not erase the deeper scars of his past. The story shifts in its second half to Bunny’s perspective, unveiling her struggles as a young adult in New York City. While Bunny navigates the effects of neglect and finds her footing in a world that feels both exhilarating and overwhelming, her bond with Michael remains a constant, a tether that anchors her through the chaos. |
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Spanning the dreamy streets of Florence, Italy, and the electric chaos of New York City, The Bunny Trail Series is a queer coming-of-age story about friendship, identity, heartbreak, and healing. Bunny and Michael don’t just grow up together. They grow into themselves, questioning everything they’ve been told about love, gender, and what a "normal" life should look like.
Told through two distinct voices, The Bunny Trail masterfully explores how early experiences shape us, and how love, friendship, and self-acceptance can guide us toward healing. With a rich cast of characters and vividly drawn settings, this poignant novel invites readers to reflect on their own journeys and the connections that sustain them. The first book ends with a sense of promise, leaving Michael and Bunny’s story open for further exploration. |
Book & Chapter Layout
BOOK 1: THE BUNNY TRAIL |
PART I: Michael's Story / Chapters 1 - 14
PART II: Diarah's Story / Chapters 15 - 19 |
BOOK 2: THOU WILT GO NOW, RABBIT |
PART III: Bastian's Story / Chapters 19 - 31
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BOOK 3: I GO WITH THEE |
PART IV: Bianca's Story / Chapters 32 - EPILOGUE
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DIALOGUE
Cultural Conversation about
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