This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ina Carter will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
2. I have a photographic memory, but not for all things. I remember people, where we met, and the conversation we had to the smallest details. Sometimes it freaks people out when I ask a specific personal question based on a conversation we had five years ago. They think I am a stalker, to know so much about them because they’ve forgotten we ever met. Imagine how my husband feels? I never forget any of his mistakes. 😉 The one plus of my affliction is that my kids can come to me when they wonder about some specific event from their early childhood, and I can recollect it exactly. Last week, I helped my son with his college essays when he needed a good story of when he first found his passion for filmmaking (he is applying to film schools this year.)
3. The most embarrassing moment I had as a writer was when I send my romantic comedy “Big Gray” to all my girlfriends, who wanted to be my beta readers. A month later, we had a barbeque in our backyard (this was pre-COVID), and they gathered around me, asking if my character Grayson was based on my husband. I answered honestly – “that yes, in parts he was the inspiration behind my hero, “meaning that my husband was that quirky and hilarious guy who got my weirdness when we met in college. My friends were like, “Oh, you lucky girl!” because, of course, they were asking about the more steamy parts of the story. It’s called “Big Gray” after all. My poor hubby is still getting some weird looks from those ladies, and we have to endure some awkward parties.
4. I am an avid reader and read at least 3books/week. Now during the pandemic even more. I read books from all genres, but my favorites are non-fiction biographies. When I get stuck writing a story and hit “writer’s block,” my cure are historical books – anything from historical romance to books about WWII. When I am “transported” to another time period, I get detached from the present and from whatever is holding me back in my creative process. After I binge on history for a few days, I feel more clearheaded when I get back to my own writing.
5. I have a second college degree in Graphic Design, and I designed all my book covers, website, and marketing materials. My readers might notice that I have two different book covers for the eBook and paperback of Crimson Snow. I designed both and did a survey amongst my friends and followers, and everyone liked the cover with the girl (the paperback). It is more intricate and sets the mood for what kind of story Crimson Snow is. The problem with that cover was that when you minimize it to thumbnail size on a computer screen, all the details blend and the book doesn’t draw the eye. This is why for the eBook version of my novel, I am using the cover with the heart because it’s more eye-catching and simple.
The Greeks had seven words for LOVE. I felt all of them for ONE MAN…
My name is Lauren, and I was a stolen baby.
They found me in a trailer park in rural Texas when I was eight years old. My childhood wasn’t perfect, but then I had Kevin. He was my everything…
When they returned me to my biological parents, we were torn apart.
My new family desperately tried to fix me, make me forget him… My father kept me on a short leash and controlled every aspect of my life. The one thought keeping me afloat was to find Kevin, but he vanished without a trace.
I searched for him for twelve years, but the man I found was not the boy I lost. He is a college baseball star, tattooed, moody, and dark… And he hates me.
Can Kevin help me defeat my demons, or does he have too many of his own?
Read an Excerpt
“The Greeks had seven words for Love, Laurie. And somehow, I know I’ll experience all of them with you… Philautia is the only selfish love and for a long time I didn’t love myself. When I doubted myself, I remembered you, and how you used to look at me. To you, I was a giant, someone who could move mountains and conquer dragons. Even now, you look at me the same way, and I feel stronger in your hands, and want to be a better man…”
He was telling me things that were making my heart hammer in my chest, but at the same time, his fingers were burning fire on my skin, because with every button he undid, he caressed the skin underneath. Kevin was seducing me with his words, and I was melting under his fingers.
“When we were kids, my love for you was Philia – a brotherly love, that innocent feeling you have for a friend. It might have been platonic, but just because you are small doesn’t mean your capacity to love is less. In fact, a child’s love is unbridled, unconditional, the purest form of emotion I can think of… And you and I will always have that… To this day, I feel Philia for you, and I always will.”
Kevin then leaned and placed a kiss over his name on my chest, leaving an imprint more permanent than the engraving on my skin.
“Philia, baby, is also the love of the mind, and it is what makes us feel safe in each other’s presence. With you, I am not afraid to share any of my struggles, and you freed me. I carried so much pain internally, but you took it away…”
Then Kevin took my face between his palms and kissed my cheek, in the same gentle way as the young boy of my childhood did when I was sad – he always kissed the tears away.
About the Author:
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLove the cover.. so very pretty..
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me on your blog!
ReplyDeleteIt was nice learning about you.
ReplyDeleteThe cover caught my attention initially.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt and the surprising things about you, it is always fun to get to know the authors better! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a interesting book.
ReplyDelete