Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New, page 9
February 23, 2019
Publishers Weekly Feature on That Night!
Did you know that this YA drama is now only 99 cents (for a limited time)?
You can get your copy of That Night at your favorite e-book retailer, (Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qbb54s) including all major outlets as well as Google Play, Kobo, and Indie Bound.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
February 6, 2019
In the Margins Award - The Competition
Last year, That Night made the longlist for this national award, which recognizes books for youth and young adults who are marginalized by situation, class, or race - poverty, abuse, incarceration, and homelessness are some of the situations addressed in the books on their lists.
In The Competition, Mary Sofia is a Puerto Rican American teen who comes from a background of family violence, and lives in a shelter for teens while dreaming of visiting her beloved older brother, who is in state prison.
Thank you to the ITM Committee for helping Mary Sofia's story reach new readers!
February 3, 2019
YA Paranormal Fantasy by My Daughter!
She won't tell me much about it except that the main character finds out that she is changeling, but this discovery only leads to more surprises, danger, and romance with a boy who is much more than what he seems.
She is on Goodreads under the name Molly Lavenza if you'd like to follow her for more details as she releases them. Thank you!
January 28, 2019
New Interviews!
Author Alyssa Rose's Blog: https://bit.ly/2RW1cZj
and
Coffee Time Romance: https://bit.ly/2RVZua3
January 24, 2019
Review & Excerpt - Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Just when I thought McGarry couldn't get any better - she does. This had me absolutely spellbound in every way. (review here:https://bit.ly/2B3AL9l)
Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), order your copy of ONLY A BREATH APART now!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.
The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.
A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…
Amazon | Kobo | Google Play
B-A-M | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Add it to your Goodreads today!
Katie McGarry’s ONLY A BREATH APART – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
January 21st
@booksniffer7 – Review
Bickering Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Book Ballistic – Excerpt
Book Hoarder Mom – Review
Brittany and Elizabeth’s Book Boutique – Review & Excerpt
Celindareyesblog – Excerpt
Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt
Crystal's Book World – Excerpt
Do You Dog-ear? – Review & Excerpt
Little Shop of Readers – Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Excerpt
Resch Reads & Reviews – Review
Sister Sister Book Blog – Excerpt
This Jabberwocky Eats Books – Excerpt
Writing My Own Fairy Tale – Review
January 22nd
A Book Lovers Playlist – Excerpt
Beware Of The Reader – Excerpt
Beyourselfbebhaltair – Review & Excerpt
Booknerd1107 – Review
CeliaMoontown – Review & Excerpt
Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt
Echoing Books – Excerpt
GataLeitora – Excerpt
Its a mun thing – Excerpt
Mean Girls Luv Books – Excerpt
Mythical Books – Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review
Stellar Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Lovely Teacher Addictions – Excerpt
The Romance Reviews – Excerpt
Words Are Life – Review & Excerpt
January 23rd
A Novel Glimpse – Review
Bewitching bibliophile – Review & Excerpt
Book Freak – Review
Books Are My Life – Review & Excerpt
Bookworm Misfit – Excerpt
ClaryNathanWill – Excerpt
Craves the Angst Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Latteandbook – Review & Excerpt
Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Phishbowl's bookshelf – Review
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt
Sascha Darlington's Microcosm Explored – Excerpt
The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt
The Readdicts Book Blog – Excerpt
Velarisreads – Excerpt
January 24th
A Court of Coffee and Books – Review & Excerpt
Avid Reads – Excerpt
Book Boyfriend Reviews – Review
Bookishly Nerdy – Review & Excerpt
Collector of book boyfriends – Review
Dazzled by Books – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Excerpt
Lisa Loves Literature – Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Review
Star-Crossed Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Sweet Red Reads – Excerpt
Tale Out Loud – Excerpt
The Cover Contessa – Excerpt
The Lovely Books – Excerpt
The Start of Something New – Review & Excerpt
January 25th
A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Abellafairytale – Excerpt
Book Bite Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Boundless Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of a Wordaholic – Review & Excerpt
Fandomly Bookish – Excerpt
Girl Plus Books – Review
I Heart Romance & YA – Review
Kaidans Seduction – Excerpt
Short and Sassy Book Blurbs – Excerpt
Tales of dreams and nightmares – Excerpt
The Book Branch – Excerpt
The Book Trollop – Review & Excerpt
VoxLibris – Review & Excerpt
Witchy Richey’s Booktastic Reviews – Excerpt
January 26th
Ali's Bookshelf – Review & Excerpt
Beauty and Lace – Excerpt
Blunt Book Blog – Excerpt
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Bookish Intoxication Writes – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of 2 Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Family, Books and Food – Excerpt
Jesssiereads – Excerpt
Little Read Riding Hood – Review & Excerpt
Lovelyreadspublishing – Excerpt
Madison’s Library – Review & Excerpt
Rainy Days and Pajamas – Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Southern Vixens Book Obsessions – Excerpt
January 27th
3 degrees of fiction – Excerpt
All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt
As the Book Ends – Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Review
Books 4 Girls – Review & Excerpt
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales – Review & Excerpt
Chasing Faerytales – Review
Feed Your Fiction Addiction – Review
K&M Sultry Reads – Excerpt
K's Korner – Excerpt
Less Reality More Books – Review & Excerpt
My Fangirl Chronicles – Excerpt
Poetry law and something more – Review & Excerpt
Roxy's Reviews – Excerpt
Two Books in a Shelf – Excerpt
January 28th
Aaly and The Books – Review
A Book Fanatic Obsession – Review & Excerpt
BenderDreamerGirl: read.dream.escape – Excerpt
Book Reader Addicts – Review & Excerpt
Bookishly Slytherclaw – Review & Excerpt
Contagious Reads – Review & Excerpt
Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Escape 2 Fiction – Review & Excerpt
Midnight Book Girl – Excerpt
PBC – Excerpt
Rad Babes Read – Review & Excerpt
The Book Hookup – Review & Excerpt
Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
We Live and Breathe Books – Review & Excerpt
January 29th
A Gingerly Review – Review & Excerpt
A Lovely Book Affair – Excerpt
Bangor belle books – Excerpt
Becky on Books – Review & Excerpt
Books & Tea – Review & Excerpt
Chapter by Chapter – Review & Excerpt
Cupcakesandbookshelves – Excerpt
Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Echosreviews – Excerpt
GotToReadThoseBooks – Excerpt
Kindle and Me – Review & Excerpt
Lita's Book Blog – Excerpt
Margay Leah Justice – Excerpt
The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt
The Library of Belle – Excerpt
January 30th
Actin' Up with Books – Review
Book Reader Chronicles – Review & Excerpt
Bookistry_by_Ashleigh – Excerpt
Buttermybooks – Review
Ficwishes – Review & Excerpt
Geeky Reading – Excerpt
Little Bookworm Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review & Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World – Review
The Butterfly Reads – Excerpt
The Writing Finch – Excerpt
YA Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt
January 31st
Adventures in Writing – Review
Becca’s Bookish Life – Review
BookCrushin – Review & Excerpt
Here's to Happy Endings – Excerpt
Little Lovely Books – Review & Excerpt
Margaux – Excerpt
Ms. Me28 – Excerpt
Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt
Readers Live A Thousand Lives – Review
TBR Book Blog – Excerpt
The Bookish Introvert – Review & Excerpt
True Story Book Blog – Excerpt
February 1st
Alotabooks13 – Review & Excerpt
bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review
Caitlin's World – Review & Excerpt
CJR The Brit – Review
Court of Binge Reading – Excerpt
Hedwig Reads – Excerpt
Literary misfit – Excerpt
Moonlight Rendezvous – Excerpt
Readers Retreats – Excerpt
The Reading Faery – Review
Total Book Geek – Excerpt
Twirling Book Princess – Review & Excerpt
Vera is Reading – Excerpt
Whoo Gives A Hoot – Excerpt
YA/NA Book Divas – Excerpt
Katie McGarry Bio:Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram
Excerpt:
~SCARLETT~
Evangeline fans herself. “That boy is hot.”
Hot isn’t exactly the word I would use for him. Hot somehow feels…lacking. Hot is for some boy in our gym class who has recently grown facial hair. Jess Lachlin is no boy. He has fire-red hair, a sun kissed tan from all the hours working on his land, deep green eyes and a body made to handle rough, rugged days.
I might have been ignoring Jesse for years, but I’ve seen him. Every girl in this school has gone out of her way to drive or walk along one of the country roads to watch Jesse as he works his land. Living across the street, I’ve had a front-row view. His shirt off, drenched in sweat, muscles rippling as he moves, the way he sometimes pauses in his front yard and looks across the road as if he knows I’m watching. A fluttering in my chest and then—
“Would you date him?” Evangeline asks.
“No.” Camila’s answer is swift. “And it’s not like he dates anyone. Except for his friends, the boy is a recluse.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” The kneejerk question surprises even me when it pops out of my mouth. Camila and Evangeline look at me as if those were the first words I’d ever spoken. If I could hide under the circulation desk without making this moment worse, I would.
“Besides the fact he’s cursed and anyone a Lachlin falls in love with drops dead?” Camila walks toward me and Evangeline follows. Camila watches me with more curiosity than I care for, but it’s nice that she’s moving the conversation in my direction. “Jesse’s a train wreck, and he taints anyone in his vicinity. Dating him would be a social, emotional and literal death sentence.”
I’m familiar with the curse, and it’s no truer than Glory and her prophesies. “That sounds melodramatic.”
“It’s not.” Camila has a swear-to-God seriousness to her. “Mom and Dad had Bible study at our house last night, and Pastor Hughes came. Everyone thought I was in the basement, but I went to the kitchen for something to drink, and I heard Pastor Hughes ask everyone what they knew about Jesse.”
Eavesdropping. How Camila.
“Did you know that before Veronica started hanging with Jesse that she was on track to be a concert pianist?” Camila says.
“Seriously?” Evangeline tilts her head in disbelief, and I’ll admit to putting down my cell.
“Seriously. And Leo Wheeling was a star soccer player, predicted to be the first freshman to play varsity for our high school, and then he started hanging out with Jesse.”
Faint middle school memories of hearing Leo’s name over the announcements regarding soccer emerge in my mind.
“Then someone said that before Nazareth Kravitz moved here, he had taken the ACT in the seventh grade and received a perfect score. He moved here, met Jesse and the rest is history.”
Nazareth sleeps through most of our classes, that is, when he bothers showing for school.
I nibble on my bottom lip as I’m not sure how much I like the Jesse-is-the-devil enthusiasm. I may share the opinion, but that doesn’t mean anyone else should.
“Of course, then there’s Jesse himself. Drinking, drugs.”
“The fights,” Evangeline pipes in.
“Don’t forget the suspensions—”
“And he’s been arrested!” Evangeline finishes Camila’s statement like the two share a brain. Her eyes sparkle like that precious piece of scandalous gossip was just too good not to spread.
“The boy is a walking disaster,” Camila continues. “Anyone who hangs out with him wants to become a loser. It doesn’t matter he’s going to be a millionaire once he sells his grandmother’s land. Anyone who spends time with Jesse is asking for hurt.”
“And death.”
January 22, 2019
Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry - Available Now!
Don't miss the Rafflecopter below!
Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), ONLY A BREATH APART is now available!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.
The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.
A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…
Amazon | Kobo | Google Play
B-A-M | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Add it to your Goodreads today!
EXCERPT:
~SCARLETT~
A scraping of a chair, a tray full of food and I glance over with my practiced smile in welcome. It’s not Camila, Evangeline, or anyone else from the group. It’s green eyes, red hair, a familiar mischievous smile that used to be reserved only for me, and my blood pounds with excitement as if someone lit a sparkler in my chest. Then I frown because I’m not supposed to feel this way. Not with him. Not with anyone.
Jesse Lachlin winks at me as he sits across from me like no time has passed from when we climbed trees together. “What’s up, Tink?”
Another thrill runs through me but then my muscles tighten. Stupid, antiquated reaction belonging to a dead past. “What are you doing here?”
Jesse pops a fry into his mouth, chews, then picks up another as if he has no intention of answering. I scan the cafeteria. Several people are watching us, curious as to why Jesse Lachlin is sitting with me, or is event at lunch, or even at school.
From the lunch line, Camila’s and Evangeline’s eyes are bugging out of their heads.
What is going on? Camila mouths.
I raise my eyebrows to inform her I have no idea. Jesse digs into his corn with his fork and that’s crossing a line. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, but I asked what you’re doing here.”
He lifts his eyes to meet mine and there’s a glimmer in them that causes my lips to flatten. Fantastic. He’s here to make my life a living hell.
“It seems obvious,” he says.
If he remembers anything about me, he should recall I was never known for my patience and that he should be speaking, and speaking soon. “Just answer the question.”
“I’m eating lunch.”
I honest to God groan in frustration. “There’s no room at the inn.”
He surveys the table, takes in the empty seats, my books, and then gives me a good look. A slow look. As if he’s trying to memorize every inch he’s drinking in. My cheeks redden because that somehow feels a little too intimate for lunch. Feels a little too intimate for someone I’m no longer friends with. It feels too intimate if we were friends.
I glance away, but I sense him still staring at me. God help me, I want to stare back.
Katie McGarry Bio:Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram
January 21, 2019
Reckless Treasure - First Chapter on Bublish
The entire first chapter is available on Bublish, so if you've ever been curious as to what this one is about . . . and be forewarned, it has adult language and situations, so my YA and inspirational fiction readers, be aware of this.
For chapter one, visit Bublish here: https://bublish.com/bubble/stream/185...
January 9, 2019
Excerpt from Katie McGarry's Only a Breath Apart
Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), ONLY A BREATH APART will be available on all retailers on January 22, 2019!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most.
Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done.
Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no.Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.
Amazon | Kobo | Google Play | B-A-M | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Add it to your Goodreads today!
Excerpt:
SCARLETT
I’m defying my parents by attending a funeral. Reckless and adventurous teenage behavior, I know. Most seventeen-year-olds lie to their parents so they can go on a date with a forbidden boy or attend a party where there will be questionable behavior. Me? I’m outright lying to my dad, and it’s because Jesse Lachlin’s grandmother died.
The entire way here I’ve questioned my sanity, but I don’t know how I’d live with myself if I stayed home. Jesse Lachlin used to be my childhood best friend. We were inseparable. We had the type of friendship people strive to have, and then, a few years ago, he cut me so deeply that I still bleed. But ten-year-old me would have never abandoned a hurting Jesse. So today I’m not only honoring the memory of Jesse’s grandmother, but also the memory of our dead friendship.
On my way to the funeral, the high grass of the field swats at my legs, but I don’t mind the sting. I love walking barefoot in grass, I love the smell of the earth and I love that brief feeling of freedom open spaces can provide.
It’s the dog days of August. The type of hot that starts when the sun rises and makes you sweat through your clothes within minutes. While my skin and palms are on fire, the pads of my feet are cool against the dirt. The heat is unwelcome, but the sky is deep blue and the sun is bright, and for that, I can be grateful.
Walking out of the field, I stop short of crossing the one-lane road to slip on the flats that dangle from my fingertips. My mother would be mortified if she knew I was entering a church in a cotton daisy-print sundress. It’s not one of the dresses with stiff fabric and impossible back zippers she would have picked for me at an overpriced department store. It’s the type that’s machine-washable and breathable. The type of dress Jesse’s grandmother would have given her stamp of approval.
I can practically hear my mother heavily sigh and mumble my name, Scarlett, as if it were her personal, private curse word. Mom believes there’s a certain way to dress and behave, and I’m breaking all sorts of her rules today. Watch out, world. I’m officially rebellious.
I smile to myself because I’m the opposite of rebellious. For the last few years, I’ve followed every rule. I’m the teacher’s pet and the girl with straight A’s. I’m the poster child of perfection, and have earned every snarky ice princess comment Jesse’s friends whisper about me in the school hallways because he and I no longer speak.
There are only six cars in the parking lot of the white church, and that makes me frown. I thought more people would have wanted to attend. Jesse’s mud-covered pickup is there, and so is an unnaturally clean black Mercedes that belongs to his uncle. This ought to be interesting. Jesse and his uncle have a mutual hate for each other that runs deeper than any root of any tree.
Movement to my right and I slowly turn my head. Shivers run down my spine at the sight of Glory Gardner. Even though I’m seventeen and too old for ghost stories, I still can’t shake the ones regarding this woman. Girls would whisper over lunch boxes that Glory was a witch. As I grew older, I understood that witch meant con artist. She claims she can read palms, tarot cards and “sees” spirits from beyond the dead. All for a glorious fee.
She’s a beautiful woman—long dirty blond hair that’s untamed, even in a bun, and she has an eclectic taste in clothing. Today she wears a white peasant shirt and a flowing skirt made of material that shimmers in the sun.
Glory watches me like I watch her, with morbid curiosity. I knew her as a child, back when Jesse and I ran wild in the fields near her home, but we haven’t talked in years.
She stands under the shade of a towering weeping willow. There are lots of those trees around here. Mom says it’s because there is too much water in the ground. I say it’s because the people in this town have cried too many tears. Mom doesn’t like my answer.
I tilt my head toward the church, an unspoken question if Glory will be joining me. She shakes her head no. I’m not shocked. According to rumors, Glory will go up in flames if she enters the house of God. But who knows? Maybe I will, too.
The church is one of those picturesque, historical, one-room school buildings squeezed between a cornfield on one side and a hay field on the other. A huge steeple with a bell attempts to reach the heavens, but like anything created by a human, it falls tragically short.
The foreboding wooden door makes no noise as I open it, and I’m able to slip in without a huge, squeaking announcement. Orange light filters in through the dark stained glass windows, and its struggling beams reveal millions of dancing particles of dust.
On the altar, there’s no casket, but there is an urn. My heart dips—Suzanne is dead. I used to wish she were my grandmother, and many times, she treated me as if I belonged to her. Suzanne was the epitome of love, and the world feels colder now that she’s gone.
Choosing a spot in the back, I drop into a pew, and as I scan the church my stomach churns. How is it possible that this place is so barren?
Besides the Funeral Brigade, or the FB, as I like to refer to them, there aren’t many people here. The FB are the older group of woman who attend every funeral in our small town even if they didn’t know the person. Attending funerals isn’t my idea of fun, but who am I to judge?
The FB sit directly behind the one person the town believes to be the lone sane member of the Lachlin family, probably because he isn’t blood related—Jesse’s uncle.
On the left side of the church is Jesse. Only Jesse. And that causes a painful pang in my chest. Where are his stinking friends? The anarchists in training who follow Jesse wherever he goes? Where is the rest of the town? Yes, Suzanne was polarizing, but still, where is any respect?
Quietly, so I don’t draw attention to myself, I slip from the right set of pews to the left. Someone should be on Jesse’s side, and it’s sad it has to be me.
A door at the front of the church opens, and the pastor walks out from the addition the church build on as a small office ten years ago. I would have thought any pastor assigned to this place would be as ancient as this church. Sort of like an Indiana Jones Knights Templar scenario where he lives forever as long as he stays inside. But no, he’s the youngest pastor from the main, newer church in town. His name is Pastor Hughes, and he’s a thirty-something black man with a fit build who is just cute enough that he should be starring in a movie.
The pastor looks up, and he flinches as if startled. I peek over my shoulder then sigh. Clearly, he’s surprised to see me. Flipping fantastic.
His reaction, and the fact he won’t stop staring, causes every person to turn their heads. Lovely. I’ve had dreams like this where I enter a room and become the center of attention. Only in my dreams it’s at school, it’s my classmates and I’m naked, but still, this is disconcerting.
Eventually, the FB and Jesse’s uncle return their attention to the front, but Jesse doesn’t. He rests his arm on the back of the pew, and it’s hard to ignore that he’s made me his sole focus, but I do my best to act as if I don’t notice.
To help, I concentrate on what my mom taught me as a child—to make sure the skirt of my dress is tucked appropriately so that my thighs don’t show. I then fold my hands in my lap and straighten to a book-on-head posture. I can be the ice princess people claim me to be.
Five pews separate me and Jesse, and it’s not nearly enough. My cheeks burn under his continued inspection. Jesse has done this a handful of times since our freshman year. Glance at me as if I’m someone worth looking at, someone worth laughing with a little too loud and smiling with a little too much. Then he remembers who I am and snaps his gaze to someone else.
But he’s not looking away now.
Katie McGarry Bio:Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram
December 26, 2018
New Rafflecopter!
Prize package:
Paperback copies (signed) of the Cliff Walk Courtships series (3 books)
Heart and horse cookie cutters
Wendy Bellissimo treasure boxes
https://bit.ly/2CAh4HA
December 19, 2018
HALP! Need Books!
I have six lined up, and need 14 more.
Any advice/ideas on FREE e-books I can get easily? Or, author friends, do you have any you'd like reviewed? I review all books I read on Goodreads and Amazon, and if I really love them, I recommend them on BookBub as well.
Thank you so much in advance!
