Micalea Smeltzer's Blog, page 15
January 9, 2015
LAST TO KNOW–Cover Reveal
Woohoo! Cover reveal time! I hope you all love this cover as much as I do! Since you guys are subscribed to my website you get to see this pretty first! :D
Hehehe, look at the hedgehog! Isn’t it cute?! ;)
Release Date: February 9th, 2015
Cover Design By: Mae I Design and Photography
He was just a boy.
And I was just a girl.
But if that’s all there was to the story it wouldn’t be very interesting, would it?
Up and coming band Willow Creek is back in their hometown for the summer. For the drummer, Maddox Wade, this summer was meant for writing music and playing gigs.
Falling in love was not part of the plan.
One look at Emma Burke and those plans cease to matter.
Emma is quiet and guarded. She’s still hurt from her father walking out two years ago. She doesn’t want to trust Maddox, but with his dark hair, smoldering good looks, and infectious smile he’s impossible to resist.
Together Maddox and Emma embark on an unforgettable summer of adventures and first love.
Everything is perfect…or so Emma thinks.
There are things she doesn’t know, and when she finds out the truth it might shatter everything she’s built with Maddox.
No one said love was easy, and for Maddox and Emma it just might be impossible.
Excerpt
Only I would get arrested on my first date. And not even for something cool like smoking pot or indecent exposure. Nope, we got arrested for fleeing the scene—which somehow turned into resisting arrest—and were being charged a fine for trespassing.
“This is unbelievable.” I grasped the metal bars of the holding cell in my hands.
“Hey, at least it will be a nice story to tell your grandchildren one day,” Maddox reasoned.
I turned around to glare at him where he sat on the thin metal bench. “You think this is real funny, don’t you?” I shivered, because my clothes were still wet.
“I think it’s hysterical,” he grinned. “I mean, who knew swimming in a pond could get you arrested?”
“Apparently when there are signs telling you not to swim,” I glared at him. He wasn’t taking this seriously at all.
“Admit you were having fun,” he challenged. “Sometimes a little fun is worth the consequences.”
“And sometimes a little fun leads to getting arrested!” I shrieked. “And other times it leads to babies!”
He laughed, leaning his head against the cinderblock wall. “Boy, that escalated quickly. From arrests to babies—does this mean the next time we want to have some fun we try for the baby part?” He grinned crookedly, waggling his brows.
My mouth fell open. “You are unbelievable!”
“And you’re adorable when you’re angry,” he smirked.
“Oh, if you think this is angry then you haven’t seen anything yet.” I put my hands on my hips and leaned forward, leveling him with a glare.
“I see your boobs, does that count?”
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January 1, 2015
BLOGGERS–COVER REVEAL INFO
I have a cover reveal coming up for my next release, Last to Know. I’m so, so, soooo excited about this book. I’ve been wanting to write this book for over a year and a half–maybe longer–and while I was writing Rae of Sunshine Maddox and Emma made it known that it was time that I finally told their story.
A little background on Last to Know….It’s the first book in a series of standalones. It’s about ROCKSTARS! Eeeep! Book one is also labeled as YA Mature (so 15+). The following books in the series will be in the New Adult/Adult category depending on the characters ages and definitely an 18+ read…just sayin’. Hahaha.
If you haven’t seen the blurb yet here it is…
He was just a boy.
And I was just a girl.
But if that’s all there was to the story it wouldn’t be very interesting, would it?
Up and coming band Willow Creek is back in their hometown for the summer. For the drummer, Maddox Wade, this summer was meant for writing music and playing gigs.
Falling in love was not part of the plan.
One look at Emma Burke and those plans cease to matter.
Emma is quiet and guarded. She’s still hurt from her father walking out two years ago. She doesn’t want to trust Maddox, but with his dark hair, smoldering good looks, and infectious smile he’s impossible to resist.
Together Maddox and Emma embark on an unforgettable summer of adventures and first love.
Everything is perfect…or so Emma thinks.
There are things she doesn’t know, and when she finds out the truth it might shatter everything she’s built with Maddox.
No one said love was easy, and for Maddox and Emma it just might be impossible.
And if you’re a blogger, you can sign up for the cover reveal here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bJb6U51V4VcpEZmnlrztwSg5k2BJWuEuFmXRzfLEfzE/viewform
December 29, 2014
Beauty in the Ashes is on sale!
I’ve decided to put Beauty in the Ashes on sale for .99 cents until January 5th! If you’ve been wanting to read it, now’s your chance! :)
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beauty-in-the-ashes-micalea-smeltzer/1119946847?ean=2940149679676
December 24, 2014
New Cade POV
If you’ve read Rae of Sunshine here’s another scene from Cade’s POV. I promised the mouth-to-mouth scene if Rae made it into the top 25 overall in the kindle store and it did! So this is my treat to you guys.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! (And Trace + Olivia fans, don’t forget there’s a bonus Christmas short story on their Extras page from last year.)
If you have not read Rae of Sunshine yet, then you should wait to read this.
Cade’s POV The mouth to mouth scene
Xander said something, but I didn’t hear him.
My hand tightened around the bottle of beer I held as my eyes zeroed in on the girl walking into the pool area with my sister Thea. That dark hair and those super long legs could only belong to one person. The girl that had been haunting my thoughts since I accidently knocked into her. I knew it had to be Rae, and I willed her to turn my way so that I could be one-hundred percent certain.
She didn’t turn to look at me, but she did look away from Thea, and it was definitely Rae.
A question plagued me, though, how the hell did she know my sister?
That one thought alone made my stomach twist.
From the way she’d dismissed me so easily when I met her, I thought she was different from other girls—and didn’t know, or care, who I was. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had misjudged her and she was using my sister to get to me.
But surely, if that were the case, she’d be looking around for me…right?
Instead, her eyes flitted around and she seemed nervous. She didn’t even wear a swimsuit.
“Dude, are you even listening to me?” Xander asked, knocking his hand against my shoulder.
“No,” I replied. Why lie? “I’ll be right back,” I mumbled. My eyes followed Rae and my sister as they found a place to sit on some of the empty lounge chairs.
I saw them talking, and Rae looked down as if she was irritated, or maybe just upset.
I didn’t even know her, but for some reason the thought of her being upset bothered me. She already looked so sad. I wanted to see her smile more.
Thea spotted me and started waving enthusiastically.
“Cade! Come over here and meet my friend!”
I fought my smile when Rae’s body stiffened. She recognized my name, but she didn’t look over at me. Not yet.
“Hi,” I chuckled at the irony of the situation, “I’m Cade Montgomery.”
She winced and slowly looked up at me. She was definitely surprised, so that was good. It meant she wasn’t using my sister.
“Cade.” She ground out my name between her teeth. Her eyes seethed with anger.
“Rae,” I replied, grinning as my eyes raked over her body.
I heard my sister’s mouth pop open. “You two know each other?”
I started to explain the situation to Thea when Rae’s head whipped in her direction and she spat, “If being tackled to the ground by this ogre counts as knowing each other then the answer is yes.”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh.
Thea’s brows furrowed together as she looked up at me with a confused expression. “You tackled her? I’m confused. Ohhh, is ‘tackled’ a code word for sex? I’m not good at reading between the lines.”
Once again, Rae beat me in explaining. “He tackled me. As in the normal sense of the word tackled.” She looked appalled at the thought of us together. I should’ve probably been offended, but it only made me like her more.
“Why’d you do that?” Thea glared at me like I must’ve planned to tackle her roommate.
“It was an accident,” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can see that you’ve recovered just fine.” I gave Rae a measured look.
She rolled her eyes and I couldn’t resist my smile. “So, how’ve you been, Rae?”
She glared at me and stretched out on the lounge chair. “I’ve been just dandy, and right now I’m in need of a nap.”
I stared at her, grinning.
I suppressed a laugh when she opened one eye.
“Stop staring at me,” she groaned, her voice laced with venom. “I can’t sleep with you watching me.”
I laughed. She was amusing—definitely a lot more interesting than most girls.
I lifted my arms, bringing attention to the chaos of the pool party. “How can anyone sleep with all this noise?” Before she could reply I crouched down and whispered, “You can’t avoid me, Rae.” I stared into her eyes, trying to get her to see that I cared. Yeah, it was stupid, since we’d only just met, but I truly did care. Only a stupid person wouldn’t see that she was hurting.
“I’m not trying to.” She stared right back.
I smiled at her words. She wasn’t fooling me. In a low voice full of promise I said, “See you in the morning.”
I left quickly before she could make a smartass comment—because I knew she would.
Most people would probably think she was a bitch, because she could be rather rude, but I saw past that. Beneath her tough exterior she was hurt, and I was going to find out why.
***
A little while later Xander made his way over to where Rae and Thea sat.
He must’ve thought I was stupid if he didn’t think I noticed how he looked at my little sister. I didn’t like it, not at all. But even I had to admit that Xander would be a good choice for her. Where Thea was a wild and spontaneous, Xander was quiet and grounded. He was probably one of the only guys on the planet that could calm the raging storm that was my sister. That didn’t mean I was going to encourage a relationship, though.
After a while I made my way over to them once more. Jace had joined them and frankly I didn’t feel like chatting with my teammates any longer. If I had to listen to Eric talk about one of his many conquests for a second longer I might punch him.
I saw Rae’s back stiffen at my approach, and I smiled at that. It looked I affected her as much as she did me. Good to know.
Instead of grabbing a chair from a nearby table I sat down on the lounger Rae occupied. She promptly pulled her legs up to her chest like my presence alone had electrocuted her.
I smiled knowingly and she looked away.
I engaged in conversation with Thea and Xander, while Rae stayed quiet lost in her thoughts.
When Rae moved to sit sideways like me I moved a bit closer to her. Her eyes burned on the little bit of space between us, like she was daring me to close the distance just so she could yell at me.
Finally, I couldn’t take another moment of her silence and asked, “So, Rae, what brings you to Huntley University?”
She looked at me like I was the dumbest person on the planet and replied, “Uh…I wanted a degree and college seemed like the most logical place to achieve that.”
“You’re a sassy little thing, aren’t you?” I grinned, suppressing a laugh. She stared at me like I’d grown three heads. “It was a compliment,” I shrugged.
“If that’s what you call a compliment then you’re really shitty at them.”
Across from us Xander snorted and I leveled him with a glare. He quickly turned his laugh into a cough.
“Excuse me,” Rae said, standing up and gliding past us. She seemed flustered.
I stared after her, wondering if I’d done something to upset her.
A guy passed her, not paying attention since he was talking to his friends, and bumped her.
She let out a small scream, flailing her arms to regain her balance and fell straight into the pool.
“Oh my God!” Thea screamed, both of us jumping to our feet. Her eyes met mine, full of panic. “Cade! She can’t swim!”
It only took me a second to compute her words.
“Shit,” I cursed, throwing off my shirt.
I dove straight into the water after her. She wasn’t even trying to swim and her body was sinking to the bottom of the pool. The other idiots in the water were completely oblivious.
Since she wasn’t moving I worried she’d hit her head or something.
I got closer to her and reached out, wrapping an arm around her body. I brought her to my chest and pushed my feet against the bottom of the pool, surging us upwards. We broke the surface and she didn’t gasp for air. Her head hung limply, her body immobile.
Jace and Xander waited by the edge of the pool and reached down to grab her. They hauled her out of the water and jumped out.
“She’s not breathing,” Thea cried, and Xander reached out, wrapping his arms around her in comfort.
A crowd was gathering now, realizing that something serious had happened.
I dismissed them from my mind, focusing on giving her mouth-to-mouth. It’d been years since I’d taken the class in high school, but right about now I was really hoping it came back to me—sort of like how you never really forgot how to ride a bike.
I went through the motions, breathing into her mouth and pumping her chest, while praying silently for her to be okay.
It seemed like an hour had gone by, but I knew it was really only like a minute or two, when she sat up and water spurted out of her mouth.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Her chest rose and fell harshly as she struggled to get enough air, but she was breathing and that’s what mattered.
I put a hand to her shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”
She turned to look at me, but it was like she didn’t quite realize what had happened.
“Are you okay?” I repeated.
She nodded slowly, still looking confused. Her eyes scanned the water dripping from my hair onto my face. “D-did y-you? Did you jump in after me?”
She looked so surprised that I’d come to her rescue.
“Thea said you couldn’t swim,” I shrugged, “so of course I jumped in after you. A bit too late though. You’d already sucked down a lot of water. I had to give you mouth to mouth.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth parted in shock as she shivered. She ducked her head, seeming embarrassed by the situation.
I guessed maybe it was a little embarrassing, and didn’t help that people had gathered around us staring.
“Back up everyone,” I glared, daring the people surrounding us to argue with me, “you’re crowding her.”
Rae gave me a relieved smile when they left.
Grabbing the back of her neck, I asked her again, “Are you okay?”
This time my words seemed to get through to her.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” She nodded.
I reached out and helped her to stand. Her legs wobbled and she leaned on me for support. “I have some spare clothes in my Jeep,” I told her, leading her towards the parking lot, “I don’t expect you to stay, but I don’t want you going back to your dorm soaking.” Her clothes were plastered to her skin and she couldn’t stop shivering. I didn’t think she even realized that she was shivering.
Once we reached my Jeep I grabbed my gym bag from the back, producing a clean shirt. “I have some shorts in there if you want those too.”
“This is fine.” She reached for the shirt, never meeting my eyes.
I tightened my hold on the garment and dropped it on the seat.
I could see how weak she was and some kind of fierce protectiveness overtook my body.
I reached for her soaked shirt, but she swatted my hands away. “What the hell are you doing?” She shrieked.
“Helping you.” Wasn’t that obvious? “How’d you guys get here?” I asked Thea, who hovered near the gate.
“Rae drove,” she answered.
“Get your stuff and go get her car and bring it over here. I want you guys to go back to the dorm.”
“I don’t want to drive Thea away from the party,” Rae mumbled, looking down at the ground.
I grinned. I had the perfect idea. “I can take you back to your dorm. Thea grab Rae’s bag.”
Once Thea was gone I grabbed Rae’s shirt again. This time she wasn’t prepared. I tugged it off and winced at the sight of the scar on her abdomen. It looked painful and I wondered how she’d gotten it.
“What happened?” I asked. It pained me to know that she’d been hurt.
“Something I don’t want to talk about,” she snapped, and I felt bad for prying. I didn’t like people prying into my private life so I understood where she was coming from. I was still a stranger to her, and she wasn’t sure she could trust me.
“Okay,” I sighed, letting it go. I slipped the shirt over her head. The shirt was much too large for her, but I liked seeing her wear it. I guessed it was the caveman in me.
She looked up and my eyes narrowed, wondering what she was looking at. I clenched my teeth so that I didn’t laugh when I realized she was staring at my chest.
“I don’t have another clean shirt.”
She looked at me doubtfully.
Thea returned then, handing Rae her bag. “I can take you back to the dorms if you want me to,” my sister told her.
“I’m fine,” she assured her, digging in her purse. “I can drive myself.”
I balked. “Nice try.” I snatched her car keys from her hands.
“You,” I pointed at my sister, “can drive her car home when you’re ready to leave. I’m taking Rae back to the dorms.”
I ended up in a staring war with my sister. I could see in her eyes that she thought I was being an asshole. But I didn’t want Rae to go back to her dorm alone. And Thea taking her back wasn’t enough for me. I had to see for myself that she was truly okay.
When Thea finally looked away I realized Rae was gone. I still had her keys, so where had she gone?
And that’s when I saw her walking towards the exit.
I ran after her, a growl rumbling in my chest.
I caught up to her easily and tossed her over my shoulder.
Did she really think I was going to let her walk all the way back to the dorms? This girl was insane.
“Put me down!” She screamed, beating at me and trying to wiggle out of my grasp.
I laughed, and opened the passenger door of my Jeep. I set her inside as gently as possible.
Before she could try and run away again I made sure to get in the car and drive away. I doubted she’d try to take a tumble out of a moving vehicle.
“Who are you?” She snapped angrily.
“I’m Cade,” I grinned. “Did your tumble into the swimming pool cause you to lose your memory?”
“There’s nothing wrong with my memory. I was just assuming you were the President or some member of the royal family with how fucking bossy you are.”
I laughed. “I have never met a girl like you before.”
“I can’t figure you out,” she muttered under her breath.
“Elaborate.”
I could feel her glare burning into me.
It’s obvious you’re a big deal on campus. Guys want to be you and girls want to fuck you, just to say they did. And yet, you’re following me around like some lost little puppy dog. If you’re trying to make up for knocking me down that day, consider yourself forgiven. It was an accident. And I don’t like you running with me. You need to stop that. I like to run by myself.”
“No can do.” I shook my head. Running with Rae was one of the only things I had to look forward to. Even if she didn’t talk to me being in her presence was enough.
“Why?” The one word was sharp as ice.
“Because I like running with you. I like you. Like I said, you’re different. Even now that you know who I am it doesn’t matter to you. It’s refreshing. I’m used to people only wanting to be close to me because of my name or because of where I might be going with football. You. Don’t. Care.” Now I was just rambling.
“You’re right. I don’t. You mean nothing to me.”
I smiled at that.
“You don’t mean that. You like me. Admit it.”
“I don’t know you, how could I like you?”
“Then let me take you out.” The words tumbled out of my mouth, but I meant them. If she’d let me take her out it would be a chance to get to know each other.
“No.” She didn’t even think about it. She just barked out the one word.
“No?” My brows lifted in surprise. “I don’t think anyone’s ever told me no before.” I felt confused by her dislike of me. I thought I was a nice enough guy, but I got the impression that Rae hated everyone and everything—so I shouldn’t have taken it personally, but I did anyway.
“There’s a first time for everything. I’m not interested.”
“You will be,” I replied with a nod. She’d come around. I knew she would. She had to, because there was no way I could possibly feel so intensely about her while she felt nothing. It just wasn’t possible.
December 4, 2014
Rae of Sunshine Scene from Cade’s POV
If Rae of Sunshine got into the top 50 overall on Amazon I promised to rewrite a scene from Cade’s POV. Well, we did it! So, here’s your Cade POV scene! This is the first kiss scene and if the book gets into the top 25 overall I will also retell the mouth to mouth scene from his POV. If you haven’t read the book yet, you should skip this scene and come back and read it later. :) It will also be posted on the Rae of Sunshine book page.
First Kiss—Cade’s POV
We stepped outside into the cold night air, Rae’s hand clasped in mine. Her hand felt so small whenever I held it. There was something so delicate and precious about her. She reminded me of those porcelain dolls my mom had in Thea’s room when we were growing up. They were breakable, and always so sad looking. That was Rae. Although, she wasn’t quite so sad anymore and it filled my body with satisfaction to know that was because of me.
I couldn’t help looking down at her.
God, she was so beautiful and she didn’t even know it.
The streetlights bathed her face in a golden glow as she gazed up at the snowflakes floating around us.
I wanted nothing more than to take her face in my hands and kiss her until we both forgot anything but the two of us existed—but I was scared.
Just like those porcelain dolls if I moved too fast, or pushed too hard, she might shatter.
Fuck it.
“Rae?”
She looked up at me and smiled—the kind of smile that made her eyes sparkle with happiness.
I made her that happy.
I never thought you could care so damn much about another person’s happiness, but I always found myself trying to get her to laugh or smile—even if it was only for a brief moment.
Our breath fogged the air and for a moment I found myself spellbound. Rae was captivating, spellbinding, and a million other things rolled into one. She was everything I never knew to hope for. I only wished she could see the true beauty she held—not her physical beauty, even though she was gorgeous, but the kindness in her heart. She thought she was a monster but she was my safe haven.
I felt like a bumbling teenage boy again as I said, “I really want to kiss you right now, but I don’t want to scare you.” I hoped she didn’t notice the quiver in my voice. I wasn’t scared of much, but Rae terrified me.
She closed her eyes with a peaceful, contented smile on her lips. Slowly her eyes blinked open, and they shined with an emotion I couldn’t decipher.
“Kissing me would be more than okay. If you don’t, I might never speak to you again.” Her eyes grew serious.
“Really?” I chuckled, my lips twisting up into a smile as I stepped closer to her. “You’d give me the silent treatment?” I reached up then and took her face in my hands. Her cheeks were cool to the touch, but I could feel the warmth suddenly flooding them.
Before I could lean in and close the distance between us, she said, “Oh, shut up,” and stole our first kiss.
I was frozen at first, shocked that she’d made the first move. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she pressed up on her tiptoes, kissing me more firmly.
A low groan rumbled in my throat as our lips moved together.
I cupped the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss.
I wanted all thoughts to leave her mind.
I wanted her to only think of me.
She let out a soft moan and that spurned me on. I wanted to hear her make that sound again. And again. And again.
Her body shook in my arms and I knew that this moment was just as soul shattering for her as it was for me.
She thought I was her salvation, but she was wrong—she was mine.
She saved me when I didn’t know I needed saving.
She gave me something to care about again.
She was my Rae of Sunshine when my world had been bathed in darkness for far too long.
November 21, 2014
5,000 Likes Giveaway
The 5,000 likes giveaway is now live! This is U.S. ONLY because shipping has gotten outrageous. I’m terribly sorry for this, but since I’m not the one mailing all the books I thought it was best to set that limit. There will be something in the future for all of you that are International! I promise!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2d9b9abf39/
November 20, 2014
Rae of Sunshine Chapter One
Since the release date got pushed until November 25th I decided to go ahead and post the whole first chapter! Enjoy!
The thing about starting over is it isn’t as easy as people say.
It’s impossible to become a completely different person.
You can change your hair.
Your makeup.
Even your name.
But at the end of each and every day you’re still the same person you were yesterday, and the day before that.
I’d spent the last year trying, and failing, to become a different person. The shitty events of my life had certainly changed me and I wasn’t the same carefree girl I used to be, but I was still Rachael—or Rae as I preferred to be called now—because no matter how far we run we can never escape ourselves.
It might’ve been stupid but I felt like hiding behind the new nickname gave me a bit of anonymity. Not that anyone at Huntley University was going to know who I was or what I’d done.
My eyes fluttered closed as I felt the breeze tickle the skin of my cheeks and I inhaled the scent of lilac.
For the first time in a year I felt peaceful and centered. Like maybe I was where I belonged—which was funny, since I hadn’t wanted to even go to college after everything that had happened.
I opened my eyes and grabbed one of my duffel bags from the car and my camera case.
My camera had always been like a limb to me—an extension of who I was. Even after everything that happened last year I’d never been able to give up photography. It brought me peace when everything else in my life was chaos. I slammed the door closed and locked my car, since I’d have other stuff to get later and I didn’t want anyone trying to steal something. For now, I just wanted to get to my dorm and check things out.
I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket with the housing information on it. I already had it memorized, but for some reason I found it necessary to read it again. It brought me some strange sense of peace. Like it was a lifeline or something.
With my head bowed I stepped onto the sidewalk.
I hadn’t taken more than two steps before I fell.
Only, I didn’t fall—I was knocked to the ground by the force of a very heavy male body.
I could smell his sweat—even more potent than the lilacs dotting the campus—and it wasn’t the stinky kind of sweat, oh no, he smelled delicious. Like he’d been rolling around the sheets naked for hours having the hottest sex imaginable.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry!” The guy exclaimed, rolling off of me. He reached down to pull me up, and when he did I ended up plastered against his chest. It was hard and smooth, not a blemish in sight. He kept a tight hold on me so I couldn’t scramble away. “Are you okay?” His eyes roamed over my body as he surveyed any damage he might’ve caused. His eyes lingered longer than necessary on my body.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, finally looking at his face and—holy-hotness, it should be illegal to be that good looking. Brown hair hung in his eyes, eyes that were so blue that they could only be categorized as cerulean. Stubble dotted his defined jaw and his lips were kissable. They didn’t make guys like this where I was from. Not. At. All.
Clearing my throat I took a step back, bowing my head so that my hair hid my suddenly flushed face. I couldn’t believe I was ogling the guy who’d just knocked me down. Or any guy for that matter. I hadn’t allowed myself to look twice at any guy in over a year. Not since…
I shook my head free of my thoughts and reached down for my camera case. Luckily it was heavy duty and I didn’t need to worry about my camera being damaged.
Without a second look at the guy that had knocked me over I dusted the dirt off my camera case and walked away. He might’ve been hot, but I wasn’t going down that road.
He jogged after me. Of course. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he grabbed my arm, “you’re not getting away that fast.”
I looked at him and then at the spot where we’d fallen. There was a football lying there and I assumed it was the reason he’d run in to me.
“Uh,” I pointed to the fallen ball, “it looks to me like you have a game to get back to.” My pulse thudded in my throat at the feel of his hand on my arm. I felt a light sweat break out across my skin. I couldn’t understand my body’s reaction to the stranger. For the first time in a year I felt…alive. It made no sense.
I pulled my arm from his hold, since he still hadn’t let go. Unfortunately it did nothing to alleviate the feelings he produced inside me.
He saw the ball and looked behind him. That’s when I noticed the other sweaty guys watching us. They were all good looking but they had nothing on the Adonis in front of me.
“They can wait,” he grinned, looking boyish. “What’s your name?”
I couldn’t understand why Hottie-McHot-Pants was talking to me. I was nothing special. From the looks of him he had to be a junior or a senior and I was a freshman. Besides, if he was interested in an easy lay he needed to look elsewhere.
“Why do you want to know?” I countered.
He chuckled. “I mean, I did lay on top of you, so I figured I should at least know your name.”
My cheeks heated further and I bit down on my tongue. Something told me he wasn’t going to leave me alone until I told him my name. “Rachael,” I answered automatically. “But I prefer to be called Rae,” I hastened to add.
“Rae,” he repeated, a small smile causing his lips to crook at the corners, “I like it.” He held out his hand. “I’m Cade.”
I looked at his hand and then at his face before taking a step back. “I didn’t ask for your name.”
He let his hand fall and smiled like he wasn’t at all upset by my actions. Chuckling he said, “Well, now you know it.”
Giving him an awkward smile, I turned to leave.
I only made it three steps before he called, “Rae?”
I swiveled around to face him and tilted my head to the side. “Yeah?”
“I’ll see you around.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. I could tell Cade was the very determined type. Unfortunately for him, I was very determined not to know him or anyone for that matter. I was here to get my education and disappear again. I wasn’t looking for any connections. Connections meant feelings, and feelings meant attachments, and attachments made you do stupid things.
I’d lost the piece of paper with my dorm information and I almost went back to get it. But since I had it memorized, and going back meant taking the chance of running into Cade again, I decided not to.
The amount of people bustling around campus made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but it was easier to blend in and appear normal so I’d have to learn to deal with it.
I jogged up the steps of my dorm building and breezed inside.
I was nervous, but you wouldn’t know it if you saw me. I was a master at concealing my emotions.
Muttering my room number under my breath, I stopped outside the door when I found it.
I took a deep, steadying breath, and wrapped my hand around the knob.
This was it.
This was the moment that would forever change my life.
I knew it.
And then I walked into an explosion of Pepto-Bismol.
“What. The. Fuck?” I gasped, looking around at all the pink.
Pink bedspread. Pink rug. Pink pillows. Pink blanket. Pink chair.
Pink everything.
“My eyes!” I cried as I slapped a hand over my face.
“You must be my roommate!” An overly chipper voice sing-songed.
I lowered my hand and— “Gah!” I gasped in shock. The pretty strawberry blonde in front of me even wore a pink shirt. Thank God her shorts weren’t pink or I might’ve had a heart attack. Death by Over Exposure to the Color Pink—now that was a headline.
I couldn’t believe I was going to have to live with this for the next ten or so months of my life. Kill. Me. Now.
I looked down at my dark hair and black clothes. I didn’t see how I was going to get along with the Barbie Doll in front of me. We were clearly polar opposites.
“I’m Thea,” she held out a hand. What was up with everyone wanting to shake my hand today?
Skirting around her, I headed towards the plain side of the small room.
She followed me, either oblivious to the brush off or ignoring it. “You must be Rachael.”
“Rae,” I corrected her, dropping my bag on the bed and refusing to turn around. “I prefer to be called Rae.”
“Oh, okay. Rae is a pretty name. I mean, so is Rachael, but Rae is cooler. I—”
“Do you ever stop talking? Or breathe?” I wheeled around to find her all up in my personal space.
“Sorry,” she frowned. “I’m nervous.”
“Obviously,” I muttered. “Look, Thea?” She nodded. “I’m not here to make friends. So, don’t expect any late night talks with me, or nail painting, or whatever else it is you’ve conjured up in your head.”
“Oh.” Her face fell.
I turned back to my duffel bag and dumped my clothes on the bare bed. I needed to go back out to my car and get everything else. My mom had made sure I had everything I needed, since she knew I’d never do any shopping on my own. I had changed a lot in the last year, and I no longer cared about much of anything.
I hadn’t always been such a depressed person, but then life dealt me a pretty shitty card and I handled it my own way. Nothing I did could make me forget that day.
Once all my clothes were put away, I headed towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Thea spoke up from where she lounged on her bed. I still had to repress my gag reflex from all the pink.
“To my car,” I answered, glaring at her.
“Cool, you want some help?” She asked, bouncing up. Before I could answer, she invited herself by saying, “Okay, good.”
She was like an over eager golden retriever. I didn’t quite know what to do with her peppy personality compared to my doom and gloom one. Something told me this was going to be a long year.
As we walked through the building, she said, “My brother goes to school here. He’s kind of a big deal.”
“Is that so?” I asked, not interested at all in hearing about her brother.
“Yeah, he’s the quarterback of the football team,” she bounced along.
“Is that important? I don’t really like football.”
She stopped walking and grabbed my arm. Her mouth hung open in shock. “How do you not like football?”
I shrugged. “I just don’t.”
In another lifetime I had liked lots of things that I didn’t anymore.
“Are you from here?”
Here happened to be Colorado.
I huffed, irritated with all her questions. “Yes.”
“And you don’t like football?” She gaped. “But it’s like…necessary to the way of life.”
I snorted and tilted my head. “Oxygen is necessary for life, not football.”
She shook her head and started walking. I didn’t know where she was going since she had no idea which car belonged to me.
I pointed to my car when we reached it. “It’s that one.”
“It’s cute,” she smiled.
I laughed at that. Cute was certainly not the word anyone would ever use to describe my clunker of a car. Looking at Barbie I was pretty sure she probably drove a cute little Volkswagen. I had a cute car once, but that had been before.
Before what?
Before I destroyed everything.
With Thea’s help it wouldn’t be necessary to make another trip out to my car. We walked back to our dorm and I noticed the guys playing football were gone. Maybe if I were a normal girl I’d tell Thea about Cade. Then we’d laugh and talk about how hot he was. But I wasn’t normal, not anymore.
Luckily, Thea didn’t talk much on the way back.
She ended up spending several hours on her computer while I fixed up my side of the room. There was nothing personal on my side. It didn’t scream This is Rachael Wilder’s Room! It could have been any girl’s room on any campus at any school. The day that ruined my life effectively stripped me of my identity. I ghosted along, a fragment of the girl I used to be. I think my parent’s had hoped college would snap me out of this ‘phase’, but day one was a resounding failure.
“I like your comforter,” Thea said, looking over at my side of the room.
I eyed her bubblegum confection of a bedspread and looked down at my gray and yellow one. “Yeah, it’s the life of the party.”
She let out a laugh and looked around at all the pink. “I guess we can’t all be as bright and colorful.”
“And thank God for that,” I cracked a smile, smoothing my hand over the bedspread before sitting down. “One of us has to be tame.”
“So,” she bit her lip, closing the lid on her laptop, “I was wondering if you’d want to go to a pool party with me?”
I narrowed my eyes. “How on earth is there already a party at this place? Isn’t today the first move-in day?”
“It’s not tonight,” she corrected me. “It’s Sunday, and it’s kind of a big deal around here. Only certain people get to go, because it’s invite only. Since my brother is, well my brother, I was invited, but I won’t know anyone but him and his friends and I don’t want to be alone. Please, come?”
A pool party was not my thing, and I hadn’t worn a bikini in a year. Looking at her pitiful face and pleading eyes made it impossible to say no.
“Fine, I’ll go on one condition,” I warned, staring her down so she didn’t get too excited.
“Thank you! Whatever it is, I don’t care!” She clapped her hands together.
“I’m not swimming,” I told her. “I can’t swim,” I added, to avoid any possible questions about why I didn’t want to swim.
“What do you mean you can’t swim?” Her perky nose scrunched together. “Everyone knows how to swim.”
“Not me,” I sighed. I could swim, but I wasn’t the strongest swimmer. The real reason for not swimming had more to do with not wanting anyone to see the scar on my abdomen than with my weak swimming abilities.
She frowned. “Well, that’s fine. Most girls lounge around anyway or at least that’s what my brother said, but he probably just doesn’t want me to wear a bikini. He gets all pissy when guys look at me,” she rolled her eyes. “Typical brother.”
I didn’t have a brother, so I didn’t know. I shrugged, because she seemed to want some kind of response.
Thea stood from her bed and stretched her stiff muscles. “I’m starving. Do you want to grab something to eat?”
Food. I’d completely forgotten about dinner…and lunch for that matter. All I’d had at breakfast was an apple. My mom would’ve clucked her tongue and given me a lecture for already failing to take care of myself on the first day of school.
I was a bit afraid to agree to go with Thea, though. Despite my warning, she seemed all too eager to band together and become besties.
But I’d hate myself if, God forbid, I let her go by herself and something awful happened to her. I didn’t need a fourth death on my hands. Yes, fourth.
“Fine,” I agreed grumpily. “Let’s go.”
She smiled and tucked a piece of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. She grabbed her purse—and guess what? It was pink. Of course. Its bright color was a stark contrast to my skull and crossbones messenger bag.
Thea and I headed to the dining hall. I was surprised when she didn’t fill every second with chatter. Instead, it was almost peaceful walking across campus with her at my side. She didn’t know who I was or what I had done. We were strangers and she couldn’t judge me for my sins. There was something comforting in that. For the last year I’d hated myself and the looks from others hadn’t helped in that—seeing the judgment in their eyes. My parents and therapist always assured me that what happened wasn’t my fault, but that was a lie. I might not have been in prison but I was stuck behind bars of my own creation.
I missed the old Rae—or Rachael as I was called then. I missed the girl that laughed and smiled with her friends. I missed the girl that loved her parents and didn’t resent them. I missed the girl that always looked for the positive in life. I missed everything about the old me, but I killed her when I killed them.
“Rae!” Thea called and I halted in my steps. I turned around to look at her and found her standing outside two glass double doors of a brick building. “The dining hall is this way,” she nodded at the building.
Oh.
I backtracked hastily.
“It’s okay,” Thea smiled, despite the fact that I hadn’t apologized from my mistake, “I wouldn’t know where anything is if it wasn’t for my brother.” She opened the door and I followed behind her.
“You talk about your brother a lot, don’t you?” I commented, heading to the counter. I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the cheeseburger they were serving for dinner. If that was a cheeseburger than I was a duck. I picked up a bowl of salad. That seemed like the safer of the two options. Thea picked that as well.
I followed her to a table and took the seat across from her.
“I love my brother, so why wouldn’t I talked about him?”
I lifted my head, confused at first until I realized she was answering my question. I shrugged indifferently and took a bite of salad.
“You don’t talk much,” she stared at me.
I shrugged again. “I don’t have much to say.”
“Everyone has something to say.” She countered with a raised brow.
“Not everyone.”
She sighed heavily and tossed her salad around with the fork. She was growing frustrated with me and I didn’t blame her. If roles were reversed and I had to deal with me I’d get huffy too.
After a few minutes of tense silence she spoke. Her pale green eyes seared me as she stared at me, her lips turned down in a frown. “You know, we don’t have to be best friends but we do have to live together. We should at least try to make it as civil as possible and try to get along.”
“I thought I was trying,” I grumbled. I looked away from her eyes and began to pick at the silvery polish on my nails.
She blew out a breath, causing her bangs to flutter against her forehead. Finally she cracked a smile. “If that’s what you call trying then you’re doing a pretty lousy job.”
“So…I don’t get an A for effort?”
“Definitely not.” She rested her head in her hand. “No stickers for you.”
“Stickers?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah,” she laughed, and it was light and musical sounding. “You know, like teachers give school kids stickers when they do something good.”
I screwed my face up in displeasure. “What kind of school did you go to? No,” I held up finger, “let me guess, some preppy private school.”
Her cheeks turned pink—her favorite color, how appropriate.
“How’d you know?” She asked.
I narrowed my eyes at her fancy clothes. “You have rich kid written all over you.”
I left out the part that I was one of those rich kids. I just didn’t dress or act like it anymore.
“Is it really that obvious?” She paled, her hands fluttering over her body.
It was almost funny. Almost.
“No,” I said to put her out of her misery. It really wasn’t as obvious as I made it sound, but since I came from an upper-class family I could always pick out people who ran in the same circles.
“Oh good.” She visibly relaxed and we finished our meal in silence.
It had been twilight when we left our dorm but on the way back it was completely dark. Luckily, there were lights every few feet so you didn’t have to worry about monsters lurking in the shadows. I don’t know why I was worried. After all, all the monsters lived inside me now.
“I’m going to bed,” Thea announced when we stepped into our room, “it’s been a long day.”
I nodded in agreement. She grabbed some pajamas and went to change in the bathroom. We were lucky that our bathroom was only shared between the two of us. I wouldn’t have been pleased if we’d had to share with another dorm. I didn’t like people in my space and it was bad enough that I’d been stuck with a double.
I’d begged my parents to pull some strings to get me a single, but they refused. They told me I needed to stop locking myself away in suffering and make new friends. “Live your life, Rachael,” my mom told me before I left, her hands on my shoulders, “just because they’re dead doesn’t mean you are.”
But she was wrong. I was dead.
October 30, 2014
What’s that? Oh, just a cover reveal.
Yep, it’s that time again! Cover reveal time!
Available November 18th
Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663011-rae-of-sunshine
What I remember the most about that day was that it was completely ordinary. Then with one stupid decision everything fell apart and nothing was ever the same.
Rae Wilder wants nothing but a do over—but life doesn’t work that way. She’s stuck living out the consequences of her actions. At times the burden feels unbearable.
College is supposed to be her second chance.
New place.
New people.
New life.
No one to know what she did.
Despite that, she has still vowed to avoid everyone and everything at all costs.
Unfortunately for her, an accidental run-in with the campus heartthrob, Cade Montgomery, derails that plan.
He’s determined to thaw the ice around her heart and expose the girl she used to be. He wants to show her that life is worth living for and that she really is a Rae of Sunshine.
And here’s the full wrap for paperbacks! Isn’t it pretty?!
October 19, 2014
SAAAAALE!
Yep, you can get each book in the Trace + Olivia Series for .99 cents! So if you’re waiting to get one or all, now’s your chance! This is a thank you to ALLLLLLLL of you for being so awesome!
Finding Olivia on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Olivia-Trace-Book-ebook/dp/B00EUC80RE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413752069&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+olivia
Finding Olivia for Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-olivia-micalea-smeltzer/1116788632?ean=2940148466529
Chasing Olivia on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Olivia-Trace-Book-ebook/dp/B00HGMX638/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RDB4ZCXCKBS8T11N2N3
Chasing Olivia for Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-olivia-micalea-smeltzer/1117789688?ean=2940148918035
Tempting Rowan on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Rowan-Trace-Olivia-Book-ebook/dp/B00K3NNHXG/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1644QND97HVSKWY3ZQN3
Tempting Rowan for Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tempting-rowan-micalea-smeltzer/1119389785?ean=2940149233151
Saving Tatum on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Tatum-Trace-Olivia-Book-ebook/dp/B00MQ99B3K/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PKX8NB240QYK89AJ5TR
Saving Tatum for Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-tatum-micalea-smeltzer/1120361453?ean=2940150344532
September 18, 2014
Saving Tatum is live!
Are you ready to read all about Tatum and Jude? If you answered yes, then today is your lucky day! Saving Tatum is live for Kindle and Nook! (Paperbacks coming soon)
$1.99 sale ends Sunday!
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-tatum-micalea-smeltzer/1120361453?ean=2940150344532
