Ginger Scott's Blog - Posts Tagged "wild-reckless"

So one of my goals for 2015 was to meet more readers. Like many authors, I'm a social media addict, and I look at my phone wayyyyyy more than I should (never while I drive and not during a movie - unless it's at home, that doesn't count). Anyhow, I want to interact more beyond my lovely metropolis borders. So, with that, I'm going to a few signings and conventions this year. I'm starting with a small amount because I also try to keep a pretty strict writing schedule for myself. Also, I'm team mom - and I hate missing baseball games. That makes travel tricky sometimes. But I do have some events on my calendar so far. Coming up first is:

Indie Author MashUp Phoenix
January 16-17, 2015
Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ, US
http://www.indieauthorevent.com/#!pho...
I'll be joining some amazing authors for this way cool event - signing Saturday - and I hope some of you can stop in and say hi! Tickets are still available!

I'm also going to Love & Fifty in Sacramento Feb. 13. After a late afternoon/evening signing, we're all walking over to a nearby theater for a screening of Fifty Shades of Grey. Fifty romance authors, and a ton of readers, one theater - it's going to be pretty cool.

In May, I'll be at RT. Wait…let me type that again. I'll. Be. At. RT. <----- that's a sentence I never thought I would write.> I'm pretty excited to go; it's my first time. I'm on the waiting list for the big signing, but if they don't expand the room or get space, I'll still be around to meet up. I've also signed up for two times in ClubRT, so if you're going, check out the list and come say hi. I promise to bring cool stuff.

I'm doing my best to keep track of all of this over on my website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

You can also sign up for my newsletter there! One more 2015 goal I'm starting. I'll be sending out my first one in a day or two, so sign up when you can.

I'm going to do my best to stay in touch here, on my website, my newsletters, Twitter, Facebook and in person as much as I can. So far, what I can tell you for the new year is I just put the last period on a new mature YA romance called Wild Reckless. I'm unbelievably excited about it, and…*gulps* I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite. I hope like hell reading it feels as good as writing it did, because damn did I love writing it.

I think that's it for now. I'm a little wired on Diet Coke, so I'm going to take advantage and work on finishing up my draft read so I can get this bad boy to the editor. More on Wild Reckless soon, and in the meantime, you know where to find me!

<3

Probably gonna go on with this until I'm blue in the face, but this book...it's my favorite! I really hope you all love it, like from that deep-down, stomach pit place--the kind that keeps you awake hoping and the kind that has you throwing pennies in wishing wells.
Wild Reckless releases March 17, but the pre-order links are live now.

Pre-order links:

Amazon

Google

iBooks

Kobo

Barnes and Noble link coming soon!

Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.

And those things…they were the scariest of all.

I wanted to share this in advance of the book coming out. I've posted it live on my author Facebook page, and I'd live it if you gave it a read. This book is my favorite thing I've written, and this prologue was the rush that began it all.

This book is dark. And it touches on some very serious subjects, ones that I wanted to portray with dignity and honesty. I have profound respect and heart for those who work with those suffering from mental illness. And I hope that if nothing, this book leaves a sense of tolerence in its shadow.

If you'd like to get a head start before the book is live March 17, you can find the prologue here: My Author Facebook Page.

As always, thanks for embracing my stories.
Thanks with all my heart,
Ginger

It's release eve/day, and this book that I openly admit is my favorite thing I've ever written is live (almost everywhere - 40 minutes to go here on the west coast). I wrote a little post over on my Facebook page, and it just felt fitting to share here. I'm my usual nervous nelly on release night, so without much fuss or fanfare (or should I say fussy fuss?)...some words about this book of mine, and why I want to see it fly so damn bad.

I will be up all night as Wild Reckless goes live in every time zone. This book is my seventh trip through book release-dom (<--- I made that word up). Seven times, and you think I wouldn't be a crazy neurotic mess. But here I am, laptop on a pillow, surrounded by other devices so I can multitask and freak out on several platforms all at once. Just like I do every. single. time. This time, though, it's almost harder. It's harder because...I know this one is my best. I know it. I know it. I know it. And I hate to be so bold, because I'm usually the type to stand by the punch bowl, waving politely, saying "no, no, I'm fine, really. You go dance with her, I've got this here punch and I'm good." But being passive, not letting myself be confident, just this once, would be a shame. If you haven't read one of my books, then in a nutshell, let me just say I tend to write very real stories. They're love stories, but they're full of all the shit and pain and trials we go through as humans. They're about being young, being stupid, and being cruel. But they're also about growth, friendship, family and finding yourself. And this one, this Wild Reckless book of mine, goes dark, and twisty and messy and beautiful, and I am fiercely proud of it. If there's a book of mine you were wanting to try first, my god please let this one be your way in. It goes live here in Arizona in about an hour, and you can get it for your Kindle or Kindle app at the link in this post (or on Barnes & Noble Nook, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo - soon in paperback on Amazon, too). I try not to overtly pimp myself too much because it's just not my style; I'm just not great at aggressive salesmanship. But as I said--no regrets putting this baby out. Leaving it all out on the field. <3 Ginger
Amazon buy link - click here.

Just wanted to drop in with a quick post and update. Wicked Restless, Andrew Harper's story, has a cover reveal and release date! I'm so excited. You can add the book to your goodreads shelf now. I'll be sure to keep you updated along the way, here, too.

For now, here's the synopsis!

Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life’s pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb…and isolated.

Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew’s life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and color, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole.

But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he’s willing to go for the girl who owns his heart.

Cuts are deep.

Scars are left behind.

And revenge beckons.

When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don’t really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before.

Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it's too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?

It's technically midnight somewhere as I write this post...I just can't wait any longer. I've been dying to share the Wicked Restless cover with everyone. I hope you all love it as much as I do.



While Wicked stands on its own, I think the reading experience is richer if you've read Wild Reckless. Wicked releases Oct. 20th, but I'll be sharing excerpts and teasers like crazy over on my website and Facebook page. I'd love your visit at https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor.

For now, here's a little taste of more to come...

“Alright, Harper. Who’s the target tonight?” Trent leans over me, startling me out of my trance, grabbing my next beer and taking it for his own.

“Hey, dickhead,” I say. He holds up a hand and orders another one, sliding it to me. “I’m pretty sure it’s your turn this time.”

His face falls and his complexion turns green. Trent and I have this game we play with one another. It started as a drunken dare a few months ago, when he goaded me into taking a girl home from Majerle’s Pub. I’m not suave; I don’t have great pick-up lines. I usually wait for girls to hit on me. I wait for easy. When Trent dared me, I came up with my own set-up—I stole a girl’s wallet. I returned it to her later, pretending I’d found it. She was so grateful she spent the rest of the night sitting on my lap, her arms looped around my neck, her lips sucking on my skin, her hands soon finding their way in my pants.

That first girl taught me to never bring any of them to our apartment. I go to theirs now. It’s easier to leave then it is to kick someone out.

“Fine, I’ll go. But next time, I get to pick your girl,” I say, tipping my beer back to drink what’s left before leaving the bottle on the bar behind me and pointing at my friend.

“Dude, whatever. You know it’s your turn anyway,” he says.
“My choice next time,” I remind him as I walk backward. I know it’s his turn, and I also know he doesn’t really like taking the dare. Trent’s too nice, and he usually ends up dating the girl for weeks after. He doesn’t like to be an asshole. Or maybe he just doesn’t like people to say bad things about him. Maybe there’s no difference between the two.

I couldn’t give a shit what people say about me. Let ’em talk.
I make one pass through the crowded bar, letting my eyes roam over the dance floor and the tables that line the back wall on the way to the bathrooms. It’s a Friday night, so there are lots of girls here. It’s the middle of the semester, too, so they’re all ready to party—no finals to worry about. There’s one group that seems like an easy target, a blonde on the end who keeps trying to talk the others into dancing. I hover around the restrooms waiting for my shot, and when she finally drags the group of girls with her out to the dance floor, I walk back through the crowd, passing their table.

So easy.

Their wallets and purses are all piled in the center of the table except for a red bag looped over the back of a chair, the ID sticking out of the top. I drag my hand along the bottom of the table, and as I pass the red handbag I grab the small plastic card poking from it, tucking it into the sleeve around my palm. I glance up to make eye contact with Trent, and raise the corner of my mouth in a smirk.

“Dude, you are so slick at this. Seriously, if you flunk out of the engineering program you should just turn to a life of crime.”

I slide into my stool and look away from him. I know he was just saying words, but the joke doesn’t sit well with me. I have a chip on my shoulder. It’s my fucking chip, and I earned it. He also doesn’t know how many nights I walk that line with Harley, fixing bets that are illegal in the first place. Trent just thinks I like the workout boxing gives me.

“Well…let’s see it? Who’s the lucky lady?”

I pull my sleeve loose from around my wrist and let the card slide out, flipping it over while I drink what’s left of my beer, and that’s when karma slaps me like a bitch.

She’s older. Of course she’s older. She’s twenty-one, too. But she looks…older. She also looks the same. Nobody looks good in an ID photo. Emma Burke looks like a dream. Her brown hair is just as I remember it, long waves around her bright pink cheeks, lips that stretch into this sensuous smile. I don’t know if it’s sensuous to anyone else, but to me, it sure as fuck is.
It’s also cruel. I swear to god she’s mocking me in her picture, her eyes shining through and looking at me, calling me stupid, telling me what a chump I am for thinking I was some sort of hero or something.

She’s slapping me in the face for being good and decent to her.

Don’t worry, Emma. I won’t ever be good and decent to you again.

As I write this, I'm counting down the hours with a nervous tummy for the release of Wicked Restless - the second book in the Harper Boys novels. I'm nervous because I always am on release eve. Heck, I'm nervous until the book has been out for weeks, and I find something new to be nervous about. These books are little pieces of me, and I want them to find readers' hearts so very badly. I know I'm not alone in wanting that - it's something I share with many author friends of mine. We talk often about how we hope there are more lovers than haters, but in the end, we wouldn't have written it any differently.

And that's the case with Andrew Harper's story for me.

I wrote Wild Reckless, Owen's story, without any idea that there would be a second book. Owen's story has its own beginning, middle and end. But after it was released, and the threads of his story--the things that happened in his life to make him the way he was--began to touch readers, I realized those same threads were what made his younger brother Andrew so alive in the story. It only took one email from a reader asking for Andrew's story to clinch it for me. There were too many things that happened in Wild that had to leave a mark on Andrew, and then I started thinking about all of the things yet to come in his young life.

And then I tested him.

As I sent out the advance copies of Wicked to a few reviewers, one who I have come to know and value so very deeply sent me a note--"this story has that Outsiders feel," she said. I read that statement over and over. It hit me--right in the chest.

Yes. Yes!

There are books that I have read that are definitely influences in my writing style. I think I will always be chasing Sittenfeld and Fitzgerald. I like to dabble in tragedy and the bleak side of life. But I also like to find my way out. I like to see heroes and heroines overcome adversity.

And thanks to SE Hinton, I think I'm always chasing Ponyboy, too. If you haven't read The Outsiders, then one: how did you get through eighth grade without having to? And two: you should. Everyone really should. There's a reason it's on the academic must-read roster--it's important. Whereas a lot of my classmates when I was a young, awkward, 13-year-old rolled their eyes and despised having to write the essay on the greasers and the socs, I swam in it.

For me, The Outsiders wasn't a story about class. It wasn't about rebelling or sex or the angst of wanting a girl outside of your circle. Well, no...it was. But that wasn't what hit home, what resonated to the point that I cranked out six pages of essay in an hour-long class (note: that is a lot of scribbling for an eighth grader who probably also had half of her brain focused on the cute boy two rows over and one desk up). It was a story about family. I wrote about loyalty, disappointment, longing and what happens when young people have to step into the holes left behind when someone dies.

So how do these rambling thoughts come together? Well, as I mentioned--I get stupid sick to my stomach on release night because I want my baby to be loved. I close my eyes and throw pennies and blow lashes into the wind hoping. But for once, this, my ninth book, I feel just a little less nervous. Because of Ponyboy, and the fact that my story made someone think of him, just a little. I'm smiling as I type those words. I'm smiling because as much as I put Andrew Harper through in Wicked, I'm glad I did. I wouldn't change a thing. And that Outsiders feel--well damn, that one word review alone is good enough for me.

I hope you all enjoy.

Out of the gate, thank you from the absolute depths of my being for nominating Wild Reckless in this category. Owen Harper's story, told through Kensington's eyes, is my absolute favorite things I've ever written. It will probably always be held on my personal pedestal - because I believe in that book, and I love the way writing it made me feel. To log into Goodreads and see it nominated - I mean...seriously? I'm pinching myself.

Just seeing my book on a page with others like this, with those names, has pretty much made my year. I cannot thank you enough for giving it your love and attention. Voting is now open, and I'd sure love your support as Wild Reckless heads into this next round. Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-young-adult-fiction-books-2015

One final time - thank you. You've amped me up with sheer joy and pride. It feels amazing.

Well damn. Honestly, I never thought I would make it past the semis. This...this is definitely uncharted. This is not fake humility. It's honest. And I cannot express how your votes and support for Wild Reckless, both before and during the Choice Awards, have made me feel. This book is special to me - I've said it all along. I love the message of it, the feel of it, the rush and the ride. I love the characters, and I'm blessed that there are enough of you who feel the same. To think that this book represents some of your favorite this year is unreal to me, and perhaps it will sink in eventually. That said - this is it...the finals. Wild Reckless is in there for YA Fiction of the Year. I'd love your vote if you're so inclined. Thank you for the ride.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-young-adult-fiction-books-2015