https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22452033-unplugged
Watch out for a cover reveal and giveaway on SEPTEMBER 1st
Exclusive newsletter subscriber giveaway also coming in September
Not a newsletter subscriber? Sign Up here!
Release Date: November 28th
heart
noun [härt]
It always will be.
Welcome to the Fall Into Fantasy Tour, where we are keeping your mind off any end-of-summer blues and welcoming the cooler weather by introducing you to some incredible fantasy reads to curl up with and giving you plenty of chances to win awesome prizes!
Week 1: The Darkness & Light Series
Book One: First of Her Kind
Book Two: Emergence
Book Three: Edge of Darkness (Release date 2015)
It seems everyone wants to dictate what Ciara does with her life: Serve the Goddess, destroy the Goddess, do as you promised your aunt — all Ciara really wants is to keep the two magics she possesses from ripping her apart.
And that’s not going to be easy.
Not only is her earth magic in complete opposition to her other power, blood ties pull her in divergent directions as well. And then there’s Bolin, the man sworn to protect her. There’s no denying the growing attraction between them, but is it Ciara he wants, or her power?
None of which will matter if Ciara can’t overcome her fear and learn how to use her gifts. No one knows the depths of the ancient power she possesses, or what will happen if it manages to escape her control. Will she lose herself entirely? Or be forever caught between Darkness and Light?
The battle for Ciara’s power has drawn the full attention of the Emperor and the Imperial Mages, forcing Bolin to put duty above safety and take her to Nisair. It won’t be an easy trip, even with an Imperial escort and a Galysian elder accompanying them. Especially since Donovan has found himself some new allies, one of who wields a dark magic that has literally gotten under Bolin’s skin.
For Ciara, coming to terms with the increasingly tangible manifestation of her power could destroy her. Even if they make it to Nisair–something that grows more unlikely by the day–there is no surety of safety for Ciara, or any of them. Not with Donovan willing to gamble everything to achieve his goals, or Bolin’s uncharacteristically reckless behavior, the result of which is the attention of something that has everyone worried.
Loyalties will be tested, lives will be lost, and no one will emerge unchanged as they find things are not always so clear on the line dividing Darkness and Light.
Or the paperback: Amazon Barnes & Noble
K. L. Schwengel lives in southeast Wisconsin on a small farm with her husband, a handful of Australian Shepherds, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona the Cat, and assorted livestock. Growing up as the youngest of nine children, and the daughter of a librarian, Kathi spent many hours between stacks of books, and secluded away in dusty archives, drawn to tales of medieval heroes and conquering knights. With so many characters and ideas spinning in her head, she had to get them onto paper or risk what little sanity she possessed. She has been penning wild tales of magic and mayhem as long as she can remember, but opted to follow her artistic muse first. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and spending many years working as a freelance artist, grocery clerk, art teacher, graphic designer, stable hand, advertising account coordinator, dog trainer, and process technician (among other things) she answered the call of her writing muse. When not writing, Kathi trains and trials working Australian Shepherds, still paints, dabbles in photography, graphic design, and anything else creative her assorted muses send her way.
Connect online at…
Want to get involved with the Fall Into Fantasy promotional tour?
What do you do when two very different men enter your world and both have the power to kill you with a touch or a kiss? Can Rose trust either of them – or anyone in her new life after the accident which almost killed her?
Ghosts? Demons? Angels? Or something more? The supernatural you find living and working in this English city are a little different to those you usually find in the genre…
Rose survived the accident which killed her friend. The problem is the life she returns to scares her more than the night she almost died.
When Alek and Finn enter her world, Rose discovers the after-effects of the accident are worse than she thought. The slow recovery and fogged nightmares aren’t the only changes she needs to cope with.
Rose has an immediate and intense attraction to arrogant housemate Alek. This confuses her as much as the chilling effect of her mysterious work colleague Finn. As Rose struggles to cope with her new life, she learns that her connection to the two men threatens all their futures
Alek has lived years closed off from people. He didn’t expect someone like Rose to come into his life and challenge the reality he grips onto.
If Finn doesn’t fix the mistake he made, his life is in danger. His desire to help and protect Rose makes his task difficult, especially when she’s the mistake he needs to fix.
When Alek’s past catches up, Rose disappears. Trapped between the living and the dead, on the edge of Hell, Rose is unable to find her way back. Alek and Finn could help her – but are they prepared to risk the consequences?
I spread my fingers on the table in front of me, concentrating on the cold linoleum table, and think what a stupid move it was to ask Finn where he was from. Of course, he’s going to ask about my home too, and then we’ll move onto what we did over the summer…
The music upstairs stops and the familiar sound of Alek’s boots stomp downstairs.
“Hey, Casper…” The grin I heard behind his voice disappears as he walks into the kitchen and sees us. His brown eyes narrow beneath the dark hair falling across his face. “Who’s this?”
“I’m Finn.” He holds out a hand to shake, a formal gesture I find very strange and one Alek doesn’t accept.
Alek looks at Finn as if he’s something I brought in on the bottom of my shoe. “How did you get in?”
“He’s my guest, Alek.”
“I don’t like your guest.”
Something strange is in the room with us, a tension thickening the air as the two guys regard each other. I gulp down my glass of wine and sigh at the testosterone. Finn and Alek are on the edge of each other’s personal space and stare at each other. Finn’s stance is less aggressive; hopefully one of them is mature enough to back down. Behind Finn, the wok sizzles and spits so I get up to stir the meal. Finn steps to one side, breaking his standoff with Alek.
“I’d better go,” Finn says to me.
“Yeah, good idea.” Alek’s voice is as low as Finn’s, and his features are arranged into an expression threatening enough to make me run. I almost do.
“Finn’s my friend,” I snap, “and you don’t get to tell me who I can bring home.”
“See you tomorrow, maybe?” Finn grabs his jacket and bag, then edges around Alek. They’re almost the same height, although Finn is stockier and for a horrible moment, I think one of them is going to punch the other. Finn lingers for a moment, with an impassive look at Alek, before disappearing down the hallway.
The front door shuts.
After a few moments of catching up with the situation, I move to the kitchen counter and pour another glass of wine, then slam the bottle on the table. “What the fuck Alek?”
“I don’t like him.”
Alek is still in the doorway; he hasn’t moved since he saw me and Finn, but at least the dangerous look on his face left with Finn. He’s staring toward the window, barely registering me. Who does he think he is?
“How dare you, you asshole! He’s my friend.”
“I said, I don’t like him,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Why? Do you know him?
“No.”
“This is my home, too. I invite who I like! Do you have to like everyone who comes into this house? You don’t own it!”
“I got a bad…vibe from him; I don’t want him here.” Alek’s tone is low and imploring.
“Well, I get a bad vibe from you!”
Alek remains in the doorway, and as I attempt to get past him, he stretches an arm across. “Stay away from him.”
“Don’t be such a dickhead.” My fingers itch to push him away, but I don’t want to touch him. “He’s a friend from work who I’m sharing a meal with! So you don’t like him. Tough.”
“Is he the only friend you have at work?”
“No.”
“Who else do you know there?”
I have no answer, because over the last few weeks Finn is the only person I’ve spoken to any longer than polite small talk to work colleagues. “People.”
“He’s the only person who shows any interest in you. Don’t you think that’s strange?” My neck prickles with annoyance. “Think about it, Rose.”
I don’t want to and I’m struck by the realisation he’s never called me by my name before. “No, you’re what’s strange. Excuse me.”
“Your meal…” He gestures toward the stove.
“Move.”
“Don’t go after him.”
“For fuck’s sake…” I mutter and duck under his arm.
Alek steps in my way and I back toward the wall. Out of the two of them, Alek unnerves me the most. He places a hand on the wall, trapping me and anger seethes in my stomach.
“Move!” I growl.
His scent engulfs me, pushing out my need to follow Finn. No, it’s not his scent, something different. Alek’s eyes are fixed on my mouth and although we’re not touching, the physical pull to him is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Strangely, his face registers the same. I close my eyes; sure, he’s doing this deliberately.
“Move,” I repeat.
Alek’s hair touches my face as he leans toward my ear. “Don’t trust him.”
I pull my head back, so I’m looking at his face, ignoring the same intense energy between us as last time. “And trust who? You? At least he’s nice to me!”
Dropping his hand, Alek steps back. “Oh, I am being nice to you. You have no idea.”
As not everybody sees my Facebook posts, I decided to share the latest news about the Blue Phoenix series here.
The next book in the Blue Phoenix series is titled Unplugged.
Unplugged was originally going to be a Christmas novella but I have changed to a full book about Liam and Cerys.
This means Jem’s book, Rising, will be published early next year.
The as-yet-untitled ‘Dylan point of view’ novella to accompany Summer Sky will also be published next year.
Estimated release date for Unplugged is October 2014
“A rock star doesn’t return to his humble beginnings and whisk away the girl he kissed once. Especially if she has a three year old and her relationship status is ‘it’s complicated’.”
Blue Phoenix bass player, Liam Oliver, has everything he wants: fame, money and Honey Wilson. But when he discovers pictures of his fiancée with another man, Liam’s world crashes around him. Despite her denials, Liam ends their relationship. He packs up his humiliation and hurt and flies back to his Welsh family home for Christmas.
Cerys Matthews once had pictures of Liam Oliver covering her bedroom wall. Her best friend’s big brother never gave her the time of day when they were growing up. When she was fifteen, he left town leaving Cerys with her fantasies. Now he’s back. The problem is, she has a three year old daughter and a broken relationship of her own.In the world of his Christmas past, Cerys and Liam reconnect. Is this two hurt people looking for comfort in a time of heartbreak or does Cerys have a place in Liam’s future too?
Links to the other books in the series:
Summer Sky (Blue Phoenix #1)
Falling Sky (Blue Phoenix #2)
Keep up to date on all things Blue Phoenix on their Facebook page – release dates, teasers etc are shared here first!
https://www.facebook.com/BluePhoenixSeries
Rose survived the accident that killed her friend. The problem is the life she returns to scares her more than the night she almost died.
When Alek and Finn enter her world, Rose discovers the after-effects of the accident are worse than she thought. The slow recovery and fogged nightmares aren’t the only changes she needs to cope with.
Rose has an immediate and intense attraction to arrogant housemate Alek. This confuses her as much as the chilling effect of her enigmatic work colleague Finn. As Rose struggles to cope with her new life, she learns that her connection to the two men threatens all their futures
Alek has lived years closed off from people. He didn’t expect someone like Rose to come into his life and challenge the reality he grips onto.
If Finn doesn’t fix the mistake he made, his life is in danger. His desire to help and protect Rose makes his task difficult, especially when she’s the mistake he needs to fix.
When Alek’s past catches up, Rose disappears. Trapped between the living and the dead, Rose is unable to find her way back. Alek and Finn could help her – but are they prepared to risk the consequences?
The supernatural you find living and working in this English city are a little different to those you usually find in the genre..
I spread my fingers on the table in front of me, concentrating on the cold linoleum table, and think what a stupid move it was to ask Finn where he was from. Of course, he’s going to ask about my home too, and then we’ll move onto what we did over the summer…
The music upstairs stops and the familiar sound of Alek’s boots stomp downstairs.
“Hey, Casper…” The grin I heard behind his voice disappears as he walks into the kitchen and sees us. His brown eyes narrow beneath the dark hair falling across his face. “Who’s this?”
“I’m Finn.” He holds out a hand to shake, a formal gesture I find very strange and one Alek doesn’t accept.
Alek looks at Finn as if he’s something I brought in on the bottom of my shoe. “How did you get in?”
“He’s my guest, Alek.”
“I don’t like your guest.”
Something strange is in the room with us, a tension thickening the air as the two guys regard each other. I gulp down my glass of wine and sigh at the testosterone. Finn and Alek are on the edge of each other’s personal space and stare at each other. Finn’s stance is less aggressive; hopefully one of them is mature enough to back down. Behind Finn, the wok sizzles and spits so I get up to stir the meal. Finn steps to one side, breaking his standoff with Alek.
“I’d better go,” Finn says to me.
“Yeah, good idea.” Alek’s voice is as low as Finn’s, and his features are arranged into an expression threatening enough to make me run. I almost do.
“Finn’s my friend,” I snap, “and you don’t get to tell me who I can bring home.”
“See you tomorrow, maybe?” Finn grabs his jacket and bag, then edges around Alek. They’re almost the same height, although Finn is stockier and for a horrible moment, I think one of them is going to punch the other. Finn lingers for a moment, with an impassive look at Alek, before disappearing down the hallway.
The front door shuts.
After a few moments of catching up with the situation, I move to the kitchen counter and pour another glass of wine, then slam the bottle on the table. “What the fuck Alek?”
“I don’t like him.”
Alek is still in the doorway; he hasn’t moved since he saw me and Finn, but at least the dangerous look on his face left with Finn. He’s staring toward the window, barely registering me. Who does he think he is?
“How dare you, you asshole! He’s my friend.”
“I said, I don’t like him,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Why? Do you know him?
“No.”
“This is my home, too. I invite who I like! Do you have to like everyone who comes into this house? You don’t own it!”
“I got a bad…vibe from him; I don’t want him here.” Alek’s tone is low and imploring.
“Well, I get a bad vibe from you!”
Alek remains in the doorway, and as I attempt to get past him, he stretches an arm across. “Stay away from him.”
“Don’t be such a dickhead.” My fingers itch to push him away, but I don’t want to touch him. “He’s a friend from work who I’m sharing a meal with! So you don’t like him. Tough.”
“Is he the only friend you have at work?”
“No.”
“Who else do you know there?”
I have no answer, because over the last few weeks Finn is the only person I’ve spoken to any longer than polite small talk to work colleagues. “People.”
“He’s the only person who shows any interest in you. Don’t you think that’s strange?” My neck prickles with annoyance. “Think about it, Rose.”
I don’t want to and I’m struck by the realisation he’s never called me by my name before. “No, you’re what’s strange. Excuse me.”
“Your meal…” He gestures toward the stove.
“Move.”
“Don’t go after him.”
“For fuck’s sake…” I mutter and duck under his arm.
Alek steps in my way and I back toward the wall. Out of the two of them, Alek unnerves me the most. He places a hand on the wall, trapping me and anger seethes in my stomach.
“Move!” I growl.
His scent engulfs me, pushing out my need to follow Finn. No, it’s not his scent, something different. Alek’s eyes are fixed on my mouth and although we’re not touching, the physical pull to him is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Strangely, his face registers the same. I close my eyes; sure, he’s doing this deliberately.
“Move,” I repeat.
Alek’s hair touches my face as he leans toward my ear. “Don’t trust him.”
I pull my head back, so I’m looking at his face, ignoring the same intense energy between us as last time. “And trust who? You? At least he’s nice to me!”
Dropping his hand, Alek steps back. “Oh, I am being nice to you. You have no idea.”
The hunt will run from TODAY until midnight on SUNDAY (19th July).
To enter to win FORTY signed paperbacks by a wide range of authors PLUS $30 worth of Amazon Gift Cards, simply hop around ALL participating stops, collect all of the highlighted numbers, add them together, and then go enter the requested details along with your calculated answer in the ENTRY FORM.
You can find more information on how the stop works HERE. All stops will direct you to the next place to hop across to. And don’t worry if you get lost, because the entire list of participating authors can be found HERE.
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO WIN AN EXCLUSIVE SWAG PACK FROM MERADETH HOUSTON
The theme of the blog hop is ‘summer’ so I thought I’d introduce you to my book:
SUMMER SKY from the best-selling Blue Phoenix series
Title: Summer Sky (Blue Phoenix, #1)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis
Sky changed her life for a man once, and she has no intention of doing it again – even if he is a six-foot, tattooed rock god who makes a mean bacon sandwich.
Sky Davis is fed up with boyfriend Grant taking her for granted, and when she comes home to find him wearing a girl, Sky suspects the relationship is over. She takes an unscheduled holiday and leaves the life (and guy) she hates behind.
Rock star Dylan Morgan is struggling with fame and infamy, sick of his life being controlled by other people. Dylan cuts his hair and walks away from his role as lead singer of Blue Phoenix, leaving behind chaos and speculation.
Outside the English seaside town of Broadbeach, their cars and worlds collide.
Sky decides Dylan is an arrogant guy with too many tattoos, and Dylan is amused by the smart-mouthed girl with no idea who he is. Dylan and Sky soon discover they’ve travelled to Broadbeach for the same reason – to escape from reality and head back to a place with happy childhood memories. 22 Losing themselves in a world where they know nothing about each other, Sky and Dylan begin a summer romance that soon heats up their rainy English summer.
Fantasies can’t last forever, and when reality crashes the party, Sky isn’t sure she wants to be more than his ‘summer Sky’ but Dylan doesn’t want to let her go.
Returning to the real world, public scrutiny isn’t their only problem. Blue Phoenix lead guitar player, Jem Jones, has a reason for wanting Sky out of Dylan’s life, and is determined to come between them. Some things won’t stay hidden, even when they’re paid to ‘go away’.
Summer Sky is a contemporary romance where occasionally more than the bacon sizzles. It is the first in the Blue Phoenix series.
The Blue Phoenix books are a series of contemporary romance novels and novellas centred on the fictional rock band Blue Phoenix.
Book Links:
The story continues in Falling Sky (Blue Phoenix, #2)
https://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston
https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston
I’m also including an extra swag pack of my own – postcards, bookmarks and magnets!
CLICK ON THE RAFFLECOPTER TO ENTER!
CLICK ON THE LINK TO VISIT THE NEXT STOP:
Gretchen McNeil: gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com
Or, if you have all of your numbers and are ready to enter, then hop across to the
I spread my fingers on the table in front of me, concentrating on the cold linoleum table, and think what a stupid move it was to ask Finn where he was from. Of course, he’s going to ask about my home too, and then we’ll move onto what we did over the summer…
The music upstairs stops and the familiar sound of Alek’s boots stomp downstairs.
“Hey, Casper…” The grin I heard behind his voice disappears as he walks into the kitchen and sees us. His brown eyes narrow beneath the dark hair falling across his face. “Who’s this?”
“I’m Finn.” He holds out a hand to shake, a formal gesture I find very strange and one Alek doesn’t accept.
Alek looks at Finn as if he’s something I brought in on the bottom of my shoe. “How did you get in?”
“He’s my guest, Alek.”
“I don’t like your guest.”
Something strange is in the room with us, a tension thickening the air as the two guys regard each other. I gulp down my glass of wine and sigh at the testosterone. Finn and Alek are on the edge of each other’s personal space and stare at each other. Finn’s stance is less aggressive; hopefully one of them is mature enough to back down. Behind Finn, the wok sizzles and spits so I get up to stir the meal. Finn steps to one side, breaking his standoff with Alek.
“I’d better go,” Finn says to me.
“Yeah, good idea.” Alek’s voice is as low as Finn’s, and his features are arranged into an expression threatening enough to make me run. I almost do.
“Finn’s my friend,” I snap, “and you don’t get to tell me who I can bring home.”
“See you tomorrow, maybe?” Finn grabs his jacket and bag, then edges around Alek. They’re almost the same height, although Finn is stockier and for a horrible moment, I think one of them is going to punch the other. Finn lingers for a moment, with an impassive look at Alek, before disappearing down the hallway.
The front door shuts.
After a few moments of catching up with the situation, I move to the kitchen counter and pour another glass of wine, then slam the bottle on the table. “What the fuck Alek?”
“I don’t like him.”
Alek is still in the doorway; he hasn’t moved since he saw me and Finn, but at least the dangerous look on his face left with Finn. He’s staring toward the window, barely registering me. Who does he think he is?
“How dare you, you asshole! He’s my friend.”
“I said, I don’t like him,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Why? Do you know him?
“No.”
“This is my home, too. I invite who I like! Do you have to like everyone who comes into this house? You don’t own it!”
“I got a bad…vibe from him; I don’t want him here.” Alek’s tone is low and imploring.
“Well, I get a bad vibe from you!”
Alek remains in the doorway, and as I attempt to get past him, he stretches an arm across. “Stay away from him.”
“Don’t be such a dickhead.” My fingers itch to push him away, but I don’t want to touch him. “He’s a friend from work who I’m sharing a meal with! So you don’t like him. Tough.”
“Is he the only friend you have at work?”
“No.”
“Who else do you know there?”
I have no answer, because over the last few weeks Finn is the only person I’ve spoken to any longer than polite small talk to work colleagues. “People.”
“He’s the only person who shows any interest in you. Don’t you think that’s strange?” My neck prickles with annoyance. “Think about it, Rose.”
I don’t want to and I’m struck by the realisation he’s never called me by my name before. “No, you’re what’s strange. Excuse me.”
“Your meal…” He gestures toward the stove.
“Move.”
“Don’t go after him.”
“For fuck’s sake…” I mutter and duck under his arm.
Alek steps in my way and I back toward the wall. Out of the two of them, Alek unnerves me the most. He places a hand on the wall, trapping me and anger seethes in my stomach.
“Move!” I growl.
His scent engulfs me, pushing out my need to follow Finn. No, it’s not his scent, something different. Alek’s eyes are fixed on my mouth and although we’re not touching, the physical pull to him is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Strangely, his face registers the same. I close my eyes; sure, he’s doing this deliberately.
“Move,” I repeat.
Alek’s hair touches my face as he leans toward my ear. “Don’t trust him.”
I pull my head back, so I’m looking at his face, ignoring the same intense energy between us as last time. “And trust who? You? At least he’s nice to me!”
Dropping his hand, Alek steps back. “Oh, I am being nice to you. You have no idea.”
Who said that only real heroes could be found in fiction?
Sarah Smith had an addiction – she was addicted to romance novels. The meet-cute, the passion, the drama and the gorgeous men! Now this wouldn’t have been such an issue if she hadn’t been the owner of the only bookshop in Ashford, Connecticut.
Ever since her close friend Lil, from The Gingerbread Café, had become engaged she had been yearning for a little love to turn up in her life. Except Sarah knew a good man was hard to find – especially in a tiny town like Ashford. That was until New York journalist, Ridge Warner stepped into her bookshop…
Love could be just around the corner for Sarah, but will she be able to truly believe that happy-ever-after can happen in real-life too!
Find The Bookshop on the Corner here:
US Amazon http://amzn.to/1jMmIWA
UK Amazon http://amzn.to/1lGBvED
AUST Amazon http://bit.ly/1fTDwWW
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/bookshop-on-corner-gingerbread/id850630026?mt=11
Kobo http://goo.gl/PjVtr1
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/rebeccaraisin/the-bookshop-on-the-corner-by-rebecca-raisin/
Praise from Mia March, author of The Meryl Streep Movie Club, and Finding Colin Firth.
“How I wish this magical little bookshop was around the corner from my house! Brimming with heart, hope, and wisdom, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER is a wonderful novel about love, life, friendship, romance, books galore, and finding that happy ending.” –Mia March.
Excerpt
Chapter One
Snuggled in the cozy bay window of the bookshop, I looked up from my novel as the first golden rays of sunshine brightened the sky. Resting my head against the cool glass, I watched the light spill, as though it had leaked, like the yellows of a watercolor painting. Almost dawn, it would soon be time to switch on, and get organized for another day at The Bookshop on the Corner.
Every day I arrived at work a few hours prior to opening to read in the quiet, before customers would trickle in. I loved these magical mornings, time stolen from slumber, where I’d curl up with a book and get lost inside someone else’s world before dog-earing the page and getting lost in mine. Sure, I could have stayed in bed at home and read, but the bookshop had a dream-like quality about it before dawn that was hard to resist.
I turned back to the inside of the shop to watch shards of muted sunlight settle on piles of books, as if it were slowly waking them. The haphazard stacks seemed straighter, as if they’d decided when I wasn’t looking to neaten themselves up, dust their jackets off, and stand to attention. Maybe a customer would stumble across one of them today, run a hand lovingly across their covers, before selecting a book that caught their attention. Though my theory was books chose us, and not the other way around.
The bookshop was silent, bar a faint hum — were the books muttering to each other about what today would bring? Smiling to myself, I went back to my novel, promising myself just one more chapter.
When I looked up again the sun was high in the sky, and I’d read a much bigger chunk than I’d meant to. Some stories consumed you, they made time stop, your worries float into the ether, and when it came to my reading habits I chose romance over any other genre. The appeal of the happy ever after, the winsome heroine being adored for who she was, and the devastatingly handsome hero with more to him than met the eye tugged at my heart. And I’d read about them all: from dashing dukes, to cocksure cowboys, I never met one I didn’t fall for.
The sounds of the street coming alive filtered in, roller shutters retreating upwards, cheery shop owners whistling as they swept their front stoops. Lil, the owner of the Gingerbread Café across the road, arrived, hand in hand with her fiancé, Damon. They stood on the pavement in front of her café, and kissed goodbye, spending an age whispering and canoodling.
I tried to focus on my book, but couldn’t help darting a glance their way every now and then. Each morning they embraced almost as though they’d never see each other again, yet they worked only a few short steps away. It was as if they were magnetically drawn to each other; one step backwards would draw the other person forwards. I bet they couldn’t hear the sound of shops opening or cars tooting hello. They had their own kind of sweet music that swirled around them as if they were in some kind of love bubble.
Feeling as though I was intruding on a private moment, I swiveled away from the window and padded bare foot down to the back of the bookshop to make more coffee. My feet found the familiar groove in the wood; the path was so well trodden it was bowed. The feel of the polished oak underfoot with its labyrinth-type trails exposed around stacks of books was comforting. It’d weathered traffic for so long it was indelibly changed by it.
Taking the pot of coffee to the counter, I poured a cup, and sipped gingerly. Lately, I’d felt a little as though I was at a crossroads. You know that frustrating feeling of losing the page in your book? You didn’t want to go too far forward and spoil the surprise, and you didn’t want to go too far back, so you kind of stagnated and started from a page that didn’t seem quite right, but you read it a few times just to convince yourself…that was how I felt about my life. A little lost, I guess you could say.
Ashford was buzzing with good news recently, love affairs, weddings, babies, but I was still the same old Sarah, nose pressed in a book, living out fictional relationships as if they were my own. I was waiting for something to find me. But what if that something never came?
What did heroines do when they felt like that? Broaden their horizons? I imagined myself swapping Ashford for Paris, because of the bookshops and the rich literary history. But really, I’d never ventured far from my small town, and probably never would. My bookshop was a living, breathing thing to me, and there was no one to look after it even if I did want to do something spontaneous. Should I take up a hobby? I’d be the girl stuck line dancing with the octogenarian. Instead of dreaming of the impossible, I set about opening the shop, and shelved that line of thought for another time.
Find Rebecca here:
https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthor
http://rebeccaraisin.wordpress.com
www.twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum
The Bookshop on The Corner blog:http://thecornerbookshop.wordpress.com/
New York Times BestSelling Author
LJ Swallow - USA Today Bestselling Author
Author. Walking Catastrophe. Pizza-Connessier. Occasional Functioning Adult.
Lisa Swallow 