There's a soft side to Atticus....

Nazarea is back and sharing a soft side to her Atticus....enjoy! 

***

We are a week away from release!!! Which means today is our last teaser! This is one of my favorite scenes, and I’m super excited to share it with you!!! :)
(Quick note—there is also a giveaway going on over at my blog, and in celebration of the upcoming release, Edge of the Falls is on sale!!) 

***

I stare at her as she slides into my booth. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips still wet from tequila; her eyes sparkle with amusement and fire. 
“I’m here. What do you want, Professor?”
Irritation swamps me—she knows I don’t like it when she calls me that. “You made a friend over there.” I nod at the guy, who is still staring at her.
“Jealous? You didn’t step in.”
“You took care of yourself. I won’t get involved if you can take care of yourself. But—” I lean toward her, my lips brushing her ear. “—If you can’t, don’t think for an instant I’d hesitate.”
She shudders, and I want to push her back against the booth and kiss her, want to shove her skirt up and slide into her—
I sit back, giving her—and me—room to breathe. 
"What do you want, Atticus?" she asks, looking away. 
That is the question. "I don't know." 
She twists and glares at me. "That's a cop out, and we both know it," she snaps. 
Avery starts to scoot out of the booth and I let her. I haven't seen this side of her, not directed at me. She's furious, all the soft sweetness gone. She's halfway across the bar when the redneck from before intercepts her. Avery's motions are sharp, her smile forced, and she tries to edge around him. His hand closes over her wrist, and I move without thinking. 
I'm across the bar in a few strides. Redneck is still holding her, his eyes laughing as he teases and tries to get her on the dance floor. She's stiff when I slide my arms around her waist, pulling her against me. Its a thousand kinds of crazy. But I do it anyway, nuzzle her hair. "Dance with me." 
The redneck frowns, and I want him to push. I want the excuse to fight him. But he's a good kid—he steps back and nods. 
"I was fine," she says, and I love the tremble in her voice as my hand slips under the silk top, finding skin even softer. 
"I wasn't," I say honestly. 
She doesn't resist as I tug her gently onto the dance floor. It's a fast song, but I'm not in the mood for that. I pull her against me, back to my front, and we sway to the music. Her hands come up over mine, her hair falling to the side as she tilts her neck and leans into my shoulder. It's a quiet surrender that makes my pulse spike. I lean down, kissing her neck, and her grip on my hands tightens.

Next time will be release day!

Bye! 

Sam :-) 

X

A tease from Nazarea Andrews....

Nazarea Andrews has popped again to share another teaser with us from her latest book, This Love. There is also a giveaway, so why not join in via Goodreads or Nazarea's blog :-)

***

This week’s exerpt shows a little bit of the softer side of both Atticus and Avery! :) Enjoy!

Somehow, we end up cuddling. My legs are draped over his lap, his fingers tracing little patterns on the arch of my foot, over my tattooed skin. It’s making it really hard to concentrate on who is getting eaten on the TV—although I’ve seen Jurassic Park often enough that I could probably quote it under any other circumstance. He seems unaware of what he’s doing to me.

Doubtful, but he’s doing a damn fine impression.

Halfway through the movie, I finally quit arguing with myself and say fuck it. I catch his arm where it’s resting casually on my thigh and pull. He stares at me, assessing me, and I flash him the brightest smile I can muster. “I promise to be good.”

He rolls his eyes, but stretches out behind me on the couch, my head pillowed on one of his arms, the other wrapped around my waist to hold me against him. His breath sifts through my hair, and I let out a deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding. His grip on me tightens a little.

The anxious feeling that’s been chasing me through the whole night vanishes as I settle in his embrace. The last thing I see is a little girl screaming as a T-Rex attacks her car.

Later, I feel the couch shift and shiver in the sudden absence of his grip. I look blearily at the clock, stunned to realize it’s almost three. I look at Atticus, who shrugs before scooping me off the couch. “I watched the commentaries.”

Who watches commentaries? Either he’s the biggest geek in the world or he’s pretty happy spending time with me.

Both make me irrationally happy.

He lays me down on my bed and tugs my blanket up over my feet. “Thanks for the cookies, Avery.” He leans down to kiss my forehead, and the warm feeling that’s been covering me for the past several hours begins to dissipate.

“Don’t go.” The words slip out before I can stop them, and I see his eyes widen, see the hesitation. 

***

'Til next time! 

Sam :-) 

X

Nazarea is teasing again.....

I have the lovely Nazarea Andrews here again today and she's sharing another great teaser from her latest release, THIS LOVE. Nazarea is also giving away two copies of THIS LOVE, check out the competition on Goodreads to be in with a chance!

Beautiful, huh? 

'Til next time! 
Sam :-) 
X

Nazarea Andrews is teasing us with a THIS LOVE teaser....

Nazarea Andrews has dropped by again to tease you all with a snippet from her new release, THIS LOVE. If you want to know more about THIS LOVE click on THIS post and see Nazarea had to say and reveal when she dropped by a couple of weeks ago....

Today we have a little bit from one of my favorite scenes—and it’s from Atticus’ POV. So without further ado—here IT IS.

***

 Something flickers in her eyes, and she looks away, playing with the straw to her tea. It’s so dejected, I pause and step over to her, tilting her chin up. Her breath catches. I have to force myself to let her go again. “Or,” I murmur, “you could come with me.” She inhales sharply, her chest rising under her thin shirt. “That’s a bad idea,” she murmurs. My fingers curve, catching in her hair. Its silky soft, and I can smell her shampoo, clean and floral. My thumb rests on her pulse point, the frantic beat jumping under my hand. “What are you doing?” she asks, breathlessly.

What do you think?? I’m so excited to share this book with y’all! Don’t forget to add it your shelf on Goodreads.

'Til next time!
Sam :-) 
X

This Love by Nazarea Andrews - Cover Reveal.....

Today, we've got another fantastic author and even more fantastic cover to reveal....are you ready?? I'm handing you straight over to the lady herself, Nazarea Andrews....

***

This Love

By

Nazarea Andrews

Mel Stevens of The Illustrated Author created the cover art.

She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.
He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess his life has become.
They didn't know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket--her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for the wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.
Atticus Grimes needs help--the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he's got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.
When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she's thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can't happen--he's a professor and she's a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

Coming JUNE 2013

Add it to your to-read list on Goodreads!

About the Author:

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter to win an ARC of This Love

'Til next time! 
Sam :-) 
X



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nazarea Andrews is chatting about Setting as a Character....

Morning guys!

Today, Nazarea Andrews has dropped by my little ol' part of cyber space as she kicks off her blog tour/book promotion. I'm really thrilled to have her here to share her story (Edge of the Falls) with you. It sounds fresh and something completely different, which I always love. So, over to her really.... Enjoy!

*** 


When I read a book, I love being lost in a new world. To me, it doesn't matter if its a city I'm intimately familiar with, like Atlanta, or a place that I have never been, like Prague. All that matters is that the details are there and I can see the world that I'm stepping into.

When I wrote Edge, I knew what setting it would have--and if you read it, you will likely recognize the inspiration of the waterfall. But just as important was the Manor, the home that is both comforting and menacing. The ever-present darkness that is part of the world dictates so much of their world, the actions of Sabah and her friends, as well as keeping the Citizens in fear.
So what makes a good setting? In my opinion it's a mixture of broadstrokes--a sprawling, three story manor with a fireplace in the kitchen and a garret on the third floor.

And it's a handful of details-- flickering firelight and cold rooms, work chairs and the scent of paper and ink and children.
One of my favorite books is The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could set a scene--he took setting to an extreme that drowned you in details until not only could you see a forest, you could see the pattern in the bark of the tree that hid Frodo.

And that works for some people. For me, not so much.

Your setting should always have a point-- there shouldn't be a line tree and a shed unless they play a role in the story. But it should also convey the tone of the story--a decrepit beauty, like in middle earth, that seeped from every broken tree.

Your setting should have personality and influence the story, as mush as any secondary character. Maybe even more.



Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. Her first book, Edge of the Falls, is available March 12.


Edge of the Falls synopsis:

Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in. But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change. Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts? A romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

You can find Nazarea and Edge of the Falls here: 

Blog and website and in the Twittersphere @NazareaAndrews
Goodreads and Amazon and B&N



'Til next time!

Sam :-) 
X