Gracie Jordan's State of Love and Trust...and Pearl Jam

*
It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I love PEARL JAM ...but not in a screaming, never wash my hand again if it shook Eddie's, creepy stalker kind of way. NOT AT ALL. Don't get me wrong, the announcement of US dates for their 2013 tour sent a wave of goose bumps through me that didn't stop for an hour. And if I had the chance to meet Eddie Vedder I would have butterflies the size of elephants but not for the reasons you think.

Yes, he's famous, but I could care less about that. Yes, he's always been beautiful to look at but that's just a bonus as far as I am concerned. I am in awe of the beauty of his passion for the lyrics he writes, the raw nature of how he bears his soul for every performace, the heart he puts into everything he touches from the research he does on the towns they play to his environmental activism to the benefit concerts at The Bridge School, a school for children with severe speech and physical impairments.

Sure, Gracie would love to meet Eddie Vedder, too, but for EXACTLY the same reasons I do...
I would like to personally thank him for how much his music has touched my soul and healed scars from my past. I would like to tell him that the passion he exudes when he writes and performs is beyond gorgeous. And you better believe this man will have a spot in the "Acknowledgements" in my book, IN TOO DEEP... which was born on a very rough day for me as I lay in my bed and cried listening to Pearl Jam's DEEP, realizing I was "in too deep."

I saw Pearl Jam for the first time in November of 1991 when they came with The Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Rec Hall at Penn State. This was less than a year after the band that was Mother Love Bone added Eddie as their singer and became Pearl Jam. So, I have been listening to their lyrics and collecting their albums (I have 109 of their songs on my iPod right now) pretty much since the beginning.

And, that concert at Penn State was just months before I sat in Park Place apartment #305 just off campus and watched them perform on MTV Unplugged - back when MTV really was all about MUSIC and music was about so much more than suggestive words and crazy wardrobes.

This song, STATE OF LOVE AND TRUST, is currently on repeat as I write Gracie's emotions while she tries to convince herself that her state of love an trust has been broken down to pretext.

Enter MTV unplugged from March 1992:

Just watch him...he FEELS every word he sings. THIS is AUTHENTIC art!
Completely AUTHENTIC!

Now, try to call me a "crazy Pearl Jam fan!"
It goes much deeper than that.

Thank you, Eddie.

Finally...COVER REVEAL for In Too Deep

*

*

INTRODUCING THE AMAZING COVER FOR

 

IN TOO DEEP

 

Cover Designer, Sarah Hansen

of  OKAY Creations is nothing less than BRILLIANT!

 





 

I still can't stop looking at this!

A. MAY. ZING!

Thank you, Sarah! You have a gift!

If you haven't read what IN TOO DEEP is about, here is a short synopsis:

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.

Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

 

 

Special thanks to Sapphire Star Publishing for believing in this book.

And, of course, thank you to the almost 30 bloggers who are hosting my reveal. Go check them out, some of them asked me some pretty cool questions in their interviews!

 

Romantic Book Affairs        

The Book Bellas                     

The Book Tart                        

My Super Book Blog              /

Books Over Boys                   

Stick Girl Book Reviews       

Bite My Book                        

Christine Locke Books          

Dirty Talk Books       

Sonia Book Lover                  

Ana’s Attic                            

T’s Bookish Moments            

Jennie Wurtz                          

Turning the Page Books         

Naughty and Nice Book Blog

Belle’s Book Blog                  

 Totally Booked Blog             

Swept Away by Romance     

Read Love Blog                     

Love N. Books                       

Brain Candy                           

Library at the End of the Universe    

Rock ‘n’ Romance                 

A Love Affair with Books    

Reading is my Time Out        

Dream Reads                         

Rose Caceres                          

Dawn Meehan                        

Carrie Butler                          

                          

The next BIG NEWS will be when IN TOO DEEP is released on JUNE 6, 2013!!

All the bloggers on this list will get ARC info before the release date should you wish to do a review.

If you are not on this list but would like an ARC, please contact me ASAP.

 

Thank you to everyone for your excitement for IN TOO DEEP!

I can't wait for you to read Gracie's story!

 





IN TOO DEEP cover reveal is TOMORROW!!!

*

*

TOMORROW IS THE BIG REVEAL!





I am so excited for tomorrow...maybe so excited that I can't think of anything creative to do for ONE. What I was planning on doing today would have been too much of a hint to tomorrow's reveal...

So, it's a short word... acronyms are fun... how about I do it like this...

O is for the OUTSTANDING cover you will get to see tomorrow!
N is for the NOVEL I am thrilled to introduce to you on June 6th!
E is for EVERYONE who has worked together, believed in me and helped to make my dream a reality...you know who you are...and if you don't, just check my Acknowledgements when the book comes out!

This is one OUTSTANDING NOVEL cover, EVERYONE!

So, there you have it!

ONE MORE FREAKING DAY AND YOU WILL BE KNOCKED ON YOUR POCKETS!
I can't wait to reveal and give props to the amazing artist who created PERFECTION for me!

WOOT WOOT!


 

IN TOO DEEP cover reveal...in TWO DAYS!

**

 

**

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE DOWN TO ONLY 2 DAYS!

I was trying to think of something exciting I could do with a list of two things... but who wants a list of TWO things? That seems pretty lame, right?

Well, how about TWO thoughts straight from Gracie's heart ...one about Noah and one about Jake.
Good? Yeah, I thought you might like that!

"Our relationship defined me. He had opened up to me and showed me a side of him no one else knew. No one. It was like our own little miracle. Our oasis. He truly loved me. We were bound by the one-time gift I had given him four months into our relationship. My soul was married to his."

 

"He stared at me with those eyes. His words were harsh, his voice stern, but his eyes held my pain like he was trying to take it from me."


Yeah... you're DYING, right?

Well, stay tuned because you won't want to miss tomorrow's "1 MORE DAY" post!


 

IN TOO DEEP cover reveal in THREE DAYS!

**

**

 

So, we are down to THREE DAYS!

 

Someone hand me a paper bag, I'm hyperventilating!

I just saw this tweet and it made my stomach flip...

But, she is absolutely right...the cover is so powerful which makes this whole ride even MORE exciting! Gahhhhhhh!!!!

OK....list...

THREE PEOPLE (other than Gracie, Noah & Jake) you will be introduced to in In Too Deep:

1. Sam
2. Stacy
3. Becki

There are more but these three I would consider the 2nd most important threesome (not THAT kind of threesome!) in the book.

OK.... I am signing off to enter "Edit World" ...

Buh Bye!

 

IN TOO DEEP cover reveal in FOUR DAYS!

**

**

FOUR DAYS until my COVER REVEAL for IN TOO DEEP!

I can not TELL YOU how excited I am to reveal the AMAZING cover that one AMAZING cover artist created!! I will also be revealing the identity of said artist on Friday as well. I am completely HUMBLED that SHE is the one who did MY cover! Gahhhhhh!!!!!!

OK...so for the countdown this week, I will be doing lists of things that have to do with the characters, the story, places and events that are part of the story.

THE LIST TODAY is FOUR SETTINGS you'll get to know (and wish you could visit) in IN TOO DEEP.

1. Murphy's Restaurant
2. University of Tennessee
3. Mitchell's Bar
4. Sigma Chi fraternity house

Stay tuned for another list tomorrow!

IN TOO DEEP...cover COMING SOON!

*
In preparation for the COVER REVEAL of IN TOO DEEP in a week, I thought I would post a short synopsis of the book to get you in the mood for some soul-breaking, heart-filling romance. This is a story very close to my heart because even though it is fictional, it is based on an emotionally abusive relationship I had in college. Gracie's story is one you won't forget.

Gracie Jordan’s innocence has bad boy Noah Foster intrigued. Without hesitation, she follows Noah’s charming lead into a relationship she’s nowhere near ready for. Noah’s love turns dark but Gracie holds on waiting for the Noah she fell in love with to return. Her heartbreak threatens to pull her under but her best friend and Noah’s former roommate, Jake, refuses to be a bystander. Jake throws Gracie a life raft and prays it’s not too late.

Emotionally this book was so hard to write. Dredging up all of the emotions proved to be one of the hardest things I have ever done. But, my very own "Jake" talked me through it and helped me realize this story could save someone from such pain. Of all the young women who dive into Gracie and Jake's reality, I hoping at least ONE sees the red flags in her own relationship in time for her to get out before she is IN TOO DEEP!

I'm so excited for the REVEAL on February 22nd. But even MORE excited for the book's RELEASE on June 6, 2013!

Did you say "Cover reveal"...?

*
Why, yes...yes I did!

My amazing publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, gave me the heads up this week that we will be doing a COVER REVEAL for IN TOO DEEP in 8 days!!

There will be MANY other awesome book review blogs hosting the REVEAL as well! I will post those hosts the day of the reveal so you can give them some lovin' on Twitter, Facebook and their blogs!

Stay tuned!
You don't want to miss this... and the SQUEALS from the audience! It's so awesome!!

Peace.

Gracie and Noah...

*
Stay tuned for more teasers and glimpses into In Too Deep...

Keep Calm...

...through Author-Colored glasses...

**

**

 

Well, of course I know that glasses cannot be author-colored. Not sure what that color is, I've never seen it in the CRAYOLA mega pack. But you all know the old "...through rose colored glasses" phrase. Basically this means if you put those glasses on, you will see things in a new way...like you have a secret that only the rose-colored glasses people know.

Well, if you look at it that way...there ARE Author-Colored glasses! And they are really funky like the ones above. I would totally wear those, wouldn't you? My teenagers wouldn't be seen with me, that's for sure, but I think they're awesome. May have to get myself a pair for my next Author Photo Shoot.

Anyway, my point...

I have noticed since writing a full novel and having started the content edits as per my editor, I am starting to see my novel like a giant equation...and I HATE MATH. But, it's similar in that, while editing, if you change a specific detail in Chapter 12, you may need to go back to Chapter 2 and add a hint, then ahead to Chapter 8 to switch something around so that the detail in Chapter 12 makes logical sense. See, equation!

Now, while I wait for line edits, I read...other people's books. I am noticing that I am picking up on things earlier than I would had I not used this Author Equation multiple times in the last couple months. And it's not that the authors I have read are blatantly obvious - they're really not. Those funky glasses really work!

In any book, there are details you are supposed to simply pick up and carry with you through the story... and then later the author throws you a curve ball and you have a big "AHA" moment when that little detail comes flying back like the missing piece of a puzzle. And you have the "why didn't I see that?" reaction. It's fun when that happens!

Now that I read through my Author-Colored glasses, I NOTICE those little details and SOMETIMES I piece something together a little sooner than I'd like...those "AHA" moments we readers love so much can be "aha" moments through my new glasses.

But...
More importantly, I am seeing many different versions of that equation through the eyes of other authors and that excites me. In some instances I am still thrown by the outcome but can quickly piece it all together and follow the climax back to its origin... it's a little like looking over your friend's shoulder during the math test.

Though, we authors don't call it cheating...we call it INSPIRATION! My writing will improve by checking out the creative equations in the books I read.

And I have come to LOVE my Author-Colored glasses!