Happy one week anniversary to Lucid! It's hard to believe Devon and his pals have been out on the e-shelves, telling their dream world stories to all who care to listen, for one full week! Lucid is doing modestly on Amazon right now, so spread the word to anyone you may think would enjoy the book.
Also, don't forget to leave reviews! A good, honest review is like gold to authors. We take 'em all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It not only boosts sales but it also gives us constructive criticism to get even better work out to you in the future. Which, by the way, I'm currently writing some more cool stuff to send your way. I even have a few *gasp* female protagonist stories in the works!
But enough about me, I'm here today with the lovely Mary Cope, author of Beautiful One. Let me tell you a little about this "bizarre love triangle" of affairs:
The Book
Beautiful One is about Elizabeth Ryan, a timid high school senior who ends up with the high school heartthrob, Aidan. Sounds like your typical underdog-geek-girl-gets-boy kind of story right? Well, Beautiful One takes this classic tale and adds a dark twist, giving Aidan fits of jealously as Elizabeth climbs the popularity ladder, getting more attention than he wants her to have. Elizabeth finds solace in her friendship with fellow classmate, Spencer, who shares a love of similar interests with her. Elizabeth is torn between helping her jealous boyfriend overcome his personal issues and giving herself what she truly desires.
Sounds like a good page-turner, right? Well, fear not, when you do run out of pages to turn. Ms. Cope plans on writing two more novels in the Beautiful One series! So, get out there and get your copy of the first now! You wouldn't want to fall behind.
And to seal the deal, here's an excerpt from Beautiful One:
Chapter One
The faint sounds of a guitar drifted through the walls of my bathroom as I savored the last of the hot water before it became lukewarm. Stepping away from the spray, I turned the shower knob and watched the droplets trickle down the drain. Inhaling a deep breath my mind focused on one thing. Aidan Mitchell.
Hearing Mason’s band practicing meant he would be here. I was ninety-nine percent sure Aidan wouldn’t blow off their practice. He knew how serious my brother was about the band, but he also had been avoiding me for days.
The past week had been awful. I was determined to talk to him. All I wanted was a few answers. My emotions had run the gamut from confusion, frustration, regret, and sadness… sadness consumed me most of all, at night usually, and I was exhausted from it. But at this moment all I felt was anger. Anger was good. It was certainly better than pain.
As I rushed down the hallway, the floorboards creaked beneath my feet and the walls began to vibrate with the beat of Derek pounding on the drums. When I entered my room the music was deafening, but today I didn’t mind. I untwisted the blue-and-white-polka-dot towel from my head and tossed it to the floor.
The deep conditioner I used helped my fingers glide through my long damp curls. If I was going to confront Aidan, I wanted to look my best. No Frizzy Lizzie for me. That nickname, coupled with my big butt, had tormented me, growing up in a beach town surrounded by beautiful people. I had longed to look like a typical California girl: tall, blond, perfect. But, with dark hair and bordering on five feet three inches, that was never going to be me.
After I blow-dried and flat-ironed my hair, I took off my purple robe and draped it over my desk chair. I slipped on a pair of jeans… yes, slipped them on. I didn’t have to tug, pull, or jiggle my butt to get in my pants anymore. When I easily pushed the button through the top of my jeans, it still made me smile. I couldn’t even count how many times I had to lie on my bed and suck in my stomach so I could zip up a pair of pants. Every time I slipped them on, I never took it for granted. I had worked my butt off… literally. I put on my bra and a green sweater before I pulled on my boots.
I rushed downstairs to the door that led to the garage. Thinking about confronting Aidan and having to stare into those piercing blue eyes started to intimidate me. But this was my chance. I knew he was a few feet behind the door, and I needed to deal with him. Before I completely lost my nerve, I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled then pushed open the door.
The stream of sunlight coming in through the open garage door blinded me for a moment. With squinted eyes, I made a beeline to the old brown sofa in the corner. My heart was beating so fast it almost seemed in tempo with Derek pounding the drums. I scooted over our yellow Labrador, Maggie, and wedged myself between her and the arm of the couch. Finally, I looked up to focus my attention on Aidan.
He didn’t show.
I sunk my head back into the cushions, exhaling a deep, long sigh, trying to rid the tension from my body. The guys were practicing their newest song. Indie-Alternative was their style, and they called themselves Random Plan. I glanced at Mason and could tell he was angry. I mouthed the word “Aidan?”
Mason just shook his head.
“Derek!” The tone in my brother’s voice made me sit up straight. “Derek!” Mason snapped again.
Finally Derek stopped and silenced his cymbals.
“What?” He lifted the front of his black t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, exposing his six-pack. His brown eyes bored into Mason’s. “Hey! Just ‘cuz you’re ticked off at the pretty boy, don’t take it out on me.”
Derek reached back and grabbed a water from an old bookcase that held a few water bottles, electrical cords, an old CD player, and a collection of CDs. “Hey, Kyle, ya want one?”
Kyle nodded and Derek tossed one across the garage to where he stood behind the keyboard.
“Mason?”
“Yeah, I’ll take one… Sorry, Derek.”
Derek gave Mason a head nod and tossed him a bottle. He took a sip while Derek chugged his down.
“Okay, start again.” Mason commanded.
Derek picked up his sticks and began tapping.
I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and listened to the music. Funny, I’d come into the garage so fearless it almost made me laugh. Who would have thought the once-overweight Elizabeth Ryan would stand up to the likes of Aidan Mitchell? I smiled to myself, allowing my mind to drift back to the time when I’d found it hard to even look at him...
The faint sounds of a guitar drifted through the walls of my bathroom as I savored the last of the hot water before it became lukewarm. Stepping away from the spray, I turned the shower knob and watched the droplets trickle down the drain. Inhaling a deep breath my mind focused on one thing. Aidan Mitchell.
Hearing Mason’s band practicing meant he would be here. I was ninety-nine percent sure Aidan wouldn’t blow off their practice. He knew how serious my brother was about the band, but he also had been avoiding me for days.
The past week had been awful. I was determined to talk to him. All I wanted was a few answers. My emotions had run the gamut from confusion, frustration, regret, and sadness… sadness consumed me most of all, at night usually, and I was exhausted from it. But at this moment all I felt was anger. Anger was good. It was certainly better than pain.
As I rushed down the hallway, the floorboards creaked beneath my feet and the walls began to vibrate with the beat of Derek pounding on the drums. When I entered my room the music was deafening, but today I didn’t mind. I untwisted the blue-and-white-polka-dot towel from my head and tossed it to the floor.
The deep conditioner I used helped my fingers glide through my long damp curls. If I was going to confront Aidan, I wanted to look my best. No Frizzy Lizzie for me. That nickname, coupled with my big butt, had tormented me, growing up in a beach town surrounded by beautiful people. I had longed to look like a typical California girl: tall, blond, perfect. But, with dark hair and bordering on five feet three inches, that was never going to be me.
After I blow-dried and flat-ironed my hair, I took off my purple robe and draped it over my desk chair. I slipped on a pair of jeans… yes, slipped them on. I didn’t have to tug, pull, or jiggle my butt to get in my pants anymore. When I easily pushed the button through the top of my jeans, it still made me smile. I couldn’t even count how many times I had to lie on my bed and suck in my stomach so I could zip up a pair of pants. Every time I slipped them on, I never took it for granted. I had worked my butt off… literally. I put on my bra and a green sweater before I pulled on my boots.
I rushed downstairs to the door that led to the garage. Thinking about confronting Aidan and having to stare into those piercing blue eyes started to intimidate me. But this was my chance. I knew he was a few feet behind the door, and I needed to deal with him. Before I completely lost my nerve, I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled then pushed open the door.
The stream of sunlight coming in through the open garage door blinded me for a moment. With squinted eyes, I made a beeline to the old brown sofa in the corner. My heart was beating so fast it almost seemed in tempo with Derek pounding the drums. I scooted over our yellow Labrador, Maggie, and wedged myself between her and the arm of the couch. Finally, I looked up to focus my attention on Aidan.
He didn’t show.
I sunk my head back into the cushions, exhaling a deep, long sigh, trying to rid the tension from my body. The guys were practicing their newest song. Indie-Alternative was their style, and they called themselves Random Plan. I glanced at Mason and could tell he was angry. I mouthed the word “Aidan?”
Mason just shook his head.
“Derek!” The tone in my brother’s voice made me sit up straight. “Derek!” Mason snapped again.
Finally Derek stopped and silenced his cymbals.
“What?” He lifted the front of his black t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, exposing his six-pack. His brown eyes bored into Mason’s. “Hey! Just ‘cuz you’re ticked off at the pretty boy, don’t take it out on me.”
Derek reached back and grabbed a water from an old bookcase that held a few water bottles, electrical cords, an old CD player, and a collection of CDs. “Hey, Kyle, ya want one?”
Kyle nodded and Derek tossed one across the garage to where he stood behind the keyboard.
“Mason?”
“Yeah, I’ll take one… Sorry, Derek.”
Derek gave Mason a head nod and tossed him a bottle. He took a sip while Derek chugged his down.
“Okay, start again.” Mason commanded.
Derek picked up his sticks and began tapping.
I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and listened to the music. Funny, I’d come into the garage so fearless it almost made me laugh. Who would have thought the once-overweight Elizabeth Ryan would stand up to the likes of Aidan Mitchell? I smiled to myself, allowing my mind to drift back to the time when I’d found it hard to even look at him...
____________
Told you it was a page-turner! You can get Beautiful One at the following links:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
Smashwords:
The Author
Mary Cope is a writer of romance. She plans on making her Beautiful One series into a trilogy. She fuels her romance writing with fresh-baked cookies and long walks with her yellow Lab, Maggie.
You can contact Ms. Cope at the following links:
Website:
http://marycopeauthor.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MaryCope_Author
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Cope/260006794162636
http://marycopeauthor.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MaryCope_Author
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Cope/260006794162636
Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight.
Until next time, keep readin' and dreamin'!
-Fred
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