Cover Reveal, Sneak Peek, and Pre-Order Link for Every Time I Think of You

  • July 15, 2014

I am so excited to share the cover for my upcoming new release Every Time I Think of You. I asked Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations to work her magic, and work it she did! Isn’t it pretty?

 

 

Title: Every Time I Think of You
Author: Tracey Garvis Graves
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publication Date: 9/16/14

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Synopsis

Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child.

Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.

Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.

And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.

Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.

Chapter One

Three-year-old Elliott DiStefano hid underneath his mother’s bed when the shouting started. He didn’t understand what the raised voices coming from the living room meant, but instinct told him to hide.

No one ever yelled in his house. Sometimes they used a different tone with him, firmer. “Stop climbing everything, you little monkey,” his mama would say or, “It’s time to pick up your toys and get ready for bed,” Nana would announce. Most of the time he would do what they said, although sometimes they had to ask him twice, especially if what he’d rather do was play a little longer. But they never spoke to him in such a harsh way, and they never told him to shut up like the man in the living room just did to Nana.

Elliott clutched his favorite green army man tightly in his hand. His nana had given him a bath after their early dinner at five, and asked if he was ready to put on his pajamas. “I can do it myself,” he’d told her, and she’d smiled and walked out of the bedroom he shared with Mama, closing the door behind her. She’d promised they could watch a movie and that Elliott could have one of the cookies they’d baked earlier that day for his bedtime snack. But then someone knocked on the door and now there was yelling and no movie and no cookie.

The man’s voice was scary and mean. Nana sounded like she was crying and as Elliott’s fear grew he began to tremble. The yelling got a little louder, followed by a crash and a thud. Then nothing. Was the bad man still there? What if he’d left but planned to come back? Elliott could no longer hear Nana’s voice and he wondered where she went. Did she leave? Did she go with the man? He curled himself into a tight ball and began to cry silent tears.

He had no way of knowing how much time had passed. It was dark under the bed and the crying had tired him out, so he rubbed his stinging eyes and took a little nap. When he woke up he desperately needed to go to the bathroom. His mama and Nana had been so proud of him when he stopped wearing diapers, and he hardly ever had accidents, but he couldn’t risk leaving the safety he’d found under the bed. The minutes ticked by and though he tried his best to hold it, he peed in his pajamas, soaking himself from the waist down. He started to shiver.

It was quiet for a long time and then someone banged on the door and shouted something, but Elliott didn’t know if that was bad or good. He heard voices in the living room, not yelling, just talking, but he remained hidden. Mama would be home soon and she’d know what to do. Elliott decided to wait for her under the bed.

More voices, drawing closer. The door to the bedroom opened. Elliott froze, wondering if it was the bad man coming to get him. He didn’t make a sound as a pair of legs wearing dark blue pants, with a stripe down the side, came into view. If he didn’t say a word or make any noise, maybe the person would leave.

No one would have known he was there if he hadn’t coughed at that very moment. It was a bit dusty underneath the bed, and Elliott already felt a little wheezy, like he might need another dose of his medicine. The legs bent as someone crouched down to look under the bed and Elliott squeezed his eyes shut, terrified of what he might see.

“It’s okay.” The man said, speaking softly. “I’m a policeman. I’m here to help. Can you come out from under there?” Heart pounding, Elliott didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

More footsteps. More dark blue legs. Elliott stayed put. No one was yelling, but Elliott’s heart was still beating fast, and his body felt like Jell-O. A lady wearing a dark blue uniform lay down on the floor next to the bed. “What’s your name?” she asked. She sounded a little like his mama. Her smile was nice like Mama’s, too. He didn’t think a bad person would smile at him, so he answered her. “Ewiott,” he whispered.

“My name is Officer Ochoa but you can call me Regina, okay?” He nodded. “How old are you, Elliott?” she asked. Using the hand not clutching the army man he held up three fingers.

“Three, huh? That’s a good age. I want you to know that you’re safe and no one will hurt you. Can you come out from under there? Here, take my hand.” She stretched out her hand to him and he hesitated but finally touched her palm with his fingers. She urged him gently toward her. Once he was close enough she reached in and grabbed him by his pajama top, pulling him the rest of the way out.

Elliott blinked and let his eyes adjust to the light. One of the officers noticed his wet pajamas, and his shivering, and they wrapped his Thomas the Tank Engine comforter around him, speaking in low, soothing tones.

“I want Nana and Mama,” he said. They could barely hear him.

“What is your mama’s name?” they asked.

“Daisy,” he said. He knew this was true because it was the name other people called her when they said hello. And it was easy to remember because it was the name of a flower, and he liked flowers.

“Do you know your last name?”

He nodded. He and Mama had practiced saying it. “DiStefano,” Elliott said. Maybe it didn’t come out as clearly as it sounded to him because they repeated it back like a question and he nodded.

The officers exchanged a glance and one of them said, “Got it.” The officer who spoke scribbled something on a pad of paper and left the room.

“We’re going to take you to the police station and we’ll call your mom so she can come get you,” Officer Ochoa said. “Okay?”

He wanted his mama more than anything, so he said okay, and when she bent down and scooped him up, comforter and all, he put his arms around her neck. She hurried down the hallway and just before they got to the door, when he would have tried to look for Nana to make sure she was coming too, Officer Ochoa pulled Elliott’s head down to her chest and all he could see was the dark blue of her uniform.

Pre-Order

Would you like to pre-order Every Time I Think of You? Simply click on the highlighted link below. Pre-order links for additional retailers will be coming soon, and I’ll post them as soon as they become available.

Pre-Order Every Time I Think of You at Amazon

Trailer

Special Announcement from Wordsmith Publicity

  • May 12, 2014
We are thrilled to announce that best selling author Tracey Garvis-Graves will be releasing an Adult Romantic Suspense novel this year! Please be sure to watch the gorgeous trailer for EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU, read the excerpt, and don’t forget to add it to your reading list!
Title: Every Time I Think of You
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Release date: TBA 2014
Goodreads
Book Description:

Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child.

Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.

Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.

And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.

Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.

TRAILER
http://youtu.be/hi0p1cLEo_s
EXCERPT

My watch said 11:00 p.m. Way too late to show up unannounced, but I knocked on Daisy’s door anyway, picturing her tip-toeing quietly to look through the peephole. It took a full minute because I’d undoubtedly roused her from a sound sleep. But then she opened the door far enough for me to cross the threshold and locked it again behind me.

The apartment was dark, save for a small beam of light that spilled into the hallway from her bedroom. As my eyes adjusted I noticed her hair. I’d never seen it down before. It fell way past her shoulders and was slightly messy, like she’d been tossing and turning in her sleep before I arrived. She wore a pair of pajama pants and a tank top with narrow straps, one of which had fallen off her shoulder.

“What is it?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“My mom died,” I said. It felt strange to say the words out loud. My voice sounded flat, unemotional.

“I’m so sorry, Brooks,” she said, but she didn’t say anything else.

I wanted something that would take away the empty, restless feeling inside of me. Something solid and real. She was standing close enough that one step was all I needed to close the gap between us. She must have taken a shower right before she went to bed because when I plunged my hands into all that hair, grabbing fistfuls and pulling her up against me, I felt the dampness and smelled the faint traces of her shampoo.

I moved my hands to the sides of her face and cupped it. She didn’t miss a beat when I pressed my lips to hers. She was probably wondering how I could possibly kiss her at a time like this, but it didn’t stop her from putting her arms around me and kissing me back like it was exactly what she needed, too.

Like the steady turn of a release valve, everything that had been bottled up inside of me escaped slowly through that kiss. I hadn’t realized how rigidly I’d been holding my body until it slackened against hers. How tightly I’d been clenching my jaw until I relaxed it to kiss her. All the tension I’d been feeling disappeared when she opened her mouth and let me in.

It was a long slow kiss, the kind that wasn’t meant to lead to anything else and was all the more powerful because of it. When I’d finally had enough I said, “I don’t know why I came. It’s late. I woke you up.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I don’t mind.”

“Go back to bed,” I whispered.

She nodded and I opened the door. “Lock this behind me,” I said, and I waited in the hallway until I heard the tumble of the lock clicking into place.


About the Author:

Tracey Garvis-Graves is the author of On the Island and Covet. She lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa with her husband, two children, and hyper dog Chloe. She blogs at www.traceygarvisgraves.com using colorful language and a snarky sense of humor to write about pop culture, silly television shows, and her suburban neighborhood. You can e-mail her at [email protected]. She’d love to hear from you.

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The Trade Paperback of Covet Is Available Today!

  • April 29, 2014

Hello, everyone!

Today is the release of the trade paperback of Covet, with the beautiful new cover! Will I be at Target tonight, taking a picture of it on the shelf? You bet I will (plus we’re getting low on paper towels and laundry detergent, so I’ll be there anyway).

Here’s a quick recap of where you can buy it:

Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Target
Wal-Mart (select stores)
Airport bookstores
Books-A-Million
Canada – Indigo, Chapters, & Amazon

And don’t forget, the e-book of Covet is still on sale for $5.99 through May 21st.

When Covet was released in hardcover, many of you sent me pictures of yourselves holding the book. I loved these “in the wild” photos and hope you’ll send them again (please direct them to [email protected]). If you do, I’ll send you a signed bookplate created by Bookplate Ink. It will look like this:

A bookplate is a fancy name for a sticker that you can peel off and affix to the inside cover or title page of the book (or wherever you want to put it).

My publisher has decided to up the ante a bit and has generously offered to send a copy of the trade paperback of On the Island (signed by me!) to the first thirty people who send in a picture of themselves with their copy of the trade paperback of Covet. Everyone who sends in a photo after that will also receive a bookplate.

Disclaimers: You do not have to buy anything. This is meant to be along the same lines as last September’s hardcover launch of Covet when I sent out signed bookplates. Basically, if you’ve been planning to buy the trade paperback of Covet and you pick it up sometime in the next week or two, I’d love to see a snapshot of you holding your copy (and you’ll receive a bookplate and signed copy of On the Island).

I will post your pictures on my Facebook author page, so smile pretty. 🙂

Thanks, everyone!!

Covet E-book Sale And Giveaway!

  • April 23, 2014

Hello everyone!

I’m sorry I’ve been missing in action lately. I recently finished writing my newest book and will have some exciting things to share with you in a couple of weeks. But in the meantime, I’m excited to talk about the upcoming release of the trade paperback of Covet. In case you haven’t seen the new cover, here it is:

Isn’t it gorgeous? I wouldn’t have believed that Penguin could top the beautiful concept they came up with for the hardcover edition, but I think they have. I just love it.

The trade paperback will be released on 4/29/14 and will be available at the following retailers:

Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Target
Wal-Mart (select stores)
Airport bookstores
Books-A-Million
Canada – Indigo, Chapters, & Amazon

In conjunction with the publication of the trade paperback, the e-book will also be going on sale. From today through May 21st, you can buy the e-book of Covet for $5.99. If you haven’t yet picked it up, now would be a great (and economical) time to do it.

Here are the participating retailers:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
IndieBound
Kobo

I need your help in getting the word out about this e-book sale, so one lucky winner will receive a prize package containing the following items:

Signed copies of the trade paperback of Covet and On the Island

This cute little Marc Jacobs necklace

This Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (which is my FAVORITE shade)

This awesome blush from Clinique in Berry Pop (which is the last one on the left) 
This Marc Jacobs Dot rollerball perfume

To enter, all you need to do is follow the instruction on the PunchTab giveaway below (and make sure to share your activity on your Facebook timeline). If you win, I do need to be able to verify where you shared the information. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE. I don’t care where you live, I’ll get the prize package to you. The giveaway will run from 8:00 a.m. CST 4/23 through 8:00 a.m. CST 4/25. One winner will be chosen. 

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU *MAY* HAVE TROUBLE ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY USING A MOBILE DEVICE.

Thanks, everyone!!

xoxo

Fiction Friday – A Public Service Announcement To All Aspiring Authors

  • February 14, 2014

Hello, everyone!

Today I’d like to talk about something that’s become quite worrisome to me. I’ve already touched upon this subject here, in my FAQ, but I want to go into it in more detail.

I’m still receiving e-mails from authors with this question: Who did you use to self-publish On the Island? As I’ve said before, I didn’t use anyone to self-publish my debut novel. I published it myself (which is why it’s called self-publishing) and the book was later acquired by Penguin as part of a two-book publishing contract. But initially, when the book was self-published, I acted as the publisher and I was responsible for all the things a traditional publisher would have done for me. I spent time searching for – and vetting – a freelance content editor, copy editor, and formatter. The names of everyone I used can be found in the link in the first paragraph of this post.

I paid each of these freelance professionals a flat fee, which we agreed upon in advance. There were also written contracts provided (where applicable), so that everyone knew the fee and the completion date of the service provided.

Once everything was complete and my book was ready to be published, I uploaded it to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I also published via Smashwords, so that my book could be available through Sony, Kobo, Apple, and Diesel.

Cost to UPLOAD: zero dollars. I paid nothing. 

The reason I’m writing this post today is twofold: First of all, if you’re going to self-publish, you don’t need to pay anyone to do this for you, especially if they’re also going to take a percentage of your royalties. Self-publishing is not nearly as hard as people want you to think it is. It takes work, and there are a lot of steps involved, but it’s not hard. If you’re ready to publish (or query agents), the really hard part – writing your book, revising it, sharing it with betas, revising it again, self-editing, and polishing – should already be done. If these steps haven’t been taken, your book is probably not ready for querying OR publication. Get a critique partner, get some beta readers, spend more time learning the craft of fiction writing, or whatever it is you need to do to write the best book you possibly can. Second of all, when you pay a company to publish your book for you, this is called vanity publishing. You will pay for your own editing, cover, marketing, etc…Print distribution will probably be of the print-on-demand variety, which I don’t have a problem with, but you’re still paying a company to publish your book for you.

And some of you are paying a lot of money to let them do it. When you stumble upon my self-publishing FAQ and then write to me, heartbroken, because you’re out hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars, I feel horrible for you. But if you want to be a writer, you’re going to have to make good business decisions and that includes educating yourself about the business you want to be a part of. Read everything you can about the publishing industry, so that you can make informed choices. There are tons of great articles and blog posts out there, so spend a little time every day learning something new.

So, is it bad to pay a company to do your editing, your cover, your formatting, etc…and then publish your book for you?

I think it is.

Paying freelance professionals on a per-job basis makes a lot more sense. And making sure that you’re the only one who will receive royalties (other than the cut the retailer will take) is always a solid business plan.

Here is the link for the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing FAQ.
Here is the link for Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press FAQ.

These links are a GREAT place to start if you want to learn more about how to self-publish your work. And remember, you can upload your manuscript to Amazon and Barnes & Noble for FREE.

There’s something even more insidious than the vanity publisher, and it’s what I call the “predatory publisher.” With the explosion of self-publishing, more and more writers are throwing their hat in the ring. Unfortunately, that means that these “predatory publishers” are also popping up all over the place. What usually happens is this: An author submits their manuscript and an “offer” to sign the author is made. Unfortunately, what the author finds out later is that they can’t get the publisher to pay the royalties that are due to them. Now they’re in a really bad situation. Also, it is a huge red flag if a publisher is willing to sign you without reading your manuscript. Think about it: why would they buy something they know nothing about?  

All of this can be avoided by doing a few things:

1. Self-publish without outside assistance. I’m not talking about your editor, formatter, cover designer, etc… you’ll pay them a flat-fee for services rendered. I’m talking about someone who wants you to pay them money to publish your book and/or also wants a cut of your royalties.

2. Google is your friend. If you’re thinking about signing with a publisher, do your due diligence. There are a lot of really good publishers out there – big, small, and in-between – but check them out. If you don’t have an agent, consider hiring an IP attorney to look at any publishing contract you may be considering.

3. Go to Preditors & Editors (click on the link here). I like to think of P&E as the Better Business Bureau of the publishing world. Go to the section marked ‘Book Publishers’ and check yours out. If it says NOT RECOMMENDED, there’s a reason and I’d steer clear.

So, to re-cap:

1) You are perfectly capable of self-publishing your manuscript on your own, and uploading it to retailers will cost you nothing.

2) Do your due diligence when signing with ANY publisher, and if you don’t have an agent make sure you consult an IP attorney.

3) Never pay a publisher to publish your book for you. You can do that on your own.

Along these same lines, I’d like to caution you when choosing a copy editor.

Because everyone is a copy editor these days.

While I’m certainly glad that there are plenty of available resources, you need to make sure your copy editor is qualified. Ask them if they follow the Chicago Manual of Style or APA. If they don’t use either, or they don’t know what you’re talking about, they are probably not qualified. And just because someone is a voracious reader doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re capable of editing your work. Copy editing is a learned skill, and good copy editors are constantly honing theirs.  

Other people who are not qualified  to edit your manuscript: your sister, your best friend, your mom (unless they’re actually copy editors). Time and time again, I see copy editing confused with proofreading. While copy editing includes finding typos in a manuscript, copy editing involves a qualified professional showing you all the places you screwed up. A good copy editor will know that your compound modifier is missing a hyphen. A copy editor will tell you when it’s okay to split an infinitive, and when it isn’t. A copy editor will know if you are using simple past when you should be using past perfect (and vice versa). I have learned something new every time one of my manuscripts has been copy edited, which in turn helps me to become a stronger writer. A good copy editor can teach you so many things.

So just be careful, okay?

I’m not trying to burst anyone’s bubble, but I do want you to do your homework because I don’t like it when people are taken advantage of. I’ll be happy to answer questions in the comments sections, so please feel free to ask.

Now let’s go write!

Giveaway Winners! Happy Pub Day To Patience Bloom!

  • February 6, 2014

Congratulations to Jennifer Patterson, Alexis Ciman, and Cindi Ponkey Hartmann! You have each won a signed copy of Patience Bloom’s awesome new memoir Romance Is My Day Job.  Winners, please send an e-mail message with your postal mailing address to [email protected].

Today is the official publication day of Romance Is My Day Job, so if you didn’t win you can find the book at the following retailers by clicking here.

Thanks, everyone!

Giveaway!

  • February 5, 2014

Hello, everyone!

I’m on the home-stretch with my new book but wanted to poke my head out of the writing cave for a minute to tell you about a great book I read. You may have heard me mention before that it’s hard for me to read fiction when I’m knee-deep in writing a book. I find it difficult to have another author’s voice in my head, so I usually take a break from reading, which I hate because reading has always been a part of my daily routine. That doesn’t mean I don’t add more books to my TBR pile, because I certainly do. When I turn in a manuscript I always look forward to going on a giant reading binge.

However, I can usually read non-fiction and memoirs while I’m writing, so I’m always on the hunt for a good one. My editor knows this, and I was thrilled when she asked me if I’d like to read a not-yet-released memoir.

My enthusiastic response: gimme, gimme, gimme!

Please.

This is the book I read:

Here’s the description:

Who knows the ins and outs of romance better than a Harlequin editor? A surprising and exhilarating look into Patience Bloom’s unexpected real-life love story.

At some point, we’ve all wished romance could be more like fiction. Patience Bloom certainly did, many times over. As a teen she fell in love with Harlequin novels and imagined her life would turn out just like the heroines’ on the page: That shy guy she had a crush on wouldn’t just take her out—he’d sweep her off her feet with witty banter, quiet charm, and a secret life as a rock star. Not exactly her reality, but Bloom kept reading books that fed her reveries.Years later she moved to New York and found her dream job, editing romances for Harlequin. Every day, her romantic fantasies came true—on paper. Bloom became an expert when it came to fictional love stories, editing amazing books and learning everything she could about the romance business. But her dating life remained uninspired. She nearly gave up on love.Then one day a real-life chance at romance made her wonder if what she’d been writing and editing all those years might be true. A Facebook message from a high school friend, Sam, sparked a relationship with more promise than she’d had in years. But Sam lived thousands of miles away—they hadn’t seen each other in more than twenty years. Was it worth the risk?Finally, Bloom learned: Love and romance can conquer all. 

I loved this book. I mean, really, really loved it. I read it straight through in one sitting. 

I feel like I know Patience now, in a totally normal and non-stalk-y way.

Isn’t Patience the coolest name, ever? 

And aren’t you DYING to know what happened between Patience and Sam? 

I will be giving away three copies of Romance Is My Day Job, signed by Patience Bloom. The giveaway will run for twenty-four hours, so I’ll pop back and announce the winner tomorrow after 8:00 a.m. CST. 

Good luck!

***Please note that this book is a US release, therefore the giveaway is only open to readers in the US. I’m sorry about that! Also, you may not be able to enter the giveaway using a mobile device. 
 


Covet Playlist Explained: Why Did I Choose These Songs?

  • January 10, 2014

Hello everyone!

I wrote a post a while back for Penguin UK and I thought I’d share it here, too. My UK editor wanted to know if I could explain the reasons behind the songs I’d chosen for the Covet playlist. In case you’d like to know, here they are!

1. “Her Diamonds” by Rob Thomas  – The opening line of the song is, Oh what the hell she said I just can’t win for losing. When I first heard those words I thought they perfectly captured how Claire was feeling when she tried to help Chris through the stress of losing his job and the depression that followed. She wanted to help, but nothing she said or did seemed to be right.


2. “Daniel” by Elton John  – Somewhat self-explanatory, since Daniel is one of the main characters in Covet. But because of a decision that was made in the book, this line especially hit home: Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much.

3. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police  – At one point in the drafting of Covet, I had Daniel tell Claire that he’d assigned this ringtone to her. It was a not-so-subtle way of letting her know that he thought she was pretty special. The song is performed by The Police (get it?). I later took it out of the book, because it seemed a bit juvenile, but I love this song and it remained on the playlist.

4. “Don’t You Wanna Stay” by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson  – *Sigh*. These three lines say it all: Don’t you wanna stay here a little while? Don’t you wanna hold each other tight? Don’t you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?

5. “Bring It On Home” by Little Big Town – I love this song. I listened to it over and over while writing the ending to Covet (so it really should be last on the playlist). The theme of this song, at least to me, is that home is where you need to be when things are really tough. It’s where your spouse is. It’s where problems can be fixed. When things are at their worst you still have each other, so don’t shut the other person out.
When your long day is over
And you can barely drag your feet
The weight of the world is on your shoulders
I know what you need
Bring it on home to me.

I also love these two lines: 

Baby let me be your safe harbor
Don’t let the water come and carry you away. Claire was very close to being swept away, and Chris had some work ahead of him to convince her that he could be that safe harbor for her.

This last one just makes me teary-eyed because of what it conveys:

You got someone here wants to make it alright
Someone who loves you more than life right here. It reminds me of what Claire and Chris have at home.  

6. “The First Cut Is the Deepest” by Sheryl Crow – The opening line of this song is, I would have given you all of my heart. This is especially significant because Claire tells Daniel, “If things had been different, I would have given my whole heart to you.”

7. “Good Is Good” by Sheryl Crow – The song opens with, Good is good and bad is bad, You don’t know which one you had. I chose this song because that line sums up how conflicted Claire was throughout much of the book. She knows she is lucky, and that she has a lot to be thankful for, but there’s a part of her that wants and needs more. But she doesn’t want to rock the boat too much and risking losing it all.

8. “Say” by John Mayer – Oh, this song.
Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead,
If you could only . . .Say what you need to say.

Claire had tried to talk to Chris in the past – and been shot down – so she stopped trying. Chris internalized everything and never shared the way he was feeling with Claire. Their lack of communication almost ended their marriage.

9. “Mockingbird” by Rob Thomas  – These two verses highlight the way Claire felt when she knew the marriage was on shaky ground. She knew something had to change, but she needed Chris to work with her, not shut her out. This one was one the darkest times for her.
Here we stand
Somewhere in between this moment and the end
Will we bend
Or will we open up and take this whole thing in?


Maybe you and me got lost somewhere
We can’t move on and we can’t stay here
Maybe we’ve just had enough
Well, maybe we ain’t meant for this love.

10. “Whatever It Takes” by Lifehouse – This whole song applies to Claire and Chris’s marriage. I can picture him saying the words in the first verse to her, and her saying the words in the second verse to him.  
I’ll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what’s at stake
I know that I’ve let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I’ll keep us together whatever it takes.


She said if we’re gonna make this work
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts
Don’t hide the broken parts that I need to see
She said Like it or not it’s the way it’s gotta be
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me.




So, there you have it! I played that playlist so often my kids know the words to every song (my daughter has become quite the Rob Thomas fan). I love being influenced by music when I’m writing a book. 

Here’s the playlist for my new book, which I’m sure I’ll be adding to as I go along. All of the songs are relevant to the story in some way (I’ll be sure to explain why I chose them after the book has been released). If you’re on Spotify, please follow me. 🙂 

Happy Friday, all!

Fiction Friday – What Am I Writing Now?

  • October 18, 2013

Happy (fiction) Friday, everyone!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what I’m working on now, so I thought a Fiction Friday post would be the perfect way to let you know. 

When I’m in the drafting stage of a new book I don’t usually talk about it that much. It’s not that I’m trying to be secretive, it’s just that for me, the drafting stage is a very solitary endeavor. I might bounce things off members of my writing group, like POV questions or other technical things, but for the most part I spend a lot of time in my own head, just thinking. What I’ve found is that if I try to tell someone what my book is about before I’ve finished writing it, it will sound kind of stupid. I have a tendency to leave out key things when I’m describing it and there will inevitably be a lot of, “Wait. There’s something else that happens before the part I just told you about.” The end result is that the premise will sound like it’s all over the place.

Then, the person I’m telling it to will look at me like this:
 
 
And then I’ll want to do this:
 
 
 
 
 
 
So that’s why I don’t usually share much about the manuscript until it’s done. Not even my husband really knows what this next book is about. I mean, he knows the high-level plot points, but that’s about it.
 
But here’s what I can tell you: My new book is a contemporary romance (it could also be described as commercial fiction or possibly even romantic suspense). There is a mystery element with this book because the inciting incident (the event that sets the plot in motion) involves a crime being committed. The victim of the crime is the female protagonist’s grandmother (who has raised her). The male protagonist is a crime reporter. So these two characters will be spending quite a bit of time together, and the way their relationship will develop reminds me a bit of T.J. and Anna. By that I mean that their relationship develops alongside other things that are also happening. But unlike T.J. and Anna, these characters are fairly close in age (he’s thirty-five and she’s thirty). The female protagonist also has a three-year-old son from a previous marriage, which gives the story a bit of a Jerry McGuire feel that I especially love. I still don’t have a title, and I don’t have a publication date or any publication details. I will share all of these things when I know them. For now, I’m just focusing on writing the book.
 
The book I’m going to write after the one I’m writing now will probably be categorized as women’s fiction (like Covet is). I love the song “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg. Here’s part of it:
 
Met my old lover in the
grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the
frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve
She didn’t recognize the
face at first
But then her eyes flew
open wide
She went to hug me and she
spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.
We took her groceries to the
checkout stand
The food was totalled up and
bagged
We stood there lost in our
embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.
We went to have ourselves
a drink or two
But couldn’t find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at
the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.
We drank a toast to
innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond
the emptiness
But neither one knew how.
 
That, in a nutshell, is the premise of the book I’m going to write. I don’t have a title for this one either, but I have a loose outline and a document full of notes.
 
So there you have it! I’m very excited to share these upcoming books with you. Please remember that things can and do change, but this is where I’m at today.
 
Have a great weekend, everyone!
 
xoxo,
 
Tracey
 
 
 


Covet Release Day!

  • September 17, 2013

*******UPDATE*******

Congratulations, James Barton! You are the winner of the Covet gift basket. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. I need to verify where you shared the widget, and I also need your postal mailing address. If I don’t hear from you in 24 hours I’ll pick another winner.

Hello everyone!

I am beside myself with excitement because it’s Covet’s book birthday. It seems like I’ve been waiting forever to write this post (and it probably feels like that to some of you, too). I plan to celebrate the release of this book in all kinds of wonderful ways, and I would be thrilled if you would join me.

Periodically, over the last two years, people have asked me, “Was it hard to write your first book?” I tell them that, yes, it was definitely work, but also a labor of love. But do you know what’s even harder than writing your first book? Writing your second (I’m not counting Uncharted here because even though it was the second title I released, I actually wrote it after I wrote Covet).

When you write your first book you really don’t know what you’re in for. But when it’s time to write another book, you know. You know that you’ll be mentally tired. You know that you’ll probably spend days in your writing chair, with only the bare minimum of attention paid to grooming (hello, yoga pants and ponytail!). You know all about the frustration, self-doubt, and neuroses that go along with creating a brand new world, with all new characters.

It’s even harder when your first book reaches more people than you ever dreamed it would. And believe me when I say that if I just wrote about Anna and T.J. for the rest of my writing career, there would probably be some very happy readers. But Covet is a story that I really wanted to tell. The setting – a suburban neighborhood – is something I know a lot about. I’d already written a romance novel and now it was time to try my hand at women’s fiction since these are the two genres I love the most.

My inspiration for Covet came from a real-life event. In the fall of 2008 my husband was in danger of being laid off. He was a valued employee and had been with his company for over fifteen years, but the recession was bearing down on everyone and none of that mattered. I was a stay-at-home-mom at the time, so the threat of losing our only source of income weighed heavily on my husband and me. Fortunately, David did not lose his job, but there were many couples who weren’t so lucky. Most of my books start out as a series of questions, and Covet was no different. I wondered, “What if my husband had lost his job? What effect would that have had on an otherwise strong marriage? What are the different ways in which men and women deal with marital stress? What if someone else was there for you when your spouse wasn’t?” And the final question, “Can men and women ever be just friends?” The answers to those questions became the basis for Covet’s storyline. I just had to know what the outcome would be for this fictional couple that I’d decided to write about. My hope is that you’ll relate to this story. You may see yourself, or your neighbor, or your best friend within the pages. 

So, where can you get a copy of the book? Penguin US has provided a nifty little widget that makes it super easy to purchase Covet. You can find it HERE (simply click on the highlighted link). Once you open the widget you can click on the buy link of your choice (then simply choose your preferred format). 

Today is also the publication of the UK version of Covet (e-book only – the trade paperback publication date is April 2014). Here are the purchase links for Penguin UK:

iTunes
Amazon UK
Kobo
Sainsbury’s

And because no launch day would be complete without a giveaway, let me tell you what’s up for grabs! First, anyone can win a special signed bookplate (more info below), and one lucky winner will receive this gift basket. It’s filled with all kinds of cool things, many of which are mentioned in the book.

In this basket you will find: signed copies of On the Island and Covet (personalized with the winner’s name), gift cards to Panera ($25), Starbucks ($15), Barnes & Noble ($50), and Amazon ($50), a Covet keychain, a DVD of Eat, Pray, Love and Up In The Air, a jar of roasted pineapple and habanero dip (you can make crack dip!), a corkcicle (which is the greatest invention ever), and a bottle of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Covet perfume. The only thing you don’t get is the actual basket, because I don’t even want to think about trying to fit the handle of that thing inside a box. But you get everything else.
 
All of my prior giveaways have been international, but this giveaway is open to US and Canada only. Right now, Covet is only available in the US, UK, and Canada. However, it’s only available as an e-book in the UK because the trade paperback will not be released there until April 2014. I promise to celebrate the launch of the UK trade paperback by having a UK-only giveaway at that time. As for other countries, my foreign rights agent will be hard at work to make sure that Covet becomes available all over the world. 
  
So, how do you enter? (The giveaway is at the bottom of this post). 


 

Share the widget on Facebook by posting it on your wall. You can earn extra entries if you also share the widget on Twitter, follow me on Twitter, and “like” my Facebook author page. To be eligible to win I do need to be able to trace back to the widget, so in the comments section of my blog please let me know where you shared it (you’ll earn another entry just by leaving a blog comment).

Once again, HERE is the link to the widget. Click on it to open, and then copy and paste the link to share. 

If you prefer paper books over electronic versions, I also have a special gift for you. These are bookplates I had made at Bookplate Ink for the hardcover edition of Covet. Aren’t they cool?

I’ll sign my name right below the cover image. Then you’ll simply peel off the backing and place the bookplate on the inside cover of your book (or wherever you’d like to put it).

If you bought the hardcover, please take a picture of yourself holding the book and e-mail it to me at [email protected] (please include your mailing address). I will send you a signed bookplate and also post your picture on my Facebook author page. Smile pretty!

I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all of you. I have been blessed with the best readers an author could ever hope for. Your enthusiasm and support never fails to amaze me, and none of this would be possible without you. 

Thank you for everything.

xoxo,

Tracey

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