Hey there! I have written a gritty, ripped from the news YA
contemporary story called Louder Than Words, published by
Swoon Romance on September 16, 2014:
Here's the official blurb:
Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson's
life lately. Her dad died, her mom numbs
the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her
so-called friends have slowly abandoned her.
Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have
been safe and should NOT have led to an
unwelcome seduction attempt that made her
desperate to escape the final moments of Junior year. Lesson
learned. Best to keep all the sordid
details to herself and trust no one.
Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky boy, recently transplanted from
New York City and fellow summer camp
employee. Though his quick wit and confidence
draws her in, she can't let him get too close. And summer is just long enough and hot enough to keep a boy like that
at arm's length.
But by the time Rex's charm wears down her resistance, it's
too late. He's put Ellen on the
"just friends" shelf and has shifted his romantic attentions to the impossibly annoying and
perky anti-Ellen. Even worse, the
teacher who tried to get her to sleep with him is still at it, preying on other girls while Ellen struggles
to come to terms with what happened.
With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom
night, Ellen must decide if she has
enough remaining courage to speak up about
the well-liked teacher and risk retribution, tell Rex how she
really feels about him and risk
heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside.
After all, it's the only safe place she knows when the only thing
louder than words is the fear of being
rejected.
That said, the characters are gentle souls that you'll
really get to know as you read Ellen's story.
The entire story is told from Ellen's point of view, for
better or worse. One of the worse aspects of that is we see the other
characters through her filters. But here's a big problem--Ellen's filters are
battered and scarred from some rough-handling life has given her.
Take Rex, the object of her affections for most of the book.
He's curious about Ellen almost immediately and is not
hesitant about testing the waters. What he doesn't realize is that too many
losers have already been there, done that--mostly her drug-addicted mother's
boyfriends.
Still our Lothario persists and steals a kiss in the
equipment closet, except Ellen's wounds from another stolen kiss are too fresh.
Strike One.
Rex retreats and recalibrates, and finds another girl to
date. (Gah! Strike Two!)
He's still interested in Ellen though...only they've now
entered the...
(Yes, the dreaded "Friend Zone")
...and Ellen must be supportive of her "friend's"
dating choice, even if it kills her.
Poor Ellen.
Poor Rex, because the more time he spends with Ellen, the
more he sees how all other girls pale in comparison. What he feels for her is
stronger than he lets on because by this time, he realizes exactly how skittish
she is.
But is it too late for these two to start again? To punch a
hole in the wall of the friend zone and crawl out and into each other's arms?
Does Ellen have the courage to speak up and tell Rex how she feels? Is Rex
confident that he's finally won enough of Ellen's trust to try again and risk
that third strike?
Read LOUDER THAN WORDS to find out!
Here's a hint though: There is a happy ending that one
reviewer deemed "subtly brilliant"*.
Publisher's Giveaway (ends 10/15):
Win a $10 Amazon gift card + ebook of Louder Than Words
(INT)
Author's Giveaway (US only, ends 10/31):
1 ebook copy of LOUDER THAN WORDS and a $10 Amazon gift
card. Winner randomly drawn from commenters.
Cheers!
About Iris:
Iris St. Clair is the author of the contemporary young adult
novel, LOUDER THAN WORDS, coming
September 16th from Swoon Publishing. She
believes in the two-year “fish or cut bait” dating rule and has a
20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons
as proof of concept. She lives, writes,
dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.
Thanks for hosting the YA/NA blogfest and for giving me some blog space/air time. Sorry for the all the techno troubles, but it looks great!
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