Well, here's some good news for you readers out there! A Tragic Heart is completely free for any and all Kindle users from today, March 31st-April 4th. All you have to do is download it from Amazon and you're good to go! All I ask is for you to leave a review on Amazon. My goal is to reach 25 reviews by the end of the year (that's the amount an author needs in order for Amazon to start suggesting it to readers). I'm at 12 as of now and while 25 may not seem like a big number, it's much harder to reach than you think. Reviews help out a lot, so just take some time and write a quick one. Thank you for the support and grab your free copy here:FREE Copy of A Tragic Heart
If you don't own a Kindle you can simply download the app on your smartphone or tablet for free! See, today is all about taking advantage of the free things in life!
NEW SHORT STORY ALERT! This one is extra special because it's going to be part of a book I am going to start working on very soon. It's connected with the A Tragic Heart series but is strictly told from Adalyn and Jackson's POV. Two supporting characters are being turned into the stars!
At first I was iffy about the idea because I didn't want to drag it but I realized while on Parahoy that Paramore's music inspired it and as long as they're going to continue on, why shouldn't I. I won't make this book part 5 of the series but it will act as a stand alone novel that is heavily associated with the others. Basically, it will help a lot if you read the first 4 before reading this one but you won't have to. It won't be a long one either...probably 150-200 pages maximum. The name of the book will be the same as this short story, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I'll give you more info on it in another post very soon. For now, check this one out (and the last short story if you haven't). If it fit with any book it would be part of What Could've Been (Book 4) Also, you may want to take a look at where the story stems from: Jackson: The Surprise
Listen to "Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs on repeat while reading for the full experience:
Jackson: Crazy Little
Thing Called Love
She
comes behind me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. She plants soft kisses
on my neck, distracting me from time on my guitar. I place it to the side and
she knows that’s her cue to take its place on my lap.
“Are
you sure you can’t stay the night?” she asks poking out her lip, already
knowing the answer.
“I
gotta get back home to Megan. We’re working it out,” I reply in a defeated
tone.
She
looks down. I know just what she’s thinking. “Then what are we doing?”
“I love
you,” I told her touching her face. “You know that…me and her…we just have two
kids and I didn’t think you would ever want me the way I wanted you…”
“I’m
sorry for hurting you the way I did…for being so indecisive but I know what I
want now and that’s you. This situation is really fucked up and I know that…I
would’ve never thought I could do something like this but-“
“No
need to explain. I know. We’re in the same position,” I say pulling her closer
to me.
Time on
tour together turned into something neither of us ever expected. After I found
Megan in bed with another man while our kids were asleep in the next room, I
left for tour and never confronted my feelings. I was pretty down and out for
most of the time but it was her who brought me back. She showed me a good time
one night and that was that. I never meant for any of this to happen and
neither did she. Besides, she had something going on with my sister’s ex-husband
and she used to date the lead singer of her band, who is currently my sister’s
husband and one of my closest friends. Complicated, huh? Not to mention, she’s
now my sister’s best friend…in a way they’re like sisters so this makes it all
the more complicated. These are the reasons it has to remain a secret. I’m a
married man having an affair. I’m just as bad as my wife.
After
catching Megan in the act we separated for a while. My heart was intent on
divorce and that’s when Adalyn and I started our fling. It was purely sexual at
that time but I fell for her in ways I never imagined. It was her beauty,
physical and internal. I poured my heart out to her one night and scared her
away. She told me what we had was just for fun…nothing serious. It was cold and
harsh; meanwhile my wife wanted to work it out with me so I gave into her.
There was no point in being lonely. I mean, I still loved Megan, I just
couldn’t look at her the same way, but I was willing to try.
Long
story short: when I was gone she realized she loved me too and now we’re here. After
her confession we tried to avoid each other as much as we could but I had to
give in. I wanted something new…someone who didn’t hurt me. With Megan it
started to feel forced but with Adalyn it was all natural. She started as a
friend and ended up being so much more. Everything was easy and it was just
what I needed. Fast forward and here we are: loving each other in secret,
afraid to let anyone know because of what they might think.
“I’ll
come by tomorrow night after I put the kids to bed. I’ll just tell her I’m
utilizing some studio time solo,” I say caressing her arm.
“You’ve
used that lie too many times…why not the truth?”
She’s
ready for this to come out and in a way I am too. It’s just that I know the
timing isn’t right. I haven’t wrapped my head around leaving my family for
someone else. I mean, I would never abandon my children, they’ll always be a
major part of my life and Adalyn understands that. I’m just not ready to take
them through another separation knowing this time it’ll be permanent. I’m not
sure how they’ll take having a second “mommy” around so soon.
“I’ll
tell the truth…eventually…” I reply. “You just have to be patient. I know you
have been for a while now but it’ll come soon. I just have to find the right
words and the time.”
“There
will never be a right time,” she corrects me.
I see
where this is going and it’s heading nowhere fast. I roughly grab her face and
kiss her. She doesn’t seem to mind. I let go and stare into her eyes. The light
quickly reflects off of them causing them to look a lighter shade of brown for
an instant.
“See
you tomorrow?” she asks as if she’s uncertain that I’ll be there.
“Yeah,
you can count on it.”
She
stands up and I follow her lead. I allow her to walk me to the door but I can’t
help but notice that disappointing look on her face. I’m not trying to hurt her
or Megan but it seems that’s all I’m doing lately. I touch her face one last
time and she gets what I’m trying to say. I kiss her cheek and she smirks.
“I love
you,” I tell her once more.
“Same
here…”
And
that was it for the night…it was time to head back to my wife and kids…
Please leave your comments with opinions and suggestions! Would you like to read a full novel on a secret Adalyn and Jackson could've possibly shared? Do you want more from the A Tragic Heart series? Sound off below!
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See, I told you I would post something at least once a week! I know the week is really over but it doesn't truly start a new week until Monday, right?! Right! Besides, I gave you two posts last week! Anyway, here's a new short story for you guys to enjoy. It's from Adalyn's point of view and if you readTurn It Off you'll know that she mentioned her dad had a history of drug abuse while she was trying to help Peyton with his problem. This is about one of those moments.
Listen to "Shouldn't Come Back" by Demi Lovato on repeat while reading for the full experience:
Adalyn: Whirlwind
They’re
arguing again. I love my dad but I think he’s lost his mind. I know any moment
now my brother will come into the room to have someone to escape the madness
with. This is an ongoing thing now. He’s always had a history with drug abuse
but it seems the addiction is back and all I want is for him to go away. He
doesn’t understand the pain he causes when he lets his demon get the best of
him. He’s not the same person.
My
father’s a very successful business man. He owns a chain of “do it yourself”
hardware stores across the country. He’s won many awards for his achievements
yet he’s a drug addict. No one ever thinks an addict can look as clean cut and
intelligent as he is but then again most people don’t know the truth. They only
go by what they see in the media and on TV. He’s not the poster child for drug
abuse when it comes to looks but his behavior…
It
hurts so much. My mom tries so hard to keep the family together and pretend
that it’s all normal but both Mike and I knew. We can hear them through the
thin walls. We’ve seen the evidence around the house. The thing about drug
addicts is they get sloppy. They can hide it for a while but soon nothing else
matters to them but their drugs. It’s the same thing that started to happen to
Peyton. It’s how I knew before anyone else.
Speaking
of Peyton, I wish I could talk to him about it but he’s busy trying to get
himself clean in rehab. I can’t tell him that my dad fell off the wagon again
while he’s trying so hard to get on. It’s almost like I can’t win. No one
else knows about my dad’s problem outside of the family except for Peyton. He’s
not only my boyfriend but my best friend. I’ve never felt so alone before.
My
brother knocks on my door before I yell for him to come in. I already knew who
it was. He closes the door behind him and sits on my bed.
“They’re
going at it again,” he says staring down at the floor.
“What
happened this time?” I ask sitting next to him.
“Mom
found a needle on the floor in the bathroom.” He looked so disgusted when he
said it. I felt the same way on the inside.
“Oh. I
figured it was something like that when mom yelled something about rehab.”
“Adalyn,
is it ever going to get better? Will he ever just quit or is this just going to
be a sick cycle?” he asks finally looking up at me.
I
remained quiet for a while before answering. “I don’t know. I hope he just quits
and be done with it for good.” I pause before saying what I really wanted. “Sometimes
I think we’d be better off without him.”
Mike
looks at me like he wants to disagree but I know he can’t. “I know what you
mean,” he says quietly. “But he’s our dad so we have to find a way to help him.
I don’t want to lose him to this.”
“We
just might though…”
I
couldn’t be optimistic about anything. My boyfriend was in rehab for the summer
while my dad should be in a rehab. Why is this my life at 15? Why is this my
brother’s life at 14? We’re too young for these kinds of problems. It’s slowly
ruining us. My father is ruining us. That pains me.
Maybe
he should go away for a while…and maybe he shouldn’t come back. Him being here
is just a whirlwind of chaos.
Don't forget to pick up your copy of Turn It Off and the rest of the series here: A Tragic Heart Series
It's been since October that I've written a short story (remember those?!). I missed writing short stories on my characters from the A Tragic Heart series. I believe this series will always be my favorite and the characters will always be the most real to me which is why I write little blurbs about them...so I never have to let them go.
As promised, this one is a continuation to the last one and it's from Ronan's point of view. Clearly it would belong with the second novel, RED and jumps eight years into the future (from where RED left off). You can check out the first part to the story here: Ronan: It's Always Her...
Listen to "Close To You" by Rihanna on repeat while reading to get the full experience:
Ronan: It’s Always
Her (Continued)
There
she was. Sitting across from me in an expensive restaurant in Los Angeles just
talking away. She had a smile painted across her face as she spoke and her red
hair was now dyed blonde; a new look is what she called it. She looked
beautiful…even more beautiful than I could remember. Adulthood looked good on
her and it was clear that she was far from that high school girl who broke my
heart way back when.
She
went on about her idea for the photoshoot she wanted to collaborate with me on.
For the most part it sounded like a good idea but I couldn’t really tell you
because I wasn’t listening much. I just kept thinking about how she was the
most beautiful girl in the room…in the world. Just a few days ago I was with a
gorgeous model in my bedroom and now here I am with my high school lover and
thinking about just how unattractive that model was compared to her. She has no
idea.
“Enough
about work,” I interrupted her as I reached across the table and grabbed her
hands. Her nails were painted black and her skin was smooth. “How have you
been, Peyton?”
She
gave me a smirk before answering, it was almost a blush. “I’ve been great,
actually. I’m in a really good place and things just keep getting better. I
never thought I’d say that but…here I am,” she replied.
“That’s
good. You seem really happy,” I responded with a little disappointment in my
tone. I was happy that she was happy but there was a part of me that wanted her
to confess that she missed me. I wanted her to say that she still needed me
even though we’ve been apart for eight years.
“Before
coming here I got to spend time with Mason and the rest of the family. The kids
are getting so big…they’re not even kids anymore. Can you believe that?!” she
asked. “Lila’s going to be starting college soon!”
Lila’s
her baby cousin. Mason is her dad’s first cousin who took her in after both her
parents died while she was still a baby. For her, his kids are basically her
little sister and brothers.
“That’s
crazy. Time really does fly. Who would’ve thought we’d be here? A lot has
happened,” I said taking on a slightly tighter grip onto her hands.
“It
really has. I can’t even keep up anymore,” she basically mumbled.
Before
I could say another word the waiter came and interrupted us asking if we were
ready to order. She wasn’t sure what she wanted so I ordered for the both of
us. I told her not to worry she’ll love it and she responded with a “you always
knew me so well.”
We
talked more over dinner, mostly about work and how I would make her vision come
to life. She loved my input and told me this is why I’m her go to person for
things like this. We make a great team. If only she knew what that truly means
to me. It’s crazy how she was the one to hurt me so I let her go but I’m the
one longing for her again. Most people will say I’m insane but they’re
obviously the ones who never met Peyton Hayley Giordano.
She
suggested we go back to my condo where I have an in house studio. She wanted to
get a visual of how things will be set up. Of course I wouldn’t object to it.
She’s always welcomed in my home. Aside from being my ex she’s also one of my
oldest friends. Nothing will ever change that.
We
walked inside together and I offered her a drink. She declined. All she wanted
was for me to show her to the studio so I did.
“I have
an idea,” she announced.
I
lifted my head to look at her, letting her know she had my attention. “What is
it?” I asked.
“Let’s
do things a little differently. I want a photoshoot tonight. Just on a whim
kind of thing. All natural,” she replied.
“Okay.
Let me get my camera set up,” I said about to walk out of the room before she
stopped me.
“Here’s
the catch!” she said staring at me biting her bottom lip.
“Go
on,” I urged curiously.
“I want
to be nude. Nothing covered. All natural, like I said. No retouches, nothing
but my natural self.”
I was
speechless. “Peyton-“
“I
wanted a shoot like this for a while and I could’ve asked anyone but I wanted
you to do it. I mean, who better than you? You’ve already seen the package.”
“That
was years ago,” I replied. “It’s different now.”
“Are
you seeing someone?” she asked.
“No.
Not really,” I responded quickly.
“Then
what’s the problem?”
The
problem was I was still in love with her and seeing her that naked will definitely send me over the edge.
I couldn’t tell her that though.
“I’ll
go get my camera.”
When I
came back she started to undress slowly. I watched her take off every piece of
clothing and I wanted to forget about the photoshoot. I just wanted her.
“Ready?”
I asked not able to take my eyes off of her.
“As
ready as I can be,” she said pushing her newly blonde hair out of her face.
We took
shots on the bed, the shower, my balcony…almost everywhere. Not once did she
feel uncomfortable. The photos came out beautiful. She was just about to start
putting her clothes back on when I said something to get her attention.
“What
if I didn’t want you to put those back on just yet?” I asked boldly.
She
stopped and stared for a bit so I walked closer to her. She didn’t make a move.
She seemed shocked.
“Roe,
what are you saying?” she asked as I ran my fingers up and down her arm. I
always loved the softness of her skin.
“I’m
saying that I still have feelings for you and I can’t let you leave me
tonight…not like this.”
“Roe-I
don’t think-“
I cut
her off with a kiss. She pulled back but before she could interrupt I kissed
her again. This time she let it happen. She let her panties drop out of her
hands and wrapped her arms around my waist. I guess this was happening on my
balcony in the middle of the night. Let’s just hope paparazzi didn’t follow us
here…
Don't forget to pick up your copy of RED and the rest of the series here: A Tragic Heart Series
Hello all! It's finally the month/week Turn It Off will be released. It's due out December 13th (this Sunday). The good news is I just received the digital proof from my publisher and it all looks good so far. I'm going to finish up some character profiles and have them up by Sunday so you all can check out the characters you'll be reading about. For now you can check out the last one here: /sellecameron/2015/10/character-profile-from-turn-it-off_23.html and the one before that is already linked in the that one.
The teaser to Turn It Off is still available on Amazon. Counting down the days until Sunday...
It's been a while since I graced my blog with a short story based on my book series, The RED Tragedies series (aka A Tragic Heart Series), so I'm giving you a new one I actually wrote almost a month ago but never posted it. This one is from Ronan's POV, and if it was part of a book it would fit with RED (Book 2). It jumps into the future and shows Ronan as a grown man with a career and life of his own. Here's the link to the last short story: Peyton Hayley: No Need To Catch Me (I'm Not Falling)
Listen to "I Hope You Find It" by Miley Cyrus on repeat while reading:
Ronan:
It’s Always Her…
I’m
lying next to a girl I barely even know. I shot her a few times for the cover
of various popular magazines but that’s about it. Lately this has been my life.
Girls come and go because none of them can match my first love. She happened
eight years ago and she remains a friend but I can’t help but think that she’s
my true one.
We
ended when we were seventeen years old after a huge scandal broke loose that
she was sleeping with a famous rockstar, Alex Kinsley who was eight years her
senior. He got booted from his band and his career took a beating all before
she found him dead from a drug overdose in his multimillion dollar home. What
did she get out of it? A hot music career that looks like it won’t sink anytime
soon.
Being
that we decided to pick up our friendship after Alex’s death, I became her go
to photographer. She uses me for everything from album covers, appearances to
magazine shootings; the only thing she won’t use me for is love. Even after all
the wrong she’s done and the pain she’s caused me, inside I still love her.
That will never change but for some reason I fight the feeling.
“What
are you thinking about?” Adriana asks as she runs her fingers through my hair.
She’s the model I photographed today for the next issue of Vogue. I invited her
out for drinks and the rest you can come up with yourself.
“Nothing
really. Just how beautiful those photos came out. You’re gorgeous,” I lie
rolling onto my side and kissing her neck. She laughs and buys into the lie I
just told. I couldn’t tell her that I was really thinking about my ex from high
school who I still hang with every once in a while.
“How
come a nice and hot guy like you don’t have a steady girlfriend? What’s wrong
with you, huh?” she asks playfully. “Are you really a serial killer or
something?”
“Yeah,
that’s totally it,” I reply with a smile. “Seriously, though, I have no idea. I
guess I just haven’t met the right girl.”
Truth
is I have met the right girl, our happiness is just stuck in the past somewhere
frozen in time. I remember when she asked for me back after Alex died and her
life was getting back together. I declined and told her I could never go there
with her again. Now I’m not so sure if that was the right decision.
We
remained good friends and talk about anything we feel the need to. I’ve witness
a few guys come and go out of her life and she had a share of heartbreaks after
Alex but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Truth is I’m not so sure she ever
got over me either. The good news is she’s more stable than she was when we got
together.
Peyton
was a broken a girl. She had no parents and was raised by her dad’s closest
cousin, his wife and her uncle. Her father died in a car accident when he was
only 17 and her mom commit suicide shortly after because of it. Basically, she
never had a fair chance. When we got together I thought I’d be the one to fix
her and I did for a while…but I wasn’t enough. Peyton always aimed for
something a little more risky.
She
took everything from me. My virginity, my heart, my ability to love another;
it’s all gone because of her.
“I’m
going to jump in the shower for a while…you’re welcomed to join me,” Adriana
says with a smirk before climbing out of bed.
I
told her I’m okay for now as she closed the bathroom door behind her. I picked
up my phone from the night stand next to me and saw I had a new text message.
“I have this
really cool idea for a photoshoot. Call me so we can talk about it.”
Thinking
of the devil. Of course I would call her. In fact, I couldn’t wait to hear her
voice. I replied to her text saying, “Busy right now but I’ll contact you
later. Maybe we can talk about it over dinner?”
For
some reason I felt nervous, sort of like I was asking her out on a date. She
immediately texts me back telling me that dinner is okay and tomorrow night
would be good for her. I smile to myself and put my phone down. I can’t wait to
see her again. It’s been months since we’ve last spoke in person.
I get
out of bed and decide to join Adriana in the shower. It wouldn’t be a good idea
to be hung up on Peyton for the rest of the night when I had a beautiful model
in my shower. Before I head in the bathroom I hear my phone go off again like I
had another message. I double back and check it only to see a message from
Peyton.
“Can’t wait
to see you. Feels like it’s been ages. Maybe we can hang a little more this
week since I’m in town for a while…you know, just us old friends and a lot of
catching up?”
Starting next week I'll take a break from the girls in Turn It Off but this week I want to introduce you to a sort of important girl from the book. She appears in the last book of the series as well. Her name is Jenna Hudson and she's a girl Peyton done wrong...I mean just plain old wrong! Later on he grows up and realizes/takes responsibility for his actions regarding Jenna but it doesn't change what he did to her. She's a sweet girl who has great innocence about her. In the book, Peyton stated, "Jenna was always a sweet girl. I didn’t have one bad memory of her. She
was always so compassionate and caring which is why she didn’t deserve what I
was planning to do but I wanted revenge. Her dad was the officer that arrested
me and pinned all of those charges against me when he could have just taken me
home and given me a warning." Here's Jenna!
Relatives: Peter Hudson (Father), Emily Hudson (Mother)
Relationship Status: Single
Interests/Hobbies: Hanging out with friends while having clean fun, Reading, Anything that makes her laugh
Positive Character Traits: Jenna is a straight up good girl! She does everything she's supposed to do and is still innocent in so many ways. She's a complete optimist and doesn't stay down for too long. She's also a great friend and company.
Negative Character Traits: She can be naive at times because she's so optimistic and innocent. That's how Peyton got to her.
Choice Quote From Turn It Off: "I’m usually the designated one out of my friends."
I'll be back next week with a new character profile!
BTW, if Jenna was a song she'd be "American Girl" (the Taylor Swift cover).
To be honest, I feel like I've bee neglecting the promotion and marketing for Turn It Off which is a shame because it's my favorite book of the series. My work schedule has been so crazy and random things aren't going as I planned but I won't let that stop me from releasing the novel and going on anyway.
Turn It Off is slated to be released by the end of November so basically, it's crunch time. As I did with RED, I want Turn It Off to have character profiles featured on this blog. Some of the profiles will be the same as RED but there are plenty of new and relevant characters in this book.
Recently I conducted a giveaway for the teaser to Turn It Off available on Amazon but the giveaway was over almost as soon as it started and the winners were selected. So starting this week (hopefully tomorrow) I'll post the first character profile for the novel and we can get this train moving towards release day.
Until then, check out the teaser to Turn It Off and the official book cover below:
I'm so excited for this book because it's my favorite from the series and I can now say the same for the book cover! I feel like not only is it appealing to the eye but its symbolism is perfect. Honestly, the cover couldn't be any better for the book.
Take a look at the official cover for Turn It Off along with the back cover description. Remember the intro & first chapter teaser is available on Amazon and I will be conducting a giveaway next month as we near closer to the book's release this fall. Hope you all love it and please feel free to comment and leave your thoughts.
Finally a new short story! It's been weeks since I've written one of these so I think you guys more than deserve it. This short story introduces a new character to the REDTragedies series. She actually has a chapter named after her in Turn It Off (coming this Fall!) and is known for being one of Peyton's many girlfriends. Her name is also mentioned in A Tragic Heart when Peyton gives Taylor his "list".
Anyway, you'll learn while reading Turn It Off that Sophia and Peyton had a very complicated relationship. She introduced him to new drugs and a new lifestyle and in the book he compares her to tooth decay. This short story shows that Sophia isn't all bad and that she had a troubled past herself. Peyton mentions in Turn It Off that Sophia confessed to him that she was molested by her stepdad (which is probably what got her into her troubled lifestyle) while he told her that his stepdad used to abuse him physically.
He
did it again. It’s not the second, third, or fourth time he’s put me through
this pain. I try to like it but there’s nothing desirable about this. I keep
trying to get into it so I won’t have to admit to myself that my own stepfather
is taking advantage of me.
My
mother’s too blind and in love to notice it. He gives us everything we could
ever want. His business is doing better than ever which means that my mother
isn’t going anywhere. This is her fourth marriage and the worst…at least for
me.
Every
day I wish my biological father was around but my mother ran him off long ago.
He moved to Florida and started a new family. We keep in touch but my mother
doesn’t like it when I say things like I want to live with him or suggest going
for the entire summer. I’d do anything just to get out of this place.
I
rushed to the bathroom and started the shower. I had to take the dirt off of
me. I scrub until I bleed sometimes. It’s like I can never get clean. I take my
washcloth and rub my skin over and over as the tears fall from my eyes. I feel
sick; but this is nothing new.
I
picture him kissing me, placing his hand over my mouth so I won’t make any
noise, telling me how great it all feels. As the last thought rushed through my
mind I ball my fists and bang them on the wall of the shower. I let out a sharp
painful scream followed by more tears. The pain from my hands was minimal
compared to the pain inside of me.
There’s
a knock on the door. I ignore it. I don’t want anyone to exist right now. I
just need myself to be the only one on earth.
“Sophia,
sweetheart are you okay?” I can hear my mother say from the other side of the
door. Her voice sounded worried. I only wished she was more concerned with what
her current husband was doing to her fourteen year old daughter. “Sophia,
answer me or else I’m coming in!”
“I-I’m
fine mom. I just hit my hand. I’m okay,” I answered with a trembling voice.
“Sweetie,
you don’t sound like you’re okay. Let me in so I can take a look at your hand,”
she says.
I
quickly clear my throat to speak again. “No, no, it’s okay. I swear!” I
insisted. The last thing I wanted was for her to see me like this…completely
naked.
“Okay,
just be careful,” she replies before walking away.
After
a few more minutes I turn off the water. I grab my towel and step out. The
bathroom mirror is foggy and I think about how I wish it could stay that way. I
never want to look at myself after one of me and my stepdad’s sessions. I
slowly open the bathroom door. It’s like having to step out into the real world
after a two year vacation.
The
air outside the bathroom is much cooler and for a second I feel like I can
breathe again; that is, until my stepfather walks past me. He gives me a sly
smirk and I could feel chills shoot throughout my body. I hurry and rush into
my room making sure to lock the door behind me.
Everything
in me tells me that this is all his fault and he’s the sick one but something
else inside of me blames myself. Somehow I feel like I’m wrong in this
situation. I feel like I’m the one hurting my mother and if I tell her what’s
been going on I’ll be the one to ruin her marriage. I want to cry but I can’t.
I cried the first few times it happened but after that I had nothing left
inside of me.
I
stood in front of my mirror and threw my towel off. My skin was bright red from
all of the scrubbing I did in the shower. There were marks on my body from
washing yet somehow I still feel dirty. I feel like actual filth not just a
metaphor for it.
I put
on a pair of underwear and lie across my bed in fetal position. There has to be
a better way. There has to be a way out of here. I can’t stay in this house for
another year. I can’t keep acting like everything is okay when it’s far from
it. Nothing makes any sense anymore but I know if I stay here I’ll be the
victim to a sociopath for the foreseeable future.
Part
of me tells me that I should tell someone…anyone but I’m not ready for the
judgement that follows. I don’t want to be looked at differently. I never been
with any other guy and I don’t want to have to say out loud that I lost
everything to my stepfather. That my first lover was a man I never wanted to
even touch me. No girl wants that.
There
has to be somewhere I can go…someone that’ll take me in. I pick up my cell
phone that was next to me on the bed. I go to my contacts and call one of my
friends, Hannah. She’s always there for me when I need her. She answers on the
third ring.
“Hey
Sophia!” she says happily into the phone.
I
can’t ruin the mood so I try to reply the same way. We talk for a little before
I ask her what I really called for.
“Hey,
Hannah, do you think I could stay at your place for the weekend? My mom and
stepdad aren’t exactly getting along right now and I don’t want to get caught
in the middle of it,” I lie. “Besides, maybe they could use the alone time.”
“Of
course! Come by whenever you’re ready. You already know my mom doesn’t mind at
all. You’re like a daughter to her!” she says excitedly.
For
the first time all day I crack a smile…a real one. I don’t care if it’s just
for the weekend, I get to run away and not think about this place…not think
about him…
Find out more about Sophia in the RED Tragedies Series here. Sophia appears in Turn It Off.
Now that the book shower is over and RED has been released and met with great reviews it's time for Turn It Off to shine. I will say that this is probably my favorite book from the series as it focuses exclusively on Peyton and his trials while coming of age. He was a very different person before Taylor came into his life and his life was a bit tragic to say the least.
Turn It Off is told from Peyton's point of view only and is structured as the average novel. As of now the intro and first chapter of the book is available on Amazon for purchase. It's $2.99 for Kindle users and $4.65 for paperback. It's the first 42 pages of the book unedited just so you can have a taste of what's to come. There is also an important message from me in the beginning letting you all know where I gained the inspiration to write the novel (thank you Paramore!).
Turn It Off acts as a prequel to A Tragic Heart and you will see a lot of references and moments from the first book but most of it is what led up to A Tragic Heart. In my opinion, this book is just as important as A Tragic Heart because without Turn It Off, A Tragic Heart would've never happened.
I'll start a giveaway on Amazon for Turn It Off (Intro & 1st Chapter) and will embark on a blog tour to support the novel. I'm hoping for an October/November release for the novel. I will keep you all updated but for now check out the first 42 pages of Turn It Off here: http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Off-Intro-Chapter-Tragic/dp/1508591970/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Back to editing Turn It Off...next/last stop What Could've Been!
It seems as if I'm releasing book after book but I promise this is the last one for a while...maybe. I decided to release RED(The Mini Book) so you all can add the character profiles, poems, and lessons/themes to your RED Tragedies collection. It's a compilation of the things I've posted on my blog but this time you can have it in one neatly packed (mini) book for only $6.00 for the paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle version.
If you're unsure about purchasing RED, you can check out the mini book for scenes from the full length novel and to get to know the characters better. The links are posted below:
