Monday, October 22, 2012

The Game Changer Excerpt + Spread the Word Giveaway

Three weeks from today The Game Changer will be released into the world. *takes a deep breath and tries not to hyperventilate* I just finished the last round of revisions last night, so as you can imagine, I'm cutting it really close...but I'm going to talk more about that in a minute. Right now I want to share an excerpt from the book - my very first excerpt from The Game Changer! I'm going to have more in the next few weeks, along with teasers, but the first is always the most special. Be sure to keep reading after the excerpt, because I have something else I'd like to share!


 Melody Cartwright has never had a problem with change, but for the first time in her life the changes are beyond her control—she suddenly has a niece she never knew, but has to prove herself to; her best friend is making huge life changes of her own; and she has to deal with her ex and his crazy new girlfriend who has stalker tendencies.

When Melody meets confident, sexy Julian, she’s not interested in a relationship. He tells her it’s possible for a man and a woman to just be friends, and despite his ultra-charming ways there’s something about him that makes Melody believe he could be right.

During a time of change and turmoil, it doesn’t take long for Julian to become everything Melody never knew she needed in her life. But is it possible for them to remain ‘just friends’ or will Melody be a game changer for Julian the playboy?


 Excerpt #1

From that moment on, time passed in a blur of moving bodies and sweet, fruity drinks. Melody was always at least vaguely aware of her surroundings, and made sure never to let Olivia or Angelica out of her sight. She forgot about Rick, forgot about everything but the need to move her feet and arms and hips in time to the music. The bass vibrated up through the floor and pumped like adrenaline through her body, throbbing inside her as if it were a living thing.

She saw Julian a few times, mingling near the bar or sitting and talking to someone on the couches where Rick had been earlier. Melody found herself scanning the crowd for him, wondering if he ever came onto the dance floor. With her brain muddled from the alcohol, she wasn’t sure if it was seconds or hours later when she discovered him standing on the steps that led down to the dance floor.

Her heart stopped when their eyes met. She still didn’t know what colour his eyes were, but they appeared almost black from this distance as they swept over her. His gaze was intense as it settled on hers. When he descended the last few steps onto the dance floor and walked toward her, Melody’s head started to swim from more than just the fruity drinks.

Taller than nearly everyone else on the dance floor, Julian somehow managed to look almost graceful as he wound his way through dancing couples toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, Melody saw Angelica nudge Olivia with her elbow, and the two of them turned to stare at Julian as he approached.

The minute Julian stopped in front of her the song changed, almost as if on cue. All night, the songs had been heavy on bass, but this song had a slower, sexier, almost languid beat to it that sent a shiver rolling up Melody’s spine.

Julian’s lips curved into a hint of a smile. One of the rotating spotlights on the ceiling passed over him, and Melody finally saw that his eyes were a dark chocolate brown. In the back of her mind, she heard the words ‘bedroom eyes’, and the description seemed fitting since she could imagine the deep bass song being played during intimate moments in the darkness of a bedroom.

Julian moved behind her, pressing his body against the length of her back and resting one hand on her hip. Heat rushed to Melody’s cheeks as their bodies began to move in time to the music. She could feel the steady, slightly accelerated thump of his heartbeat against her back, and tried to ignore how tightly her bottom was pressed to his groin.

She had never danced with anyone like this before. Usually when guys asked her to dance it was to a faster beat, and they remained face-to-face. When she was out with Olivia in Toronto, she tried to avoid the slow dance portion at the end of the night, because she knew Rick wouldn’t like the idea of her dancing that close with other guys. Not that he ever wanted to dance that close with her. She could remember only one time they had slow danced—at her cousin’s wedding—and there had been at least a foot of space between them as they danced with hands on hips and shoulders, reminding her of elementary school dances in musty gymnasiums.

Julian bent his head and pressed his face into Melody’s hair. She inhaled sharply, surprised by the gesture. When he remained like that, Melody’s eyes drifted closed, and she drank in the moment with all her alcohol-soaked senses.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said into her ear, causing renewed shivers to race up her spine.

The song switched into something with a faster tempo, and someone took Melody’s hand. Her eyes flew open and focused on Olivia’s smiling face. After a beat of staring at her best friend, she realized Julian was no longer behind her. Had she imagined the whole thing? Blacked out and dreamed those wonderful four minutes and the words he’d said to her?




Now, onto the giveaway! First of all, I need to give a little credit here. I got this idea from my friend Giselle at Xpresso Reads - she’s recently started up a blog tour site and she’s asked people to help her spread the word in exchange for a chance to win a book (be sure to check it out and enter her giveaway too!). 

It got me thinking…

I haven’t done a whole lot to promote The Game Changer. When I was getting ready for the release of my debut novel, Blue Sky Days, I spent about four months promoting the book, but I simply haven’t had the time to do that with The Game Changer (between major delays with revisions, and having my 2-year-old nephew here almost every day, my life has been chaos). I had a four-week blog tour for BSD, but I haven’t planned one for TGC, and I don’t think I will, at least not until 2013. So…when I saw Giselle’s Spread the Word giveaway, it gave me an idea: I’d come to you guys, my awesome blogging friends, and ask for your help to spread the word about The Game Changer, and in exchange, you could win a shiny new book. Sound good?

Here are the details:
*Open internationally.
*One winner gets to choose a book from the selection below. Most are YA, and are fairly new releases, but I threw in a few adult books too.
*You must be 13 years old or older to enter.
*Following Ramblings of a Daydreamer is the first mandatory entry, and to qualify for the giveaway, you need to spread the word at least once. That particular option is one you can do daily, but you must do it at least once to qualify - however many times you do it after that is up to you. All the rest of the entries are optional and you don’t have to do them - they’re simply extra chances for you to win!

Here are the books you can chose from if you win:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you would like an e-ARC (pdf) of The Game Changer for review, I’ll have them available by next week. I’m asking for reviews (both pre- and post-release) on blogs, Amazon, GoodReads, Chapters, YouTube, etc. If you’d like an e-ARC, please contact me at irishstar_83@hotmail.com

That's it! I'm so grateful to anyone who is willing to help me spread the word about The Game Changer. I've been really blessed with supportive blogging and writer friends, and I thank you for your continued support!


1 comment:

  1. Okay... first order of business after work today, SPREAD THE WORD for The Game Changer! Then other things. Lol. I adored that scene by the way. It was one of my favorites when I read it.

    So sooooo excited!!! :D

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting Ramblings of a Daydreamer! I love hearing what you have to say, and I appreciate every single comment. I hope to see you here again soon! ♥
~Marie

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