BLURB:
Running Back
to You:
Juliette Fletcher is a girl with a plan. Not one to sit back and
wait for life to happen, she moves back home after graduation and begins to
carve out a life for herself.
Evan McGuire is desperate for a fresh start. His career in the NFL
depends on it. Years of partying and carefree living have caught up with him.
After buying a beach house in need of renovations, he begins to rebuild his
life and his reputation.
What Evan doesn’t expect is a chance meeting with Juliette out on
an early morning beach run with her dog. A strong mutual attraction draws them
together, but fear of scaring her away keeps Evan from revealing his true
identity. Evan finds himself in an unfamiliar situation – forced to work harder
than he ever has before to prove himself worthy of her affections.
Tragic misunderstandings and unexpected obstacles threaten to
derail a fragile relationship. Someone is watching, waiting, and tormenting
Juliette, desperate to destroy everything. Can they find the strength to
overcome jealousy, insecurity, and fear before it’s too late?
Running Home
to You:
Running Home to You: continues the journey of Juliette and Evan
that began in “Running Back to You”.
Juliette Fletcher thought she had it all – a strikingly handsome
man who adores her, a new business venture with her best friends by her side,
and a dream house right on the beach. But appearances can be deceiving and
everything comes at a cost.
Evan McGuire has just survived a vicious attack that almost ended
his professional football career. He’s on the mends now, trying to piece his
life back together again, and build a life with Juliette.
But Evan’s erratic behavior has Juliette worried. She must figure
out how to save her struggling restaurant, her fragile friendships, and her now
unhealthy relationship with the man she loves. Juliette and Evan find that
they’ve placed their trust in the wrong people and the price they pay for that
mistake may ultimately cost them everything.
Running Home to You is the second book in the Running Series.
INTERVIEW:
- Where did you get the idea for the novel?
I love to read, particularly books
in a series so I can watch the characters develop and grow over time. Many of my favorite books are set in places
like Seattle, Seaport, and Manhattan.
Thanks to some of those great writers, the setting became just as
important as the characters.
As a proud resident of the Jersey
Shore, I knew that my hometown would be the perfect setting for an amazing
romance novel. I grew up on the beach
and have often fantasized about the lives of the fortunate few who live in the
beautiful beach homes that span the shore.
We have always had the occasional
celebrity buy homes in our community. We
are a short drive from Manhattan, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City. My mind was made up, and all that was left
for me to do was to develop the characters that would live here.
- Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever
change your title?
The title changed many times
over. As I was researching some football
terminology, I noticed the term "Running Back" and thought it would
make an interesting turn of phrase. The
more I played with it, the more I realized the potential for simple word play
that would enable title changes. I was
more than halfway through with the book when I finally found the title I wanted
to keep.
- Why did you pick this genre? What do you like
about it?
I
go through periods of time where I consume books of a certain genre. Since the popularity of FSOG, I have been
lost in the world of Romance and Coming of Age.
Although many years separate me from my main character, that time of
life between the end of youth and the start of adult life and responsibilities
is one that we can all relate to.
- Since becoming a writer, what’s the most
exciting thing to ever happen to you?
I had a reviewer
compare my writing to Nicholas Sparks once.
I was floored. I don't
necessarily think that my stories will ever rise to the level of popularity as
his, I think it was more of a remark about how we both idealize our community
and make the setting nearly as important as the people who live in it.
- What book are you currently reading or what
was the last book you read?
Amy Bartol and the Premonition
Series. I like to delve into different
genres and this hybrid of Paranormal-Young Adult-Romance-Action-Adventure is
engaging and beautifully written.
Perhaps it is the popularity of the Hunger Games and Divergent, but I
now find myself in the middle of another Young Adult action/adventure series
and I cannot seem to get enough of it.
- What is your writing process?
I
write at home in any quiet spot I can find.
I might grab my MacBook and barricade myself in a bedroom. If I'm lucky enough that the house is empty,
I might curl up on the couch with my laptop on my lap. When I write, I have three specific
requirements: (1) isolation; (2) comfy
chair; (3) movie with a good soundtrack playing. As I write, I am very structured. I will write, read, revise, and rewrite a
chapter over and over until I'm pleased.
I cannot move on until I feel it's right.
Before the first word is written, I
plot and plan meticulously, taking pages and pages of notes and combing through
the notes from my previous books. But
once I begin, a lot of my ideas get thrown out the window. Some of my best ideas are the ones that come
spontaneously.
- At a book signing, do you just sign your name
or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say?
I
am a full time elementary school teacher.
Traveling to promote my book is not an option for me at this time. Perhaps in the future that will change, but
for now, I have to fantasize about what it would be like to actually meet some
of my readers.
- What is something people would be surprised to
know about you?
I cannot find a publisher or
literary agent willing to work with me.
It's much harder than I ever imagined.
I'm sure there is a critical piece that I am missing when I send out my
requests, but I'm not quite sure what that is.
I'm hoping that someday, I will make that meaningful connection, but
until then, I'll remain an Indie Author struggling to find my audience.
- How do you react to a bad review?
If it's a review from a Beta reader or an
ARC reviewer, I take it very seriously.
I send pre-published copies and early editions to no less than fifty
people in total. It's never too late to
make changes. Their insights were
invaluable to me and more often than not, I will make all or most of the
changes they recommend.
Once the
book is published, I stop reading. I
keep track of the average scoring and individual rating, but I try not to read
the actual reviews. I know that I cannot
be all things to all people, so there's really no sense in even trying. I know I've made the book the best it can be
within my own limitations as an Indie writer, so I try not to torture myself.
However,
I still get letters from readers and I make sure to read and respond to each
and every one. I must say that the
readers who take their time to write to me usually have very kind words and
it's a thrill to hear when something I worked so hard on connects with people
and brings them some enjoyment.
- How did you celebrate the sale of your first
book?
I celebrated each and every sale
cautiously. I still find it hard to
believe that my little book, without the backing and support of a publisher or
agent, sells as well as it does. My
first real celebration was when I made the top one hundred list for its genre
on Amazon. I took my family out to
dinner to celebrate.
What I've
also done is to take screen shots of the first unsolicited reviews that were
posted online. I plan on framing them
and hanging them in my home office. I
don't have a home office yet, but one day, when I'm an empty nester, I will get
my chance.
EXCERPT:
Running
Back to You excerpt from Chapter 3:
Outside Forces
Wanting
to know a little bit more about him, I press on. “I don’t mean to pry, but I was just
wondering … do you live here? I mean, is
this your house? Is there anyone who
might walk in and have a problem with me sitting here right now? A wife?
Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”
He
chokes on his water and spits it out. I
guess he’s never been asked that before.
“Wow,
you get right to it, don’t you? No,
Juliette, I live here alone, most of the time, anyway.” Another cryptic response that I’ll leave
alone for the time being.
He
hands me a fresh bottle of water.
“How
about you? Anyone special in your life
right now?” He folds his hands in his
lap and I can’t help but notice they’re the exact type of hands I love: large,
strong, and manly.
“No. It’s just Maddy and me against the
world. She watches my back and I scratch
hers.” It’s my lame attempt at
humor. Absentmindedly, I start twirling
my fingers through my ponytail.
He
has a one-word response, “Interesting.”
I’m perplexed.
I
attempt to change the subject, “I think it’s time to take off the ice. Didn’t you say fifteen-minutes on and
fifteen-minutes off?”
Evan
checks his watch and agrees, “Yeah, let me check it. I want to make sure it’s not swelling
up.” He tenderly removes the compression
bandage and the ice. When his hand makes
contact with my skin, something inside me awakens and I have to catch my
breath.
He
quickly removes his hand from my leg and walks away from me, over to the
banister, gazing at the beach as the waves break on the shore. His back is to me and I take the opportunity
to admire his physique without fear of being caught. His biceps are impressive. I can see them contract as he grasps the deck
railing. I wonder why he pulled away
like that.
“Hey,
Evan, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,
shoot.”
“Well,
do you really own this place? It’s truly
impressive. I’ve lived here all my life
and I’ve never met anyone who lives in one of these homes. How can someone so young afford a place like
this? I mean, I can barely make my rent
and here you are in this huge beach house.”
There’s
a moment of silence, like he’s considering my question and measuring his
response. He’s still not looking at me.
“I’ve
bought and sold a few houses over the past several years. Each one gave me a small profit, which I used
to purchase the next one. My last house
was in Houston and I flipped it for a very nice profit.”
“So,
are you planning on selling this one soon?
It looks like it’s almost done.”
I’m hoping he says no.
“I
haven’t decided yet. I’m starting to
like it here. It looks promising.” He turns and stares right at me, “Very
promising.”
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Suzanne Sweeney is a graduate of Georgian Court
University where she studied Elementary Education and Sociology. For some time
now, she has been sharing her love of literature with the young minds who sit
before her in class each and every day. After years of teaching the art of
writing, Suzanne has finally taken her own advice and put pen to paper in order
to produce her debut novel, Running Back to You. She writes what she lives,
residing in the community she loves, Point Pleasant, with her family who
provide a constant source of inspiration and support.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble:
GIVEAWAY:
Suzanne will be awarding a $25 Visa Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
