Belle's Book Bag: Blog Tour & Giveaway: Always by Amanda Weaver...

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Always by Amanda Weaver...

Creating chemistry between Justine and Dillon:

One of the big challenges in writing this story was to create tangible chemistry between the two main characters when the relationship remains unrequited for most of the book. Without a traditional romance or sex to ignite the story, I focused on their friendship, imagining an emotional intimacy and creative partnership that acted as a stand-in for a romantic relationship. That’s not to say that sex never comes up! Dillon and Justine are attracted to each other from the start. It’s suppressed for a variety of reasons, but it busts loose at several key moments in the story. The question is—what do they do about it?

Title: Always

Author: Amanda Weaver

Genre: Contemporary romance-age 20-30.

Publish Date: April 15, 2014

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover by: AngstyG/ www.angstyg.com

Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

~ Book Synopsis ~

From the moment they meet, their connection is perfect in every way but one. It’s New Year’s Eve, 2006, and Justine James is fronting her dead-end band for a less-than-adoring crowd. But there’s one person there who sees what she could be—one person who changes everything for her. Dillon Pierce clawed his way up from the LA streets with no one to count on but his best friend, Ash. Their years of struggle finally pay off when their band, Outlaw Rovers, gets signed and their single takes off. With Ash as the magnetic lead singer and Dillon as the band’s musical soul, they’re destined for greatness, provided Dillon can keep Ash from self-destructing first. Dillon might not be fronting Outlaw Rovers, but he’s always been the only one Justine sees. She’s followed his career from afar and when he shows up at her crummy New Year’s Eve gig, nothing will stop her from meeting him. They forge an intense connection, rapidly moving from friends to musical soul mates. Justine wants much more, but she’s not willing to climb over groupies and industry bottom-feeders to make it happen. Dillon becomes a fixture in her life, but she has to figure out how to keep him out of her heart. Outlaw Rovers begins to implode as Justine’s star is on the rise. The years that follow bring equal parts fame and ruin. For Justine, a new love supplants her old heartbreak, and Dillon has to reboot his life after losing nearly everything that matters. Despite the odds, Dillon and Justine remain devoted friends and musical collaborators. After all the missed chances, wrong turns and painful detours, can they finally find the happiness together that seemed destined from the start?

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Smashword

From Chapter 3:

The steel gate clanged behind her. “Justine, wait.” Justine spun around to face Dillon. He was breathing hard from sprinting after her. “That is not what I came here for!” She stabbed a finger towards the backstage entrance. “I’m not some fucking groupie who’s happy to wait in line just to give you a blow job!” He held up both hands as he moved closer. “I know that. I know you’re not. And that’s not what I wanted from you when I asked you here.” “Right. I forgot. You wanted to talk about music.” “Yes, I did.” He stepped closer, into the pool of light from the streetlight behind her. His eyes were wide, his pupils tiny pinpricks, and he was still breathing hard, harder than he should have been from just chasing after her. He’s lit, Justine thought miserably. Could the night become any more of a cliché? “So where were we going to fit in the rock and roll? Before the sex but after the drugs?” He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I was hanging out with Ash after the show and things got a little crazy. You know how it is.”

She laughed, short and humorless. “Yeah, I know how it is.” “Listen, I still want to hang out with you.” “I’m not waiting around until the coke wears off and the girls go home—” “Not tonight,” he cut her off. “It’s too crazy back there and I meant it when I said I want to talk to you. I do. But not here, like this.” Justine looked down at her feet while she thought about it. She was a smart girl and the smart thing to do would be to turn around and go home. But she also knew she and Dillon had something. Music, for sure. Maybe something else, too. It was the “something else” that made her nervous. She was attracted to him, she couldn’t lie to herself about it. But she didn’t want him like this, like that girl in his dressing room had him, and not if it wasn’t going to matter to him.

About the Author

Like many writers, Amanda Weaver spent her childhood constantly telling stories. College steered her in a different direction and into a successful career as a designer. Several years ago, she picked up writing again strictly as a hobby, to blow off some creative steam. One thing led to another, National Novel Writing Month happened, and here we are. Amanda Weaver grew up in Florida and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, daughter and two crazy cats.