We are so excited to be working with Paula Stokes and Harper
Collins on the release day launch of Paula's young adult contemporary romance!!
This book is so much fun--and Paula has shared a really great excerpt from it!
Check it out below!!
carol clarke blogs
*Excerpt*
GOT HEART?
The music pitches and swells, violin and guitars, drumbeats
and thudding bass. As I sway back and forth in front of the stage, it feels
like being in the eye of a tornado, where it’s calm, but everything is going
crazy whirling around me. I can’t stop looking at Micah, at the way the lights
reflect off his mohawk, at the way he’s completely lost in the storm of
overlapping chords.
I see every part of him, tiny pieces I never knew existed.
The slight bend in his nose, the wedge-shaped scar on his right temple, the
outline of his bicep hiding beneath the pyramid tattoo. His lips part, just
barely, when he exhales. As I imagine the invisible mist of his breath hanging
in the air, I inch closer to him. Here, in the strange blue light, while the
bass pulses and pounds, all I can think about is touching him. Our fingertips
brush. A shockwave courses through me. I want to grab him and pull him into my
calm spot, closing my eyes and kissing him while the world spins topsy-turvy
around us.
My thoughts feel hot inside my head, like they should be
radiating a laser beam across the club, but Micah’s eyes are still closed, his
body loose. He’s oblivious to the fact I’m thinking about kissing him. He has
no idea my eyes are skimming their way down the lines of his body. His
cheekbones. His beard stubble. The ridge of muscle connecting his jaw to the
center of his chest. The faintest trace of sweat glistens where his neck meets
his right shoulder. I want to touch my lips to it.
This is crazy. It’s Micah. I don’t like Micah. He doesn’t
like me. We have about as much in common as, well, nothing. I sneak another
glimpse at him. He’s still completely entranced by the song. He’s still
completely kissable. It has to be the beer, or the music, the violins and
guitars and electronic pulsing, the whole otherworldly quality to this song. Or
maybe it’s just because I’m not myself here, and I don’t have to obey the rules
of Lainey.
GOT GAME?
I sub back into the game a few minutes later and stay
through the end of the half. It’s still 1-0. The Yellow Jackets tie it up on a
breakaway goal in the second half. At this point I’m running from one end of
the field to the other, playing more defense than any striker forward ought to
be playing. I can’t help it. It feels so good to be in the game.
Matt Clifton saves a shot on goal and drop-kicks the ball in
my direction. I dribble up field, out maneuvering two of the other team’s
defenders. I pass the ball to Jason who sends it across to our right wing
forward. The defense kicks the ball out of bounds and we get a corner kick.
Jason goes to take it. I position myself in front of the goal, dancing back and
forth as I vie for position with one of the Yellow Jacket fullbacks.
It’s a beautiful kick—high and strong, and it’s coming right
at me. The other players, the shouting, the movement, they all fade into the
background as I keep my eyes locked on the ball. Angling my body just slightly,
I propel all five feet and eight inches of myself into the air at exactly the
right moment—I think, I hope—and the crown of my head connects squarely with
the ball. The players around me all turn to watch as it arcs through the air…
GET LAINEY!
I flip on the radio as soon as Leo fires up the engine. I
hit the tuning arrow up until it lands on the station Micah put on for the ride
home from the baseball game.
Leo looks over at me. “I didn’t know you liked this kind of
music,” he says.
Me neither, but I do. Kind of, anyway. “I’ve been branching
out. Anything gets old if you listen to it twenty-four seven, you know?”
“I hear you. I like new stuff too.”
I don’t answer. If you asked me whether I was the type of
person who liked trying new things or preferred sticking with what was
familiar, I would have told you I’m the second girl. The if
–it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it girl. I also would have told you plays were lame.
It suddenly occurs to me that I don’t seem to know very much about…me. It’s a
weird feeling, like maybe a stranger is inhabiting my body. Or maybe a stranger
was, and I kicked her out.
About The Book:
*The Art of Lainey Synopsis*
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic
summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with
her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed,
but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to
get Jason back.
And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art
of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason
back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies
to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend
to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is
going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like
more than just a game.
What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different
from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with,
if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?
*About the Author*
Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled
to be part of the world of YA literature. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri
where she graduated from Washington University and the Goldfarb School of
Nursing. When she's not writing, she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking
out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers! Find
her online at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.
*Giveaway*
Paula has an awesome swag pack and a signed copy of
The Art of Lainey!!!
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