Today’s Cover Reveal is for a début novel which has already released under a different ‘cover’, as the author is electing to switch out the original artwork for a new version that will broaden the story’s appeal to a wider audience. I am thankful to be a part of her journey as an author, as she is one of the delightful writers I have crossed paths with on Twitter! I meet the friendliest salts of the earth on Twitter; either serendipitously connected through weekly tweetchats and/or whilst browsing through my feeds!
This particular author stood out to me when I was interacting with her during a #ChickLitChat (@ChickLitChatHQ) where the conversation started to talk about Deaf Culture, those who are hard of hearing*, and my pursuit to learn ASL (American Sign Language). I had mentioned that part of what keeps me inspired to becoming fluent is a tv series that is both spoken and signed regularly on each episode.
More conversations ensued and when she mentioned to me that she was going to début a new cover for her début novel, you could say I felt as though serendipity had played a very strong part in connecting us together!
Lila’s Choice {Book One: The Choice Series} by Laura Brown
Genre(s): Fiction | Contemporary Romance | Deaf Culture | Teachers & School Life
Published by: Purple Gecko Books, 14 February, 2014
Available Format: Paperback, Ebook | Page Count: 317
Author Connections: Site | @AuthorLBrown | Facebook
Converse via: #LilasChoice
Synopsis of the story:
Never let your friends get involved in your personal life.
Lila and Nate learn this the hard way. They are the star-crossed lovers of Glendale High. For three years the students have waited for the two to get together. They begged Nate to put his past relationship behind him, and cringed when Lila started dating Bryce. Just your typical teenage romance, except they’re the teachers.
Lila, a guidance counselor with a sweet demeanor, has an answer for every problem, every problem but her own. A visit from childhood friend Bryce thrusts her calm world into turmoil, as emotions buried deep inside are dragged to the surface. He soon realizes what only a friend can notice and a lover regret, that Lila, unbeknownst to herself, is in love with Nate.
Nate has seen better days. He is a history teacher stuck living in the past. Depression has kept his love for Lila unspoken, his ego frail after being cheated on.
Now Lila and Nate’s coworkers must unleash a scheme and uncover Lila’s true feelings. In a school this nosey what better way to get fast results than to involve the student population? The students are all too eager to get involved.
If everything goes as planned Lila will have to choose between two men. If her friends fail they might destroy these three and ruin their friendship. No wonder the scheme is called Project Torture.
Excerpt of the story:
Two men. Two Futures. One Choice. LILA’S CHOICE
Lila Erickson watched with sluggish eyes while her margarita glass was refilled. Again. By her math this was her fifth cup. Maybe her sixth with the way the tan carpet rolled in shallow waves at her feet. She put a hand on the wooden coffee table. It kept floating, bringing her arm along for the ride. She placed her other hand on her head. The rolling stopped. Drats, it was her, not the apartment.
Her good friend and roommate, Ette, hummed as she filled two glasses. She ignored Lila’s hand plastered to her head and pushed the drink closer. “So…” she took a sip of her own margarita. “Bryce is coming for a visit?”
Lila groaned and pushed the cup away. This wasn’t a Saturday night drinking binge. This wasn’t helping Ette get over her latest fling. This was “get the counselor drunk so she’d spill her guts.” Lila wasn’t biting. Yet.
Desperate for a distraction, she became lost in the scene outside their apartment window. The yellow light of the parking lot illuminated a lone tree. The autumn leaves swayed in the light breeze—waves of green, yellow, and red, the latter reminiscent of Bryce’s hair. Her heart skipped a beat. She darted her eyes to the floor, choking on newfound desire. Like all things uncomfortable, she wanted to keep the meaning hidden deep inside. Thanks to Ette, the alcohol had already called her bluff. A shiver raced down her spine as she eyed her friend. Ette grinned over her glass.
Lila grabbed a pillow and thrust her head in. Bryce was her childhood friend, nothing more. They had been friends since kindergarten and stayed in touch after he moved away when they were ten.
“The cute redhead in the flesh, this should be good,” Ette drooled, already planning on her next conquest.
Lila dug her nails into the pillow.
Ette sensed Lila’s capitulation. “Why is this bad? I thought he was one of your best friends?”
“Oh, he is. But he was always just that—a friend. Now the door that leads to ‘other’ has opened and I can’t find the key.” Clutching onto the pillow, Lila’s nails dug into the fabric, threatening to poke holes.
“Sounds like someone has a crush on their childhood friend.”
“Yes.” Lila clasped a hand over her mouth, disbelieving her voice. “And that’s wrong.”
“Oh for God sakes. What’s so wrong about it? So you’ll flirt a little as you talk about days long past. Maybe he’ll flirt too?” Ette leaned forward in anticipation of the chase.
“I thought we were supposed to be helping you?”
Ette rolled over and ran a hand through her long blond hair. “It’s the same-old, same-old. Dating a week and the temperature ran cold. I’m out the door. I’ll drink,” she eyed her empty glass, “which it looks like I’m already up to. From here I’ll sulk in my room for a few days and then get all dolled up and go flirt shamelessly with some unsuspecting stranger.” She licked her lips in anticipation of yet another anonymous sexual encounter.
“Sounds like you’re going to be fine.”
Ette placed an arm around Lila. “Look, you love Bryce, he’s one in a million, and a friend of twenty years is hard to come by. You also know each other quite well. If the feelings are mutual, you can discover where this new path will take you. If not, you’ll still enjoy his weekly e-mails.”
Lila’s eyes drifted away from Ette. She couldn’t put twenty years on the line. She couldn’t risk ruining a friendship, no matter how good looking the pudgy boy had become.
Ette swirled the liquid around, watching her friend. “Do me a favor. Don’t turn into Nate on me.”
Lila stopped cold. She turned sharply to her friend. “What does that mean?”
“Seek out the opportunity in Bryce, don’t hide behind some shadow like Nate.”
“Nate isn’t hiding behind a shadow.” Lila blinked as Nate’s blue eyes came to mind. She shook her head. Great, now she was hallucinating eye colors. “He’s been hurt by a loved one.”
Ette stood up. “Here we go, defending Nate when I was proving a point.”
Lila sat dumbfounded, unable to wrap her head around what had happened.
Biography of the Author:
Laura Brown lives in Massachusetts with her quirky abnormal family. Laura and her three cats are “differently abled.” Laura is hard of hearing, her oldest cat is deaf and partially blind, and the other two cats have cerebellar hyplasia (they shake, and they don’t find it endearing). The “normal” members of her family include her husband, who has put up with her since high school, and her young son who enjoys “typing” on Mommy’s laptop and has agreed to take full blame for all spelling errors.
Why this particular story perked my interest to participate in the Cover Reveal?
I am always drawn into stories that step outside the box of their genres, stories which attempt to make a connection with a reader that is not necessarily unexpected per se, but a story whose characters not only stand on their own merits of integrity but give us a part of their reality that we might not find in other stories of a similar kind. Of late, I have mentioned my desire to seek out more Romance stories set within the Contemporary side of the ledger; as I personally am deeply passionate about the historical past, but what I love about settling into a modern Romance is seeing evidence of tangible connections to our own generation and the generations coming along beside us. To see a stitching of real-time awareness set within the folds of a story that tackles an interesting prospect of giving one woman two distinctively different choices of a path to follow is quite exciting over and beyond the fact that this novel is set in our own era.
I am also an advocate for diversity and equality in literature, as evidenced by my continued support (and original participation in) of #WeNeedMoreDiverseBooks (which I believe is now #WeNeedDiverseBooks). I appreciate writers who give us characters who are uniquely their own person (such as my previous enjoyment of reading Wonder) as much as giving them the flexibility in fiction to be represented on equal footing to their peers. I appreciate stories which take us outside our comfort zones of what we might not even realise is available to read and introduce us to a setting, a character, or a story that will be a pleasant change from our regular ‘next reads’. I find the best joy in the art of discovering new authors, and when I cross paths with Indie writers in the twitterverse, I cannot help but feel a level of gratitude for taking on the journey last Spring (in late March I created this blog; I launched it live in August) to create Jorie Loves A Story.
By being a book blogger, my entire world has enveloped inside new horizons of fiction, new dynamics of story-telling and the craft behind how the stories are conceived, as much as my circle of knowledge of the writers of all markets (i.e. mainstream, inspirational, major trade, Indie, or self-published) has increased by tenfold! How lovely then, during the month of August I can shine a light on Laura Brown by helping her celebrate her *NEW!* cover-art for Lila’s Choice, interviewing her this Thursday (drop back to see where our conversation took us!), and reading Lila’s Choice!
Romances will always endure a niche inside my heart — I love finding out how couples will meet, how they will secure the strength of their relationship, and how their bond grows through love. I will always love reading a solidly written back-story of two souls who choose to become one and join together in marriage. I love the genre and I always will be blessedly happy for authors who pen stories that focus on the pure joy of falling in love and the mirth that follows! Relationship-based fiction within Romance is my personal favourite, as each relationship is different from how it is formed and how it finds its footing during times of woe, sorrow, or angst. I cannot wait to soak inside Lila’s Choice, but until then, kindly know that I appreciate each conversation I have with all the dear hearts I find through the book blogosphere OR through the twitterverse! I have an overflowing heart of gratitude for getting to know a bit more about those I follow and those who follow me in return.
Reader Interactive Question:
What do you look for when you pick up a Contemporary Romance selection!? Do you seek out Indie releases whilst seeking a release by a Major Trade Publisher!? What are your thoughts on diversity and equality in literature?
*Due Note: Originally I had written ‘where the conversation started to talk about Deaf Culture, the hearing impaired, and my pursuit to learn ASL (American Sign Language)’ in the opening of this post. However, I had not realised the terminology and corrective expression on behalf of the deaf had changed since I was growing up as they were always referred to as ‘the hearing impaired’. I was corrected by the author herself, who said the term has changed now to reflect ‘hard of hearing’, and as I’m always quite sensitive to not drawing offense to anyone I have changed the opening to reflect this alternative. I will mention where I live there is a strong presence of learning abled persons of different backgrounds and difficulties, and they are still using ‘the hearing impaired’ reference, so I am now wondering if this has not caught on to all parts of the country. I will do my best to remember the change and reflect it in my own conversations and blog.
{SOURCES: Book Cover for “Lila’s Choice”, Author Photograph of Laura Brown, Book Synopsis, Story Excerpt, & Author Biography were provided by Laura Brown and used with permission. Cover Reveal badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
Thank you so much for a wonderful post!