by Lisa Renee Jones
With every new series an author starts from scratch. A new world to mold, new characters to create and acquaint yourself with, and in my case an intricately twisted plot to plan out. Yet, with the daunting task of a new series comes the thrill of weaving in the new elements of writing that I’ve learned since my last book, and figuring out just the right touches that will not only connect my characters to my readers, but give my readers a new experience and a new place to escape to. It’s a long and arduous list to be sure, and if I even accomplish half of it I count myself lucky.
However, with my newest upcoming series, Careless Whispers, it was mixing the familiar with the new. The main character, Ella, has a very brief stay in my previous series Inside Out (in development for TV), while the question of her whereabouts and tidbits of story are dropped throughout that series, her true beginning-to-end story begins with Denial (book one in Careless Whispers, available Nov. 24th). In this book, the reader will start from square one with Ella as she recovers from a dangerous bout of amnesia that causes her to re-learn, and remember who she is herself. As an author you don’t know how a certain decision will effect an entire story until you write it. The amnesia aspect altered and controlled so much of the story, it was mind blowing to myself. I had to make sure the tidbits created in Inside Out stayed true, while learning how to make a character remember themselves. It’s a decision I doubt myself on constantly, even as I write book 2 in the series, but I wholeheartedly believe that was the missing piece of uniqueness this series needed, and I hope that shines through to my readers once they get their hands on it. Now, I get to share some of this difficult, yet well worth it book! Enjoy the beginning of chapter one and be sure to follow the links below to read onto chapter two and for a huge promotion I’m running that will include readers getting a VIP scene that revisits Chris and Sara from Inside Out!
DENIAL
CHAPTER ONE
I blink and open my eyes to stare at the unfamiliar white ceiling, a dull throbbing at the back of my head. My throat is dry and I swallow with effort, waiting for something familiar to come to me, but there is nothing—just the white ceiling and more of the throbbing beneath my scalp. I decide I must be having a weird dream, and I’d really like to wake up now.
Shifting, I roll to my side to fi nd myself staring into a pair of pale blue eyes so striking and pure that they seem inhuman. I blink again and bring the gorgeous man directly in front of me into stunning clarity. Thirty-something, with thick, longish light brown hair. His cheekbones are high, his chin dimpled.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmur, admiring my mind’s work. I like this dream.
His deliciously full and sensual mouth curves with my comment. “I’ve been called a lot of things, sweetheart, but beautiful isn’t one of them. And this isn’t a dream. How’s your head?”
“It hurts,” I say, my brow furrowing as I digest all he has said, and I realize I muttered that last thought aloud. “And wait. What? This isn’t a dream?” I lift up on one elbow, and I’m punished for my effort with the pounding of my head. “Okay,” I murmur, squeezing my eyes shut. “Maybe I want to wake up now, after all.”
“Easy,” he warns, his hand coming down on my shoulder, his touch oddly familiar even if he is not. “Lie back down,” he urges, and when I obey, he leans over me. “Sleep is a good idea. It’ll help you heal.”
I stare up at my beautiful stranger, and just the sight of him tells me he’s wrong. This is a dream, and I follow along where it’s taking me. “What’s wrong with me?”
Denial can be purchased in paperback and eBook format
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Pre-Order Promotion – get a bonus visit form Chris and Sara (Inside Out) plus a VERY early look into my other new series, Dirty Money!