Turn It Off, the third installment to the RED Tragedies series will be released on December 13, 2015. The novel acts as a prequel to the first 2 novels, A Tragic Heart & RED. Turn It Off is told solely from Peyton's POV and gives readers insight into his life before Taylor and A Tragic Heart.
Much like the first two novels there is plenty of drama and heartache. Peyton didn't have it easy and Turn It Off goes into full detail of that. It will also give you answers to some questions raised by the first novel, A Tragic Heart.
For now, you can check out the book cover and the intro and first chapter on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MPBM6F
Starting next week I'll take a break from the girls in Turn It Off but this week I want to introduce you to a sort of important girl from the book. She appears in the last book of the series as well. Her name is Jenna Hudson and she's a girl Peyton done wrong...I mean just plain old wrong! Later on he grows up and realizes/takes responsibility for his actions regarding Jenna but it doesn't change what he did to her. She's a sweet girl who has great innocence about her. In the book, Peyton stated, "Jenna was always a sweet girl. I didn’t have one bad memory of her. She
was always so compassionate and caring which is why she didn’t deserve what I
was planning to do but I wanted revenge. Her dad was the officer that arrested
me and pinned all of those charges against me when he could have just taken me
home and given me a warning." Here's Jenna!
Relatives: Peter Hudson (Father), Emily Hudson (Mother)
Relationship Status: Single
Interests/Hobbies: Hanging out with friends while having clean fun, Reading, Anything that makes her laugh
Positive Character Traits: Jenna is a straight up good girl! She does everything she's supposed to do and is still innocent in so many ways. She's a complete optimist and doesn't stay down for too long. She's also a great friend and company.
Negative Character Traits: She can be naive at times because she's so optimistic and innocent. That's how Peyton got to her.
Choice Quote From Turn It Off: "I’m usually the designated one out of my friends."
I'll be back next week with a new character profile!
BTW, if Jenna was a song she'd be "American Girl" (the Taylor Swift cover).
It's been a while since I wrote a short story based on the characters from my book series (RED Tragedies aka A Tragic Heart series) but tonight I'm giving you another short story. This one is from the POV of Peyton Hayley (Peyton and Taylor's daughter). If it were to fit into a book it would be part ofRED (Book 2). It's a short scene between her, Alex and Jackson.
Listen to "Throwing Punches" by Paramore on repeat while reading:
Peyton
Hayley: No Need to Catch Me (I’m Not Falling)
I lie
across Alex’s bed stuffing strawberries into my mouth as we talked about
nothing important. I was in one of his t-shirts that met just at my thighs and
his hand rested just above my knee. It’s hard to pay attention to anything he’s
saying because I can only think about how much I’ve missed him. We were forced
to stay away from each other by almost everyone. My uncle, Jackson, forbid us
to be together mostly because I was 17 and he was 25 and he claims he knows
Alex better than I ever would; but I know that’s not true. They may have been
close friends but Alex has shown me parts of him that no one else was ever able
to see. Now that I’m 18, there’s nothing stopping us from being together.
I
stop him in the middle of his sentence with a kiss. He responds just as I want
him to and before I know it the strawberries I was eating were scattered on the
floor while he was on top of me. It didn’t get too out of hand, mostly because
it never got the chance to. We were interrupted by the doorbell.
“Ignore
it,” I urge pulling him into another kiss. He obeys and we’re both acting as if
we’re afraid to part.
The
way Alex and I started wasn’t exactly applauded. I was underage and he was a
major rockstar. I had a faithful and charming boyfriend and he was a good
friend of my very famous uncle. We were a recipe for disaster. So many things
were sacrificed for us to be together but the only thing that matters is that
we are together. Age was never an issue for either of us. Since that kiss in
his car when I was 16, I knew somewhere deep down we would be together along
the road. It was only a matter of time and growing up. We vowed to wait until I
was 18 to go any further but that didn’t happen…we couldn’t keep our hands off
of each other and I’m glad we didn’t. Everything had to fall apart so they can
fall together.
“I’m
so glad I have you,” he whispered in my ear before lightly tugging on my
earlobes. I giggled before kissing him on his neck. I was just about to kiss
his lips again until the doorbell rang once more.
He
looked me in the eyes and told me not to lose the feeling because he’d be right
back. I roll my eyes as he gets up and walks out of the room.
“Might
as well clean up these strawberries,” I say to myself as I begin picking them
up one by one. No one’s ever “right back” once they answer the door.
After
I clean up the mess we made I realize that things were taking a little longer
than they should have. I gave it a few more minutes before I decided to walk
down the stairs to see who it was. It was 10pm and unusual for it to be one of
Alex’s bandmates. They always call before they just show up.
“Hey,
Al! Who is it?” I ask before I fully make it down the stairs. I stop in my
tracks when I see Jackson standing there. He hates Alex, why would he be here?
“Jack?!”
“Peyton…of
course you’re here with him.” Jackson turns away and laughs to himself for a
second before speaking up again. “You know what, this was a mistake. I
shouldn’t have come by.”
“Why
did you?” I ask folding my arms across my chest. Jackson has always been one of
my favorite people. We were so close it was hard to believe we were niece and
uncle. He’s the coolest uncle anyone could ever have. He was more like a big
brother or best friend. We fell apart once Alex and I got together.
“I
wanted to make amends with Alex. We’ve been friends for some time and I don’t
want us to be enemies anymore but I just got a reminder on why we are. You
could’ve at least put on clothes before coming down to see who it is.”
“I
didn’t know it was anyone worth putting on clothes for,” I shot back.
“Woah!
Guys come on. Let’s not,” Alex interrupts. “I would like for all of us to get
along. Jack and Peyton you guys are family…act like it…and Jack I’m sorry. Look,
I know she’s your niece and you helped raise her but I’m in love with her.” He
looks at me and I have no expression. I never heard him admit it out loud.
“Alex,
you love yourself,” Jackson replies as if he was correcting him.
“You
may not believe me yet but it’s different with her. She’s young, I know that
but…what we have is good and you’re going to have to accept that sooner or
later.”
“Don’t
fucking tell me what I have to accept,” Jack raises his voice and steps a
little too close to Alex. The last time they were this close, Jackson left Alex
with a bloody nose.
I
rushed between the both of them just to insure Jackson wouldn’t throw any
punches. I don’t want a repeat of last time.
“Jack,
you should go. There’s no need for you to be here,” I say staring him in his
eyes. It’s a cold stare. Never would I have thought Jackson would be my enemy.
“Peyton,
you’re making a huge mistake. Just come back with me and things can be a lot
different,” he pleaded.
“I
don’t want things to be different. I want Alex and if you can’t accept that
then you have no reason to be here…or in my life.” I could tell it broke his
heart, hearing me say such harsh words but if he truly wanted to make amends,
he would know he’d have to accept this.
“Okay.
I got it. I hope you two are happy,” he says before walking away towards the
door. Before he left he turned around and said, “Peyton, I may not be there for
you when you need me because trust me, you’re going to need me.”
For
some reason his words struck me hard…almost hard enough to knock me over. Alex
gently touched my shoulders and kissed my neck. I wanted it to relax me but all
it did was send a chill down my spine. Alex and I will be okay…Jack will see
just like everyone else will…
Finally a new short story! It's been weeks since I've written one of these so I think you guys more than deserve it. This short story introduces a new character to the REDTragedies series. She actually has a chapter named after her in Turn It Off (coming this Fall!) and is known for being one of Peyton's many girlfriends. Her name is also mentioned in A Tragic Heart when Peyton gives Taylor his "list".
Anyway, you'll learn while reading Turn It Off that Sophia and Peyton had a very complicated relationship. She introduced him to new drugs and a new lifestyle and in the book he compares her to tooth decay. This short story shows that Sophia isn't all bad and that she had a troubled past herself. Peyton mentions in Turn It Off that Sophia confessed to him that she was molested by her stepdad (which is probably what got her into her troubled lifestyle) while he told her that his stepdad used to abuse him physically.
He
did it again. It’s not the second, third, or fourth time he’s put me through
this pain. I try to like it but there’s nothing desirable about this. I keep
trying to get into it so I won’t have to admit to myself that my own stepfather
is taking advantage of me.
My
mother’s too blind and in love to notice it. He gives us everything we could
ever want. His business is doing better than ever which means that my mother
isn’t going anywhere. This is her fourth marriage and the worst…at least for
me.
Every
day I wish my biological father was around but my mother ran him off long ago.
He moved to Florida and started a new family. We keep in touch but my mother
doesn’t like it when I say things like I want to live with him or suggest going
for the entire summer. I’d do anything just to get out of this place.
I
rushed to the bathroom and started the shower. I had to take the dirt off of
me. I scrub until I bleed sometimes. It’s like I can never get clean. I take my
washcloth and rub my skin over and over as the tears fall from my eyes. I feel
sick; but this is nothing new.
I
picture him kissing me, placing his hand over my mouth so I won’t make any
noise, telling me how great it all feels. As the last thought rushed through my
mind I ball my fists and bang them on the wall of the shower. I let out a sharp
painful scream followed by more tears. The pain from my hands was minimal
compared to the pain inside of me.
There’s
a knock on the door. I ignore it. I don’t want anyone to exist right now. I
just need myself to be the only one on earth.
“Sophia,
sweetheart are you okay?” I can hear my mother say from the other side of the
door. Her voice sounded worried. I only wished she was more concerned with what
her current husband was doing to her fourteen year old daughter. “Sophia,
answer me or else I’m coming in!”
“I-I’m
fine mom. I just hit my hand. I’m okay,” I answered with a trembling voice.
“Sweetie,
you don’t sound like you’re okay. Let me in so I can take a look at your hand,”
she says.
I
quickly clear my throat to speak again. “No, no, it’s okay. I swear!” I
insisted. The last thing I wanted was for her to see me like this…completely
naked.
“Okay,
just be careful,” she replies before walking away.
After
a few more minutes I turn off the water. I grab my towel and step out. The
bathroom mirror is foggy and I think about how I wish it could stay that way. I
never want to look at myself after one of me and my stepdad’s sessions. I
slowly open the bathroom door. It’s like having to step out into the real world
after a two year vacation.
The
air outside the bathroom is much cooler and for a second I feel like I can
breathe again; that is, until my stepfather walks past me. He gives me a sly
smirk and I could feel chills shoot throughout my body. I hurry and rush into
my room making sure to lock the door behind me.
Everything
in me tells me that this is all his fault and he’s the sick one but something
else inside of me blames myself. Somehow I feel like I’m wrong in this
situation. I feel like I’m the one hurting my mother and if I tell her what’s
been going on I’ll be the one to ruin her marriage. I want to cry but I can’t.
I cried the first few times it happened but after that I had nothing left
inside of me.
I
stood in front of my mirror and threw my towel off. My skin was bright red from
all of the scrubbing I did in the shower. There were marks on my body from
washing yet somehow I still feel dirty. I feel like actual filth not just a
metaphor for it.
I put
on a pair of underwear and lie across my bed in fetal position. There has to be
a better way. There has to be a way out of here. I can’t stay in this house for
another year. I can’t keep acting like everything is okay when it’s far from
it. Nothing makes any sense anymore but I know if I stay here I’ll be the
victim to a sociopath for the foreseeable future.
Part
of me tells me that I should tell someone…anyone but I’m not ready for the
judgement that follows. I don’t want to be looked at differently. I never been
with any other guy and I don’t want to have to say out loud that I lost
everything to my stepfather. That my first lover was a man I never wanted to
even touch me. No girl wants that.
There
has to be somewhere I can go…someone that’ll take me in. I pick up my cell
phone that was next to me on the bed. I go to my contacts and call one of my
friends, Hannah. She’s always there for me when I need her. She answers on the
third ring.
“Hey
Sophia!” she says happily into the phone.
I
can’t ruin the mood so I try to reply the same way. We talk for a little before
I ask her what I really called for.
“Hey,
Hannah, do you think I could stay at your place for the weekend? My mom and
stepdad aren’t exactly getting along right now and I don’t want to get caught
in the middle of it,” I lie. “Besides, maybe they could use the alone time.”
“Of
course! Come by whenever you’re ready. You already know my mom doesn’t mind at
all. You’re like a daughter to her!” she says excitedly.
For
the first time all day I crack a smile…a real one. I don’t care if it’s just
for the weekend, I get to run away and not think about this place…not think
about him…
Find out more about Sophia in the RED Tragedies Series here. Sophia appears in Turn It Off.
Now that the book shower is over and RED has been released and met with great reviews it's time for Turn It Off to shine. I will say that this is probably my favorite book from the series as it focuses exclusively on Peyton and his trials while coming of age. He was a very different person before Taylor came into his life and his life was a bit tragic to say the least.
Turn It Off is told from Peyton's point of view only and is structured as the average novel. As of now the intro and first chapter of the book is available on Amazon for purchase. It's $2.99 for Kindle users and $4.65 for paperback. It's the first 42 pages of the book unedited just so you can have a taste of what's to come. There is also an important message from me in the beginning letting you all know where I gained the inspiration to write the novel (thank you Paramore!).
Turn It Off acts as a prequel to A Tragic Heart and you will see a lot of references and moments from the first book but most of it is what led up to A Tragic Heart. In my opinion, this book is just as important as A Tragic Heart because without Turn It Off, A Tragic Heart would've never happened.
I'll start a giveaway on Amazon for Turn It Off (Intro & 1st Chapter) and will embark on a blog tour to support the novel. I'm hoping for an October/November release for the novel. I will keep you all updated but for now check out the first 42 pages of Turn It Off here: http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Off-Intro-Chapter-Tragic/dp/1508591970/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Back to editing Turn It Off...next/last stop What Could've Been!
As many of you know, I had a book shower this past Saturday, June 20th. I called it a shower because it wasn't like an ordinary book signing. I showered my fans/guests with gifts, food, dessert, and prizes. It was a blast and went well...so well I'm going to do it again next year around the same time.
Each table (that was named after a character from A Tragic Heart and/or RED) received a gift based on that character's personality. I'm happy to say that everyone was pleased with what they received. Taylor gave out flash drives since she saves her writings on them, Peyton gave out music note bottle openers since he's a musician and a great cook, Mason gave out blank books with pens since he's also a writer, Jackson gave out book lights since he writes most of his music late at night, Alex gave out prescription bottles with pills that had encouraging messages in them since he was a bit of an addict, Peyton Hayley gave out earbuds with built in microphones since she's a musician and had a thing for blocking things out with music, Ronan gave out double sided photo frames since he's a photographer, and Adalyn gave out music note bookmarks since she's the bass guitarist in Peyton's band and an avid reader.
There were also favor bags and prizes that were won during the games. Everyone's feedback was positive and I almost sold out of all 75 books that were there. No one left empty handed. I'm glad to say it was a success and I hope next year can be even better. I also hope to see more people (hopefully new people) and to keep making each year bigger than the last. Check out some of the pictures below!
It's been a little over a week but I got another short story for you all! This one is from Jackson's POV and if it belonged to a book it would belong to RED (Book 2). It goes into detail on why Jackson is no longer married and readers can see just how much he was able to relate to Mason's situation in RED as well. Hope you enjoy!
Listen to "Wings" by Birdy on repeat while reading:
Jackson:
The Surprise
The
entire flight I could only think about getting home to my wife and two
children. It’s been two months since I last seen them; the longest I ever went.
The moment I touched down I couldn’t help but smile to myself. The flight was
already delayed because of the rain. My driver was waiting for me to arrive.
Immediately, I grabbed my bag and got in the car.
Megan’s
going to be so surprised to see me home early. She expected me to come home
next week but it was a lie I told her and the kids to surprise them. They’ve
missed me so much and it breaks my heart every time my baby girl cries over a
video chat begging me to come home to her. She’s only five so she doesn’t fully
understand why daddy isn’t home every day the way other fathers are. My son
takes it much better but lately he’s been getting into trouble at school. It’s
time for me to put my career on hold and focus on my home life.
When
we pull up to my estate I give Martin, my driver a huge tip. It’s the middle of
the night and he has a family he should get home to also so it’s the least I
can do. He tells me to take care and I reply for him to do the same. As he
pulls off I quietly unlock the door and push it open. I set my bag down at the
entrance because I want free hands when Megan jumps into my arms. I plan on
asking no questions and just taking her right there. We don’t get a lot of time
together but I love my wife just as much as a man who sees his every day…distance
doesn’t change a thing for me.
I
silently rush up the stairs and head straight to our bedroom. The light is on
which means she’s still up. I find it strange because she’s usually so
exhausted from the kids she’s out by ten the latest. It only makes me more
excited knowing that she’s wide awake…maybe we can spend a couple more hours
together before we both crash.
I
turn the knob and push open the door only to be stopped dead in my tracks. She
was surprised alright…they both were. Initially, I don’t know how to react, I
watch as she scrambles to put her clothes on. I keep thinking, ‘this is the wife I couldn’t wait to come
home to’. It takes a while before I can even get angry. I just feel hurt…all
over.
“Jack!
Oh my God!I can- I can explain,” she
says trying to put her clothes on. “You weren’t supposed to be home yet.”
She
says it like that’s supposed to make a difference. Like it makes it okay that I
found her in bed with another man. If she knew I was coming, he wouldn’t be
here…but that means whenever I’m not around he’s with her. My mind is trying to
make sense of what’s in front of me. I don’t answer. I turn away and walk out.
I head
down the stairs unsure of what I’m going to do next. I almost walk out of the
front door until I realize this is my house. Everything that’s here is because
of me. I lean against the door with a blank expression. That’s when he comes
running down the stairs and stops when he sees me.
“Did
you know?” I ask calmly.
“Know
what?” he asks in a nervous tone.
“That
she was married…did you know that she had a husband?” I reiterate.
“I
didn’t know that you were her husband…she
just said-“ I cut him off with a blow to the face.
“Who
gives a fuck if you knew I was her
husband or not?! You knew she was a married woman you sorry son of a bitch!” I
yell as I give him hit after hit.
Megan
rushes down the stairs at full speed pushing me off him. He gets up and walks
out as fast as he can.
“Jackson
listen to me! I’m so sorry! You have to let me explain!” she says frantically
while holding onto me.
I
push her away from me and walk back up the stairs. She follows me while begging
and pleading but nothing changes for me. I still have the same look on my face,
my body language is all the same.
I
make my way to our bedroom and open the door to her walk in closet. I grab a
bunch of her clothes not caring if I’m picking up complete outfits or not.
“Jack,
what are you doing?! What are you doing with my stuff?!” she yells with tears
streaming down her face. It almost makes me feel sorry for her looking at her
brown eyes grow darker.
“I want
you out tonight. You can’t stay here,” I say as calmly as I know how.
I’m
walking down the stairs and to the front door. She’s only inches behind me.
“Tonight?
No, can we talk about this? Give it some time!” she begs.
“How
long has this been happening?” I ask not really caring what her answer would
be. My decision will remain the same.
“About
a year…but you don’t understand you were never here!”
I
laugh a little. “Well that justifies it,” I say sarcastically. “I gave you
everything! The car you drive, the house you live in…our kids! I did all of
that you ungrateful slut!”
She
shutters at the harshness of my words. I can tell it took her by surprise.
“Where
are the kids?” I ask.
She
takes a deep breath so she can speak clearly. She’s still crying nonstop. “In
their rooms. I swear they never saw him…they don’t know anything.”
“I
want you out of my house Megan.” I open the door and throw her clothes out into
the pouring rain.
“Jackson,
please don’t…I love you!”
“No
Megan, love is when you come home early to surprise your wife and kids not when
you sleep with another man because your husband is out making a living for his
family,” I reply.
I grab
her by her arms and push her towards the door. She’s only wearing a pair of
short and a large t-shirt. She doesn’t even have shoes on.
“Jack
no! No!” she begs. “I have nowhere to go.”
I
pull out my wallet and take out a couple of hundred dollar bills. “I’m sure you
can find a decent hotel for the night with that.”
“What about the kids?” she asks
trying to pull my grip off of her arm.
“I’ll tell them that mommy is a
cheating whore who had to go away for a while. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you
away from your kids but you can’t stay here!” I forcefully push her out the
door. She lands on her knees, I’m sure causing them to scrape. I don’t even
care enough to care. I slam the door and lock it. I leave her out there without
a cell phone, keys, or a jacket. I’m that angry.
I walk away from the door while
hearing her bang over and over. She’s crying and begging but I don’t care. I
spend some time in the guest room before I think about my actions. After about
thirty minutes of her standing out in the rain without any decent clothes, I
let her back in. She’s sobbing and shivering.
“You stay in the bedroom and I’ll be
in one of the other rooms. You can have the house and we’ll split custody. You’ll
have them majority of the time since I’m always on tour or working on an album.
They’re my family and I will put them first but you’re nothing to me. You never
will mean anything to me ever again,” I say.
“Jack, you’re just hurt,” she
replies as her voice cracks. She tries to touch me but I move her away.
“No, I mean it. This is it for us. I
don’t want to fight you for anything. I just want out. It hurt me to be away
from you too but I never touched another woman. I’m done here.”
I leave her standing there dripping
from the rain. She’ll probably cry the entire night but I don’t care. This is
the beginning of the end for us…
Find out more about Jackson in the RED Tragedies Series here. Jackson appears in A Tragic Heart, RED, & What Could've Been.
Last week I posted a short story from Mason's POV and this week's story takes off from that one but it's from Adalyn's POV. You can read last week's here (Mason: The Brother's Club) to catch up. This scene is strictly between Adalyn and Peyton and if it belonged to a book it would be part of Turn It Off (Book 3). Hope you enjoy!
Listen to "At Least My Heart Was Open" by Foy Vance on repeat while reading:
There
he stood right in front of me. All six foot two of him, his green eyes staring
at me; those same eyes I fell in love with…those same eyes that convinced me to
give it all to him. We were in the back of the barely lit bar our band plays in
from time to time. We just finished a show and the rest of our crew already
left to go home. It was just me, Peyton and the bar employees.
“Tonight
went well,” he said taking a seat next to me.
I
could barely look at him; not after what I did…not after what our breakup did
to him. Mason told me he ended up in a hospital bed getting his stomach pumped
from alcohol poisoning. He almost drank himself to death because he was so
depressed. He wouldn’t take it well if he knew what happened between me and his
cousin last week.
“Yeah,
it did,” I replied looking down at my drink. I circled my finger around the rim
of the glass. Anything not to look at him.
I
still love him…I always will and part of me wants him back but I’m not sure how
smoothly that would work out.
“Mason
told me you came by last week looking for me. I got a little caught up and never
got the chance to stop by,” he said positioning himself to look directly at me.
I
could tell he knew something was bothering me. I hoped he didn’t ask.
“Yeah,
I did. I wanted to talk to you about us…I just wanted to make sure we didn’t
lose our friendship,” I took a sip of my drink. “We’ve been best friends and
bandmates for too long to let our relationship fuck all that up. I just wanted
you to know that I will always love you Peyton and I don’t want us to not be us anymore.”
“I
feel the same way,” he said as he placed his hand over mine. “I’m glad we’re on
the same page. Adalyn, I really wanted us to work. I’m madly in love with you
and…I’m sorry. I was a jerk…an asshole.”
At
that very moment I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to forget all this talk about
friendship and grab him right there. I gulped down my drink quickly to avoid
the feeling.
All I
wanted was to tell him I was sorry and explain to him that Mason was a mistake.
I didn’t mean to sleep with his cousin that day. It just happened. After
spending the day with him, I felt a short connection with him and Peyton just
never showed up. I was vulnerable and Mason looked good with his wet hair
slicked back and his shirt off. I never thought the second guy I would lay with
would be my ex-boyfriend’s cousin. They’re like brothers and this would devastate
Peyton. Mason and I vowed to keep it a secret. Besides, no one needs to know.
It’s not like it would happen again anyway.
“How
are we going to go back to being just friends if we’re still this much in love?”
he asked grabbing hold of his beer bottle in front of him.
“We’ll
just have to deal with it. We did the best we could as lovers and it didn’t
work. We always worked as friends though. It’ll be hard but we’ll be okay,” I
answered finally looking up at him. He really is a handsome boy…red hair and
all; in fact it only makes him more attractive.
“Before
we go back to being just friends can I kiss you one last time?” he asked moving
in closer.
“But…we’re
in a bar with people around,” I objected.
“No
one’s paying any attention to us. I just want one last kiss and that’ll be it,”
he continued to press the issue.
He
had a point. The lights were dim and the bar crew was cleaning up. I leaned in
and lightly grabbed him by his collar. He smirked a little before I pressed my
lips against his. He pulled me closer and groaned a little. I wanted more…I
wanted to take it back and say let’s try one more time but I thought about what
happened with Mason last week and all of my thoughts were shattered. If I got
back with Peyton I would have to tell him. I fucked up any chance of there
being an “us” ever again. If he knew, he would never look at me the same. He
would call me a name or two and stop speaking to his cousin. Peyton’s temper
isn’t made for the truth.
I
pull back and he tries to kiss me again but I turn my face away from him. I can’t
do it another time. Once was enough.
“Come
on Addy…let’s just go back to my place and work this out,” he softly pleads. “I
love you and you love me. Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. I’ll
be better this time. I’ll put a cap on my rage and I’ll be more respectful of
you.”
“Peyton,
no.” My eyes are teary and my face is turning red. “Trust me, you don’t want
me. I’m not the same me anymore. We
won’t be the same.”
He
caressed my arm and bit his bottom lip. He didn’t hear a word I just said.
All he thought about was taking me back to his place and “making up”.
“Peyton!”
I raised my voice a little and smacked his hand away. He jumped back into
reality. “No! I’m just going to go home now. I’ll talk to you later.” I got up
and walked toward the door at the back of the bar. I took one last look at him
before walking out. He focused his eyes on mine and I saw the anger inside of
him. I walked out knowing he found some other girl to take my place that night.
Now I
sit in my room looking at the picture we took together as a couple. I want so
badly to call him and tell him I take it back but I’m sure he’s too busy with
Claire or Lauren or whoever was willing…I let a tear fall and lay in my bed. At
least I sort of did the right thing…at least we’re still friends…
Find out more about Adalyn and Peyton in the RED Tragedies series here. Adalyn appears in A Tragic Heart, RED, Turn It Off (Coming Soon) & What Could've Been (Coming Soon). Peyton appears in A Tragic Heart, Turn It Off, & What Could've Been.
Hey all! Very recently I posted onto my social media accounts that I was thinking about creating VERY short stories based on the characters from the RED Tragedies series. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not but I've decided to give it a go.
Every so often I will post a new story equivalent to 1-2 pages based on one or more of my characters. These very short scenes will be based on various times of their lives and will not be written in any specific order. For example, you can read about 15 year old Peyton or 25 year old Peyton. You can read about Taylor's life with Peyton after A Tragic Heart (if it existed) and you can read about Taylor's life without Peyton. Basically, it's all for fun and games while giving you all an occasional dosage of the characters you've come to know and love.
Most of it will be a day in the life of ___________. I will also provide a song to listen to while reading (more than likely the song that inspired me to write the scene) so it can put you in the mood. I'm actually very excited about this new project and I can't wait to see what I will come up with. These stories will be written from the characters' POV in some cases and in others it'll be written as if a narrator is telling a story.
I will post each story on my blog as well as my Wattpad account. Hope you all are ready!
Characters who will be included are as follows along with the books they are present in (but more will be added as stories progress):
1. Taylor (A Tragic Heart, Turn It Off, What Could've Been)
2. Peyton (A Tragic Heart, Turn It Off, What Could've Been)
3. Mason (A Tragic Heart, RED, Turn It Off, What Could've Been)
4. Jackson(A Tragic Heart, RED, What Could've Been)
5. Adalyn (A Tragic Heart, RED, Turn It Off, What Could've Been)
6. Alex (RED)
7. Peyton Hayley (A Tragic Heart, RED, What Could've Been)
8. Ronan (RED)
9. Lauren (A Tragic Heart, Turn It Off)
A Tragic Heart & RED are available now while the intro and first chapter of Turn It Off is available. What Could've Been is coming soon!
It seems as if I'm releasing book after book but I promise this is the last one for a while...maybe. I decided to release RED(The Mini Book) so you all can add the character profiles, poems, and lessons/themes to your RED Tragedies collection. It's a compilation of the things I've posted on my blog but this time you can have it in one neatly packed (mini) book for only $6.00 for the paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle version.
If you're unsure about purchasing RED, you can check out the mini book for scenes from the full length novel and to get to know the characters better. The links are posted below:
I know, I know! I just released REDbut I thought it would be a great idea to release Turn It Off...well the intro and first chapter of the book at least. Turn It Off still has a while before it comes out (I still don't have a specific month or date) but it's never too early to give people a solid taste of what's to come. It's now available on Amazon for only $6.00 for paperback and $2.99 on Kindle. It's the unedited version of the book so pick up a copy and let me know what you think so far by leaving a review!
Turn It Off is the third installment to the RED Tragedies series (also known as A Tragic Heart series) so if you haven't yet, pick up your copy of A Tragic Heart (that's now only $2.99 on Kindle) and RED. Always remember to leave a review!
It's official! The final cover for RED is here! I love this cover so much because I feel like it's attractive yet it also depicts the main character Peyton so perfectly. Of course, the background is red but I love the glittery look it has to it because it almost makes you want to touch it. It's symbolic of how Peyton is. Beautiful and eye catching on the outside but when you get close enough to touch, it's pretty rough; kind of like the saying, "all that glitters is not gold." The original cover for RED was just a plain red background with black bold letters. This cover follows the same concept but it has a bit more pizazz! My sister says she thinks of ruby slippers and that's totally acceptable too. It's more simple than the new cover for A Tragic Heart but it's just as beautiful too. This makes me excited for the cover to the third installment of the series, Turn It Off! Anyway, take a look at the final cover for RED below:
It's another week which means it's time for another poem from a character's point of view. This time I'm choosing to write a poem from the point of view of the main character in RED. This is a poem by Peyton (Taylor and Peyton's daughter) after she has an altercation with one of her beaus. It's called Battered and Shattered. If you missed the poem from last week from Mason's POV, you can check it out here.
Sitting on the hard, cold ground alone
Scared, battered and shattered
I don't know who I am
I have no one to call
And the night is black
I'm just scared, battered and shattered
They're asking me questions
That I don't have the answers to
Alone, battered and shattered
My tears do the talking for me
Words won't come out my throat
I'm alone, battered and shattered
I've made my mistakes
But do I deserve this?
Confused, battered and shattered
My blood runs red
And my mind is running wild
I'm confused, battered and shattered
"Tell me your name"
"Do you have any family?"
Just leave me battered and shattered
I've come this far on my own
No one to guide me
He left me battered and shattered
Here's the scene from RED, Battered and Shattered was inspired by. Hope you enjoy it and remember RED will be released this Valentine's Day!
I
don’t recognize myself. It’s more than that
bad. It’s horrific. I become speechless and let my tears do the talking for me.
I want to let something out. I want words to come out of my mouth. Suddenly, I
hear screaming, a female’s voice that echoes through the night. It takes me a
while to figure out that it’s my own. I can’t believe he did this to me.
The
police and ambulance arrive as Robyn tries her best to console me. This can’t be
happening. This can’t be real. I must be dreaming. An officer and a paramedic run
up to me and bombard me with questions that I can’t answer right then. The
paramedic walks me over to the ambulance and sits me in the back of the truck.
He shines a light on my face and gently touches it.
“The
most we can do is treat these wounds. You have a contusion on the upper left
corner of your face but you’ll heal. Let’s get you to the hospital. You’ll need
X-rays and the police can take your report there. Do you have anyone we can
call?”
I
nod my head yes and he calls the police officer over to the truck. They all
look so sympathetic. I wonder if they all have daughters and are imagining what
if this happened to them. I’m afraid to witness what Mason would do.
“I’m
going to need a phone number, your mom or dad?” the officer says trying not to
look too concerned.
“I
don’t have a mom or a dad, just cousins.” I speak lowly in a monotone voice.
“I’m
going to need someone’s number,” he replies.
“I
tried to call Adalyn. She’s my cousin’s wife but she didn’t pick up.”
“What
about your cousin?” he asks now seeming concerned.
“He’s
in California on business.”
“Well,
I’ll tell you what. Give me both of their numbers and I’ll try my best to
contact them.”
I
give the officer all of my information and he says he’ll follow me to the
hospital to get the report after I’ve been fully examined. I lie back on the
stretcher as the ambulance drives away from the dark and lonely street that has
drops of my soul
scattered on it.
I
try to close my eyes but every time I do I see the image of Marcus. I’m not a
crier but lately my emotions seem to be taking control of me. The ride is
silent and I’ve never felt so alone in my life. How do I fix this? How do I
walk into school? What will Mason and Adalyn think? God, I don’t want all of
these answers at one time because that means there will be problems to go along
with it.
I'm happy to announce that I officially belong to a publishing company! I very recently signed with Line By Lion Publications and that means RED will be released through their publishing company. A Tragic Heart will also be re-released and I plan to release the entire RED Tragedies series with Line By Lion. I'll keep you all updated with news and future projects. 2015 should have a lot of exciting news for us all. Here's to a long and prosperous partnership! Cheers!
I'm proud to announce that I (along with several other authors) am featured in a piece for My Central Jersey about the book signing event at Barnes and Noble that will take place this weekend (Saturday, December 13th). The signing will begin at 11:00 am and end at 4:00 pm. As a reminder I will sign copies of A Tragic Heart and give out signed sneak peek copies of RED. I hope to see anyone who can make it there this weekend. Take a look at the piece below.
Good news! I recently got back the edited manuscript for RED and it's perfect! I'm so excited because this means that everything is finally coming together. I am now arranging for the book cover to be designed. A few months back I revealed the cover for RED but I decided I wanted to upgrade it a bit. It won't be much different but I want to add some improvements. You can take a look at the original cover below.
If things continue to go as planned (because you know how surprises go) RED will be released February 14, 2015 (that's right on Valentine's Day!). It will be available on Amazon ( in both physical and digital format), CreateSpace, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. RED is the second installment in my REDTragedies series and is part II to A Tragic Heart so it is sort of important that you read the first novel before attempting to dive into the second. A Tragic Heart is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CreateSpace, and Kobo (I think you can even find it on eBay). I don't care how you get it, just that you enjoy it and LEAVE A REVIEW! That last part is essential.
I'll keep you all posted when it comes to updates. I have a few more tricks/surprises up my sleeve for this project that I'm pretty excited about. I'll continue with the character profiles every month up until the release (looks like I only have two left). Be sure to spread the word!
Wow! Time really flew by fast! On September 27th, my debut novel, A Tragic Heart will celebrate it's first birthday. I wanted to do something special for my baby's first year so I decided to discount the price of the novel for 48 hours. That's right! Starting September 26th at 12:00 am, A Tragic Heart will only be $2.99 on Kindle. The sale ends on September 28th at 12:00 am. It's a pre-birthday/birthday celebration!
The novel has seen a decent amount of success, moving over 400 units (not bad for an indie author of no primary status) since it's release almost a year ago. More importantly, the novel has been met with critical acclaim by both readers and book reviewers. In fact, I just found out that my novel has been illegally downloaded 815 times this week and it's only Tuesday! While that may not seem like something to be proud of, the fact that the average star rating is 9.4 out of 10 makes me proud. More than anything I'm happy that people actually enjoy something I created during one of the worst times of my life. At the end of the day, it's not all about sales, it's about knowing that I created something people thoroughly enjoy. So, thank you to anyone who bothered to read the novel whether it was illegally or not.
As a lot of you know already, A Tragic Heart is part of a 4 part series entitledRED Tragedies.Basically, there's a lot more to come and I hope you all follow me into the last book and beyond.
Welp! That's all for now. Remember on September 26th starting at 12:00 am, download your copy of A Tragic Heart for only $2.99 on Kindle! Here's the link: A Tragic Heart-Kindle Edition.
In the meantime, A Tragic Heart has also just been released on Kobo for only $4.99! Link here: A Tragic Heart-Kobo
