"Praying for Daylight (The McCree's)" by J. C. Isabella

INTERVIEW

Praying for Daylight
(The McCree's)

by J. C. Isabella

Praying for Daylight is currently on tour with Reading Addiction Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author. Be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

Kate Kelly gave up everything to be a star. Her life was on the fast track as country music’s hot newcomer, but that meant leaving her hometown of McCree Montana and the boy she loved behind.

Dustin O’Brian didn’t think he’d ever see Kate again. After leaving him with a gaping hole in his heart, he figured being in the same room with her, much less the same state, would take a miracle.

When he finds Kate hiding out in the old Kelly house, he realizes something went wrong. Dustin wasn’t sure what those Hollywood folks had done to send her running, but he was beyond happy she’d sought him out for company … once he convinced her that he’d keep her being back in McCree secret.

Things were looking up, and he had high hopes that Kate would be his once more.

That is until Death comes knocking at her door.

And Dustin realizes that the future he wants with Kate is one they will have to fight for.

Excerpt

“And the winner is … Kate Kelly!”

The roar in my ears was almost too much to bear. I dropped my beaded clutch, stumbled, nearly fell face first into the lap of a famous director sitting beside me, but I made it. I made it all the way up the shining, gold stairs, all the way to the clear glass podium. I barely registered the tall blonde woman handing me my first award.

I thought about everything that brought me to this point, and my stomach rolled in nervous excitement.

Kaitlin Kelly, a little nobody from a small town, McCree, Montana.

I was being honored as hot new artist of the year.

Good God, I really couldn’t breathe.

I eyed the microphone, which was just a little high for me, and stood as tall as I could in my cowgirl boots. They were baby blue with silver stitching, and matched my short white ruffled dress perfectly.

But I seriously had to stop thinking about my boots and say something…

“Uh, wow,” I gasped, squinting through the bright lights of the stage. “I can’t believe this. I feel so happy, and blessed. And I didn’t even write a speech because I never thought I’d win … and I know I have so many people to thank, but I just can’t remember their names! So, thank you … uh, to my manager Jake, my sister - Cheyenne, you don’t know how much … what you have done means to me. I love you. You’re my best friend. Uh, and I’d like to thank my manager Jake. I couldn’t have done this without you. And I … I just love everyone, and I think I’m starting to make a fool out of myself …” I felt a clammy hand on my arm and glanced back at the blonde woman. Music started to play. I had to wrap this up. “Uh, so thanks to everyone. I love you all!”

And I was whisked backstage. Lights flashed as cameras snapped. I posed this way, that way, stuck out my leg like I was taught. I held up my award, bursting with pride.

I made music and toured the country with other stars. Life was more than I could ever ask for. I was having a blast.

Who’d have thought that I would spend my senior year of high school on the road, getting to hang out with some of country music’s brightest stars?

I was one of them now. I had my award and congratulations at the after party. So many people peppered me with questions about my second album and what I had planned for it.

To be honest, I was so caught up in everything else, I really hadn’t put much thought to it. Once I had some down time, I’d have to think about what I was going to do.

“Honey, you were amazing!” my sister said, hugging me later that night at the after party. She was older than me by about ten years, and she had a son, Ben. I didn’t think she’d go for me having a music career, but she supported me every step of the way.

Some people thought my sister took advantage of me, by exploiting me when I was only sixteen. But it was my idea. I wanted this more than anything in the world. I had to convince her.

Not that she didn’t benefit. My rise to fame brought attention to her talent as an interior designer, and now she was in talks for her own TV show on the home improvement channel.

An arm came around me and I was swept off my feet in a crushing hug. Jake, my manager, nodded. “You’re a star.”

I smiled. “Thanks guys, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Oh, after this, we should all go eat hamburgers in our gowns like the other famous people!” Cheyenne grinned with excitement, and I watched Jake share the giddiness with her.

“So.” I looked up at Jake when my sister was snatched by a singer looking to revamp her kitchen. “Any progress?”

Jake shook his big blond head. “No, I’m being a chicken.”

I glanced at the crowd gathered on the rooftop of a swanky hotel. It was full of the elite, and I almost felt out of place. “You can get any one of the girls here, so why can’t you just ask out my sister? I mean, I’m planning a wedding in my head here. Ben loves you…it’s like, perfect.”

“I know. I don’t want to screw this up. I mean, it’s Cheyenne. She’s gorgeous and smart, and she smells like sugar cookies.”

I rolled my eyes. Never would I have thought big, tough Jake Parsons, would revert to his teenage ego at the thought of approaching my sister for a date. “Why don’t you tell her you love her and pop the question?”

He blanched. “I haven’t kissed her, and I’m going to ask her to marry me?”

“You know you want to …” I smirked.

“Yeah, but I can’t just get down on bended knee and give her the ring.”

“Wait, you have a ring?” I nearly dropped my drink. Holy Lord. My sister was just as crazy about him, so I was going to have to do something to end the insanity. It’d been like this for a year now. She was constantly wondering if he’d date her, and if ben would like him for a stepfather. Jake was pestering me daily about her favorite colors, flowers, and whether or not he could be a dad to ben.

I lowered my voice, “Uh, where did you get a ring?”

He blushed. Like, actually blushed! “It belonged to my aunt. It’s a family heirloom.”

“Oh my god! Cheyenne is going to love that!”

“Really?” His chest puffed up.

“You know how she is about mass-produced stuff. She loves things with meaning.”

“Great … but it still doesn’t help that we haven’t been on a date yet.”

“How about you come over tomorrow?” I had it all worked out in seconds. My plan would go perfectly. He’d come over, I’d make up a sudden excuse to leave and take Ben with me. “Tomorrow is pancake night. Eat with us, and then you ask my sister out, or I’m doing it for you.”

He nodded. “Right, pancakes. Should I bring a bottle of wine?”

“I said pancakes…”

“Red or white?” He wasn’t hearing me. “Maybe flowers?”

“Unbelievable.” I stood on my tiptoes and locked eyes with him. “Bring chocolate milk.”

“Milk.”

“Yes, the kind with chocolate in it.” I rolled my eyes, heading to grab sparkly water from the bar. He’d figure it out, or I’d ambush him in the front yard tomorrow, snag his wine, and hand him a bottle of Ben’s favorite milk.

Review

By Kindle Customer

This was a great book. I really enjoyed the story line and the characters. Along with the twist and turns. This book had a little bit if everything in it.

Interview with the Author

Hi J.C. Isabella, thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book, Praying for Daylight.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

I would say Janet Evanovich, with her humor, and Kresely Cole left a big impression. I love them both!

What age group do you recommend your book for?

It’s YA, for teens, but I have people of all ages that read my books.

What sparked the idea for this book?

After I wrote Chasing McCree, I loved the idea of writing books about the other people in the story. The person I wanted to start with was Dustin.

Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

I think it’s a little bit of both. I have this character, and an idea that something’s happening … or going to happen, and then the story snowballs from there.

What is your writing routine?

Well, I get up, take the dog out if daddy hasn’t taken him. Maybe fix breakfast and start writing. Or I’ll spend the day with my boys and then write in the evening. I’ve been known to bring my laptop on car rides and write too.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

The best thing you can do is write. I know a lot of authors tell people this, and I remember staring at author interviews like, there has to be more to it than that! What’s the big secret? But really, it’s all you can do. Just write, keep writing, and when you think you’ve written enough, write some more. Most people don’t write one perfect book and get it published. You should write a few books, allow yourself the time to get even better, making yourself that much stronger. Once you are confident in what you put out, then you are ready for the next step. Also, if the book you are trying to publish doesn’t get picked up or go over well, you have a few others to fall back on, instead of having to go back and write more, then try to get them published.

Great advice! What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I’ve found I like to take long walks and hikes. I’d never been much of an outdoors girl, but I am just wrapping up a month long trip to Germany, I know when we get back to Florida, I’m going to miss all the mountains and trails. I also love to cook! I want to try my hand at Indian cuisine now.

What does your family think of your writing?

I think they think it’s pretty cool.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I don’t think I ever really realized it, I just kind of stumbled into it, and decided I loved it. But I do remember sitting with a book, and thinking to myself … I could do this! So I tried … and here I am today. An author.

That's great! Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?

I’d say one influenced a whole book. One of my friends growing up played baseball. The girls loved him. I didn’t quite get it, since he was like family to me, and that’s how I wrote The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I love to hear from readers! I try to write back as soon as I can too. I get a lot of readers asking for help with writing, or wanting to know how to become an author. I’ve had readers who are sick, that find an escape through books.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

You can look forward to more cowboys, baseball players, maybe a few zombies, a princess under a spell, and lots of romance :) All in 2014!

Sounds good! Thank you for stopping by today. Best of luck with your future projects.

About the Author

J. C. Isabella is the author of Chasing McCree and The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club. Ever since she discovered romance novels in high school, she has been a self proclaimed fan. This led to penning her first YA . When she isn't thinking up new recipes for the cookbook she hopes to one day write, she is brainstorming a new novel and listening to country music. She lives in the tropics of Florida with her big fat Italian family and ornery feline companion.

Links

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Twitter @jcisabellabooks

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"Chasing McCree" by J. C. Isabella

BOOK BLITZ

Chasing McCree

by J. C. Isabella

Chasing McCree is part of a book blitz brought to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours. Be sure to visit the other host blogs as well.

Description

Briar Thompson had it all. The right clothes, the right friends, the right car. Being popular was all that mattered. Her parents were rich and treated like royalty throughout the community. She thought her senior year of high school was going perfectly, until the night her drink was spiked at a party by one of her so called friends.

That was the night she met Chase McCree.

Chase wanted to go back to Montana. To the ranch and the wild, wide blue sky that went on forever. He wanted nothing to do with flashy cars or spoiled rich kids. But he found himself head over boots for the quirky cheerleader who turned her back on her social status. She befriended him when no one else would.

Shunned and hurt by the people who were once her friends, Briar flees with Chase to his family ranch in Montana. There she discovers another world, and apart of herself she never knew.

The cowboy wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. The cheerleader wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Apart their lives didn’t seem to make sense, but together, they were chasing forever.

Excerpt

Chase

A siren blared. Someone cursed as he sat impatiently at a red light. Another man laid on his horn. The person in front of him wasn’t moving fast enough.

I wished I were in Montana. Nothing but big skies and cool, clean air filtering down from the white-capped mountains.

But I was in Florida near a fancy hotel and golf club. I couldn’t imagine how anyone who lived here found it enjoyable. Heat was trapped between the buildings and radiated off the pavement. The green trees and grass were relegated to yards and medians. Everywhere I looked, tourists crowded the beaches, the stores.

I did have a little piece of Montana embodied in an old horse named Ash. Although I knew I could get into some serious shit, I decided to take him out for a nighttime ride through one of the parks in my neighborhood. The land behind my house wasn’t big enough for him to gallop in without going in circles, and if it made me dizzy, then it had to be driving him nuts.

“Hup.” I urged him to jump over a low shrub and headed for the soccer field, gathering speed. It was set far back from the road, not well lit. The chances of anyone seeing us were slim.

Ash was in heaven. He pumped his legs, whinnying and shaking his head. It was invigorating and freeing—the best idea and the most fun either of us had had in a couple of weeks.

We reached the far side of the field near a swing set and I brought Ash down to a nice trot, making sure he didn’t wear himself out.

“What do you say we take a break?” I pulled back on his reins next to a fountain wrapped in cement steps, and slid out of the saddle. It was a nice night—hotter than I’d anticipated, but I couldn’t see the stars because of all the city lights. I patted Ash, leading him around the fountain, knowing we’d have to get back to the house before my mom got home. She was in Tampa with her husband Todd, seeing some show or other.

I grasped the saddle to mount Ash, thinking I’d take him for a final run before heading back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement that brought me to a halt.

Now, I’m no idiot, and just because I wasn’t used to city living didn’t mean I’d go out at night in a park without some protection. So I grabbed my grandfather’s whip off the saddle, uncoiling it straight out. If the person behind me was looking for an easy target, he was going to get a nasty surprise.

Curling my fingers around the handle, I glanced over my shoulder.

I was expecting to find a man looking to mug me, anything remotely threatening, not a little blonde cheerleader covered in glitter…and blood.

Not wanting to scare her, I looped the whip back on the saddle, and turned to find her sitting carefully on the steps of the fountain.

She hiccuped. “That’s a horse.”

“Yep,” I said, glancing around, wondering why she was alone.

“You can’t have a horse in a park.” Her voice went up an octave and back down on a slur.

“Are you drunk?” I couldn’t hide my shock. It didn’t surprise me that someone could get wasted and wander around a park. But a girl dressed in a skimpy cheerleading uniform, who looked like she’d be blown over by a good gust of wind? This was the last place she needed to be. What was wrong with these city people? Were they all insane?

Or maybe it was me. The slow-talking country poke, as my classmates so nicely call me. Being from two different worlds, the chances we’d see eye to eye right away were slim.

“I am perferlectly…perfictfly…” Her bottom lip pouted out and she gave up. “I’m fine.” She put her head between her knees. “Can you make those extra two feet go away?”

“Uh, no.”

“My head hurts.”

“I’m sorry.” What else was I supposed to say? There was something familiar about her, though. Her cheerleading uniform sported the colors of my new high school.

I studied her a little more closely.

Yep, she was definitely one of the popular crowd. I’d seen her around a few times, but had never talked to her. I was on the bottom of the totem pole, and she might as well be royalty.

She started to giggle.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I don’t know…” And then she started to cry.

Shit. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

“Make it stop,” she sobbed, sitting up and wiping the tears away with her hand. Her nails were hot pink.

“Make what stop?”

“I don’t feel good. I’m laughing, next I’m crying. My face feels like a balloon. My knees hurt and my hands hurt…and did I tell you my head hurts, too?”

“Yeah, you did. Alcohol obviously doesn’t sit well with you.” She was a mess, and oddly cute. I crouched to get a closer look at the little train wreck. Her makeup was smeared, tracks of black running down her cheeks and mixing with silver glitter. I looked lower. Her hands lay palms-up in her lap. They were red and raw, with little bits of gravel embedded in them. Both of her knees were bloody, lines of red dried to her shins with even more gravel and dirt.

My chest felt tight. She might be one of those popular brats, but she didn’t deserve this. “How’d that happen?”

“I fell,” she said, blubbering and sniffling. “A man chased me, and I ran. But I tripped because I…sometimes I have four feet! A person can’t just sprout two extra feet, right? It really hurts to walk. I don’t know what hurts the most. And I don’t know what I’m doing, because I’m drunk! I don’t want to be drunk… Did I tell you my head hurts?”

“Yeah, for the third time. I’ve never heard of someone growing extra feet.” I stood up. She was going to be a pain until she sobered, but I wasn’t going to let anything else happen to her. “Did you hit your head?”

It took her a minute. She stared hard at my boots before looking back up to answer. “No.”

“You’re sure?”

“About what?”

“Did you hit your head?”

“Once, last year at cheer practice.” She yawned. “I fell off the pyramid.”

“But you didn’t hit it tonight.”

She stared blankly, as if I was crazy. “Why would I do that? My head already hurts.”

Great, now that that was cleared up, I got back on track. “Let me take you home.”

“No!” She leapt up and swayed forward. I steadied her. As soon as she had her footing, she shoved me away. “Leave me alone. I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Fine.” I watched her march toward the soccer field, heading in the general direction of nowhere. If she walked far enough, she’d end up in the creek. Being wet was bound to upset her even more, until she drowned. Swimming—hell, wading—would be the final straw. She’d sink like a stone. And if I let that happen, I’d go down as the only bastard in history to let a drunken cheerleader drown in three feet of water at a family park.

I felt bad for her. Really, I did. I also hoped that she’d learned her lesson.

“Good-bye,” she shouted, walking the saddest excuse for a straight line I’d ever seen. Might as well have been walking backward. That would have been faster.

“Why me?” I couldn’t just let her wander off. No telling who was out in the park. One man had supposedly chased her, causing her to skin both knees and palms. So I mounted Ash and followed, keeping my distance.

She whipped around and pointed her finger at me. “Are you following me?”

“Nope,” I lied, trying not to laugh. She was an adorable mess. Chunks of her honey-blond hair were starting to fall out of their sparkly clips, curling about her face.

“Chasing me?”

“Yup.”

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“Because you’re hurt and drunk. Do I need a better reason than that?”

“Yes, you do.” She stuck her nose in the air, haughtily, and I knew I’d met my match. She was as stubborn as a mule, a pain in the ass, and drunker than Uncle Jerry on New Year’s.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I only want to make sure you’ll be safe. I’m not chasing you around all night because I think it’s a nice way to pass the time.”

“Oh.” Her bottom lip quivered and the tears came back in full force. Luckily for her I had enough patience to cope.

“What now?” Had I said something upsetting?

“I don’t feel good.” She doubled over and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach onto the soccer field.

I rolled my eyes heavenward, hopped off Ash, and left him to wander. When I was within an arm’s length she backed up, turned, and staggered away.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said in a soothing tone, one that I used to calm a frenzied horse. It was the same thing. She was skittish, her mind and body locked in flight mode.

She was still crying, too. It was an amazing sight to behold. “I’m embarrassed.”

“Because you got sick?”

“Duh!” She scampered away, legs wobbling. “I’ve never done that in front of a guy before.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I don’t care. I’ve mucked out horse stalls and branded cattle.”

“Sure, cowboy.” She stumbled over her own feet.

“Whoa.” I grabbed her around the waist before she went down on her knees and irritated the scrapes.

“Let me go!” She struggled and I prayed a passerby wouldn’t see us and get the wrong idea.

“Sorry, you’re stuck with me. Now, calm down. Hey, don’t bite me! I’m not going to hurt you.” I pinned her arms, held her close until she slumped in defeat. Hell, at least she didn’t kick like a mule. She hiccuped, sighed, then pressed her face into my shoulder, soaking my shirt with tears, smearing me with silver glitter and Lord knew what else.

“Why won’t you let me take you home?” I asked, keeping my voice low, rubbing her arms. Soothe the savage beast, as my grandfather used to say. Not that she was savage or beastly. “I won’t make you ride the horse. I’ll get my truck.”

“It’s not the horse.” She went limp. “I don’t want my parents to see me like this. They’d be so disappointed.”

“Okay, somewhere else, then. Where can I take you?”

“Nowhere.”

That left me two choices, one of which I’d already decided against. I couldn’t leave her in the park…but I could take her home with me. I glanced at Ash, waiting patiently, and hoped he was up to having a second, somewhat hysterical, rider.

I called him over and grabbed the reins, patting his side. With a little coaxing, because he hadn’t done tricks in a while, I got him to kneel. I threw my leg over and brought the girl down in front of me. She let out a squeal, and started laughing as soon as Ash was standing. Then she cried, changing emotions so quickly I couldn’t keep up.

“So what’s your name?” I asked, keeping one arm tight around her waist so she didn’t slide out of the saddle or try to jump down. Didn’t need to add any more injuries.

“Briar Thompson.” She ran her fingers through Ash’s mane. Calmer. She had a horse as a distraction. “Who are you?”

“I’m Chase McCree.”

“You’re a real cowboy?”

“Last time I checked.” That got a chuckle out of me, and she laughed, too. I couldn’t help but think she looked like a princess, despite her messy appearance.

“My head hurts.” She gasped, her giggles coming to a halt.

“You told me.” I smiled and urged Ash into the shadows when a car passed on the street nearby.

“I did?” She sounded confused, like she didn’t remember.

“Yup.” And she’d probably tell me again.

“How many feet do you have, Chase?”

“Two.”

“I have four.” She was upset again, voice trembling.

“No, Briar, you have two.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I counted.” I touched her right leg. “One.” I touched her left. “Two.”

“I hate pickles.”

And then she passed out.

“Me too.” I let out a breath, one I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Earlier today I’d been thinking how incredibly boring it was here. Nothing like a drunken cheerleader to spice up the night. “Let’s go home,” I said to Ash, keeping Briar tucked close, and heading for my mother’s house.

Review

By Jet8

I really loved this book! As a matter of fact, I even thought of buying a hard copy. It's one of those book that will stay with you forever, make you feel good, a decent book that you'll really get to enjoy the whole true meaning of life, love, caring and happiness.

I truly enjoyed reading this book and loved it! I had to go back many times to my favorite parts on my Kindle. I couldn't get over it - to read another book or move on to a new one! You will love both characters! It is a must read!

About the Author

J. C. Isabella is the author of Chasing McCree and The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club. Ever since she discovered romance novels in high school, she has been a self proclaimed fan. This led to penning her first YA . When she isn't thinking up new recipes for the cookbook she hopes to one day write, she is brainstorming a new novel and listening to country music. She lives in the tropics of Florida with her big fat Italian family and ornery feline companion.

Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon US author page

Amazon UK author page

Facebook

Goodreads

Google+

Twitter @jcisabellabooks

Website