EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Tailwinds Past Florence
by Doug Walsh
Tailwinds Past Florence by Doug Walsh is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Their love spans centuries. Will it survive a journey around the world?
After getting blacklisted from the venture capital industry, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Vaughan will do anything to avoid telling his wife what happened. Even if it means agreeing to her dream of bicycling around the world. Kara, tired of being married to a workaholic, was readying for a divorce. Now, she’s packing bags of a different kind. Together, they pedal away from Seattle, headed east on the open road across America, Europe, and beyond.
Theirs is a decision that reverberates across centuries, shattering a continuum that bound their souls throughout time, and traps Edward in a battle with a past life over an eternal love.
As the miles roll by, and the couple's sordid secrets begin to surface, the couple encounters several men plucked from history, each one a vessel of Edward’s soul in a prior life. Of them, a 19th century art dealer proves dangerous, believing Kara is his ticket back to the past.
Tailwinds Past Florence is a contemporary love story with a magical twist, landing readers in the saddle of a global bicycle adventure.
Excerpt
Kara clutched her chest as her breathing returned to normal. It was one thing not to know why he wasn’t at work, it was another for him to be hiding behind the door. What the hell, Edward. She bent to pick up her dropped keys. “You’re home.” It came out more statement than question.
“Long story. Why didn’t you cover your eyes?”
She raised her hands in answer. They held a gym bag, purse, keys, and an envelope she’d somehow forgotten about in the commotion. “You didn’t give me any time,” she said. Then, noticing the map—her map—and the champagne, asked, “What’s all this?”
“This,” he said, grinning like a schoolboy about to receive his first kiss, “is a change of plans.”
Her mouth fell open as she processed what she was hearing. Kara spent months asking him to take time off, hoping he’d see how important the trip was to her, practically begging. She tore the map down after the holidays, after diplomatic overtures had failed. She’d been holding a bomb ever since, delaying the inevitable. Now, with her self-imposed deadline having come and gone, he wanted to do it.
Today? You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought, clutching the envelope, dumbstruck.
“I thought you’d be excited.” His smile drooped.
“I … I am,” she stammered. “I think. You have to admit, it’s a lot to swallow.”
“You still want to go, right?”
Did she? It’d be an incredible adventure, a badge she’d wear the rest of her life. But, to Kara, cycling around the world was a means to an end. Her gaze drifted to the map, the promise held within its Sharpie itinerary. The promise of change, of resurrecting the man she married, her best friend and lover. For three years, it’d be just the two of them, reforging their bond against the anvil of the open road. And if her plan didn’t succeed, if he returned to his workaholic ways when it was over, she’d at least know she tried.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Having followed the author's travels around the world by bicycle, I half expected a travel guide and a story about that trip from a fictional perspective. What Doug wrote was so much more. If you enjoy whimsical stories about travel, love stories or stories of mystery and intrigue, this book hits them all and brought me joy with each page turned.” ~ Eric Carlson
“Tailwinds Past Florence rewarded me with equal parts pure escape, discovery, and adventure, as well as a welcome reminder to value what's important in life. If this novel's product description or my review stirs your interest even in the slightest, I'm confident you'll enjoy Doug Walsh's story, characters, and world immensely.” ~ T. Fitzpatrick
“Tailwinds Past Florence engages the reader right from the start. Each character is brought to life with such a depth of human emotion, their relationships and interactions feel so authentic, the tension between them is so real - that I was captivated. I hardly wanted to put this book down after reading each night. But it is also a novel that I found myself thinking back to during my day and an adventure that I was always eager to return to.” ~ simple512
“It was a fun and sweet read, with an interesting twist. I really enjoyed it!” ~ Cindy Hartnell
“Tailwinds Past Florence is such a delightful read because it is a beautiful blend of travel, romance, and suspense, which is not something I have come across before. […] I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a solid fiction novel. You may just find yourself turning the pages as quickly as Edward attempted to race across the world.” ~ Jessica A. Walsh
About the Author
Doug Walsh made his fiction debut with Tailwinds Past Florence, a road-tripping love story with a magical twist, inspired by the two years he spent cycling the world. The novel was a prizewinner in the PNWA Literary Contest. He's also authored One Lousy Pirate, a travel memoir, and over one hundred officially-licensed video game strategy guides. Travel guides to fictitious places, as he likes to call them. Originally from New Jersey, he now lives and plays in the mountains of western Washington.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon/B&N gift card.
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