Showing posts with label Elodie Nowodazkij. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elodie Nowodazkij. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

"Love in B Minor" by Elodie Nowodazkij

INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Love in B Minor
(Broken Dreams Book 3)
by Elodie Nowodazkij


Love in B Minor is the third standalone novel in the Broken Dreams series by Elodie Nowodazkij. Also available: One Dream Only (novella), One, Two, Three (read my blog post), A Summer Like No Other (novella), and Always Second Best (read my blog post).


This book blitz and giveaway is brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours.


Description
No promises. No fake tomorrows. That was the plan.
New city. New life. At least, that’s what nineteen-year-old Jen Harrison believes. On the surface, she’s living her dream: dancing in a prestigious dance company in Paris. But her sister’s death and the mistakes she’s tried to bury haunt her. She’s become a pro at hiding who she truly is, and she definitely doesn’t want a guy to derail her, but a one night-stand she can do. Nothing more. She definitely doesn’t plan to see the sexy stranger who made her laugh for the first time in years ever again.
Girls don’t walk away from Lucas Wills. Bad boy turned rock star, he’s got his share of groupies. Always upfront, he doesn’t promise fake tomorrows because love can destroy everything. Been there, done that. His ex not only lied to him, she stomped on his heart, used him to become famous, and almost ruined him. So, waking up alone after a night beyond his wildest imagination with a girl he just met shouldn’t upset him, shouldn’t inspire one of the saddest songs he’s ever written, shouldn’t make him want to chase after her.
When Jen, the one-night stand who got away, auditions to be a dancer in Lucas’ next music video, they can’t stop their growing attraction. But Jen’s secrets and his ex could shatter the careers they tried so hard to build and their hearts … they will have to decide what’s more important and if love is worth the fight.


Excerpt
Even though after last night, he doesn’t feel like a stranger.
I bite the inside of my cheek, hold my breath and slowly, very slowly turn my head to the left.
Random guy I met for the first time yesterday? Check.
Random hot guy who made feel like I’ve known him forever? Double check.
Random hot guy sleeping on his back with the covers barely covering him making my heart pound? Triple check.
I have to force myself not to trail my fingers from his large shoulders, down his rock-hard abs. That might wake him up and defeat my attempt to gracefully and quietly slip away. His dark hair is tousled and his stubble probably left marks on my neck and many other places. My face flushes. Even asleep, he’s got that little something that sends the most delicious shivers down my spine.
And if I keep on staring, he’s going to wake up.
Can’t happen.
I force myself to look away,
The sweet aroma tickles my nose again.
Memories of last night rush back to me, how I dared a guy I had known for about two hours to bake me cookies. And he did. And man, those cookies were amazing. Soft and chewy and chocolaty. Like the perfect—
A strong arm curls over my waist and cuts off my thoughts.
This should feel weird and unfamiliar.
It doesn't.
I shouldn't want to cuddle closer, to keep my eyes closed and play pretend.
I do.
And for a second, I picture leaning into his strong arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck, letting myself believe that what we had last night meant more than it does. That it could be more than a one-night stand.
But I learned long ago not to believe in fairy tales.


Praise for the Book
"From the beginning until the utterly shocking end this book kept my attention. The ballerina and the rock star. Two people who you probably wouldn't imagine together but fit each other so perfectly. [...] Just know that this book is perfect and the end, oh the end. It's a crazy, fun ride of a book and hopefully you'll fall in love with this book and the characters as much as I have." ~ Megan Coppadge
"The book takes a couple of turns that surprised the heck out of me. They were good surprises and I liked the way it turned out. This book also has me thinking that I maybe should try to catch a ballet sometime. I absolutely loved this book and would totally recommend it to anyone who likes new adult romance." ~ Carey Fletcher
"Wow. I'm really impressed. I have to say, I had my doubts about Jen in Always Second Best, but by the end of it, I kind of liked her. I was still a bit hesitant, but mostly intrigued and excited to read her story. And it was great. It was almost better than ASB, but not quite. It's close, though." ~ BookFreak 101


Interview with the Author
Where did you get the inspiration for Jen & Lucas?
Jen has been in my head for quite a bit. She was a very tiny part of a previous draft of One Dream Only, and then she gained importance in A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best. I think maybe people didn’t like her at the beginning because of her actions and her words. But then in Always Second Best, I think it becomes clear that even though she’s done mistakes, she’s also so much more than those mistakes. And … she’s strong and she’s weak, and she’s hard-working and she’s dedicated, and she’s funny. She wanted to tell her story, so I did.
And her story involved Lucas. Lucas was a bit harder for me to figure out but I knew that he’d been hurt before, that he had a hard time trusting people so he only did one-night stands. Giving him his own POV, his own voice helped me to dig deeper into his thoughts in a first draft and then he didn’t stop talking. I love Lucas. He’s talented and dedicated. He loves his family and his friends. He loves his music. He’s funny and charming and … pretty sexy too.
Why did you choose Paris as the setting?
Honestly, it came to me naturally. I knew Jen wasn’t going to stay in the city, that she had companies calling her from everywhere, and I knew she wanted to start fresh somewhere far. I knew it would come back to haunt her because of her sister passing away. I knew Lucas was half American, half French and what better city to have them meet than Paris?
Have you ever been to Paris?
I come from a tiny village about an hour north from Paris. And I also did a lot of business trips there years later. Paris for me is also synonym to late dinners in restaurants laughing and talking about the world. Every single time, the cab was driving into the city, I felt a rush of emotion. Paris is … magical to me. It has a feel of being home, and I can get lost in Paris, thinking about its history and its beauty and its character. I love this city.
Why did you dedicate your book to Paris?
Not only because it is set there, but I think for those feelings I was mentioning: this magical feeling of being in Paris. And because of its resilience and its way of getting together in the wake of tragedy. I started working on this novel before the attacks that took place in Paris, and I stopped writing for a few weeks because I couldn’t bring myself to do it after the attacks. But I want to remember how right after people came together. People from all layers of society, from all religions or from no religions, men and women. There was this sense of standing together. For a brief moment. And Paris will always be Paris.
What are you currently working on?
I am revising a YA paranormal romance full of witches and kisses and curses and history and again a bit of France. I am also revising a romantic suspense novel …
I used the play the piano and b-minor was always one of my favorite key. It can sound dissonant but brought together with a melody, I find it so interesting, that’s how I came up with Love in B Minor.
Is that the last book in your Broken Dreams series?
I don’t know. Part of me wants to write the story of Alisha and Steve. And I’ve been asked to write Roberto’s story (Emilia’s brother who you can meet in A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best).
What’s your favorite book ever?
Ever? Like ever, ever? I can’t answer that. YA-wise, I still love Jellicoe Road. Have you read it? I also love Stephanie Perkins’ books, and I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios … and if you’re looking for some swoony YA contemporary romance, wait until you read Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman. It comes out next year and I loved it.
Anything else you would like to tell us?
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of you. So, thank you!


About the Author
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, their dog, and their cat. She's also a serial smiley user.


Giveaway
Enter the blitz-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, signed paperback copies of A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best, or ebook copies of One Dream Only and One, Two, Three.

Links

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

"Always Second Best" by Elodie Nowodazkij

GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Always Second Best
(Broken Dreams Book 3)
by Elodie Nowodazkij


Always Second Best is the third book in the Broken Dreams series by Elodie Nowodazkij. Also available: One Dream Only (FREE), One, Two, Three (currently FREE; read my blog post), and A Summer Like No Other.



This book blitz and giveaway is brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours.


Description
Sometimes being first isn’t what you expected.
Seventeen-year-old ballerina Emilia Moretti is tired of always being second best. And she’s going to prove the world she deserves to be first. In her upcoming School of the Performing Arts showcase. In the eyes of her birth parents. And in the heart of the guy she loves. She spends hours rehearsing, hours dreaming about becoming number one, hours imagining how her entire life is about to change. But when nothing goes the way she planned, she’ll need to realize what it really means to be first.
Eighteen-year-old Nick Grawski doesn’t want to follow Daddy Dearest’s rules any longer. He’s going to prove he’s meant to be a dancer - not a lawyer - and he is not going to stay away from Em just because his father demands it. He needs to show Em that - this time around - he’s there to stay and that he won’t break her heart again. Even when her world goes down to shit, even when he finds out his dad may have been trying to protect him all along, even if being there for one another is harder than falling in love.
Always Second Best is a novel of hope and heartbreak and broken dreams. It’s a novel about falling in love and discovering that being first isn’t always what matters.


Excerpt from Chapter 17 / EM
“You’re either in love or you’re having a stroke,” Nonna says and chuckles.
“That’s so not funny,” I reply and she hugs me.
“If I can’t laugh about it, who else will?” she replies.
“No one. You shouldn’t be laughing about it and no one should be laughing about it.”
“I’d rather spend my last good years, or months or weeks, laughing at death coming than being afraid to look at it in the eyes, Bellisima.” She checks on the boiling polpette. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet,” I reply. “They’re not going to be ready for another thirty minutes or so.”
“Why don’t you sit down with me and then we’ll eat,” she says and we settle at a table she has set on the side of the kitchen.
She puts her hand on mine. “Loving is scary. And sometimes getting hurt is worth it. I was hurt when your Poppa passed away. I was hurt when I lost your aunt and she was so little. But I don’t regret those loves because they didn’t mean to hurt me. I didn’t go into those relationships thinking how bad they were for me, but rather how good they made me feel.” She catches her breath. “If you’re afraid to get hurt, there's a good chance he's worth you giving him a chance. But if you know you’re going to get hurt, for no good reason, he’s not worth your time, and certainly not worth your love.”
“What if I already got hurt?”
“Maybe you both weren’t ready.” She leans forward. “You were not the only one who got hurt this summer, Bellisima. Nicholas did too.”
My eyes widen and she chuckles. “I’m old but I’m not blind. Now, tell me more about the recipe you used for the polpette.”


Praise for the Book
"The plot twists and winds through unexpected loops, one after another after another. Grief piles on top of grief. This book will slay you at times, but it will also put you as close to back together as it can. Which won't be all the way. Because Always Second Best is the kind of book that will stick with you, deep in your chest, for a long time after reading." ~ Riley Edgewood
"This book was as much a pleasure to read as the others, and the characters still grabbed, pulled me in and had me wishing life would finally go their way. [...] This is an emotional roller-coaster, which drags the characters through the toughest situations possible. [...] I recommend this to contemporary YA Romance fans as well as ballet lovers. There's a lot of heart in this story, which makes it hard not to fall in love with Em and Nick and hope they make it through." ~ Tonja Drecker


Guest Post by the Author
The Scary Moment Before Hitting Publish
As a self-publisher, I get to decide when my book is ready. I get to hit the “publish” button. But it never gets easier. And in my view, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Why?
Because being nervous in this case means that I care about the book, and I care about their journey. And yes, I need to work on being less anxious, but sometimes I also need to embrace it.
Emilia and Nicholas - Em & Nick - are two characters who are close to my heart. And letting them go in the world could probably be compared to when our parents let us go out of the door on that first day of class. They know it’s not going to be all pink and happy and laughter. But they are also convinced that we deserve the best.
Well, Always Second Best going out of the door, getting ready for the world, and I know Em & Nick will not only receive praise and love but there’s a big part of me that crosses my fingers that most of the world falls in love with them. Just like I did.
Part of the pre-order process on Amazon is that you need to upload your book 10 days before and in the self-publishing world, everything usually comes out faster, and I’m always scared out of my mind that maybe I should have just re-read it one more, maybe I should have just ask somebody else to give me feedback, maybe I should have scrapped the entire thing. And I’m the only one making that decision at that moment in time. (well, I do reach out to my friends in freaked out text messages or GChat for reassurance and they rock :P)
I keep my head high and my “delete” finger in check and I re-read the comments, and I make sure my little book is ready for all kinds of weather: for the negative reviews storm, for the positive reviews blue skies, for the “I loved this story” rainbows…
And I make sure I’m ready for that to: reaching out to friends, getting a hug from my husband, eating chocolate, watching a movie, going out, reading…
And then I hit “publish”…
And today, Always Second Best is available around the world.
And I cross my fingers you enjoy it at least half as much as I love it.


About the Author
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, their dog, and their cat. She's also a serial smiley user.

Giveaway
Enter the blitz-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card or the chance to name a character in Elodie’s next novel.

Links