August FogBy A.L. Goulden
Description:Release date: April 1st, 2014Genre: Contemporary Romance
Monica Waters is a television editor living in Los Angeles reluctantly passing through her thirties in a damaged marriage to the love of her life Alex. They've worked hard since Alex's affair years ago to get to a place of predictable happiness in all areas except the bedroom. She's learned to accept the mediocre sex life in exchange for a comfortable and stabilizing companionship to her best friend.
When an artist from New York named Quinn Matthews moves in next door, all of the fire Monica has learned to suppress flares an obsession into a scalding and dangerously secret relationship. Quinn invigorates her lust for art, flesh and a life she hasn't been living and forces her to make the most difficult decision of her life. Will she clench to her commitment and history with Alex or be swept away by the life and lust she used to dream of with Quinn?
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Excerpt:
Monica never heard Alex leave for his hike. She didn’t even hear him get out of bed. That’s why the knock at the front door at seven thirty startled her. She stumbled into the sun dress thrown across the hamper and crept into the living room. Quinn’s unmistakable silhouette was standing at the front door. She unlocked it noticing his usual shorts and flip-flops with no shirt. She thought she must still be dreaming at the sight of his golden and tattooed body.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he rushed in, taking her face in his hands and lifting her from the foundation with his lips. For a minute she forgot they were in clear view of the park, overcome by his display. His biceps gripped her body like the ace bandage on her ankle. She anchored to his shoulders as he herded her backward and kicked the door closed. She lost balance, but he scooped her up faster then she could comprehend.
“Wait! No! Put me down!”
He ignored her, taking her lips with a forceful breath until she struggled to her feet.
“Not in here. It’s dangerous.”
“You like dangerous.” I love it!
“Not in my living room.”
“Then where? You call it. I want to be inside you,” he said in her ear, “now.”
Fuck it! She climbed him like a tree. His lips pulling her in as his strong hands supported her ass. She loved the feel of his hard length grinding her into the back of the sofa. There was a gasp through a held breath as she helped him wiggle her panties to the floor.
About the Author:
I'm a designer, author, wife and dog-lover living in the South Pasadena area of California. I got my BFA in Film Production from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but my love of a good story came way before college. I remember writing my first full story in fifth grade on a typewriter. I cut and pasted it into a book, complete with cardboard cover and taped binding. Things have changed a lot since then. With the magnificent digital age I can produce books and give them to the world without a sticky mess.
In college numerous instructors and peers praised my dialogue pushed me to hone my storytelling skills. Of course the need to cut and paste was still there, so I went into the world of Production Design and Art Direction for films and television. It gave me the ability to connect design to storytelling in a way that no other career can. The past 18 years have spun a unique perspective on visually emotional tales of relationships and the thread that ties all things together. Now I’m shifting focus on the driving force thatn brought me here… stories. I hope that I can share a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit in all of the above.Official Website: http://www.author-algoulden.com/
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Guest PostHow did you come up with the story?
There is a little bit of real life in the story. I was laid up on the couch for a summer, forced to quit my job, because of three stress fractures in my ankle that wouldn't heal. I was reading a lot to pass the time and eventually started writing. There really was a sexy neighbor, he really is an artist, but there was never really an affair. Luckily I'm married to a man that finds my overactive imagination amusing and he never once thought it was autobiographic.
So many of the books I was reading had a similar heroine who was "damaged" as well as the same alpha males. I wanted to build characters that were realistic and flawed to see if I could make them sexy as well. People you would know. Your best friend or coworker. Real life is complicated and real love is even worse. I knew Monica wasn't always going to be likable. As much as we'd like to deny it, most of us aren't when we're going through life changes or stressful events. But that wasn't a reason not to connect to her or even understand her. I didn't want a woman who just callously throws away her life-long commitment because she needs to have sex. Monica loves her husband. He's her best friend. But she realizes that she wants more than a friend and Quinn reminds her that she's more than just this wife.
I struggled with the premise of an artist, because it's been done so many times and is a little cliche. But I know a lot of real artists, painters, sculptors, whose lives are very free and I wanted Quinn to have that. It's an element in Monica's past that she let go of and forgot about. So, I looked at it like another opportunity to take a cliche and make it more realistic. There are secrets behind him that will eventually test her ideas of freedom and trust. It's all about her growing into who she is supposed to be and finding out in her mid-thirties that she hasn't been honest with herself.
I set out to create a story that touches on the complications of love and commitment. It's been an adventure and I've learned so much. I never thought it would be a finished novel, much less multiple, but once I got into it I didn't want to stop. I know I still have a ton to hone and learn, but I'm finding that the challenges of writing are so addictive that I can't imagine ever quitting now. It's become my vice I guess. The reality is that I have another career still as a Production Designer and Art Director in film and television so writing does tend to be crammed into my nights and weekends or between shows.
Giveaway
Win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice) on the August Fog Book Tour & Giveaway.
Open WW,
11/3/14 – 11/17/14
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