Guest Post & Giveaway with Jaye Frances

Please welcome the warm and brilliant author Jaye Frances to the Nest!  She is generously offering up a Kindle version of The Possibilities of Amy 

Please leave a comment below about an unrequited crush for a chance to win!

Thank you, Michelle, for hosting me on Reading Lark today. I really appreciate the opportunity to give your readers a sneak peek at my new romance novella, The Possibilities of Amy.

 

How many secret loves did you have in high school? You remember, the ones you worshipped from afar, but who never seemed to notice you. It seems all of us have memories of heart-tugging, yet one-sided relationships. And when we look back on them, we wonder . . . what if we’d be more outgoing?  Maybe we should have left a few hints, or just simply confessed our feelings and hoped for the best.  And if we did, would the outcome have been any different?  Would it have changed our future? It’s often a lament from the female side of undisclosed passion, but during my twentieth high school reunion, I learned that guys can suffer from the same bittersweet regret of being too shy or too self-conscious to  “explore the possibilities” when life was young.

In The Possibilities of Amy, the main character, David, is a guy with such a problem. Typical of his generation, he spends his days fraternizing with his buddies in the school quad, observing the female form with harmless imagination while filling his mind with conjectured fantasies. Pretty normal stuff—until Amy walks into the classroom, and his nonchalant daydreams are put to the test.

Here’s an excerpt:

I thought about Pete, at home in his room, getting ready for his date with Amy, going to his dresser to check his supply of condoms, opening his wallet and slipping a fresh one inside.

I quickly closed the book I had been pretending to read, grabbed the rest of my things and stepped through the forward door and out into the hallway. I made a quick right and walked toward the classroom’s rear door—the one Amy usually used. If I timed it perfectly, I would be able to “accidentally” bump into her, and after a quick apology, I could unleash my rehearsed small-talk.

The hallway was choked with bodies, all moving at the same sedentary pace. What if I’d already missed her? I maneuvered toward the middle, looking for her blonde hair.

Someone tugged on my shirtsleeve. I brushed it off, not wanting to take the time to turn around.

“Hey, what’s your hurry?”

She sounded familiar, like . . . Amy. For a brief moment, I wondered if my imagination—my desperate need to talk to her—was leading me to color someone else’s voice with expectation.

“Wait up a sec.”

This time I was sure. I stopped and turned around. Amy was standing so close—almost touching—that I started to back away. I caught myself and held my ground, hoping she didn’t notice.

I raced through my inventory of words and phrases, attempting to recall what I had memorized, desperate to get them in order. “I didn’t know you were behind me.” It was the best I could do. I half-expected her to roll her eyes and walk away.

“I don’t want to make you late for your next class,” she began. “I just wanted you to know I liked what you said.” She let a single fingertip find my arm and I felt a rush of air expand my chest. “It made a lot of sense,” she added. “Especially when it’s so hard to understand anything that goes on in that class.”

“I should have introduced myself earlier. I’m Dave.”

She nodded. “Amy.”

I have to say something clever and interesting. I have to ask questions, about where she used to live. I should ask her if she likes it here. No, that’s wrong. Backwards. She’s talking specifics—about the discussion we had in class.

“I hope I don’t disappoint you, but I’m not really into Shakespeare.” Why the hell did I say that? I sound like I’m not interested, like I’m trying to blow her off. I smiled nervously and shrugged. “In fact, today’s probably the first time I’ve ever thought about it. And . . . ” I held the pause intentionally, to sound sincere, “I think it’s because you asked.”

She smiled and leaned forward, then retreated, as we both realized our bodies had briefly touched. My breathing quickened into shallow drafts.

“I just thought it was unusual,” she said, “mature really, to consider a relationship in that way.”

“You caught me on a good day. Normally, I don’t have much to say.” It came out too fast and sounded a little forced.

“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, and—”

She stopped, distracted by someone tapping her on the shoulder. She turned to speak to him, and the change on my face had to be obvious—like a brilliantly lit Christmas tree turning cold and dark with the flip of a switch.

He was dragging out their conversation, not letting her go. I stood there like a stray dog, waiting for them to finish, painfully aware of the passing time—of every second lost—while her attention was focused on someone else.

The Possibilities of Amy is available now as a Kindle eBook on Amazon for only $.99

Here’s a brief synopsis:

Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her.

Author Bio:  Jaye Frances is the author of the new romance novella, The Possibilities of Amy, and the paranormal-occult romance book The Kure, the first novel in The Kure series. She is also a featured columnist for the NUSA SUN magazine. Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Her upcoming books include The Cruise - All That Glitters, a humorous take on a shipboard romance, scheduled for a May 2012 release, and Journeys From Above and Below the Belt, a collection of novellas and short stories, scheduled for a Summer 2012 release. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit Jaye’s website at www.jayefrances.com, or Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com