Harvest Wishes: A Sweet Small Town Romance (Starlight Inn) by Jessica Anne Renwick ➱ Release Tour with Giveaway
Excerpt 1:
A storm of emotions roiled inside
him. What was he supposed to say? I
was in love with you, and it scared me. Instead of turning to you when I needed
support, I pushed you away because I was ashamed and terrified of my own feelings?
No, he couldn’t add more emotional turmoil to her plate. Not after everything
she’d been through.
“Madison, I’m sorry. There’s no
excuse. But I am really, really sorry.”
He reached out and grabbed her
hand. To his horror, she flinched and reared backward, a panicked look on her
face.
“Oh, no—” he let go of her and
held up his hands, the realization of what he’d done slamming into him. “I
didn’t mean to—” he swallowed. “I’d never hurt you.”
She closed her eyes, her hand on
her chest. She took a deep breath. “It’s okay. I know that. Just, it was a
reaction. I guess. I’m not used to—I’m sorry.”
The desire to wrap her in his
arms to comfort her flamed even higher throughout him. She’d never been
skittish before. And now here she was, trembling in fear at the thought of
being touched by a man. What had Jamie done to her?
“You have nothing to apologize
for,” he said, searching for the right words. “We both keep saying sorry. How
about we start over?”
A small smile crossed her lips,
and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re right. Starting over.” She paused, her gaze
lingering on his. “Hey, Dylan, it’s been a while. How are you?”
Dylan forced a grin. “Apparently
so full of remorse I might burst. But other than that, I couldn’t be better.”
He wanted to say more. To tell
her that being alone with the most beautiful woman in the world was the reason
he couldn’t be better. But he bit his tongue, afraid he’d scare her again.
Instead, he held out his hand for her to shake.
She tilted her head and placed
her hand in his. To his surprise, instead of shaking it, she squeezed his
fingers and stepped close. The smell
of citrus mingled with smoke from the campfire wafted over
him. She glanced up at him and took a deep breath. “Well, if we’re starting
fresh,
then I think we should free ourselves of all this guilt.”
Excerpt 2:
They hit the end of the path,
where the trees receded and a beach sprawled out in front of them. The sun, now
dipping behind the mountain on the other side of the lake, cast an orange glow
across the valley. A familiar dock stretched out onto the still water, faded
with years of wear.
They were quiet for a moment,
Madison reveling in the beautiful evening. She edged closer to Dylan’s side,
and he put his arm around her. Her chest warmed at his touch. It felt as if
nothing had happened between them. No emotional teenage break-up, no decade
apart.
No, something has changed.
Their dynamic had shifted. The old spark and comfort were there, but the
awkwardness and unsureness of youth had disappeared. He stood next to her as a
man. A good man, with no hint of anger threatening to strike out at a moment’s
notice.
She tilted her head to glance up
at him, noting the lines on his face as he gazed at the water.
“Dylan?”
He looked down at her. “What’s
up?”
“This is nice. Like, really
nice.” She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. “And I had such a great day with
you—” Just tell him. Pull up your
big girl pants, Madison. For once. “Are we starting something here?”
His lips twitched with a smile,
his voice husky. “Do you want to start something?”
Can you, for those who don't
know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I have always loved reading, even as a small child, and that
naturally progressed into a love for writing and storytelling. I wrote my first
novel when I was thirteen. It was definitely not publishable, but my mom was
super supportive and helped me print it out, and we sent it to several
publishers. I received some very kind rejection letters about how they did not
publish books written by children, and that sparked something inside me that
urged me to keep going. Through my early adult years, life took over and I
never wrote anything I seriously considered publishing. But I hit a certain
point when the desire to improve my craft and pursue writing seriously took
over, and I haven’t looked back since!
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I live in a small city and have urban chickens! My partner
and I transformed our backyard into a huge garden. When our city opened up
permits for backyard chickens, we applied right away and got in. I grew up on a
hobby farm and having animals around was something I missed a lot. My partner
and his dad built an amazing coop and run area in our garden (we call it Cluck
Cottage), and I love spending time out there with our girls. Our hens are egg
layers and pets and will live out their golden years here with us. We also have
two fluffy dogs (a shih tzu mix and a poodle) who we call our “backyard farm
dogs”.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born here in Alberta, Canada. I grew up on a hobby farm
with horses, cows, goats, and many other pets and livestock. I live in the city
now (and enjoy it too!) and stay true to my country roots with gardening and
chickens.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read! I’ve always been a big reader. Other than that, I also enjoy walking our
dogs and hiking, gardening, and playing cutesy video games like Stardew Valley,
Animal Crossing, or Pokémon.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I strongly believe that anybody who writes is a writer,
whether they are published or write for a career or not! I know that’s easier
said than done, but having that affirmation while I was writing my first book
really helped to keep me motivated.
Do you have a favorite movie?
I have a lot of favourite movies, but one I re-watch year
after year is The Holiday. I love it so much!
This sounds like a fun read. Cute cover!
ReplyDeleteThe cover is great.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.