Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A visit with Laura Drewry, author of How Forever Feels

Please join me in welcoming author Laura Drewry as she celebrates the upcoming release of the fourth book in her Friends First series - How Forever Feels.

Take it away, Laura!

Hi Crystal – thank you so much for inviting me to your blog today!

With the release of HOW FOREVER FEELS next week, I thought now would be a good time to let one of the secondary characters step forward for a minute. He’s actually been in each of the Friend First books and while many would argue (myself included) that he deserves the scorn that’s been heaped on him, he disagrees.

So, without further ado, I give you Dickhead. Er. . .I mean Will.


For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Will Carson. For those of you who *think* you know me, don’t believe everything Maya’s told you.

Yes, I’m Maya’s ex-husband, the one she and her posse call “Dickhead” and yes, I probably deserve that. Okay, in truth, I absolutely deserve it, but it’s way past time we all moved on, don’t you think? Now hold on there a second, don’t go getting all sanctimonious on me. Let me tell you my side of the story and then you can judge, okay?

So there was this girl I’d hooked up with off and on for a while and she invited my buddy Jack and me to her birthday party – one of those God-awful Hawaiian themed ones. It had been a while since I’d hooked up with anyone, including her, so I was hoping if no one else looked good at the party, maybe she’d be up for a one-off.

Anyway, we were at the party, I went to the can, and when I came back out, there was Jack chattin’ up this cute blond. Now you need to understand that Jack’s never been very good at picking up women. It’s because he doesn’t swoop in and grab their attention with a great line or a sexy smile. No, instead, Jack tries to be their friend first, which is the stupidest thing a guy can do, but in this particular situation it worked out because that little blond was way too cute for him, and while Jack was busy being friendly, I saw a chance to swoop and I took it.

I won’t bore you with too many details but suffice it to say things were moving along pretty fast, which made my mom happier than I’d seen her in a very long time, certainly happier than I’d ever made her. I liked Maya well enough, but I swear to you I don’t remember proposing to her. All I know is she and I had gone out to celebrate with Jack, we all had way too much to drink, and by the time I fell out of bed the next morning, she was wearing my grandmother’s ring – the one Mom gave me a couple years back for “when I found the one.” I’d known for months that Maya wasn’t “the one” but what the hell was I supposed to do now  – she was standing in the living room crying with Mom over how beautiful the ring was!

Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have stopped it right there and then but have you ever been in a situation like that where you have no recollection of making two people so freakin’ happy and with one word, you can rip that way and devastate both of them? No, I’m betting you haven’t, so don’t judge me just yet, okay? My dad passed away about six weeks later and all Mom kept saying was how great it was that Maya and I were getting married because she needed something happy to look forward to. So there – are you beginning to see how it was? Not so Judge-Judy-ish now, are you?

The only thing I could do was try and force Maya into being the one to call it off, so I rushed her into everything, hoping and praying she’d get spooked. I mean, shit, we hadn’t even known each other a year! Nothing worked; she was game for everything I threw at her so it became clear pretty quick that I didn’t have any choice. I was going to have to marry her. Fast forward to the bachelor party and yes, you can bet your ass I wanted a stripper and if you ask any guy you know, he’ll agree that I damn well deserved one. If I was going to be saddled to Maya for the rest of time, I deserved a little enjoyment first, and if memory serves, I enjoyed the hell out of that stripper all night and well into the morning.

For the life of me I can’t remember her name but Jack probably does since he’s the one who hired her.

I got through the wedding okay, and I know you’re not going to believe me, but I tried to make it work with Maya, I really did. There was just something about her, maybe it was the way she took to the whole wife roll so easily while I struggled night and day with being a husband. It was like that ring was cutting off my circulation.

And then I met Stella and suddenly I could breathe again. The first time I touched her, I knew she was the one, not Maya, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Stella, which was why as soon as I started sleeping with her, I stopped sleeping with Maya. I haven’t so much as looked at another woman since I met Stella, and trust me, I’ve had plenty of opportunities, especially with Delilah down at the Youth Center.

So you see, I’m not the Dickhead Maya and her posse think I am. Sure I made a few mistakes, who hasn’t? This thing with Stella, though, it’s the real thing. I’m almost positive of it. Hell, we’re even getting married and I’m looking forward to it! Now all I have to do is make Jack see how great everything is. He’s going to be in town for a the next few months for work and it’ll be the first time he’ll meet Stella face-to-face. They’ve talked on the phone but every time I try to get all of us together, Jack comes up with an excuse. I know it’s because I cheated on Maya, but he needs to get over it like I have. Bros before hos, am I right?

I mean, sure, in a town this small, they’ll probably run into each other at some point, but I know Jack, and when push comes to shove, he always has my back. I wonder if he can get that same stripper for my bachelor party this time?


So there you have it, dear readers. Direct from the horse’s mouth, this is Will Carson. I have to admit, I think Maya’s nickname for him is bang-on, but you’ll have to read HOW FOREVER FEELS to find out if the nickname sticks or if he finally redeems himself after all this time.

Thanks again, Crystal, for inviting me to your blog – I’ve had fun introducing you all to Will.

Happy reading everyone!

Laura


How Forever Feels
Friends First #4
Laura Drewry
October 13, 2015
Loveswept

Buy Links: Amazon - B&N - iTunes - Kobo
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From USA Today bestselling author Laura Drewry comes a warm and witty new Friends First novel—perfect for readers of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery. How Forever Feels is a sweet tale about the one that got away . . . and the one that came back.

Maya McKay’s heart is as big as Jack Rhodes’s shoulders are broad. Their chemistry is out of control, but it could never work between them because Jack is more than just best friends with her cheating ex-husband—they’re like brothers. Maya, the sensitive, practical florist, has given up on love and is ready to settle for like. But now that Jack’s around again, he’s stirring up old feelings—and turning Maya’s fantasies into irresistible reality.

Jack blew his chance with Maya years ago when he stepped aside for his best friend, Will, and he’s still kicking himself about it. Maya was promised forever once before, and she got burned. But when Jack realizes that second chances aren’t going to fall out of the sky, he seizes the moment—and the woman he’s always loved—to show her how forever truly feels.



USA Today Bestselling author, Laura Drewry had been scribbling things for years before she decided to seriously sit down and write. After spending eight years in the Canadian north, Laura now lives back home in southwestern British Columbia with her husband, three sons, a turtle named Sheldon, and an extremely energetic German shepherd. She loves old tattered books, good movies, country music, and the New York Yankees.

Laura's Links




1 comment:

  1. Hi Crystal - thanks again for hosting us this morning! We really appreciate it. :)
    Cheers!

    Laura

    ReplyDelete