Football Friday: Meet Coach Cole and the Rusk University Wildcats (Plus a Giveaway)!

Well, guys, here we are. Four days away from the release of All Lined Up, and I am basically just in a constant state of:

As excited as I am that ALU releases in four days (please refer to the .gifs above for more information), I'm a little sad at the same time, because it means this is the last #FootballFriday. I've so enjoyed celebrating this hashtag every week in our little corner of the internet! The good news is that once All Lined Up is out, EVERY day can be #FootballFriday! Please tweet or facebook me pictures of hot Football players. I will NEVER say no to that. :) 

If you haven't heard about ALL LINED UP, you can check it out on Goodreads. You can also read the first thirty four pages. And in case you need MORE incentive, if you pre-order ALU and  register here, you'll get  a BRAND NEW Garrick and Bliss scene Post-Losing It/Keeping Her. EVEN BETTER... you can now order your own signed paperback from Word Bookstore! So far I introduced Carson McClain, the heroine Dallas Cole, BFF slash Badass Stella Santos, bad boys Levi and Silas, and team manager Ryan.

A quick re-cap

So, on this final football Friday, we're talking about the team in general. 

Just like the Losing It series, each book will focus on a new couple, but I really wanted the team as a whole to feel like a character that you got to follow the arc of through the entire series. So each book fleshes out the team a little more and introduces new players. It's been so much fun to write the team all together that this series might just never end. I'll just keep adding more and more players and continuing Rusk's story. Maybe. :) 

So, here's what you need to know. The Rusk University football team has seen better days. So in the first book, All Lined Up they've brought in a coach with a reputation for turning around losing programs. That would be Dallas's dad, Coach Cole. Here's a little teaser introduction to him: 

The Coach was definitely one of my favorite characters to write. I got to write the cool speeches he gives to pump up the team. Here's a little snippet of one of those: 

And one particular speech of his makes me tear up EVERY TIME (but you'll have to read the book to see that one). Which is weird, I know, because I wrote it. But the coach is so much like my dad (who was a coach before he retired), so I'm naturally pretty emotionally attached to him. And for whatever reason, I've always been the type of person to cry at Sports movies. Remember the Titans? HITS ME RIGHT IN THE FEELS.

You may be thinking that ALU isn't for you if you're not a big football fan. But you're not alone there, I promise! Dallas, the main character, pretty much loathes football. So I think (I HOPE) I've written it in a way where you don't have to care about football to enjoy the book. I'll admit that I even have a love/hate relationship with football. It's a natural by-product of being surrounded by it all my life. But with ALU, I wasn't trying to capture the sport, but rather the spirit of it. The way it brings people together and lifts people up. 

I got to write the fun team and university traditions. The good days and the bad ones. I got to write the team dynamic-- the way the guys mess with each other and butt heads. Really, they're like one big dysfunctional (very attractive and muscled) family. 

(This guy may or may not be from the scene that makes me tear up every time). 

Plus... I mentioned all the attractive and muscled players... yeah? 

I hope you'll love meeting the team as much as I loved creating it. And make sure you're following my facebook and twitter because we've got some pretty awesome stuff planned next week for the release! And I want to say a huge thank you in advance to all those who will buy, read, review, etc! I couldn't do what I do without you, and I cannot tell you how appreciative I am! 

Now... enter to win my very LAST ARC of All Lined Up! Open Internationally! 

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Football Friday: Meet Ryan Blake plus a Giveaway!

THAT MEANS ALL LINED UP COMES OUT THIS MONTH!

 If you haven't heard about ALL LINED UP, you can check it out on goodreads. You can also read the first thirty four pages. AND... if you need more incentive, those who pre-order ALU and register here will give a BRAND NEW Garrick and Bliss scene Post-Losing It/Keeping Her. EVEN BETTER... you can now order your own signed paperback from Word Bookstore and get it on release day! So far I introduced Carson McClain, the heroine Dallas Cole, BFF slash Badass Stella Santos, and bad boys Levi and Silas.

And now I'm introducing Ryan Blake, team manager and Carson's friend. 

I picture him a bit like this... 

Ryan is a bit on the nerdy side, but he still loves sports and aspires to be an athletic trainer. When he and Carson become friends, he gives a much-needed bit of levity. Carson is so focused and determined that he'll drive himself into the ground. Ryan helps him work towards his goal of becoming starting quarterback, but also helps him loosen up. Ryan is funny, shamelessly flirty, and extremely loyal. 

Here's a few teaser graphics from ALU: 

I mentioned he was shameless... right? ;)

Ryan is actually the hero of book three in the series, which I'm scheduled to start working on soon, and I'm so excited. I have a feeling I'm going to laugh A LOT in that book. :) 

And that's Ryan. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a signed ARC and meet him in person! (Or you know... in pages). 

And if you're heading to RT convention in New Orleans, or you live in the area, join me (and a bunch of other awesome authors) for a signing on release day (May 13th) at Garden District Books! 

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