Football Friday: Meet Dylan Brenner + an ARC Giveaway!

We're less than two weeks away from the release of ALL BROKE DOWN!!! ARCs have been distributed, reviews are starting to roll in, and my excitement level is through the freakin' roof!

If you aren't yet familiar with All Broke Down, you can check it out on Goodreads. (You can read the FIRST TWO CHAPTERS of All Broke Down, as well as all the teasers I've released so far, here!  You can pre-order ABD on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or iTunes, and you can even pre-order a signed and personalized copy from Word Bookstores (ENDS TODAY 10/17). AND THEN, if you need a little more incentive, those who pre-order All Broke down and then enter their pre-order info HERE will receive an official Rusk University "Back to School" pack that includes a ton of Wildcat goodies - including a Rusk folder, swag, a pen, a temporary tattoo, and a little something special from Book 3, ALL PLAYED OUT!!

If you're new to the Rusk University series, each book stands alone and can be read without reading the previous books. But if you want to check out book one, All Lined Up, it's at a special promotional price of $.99 right now as we gear up for All Broke Down's release!

Today, I'm excited to introduce you all to the heroine of All Broke Down: Dylan Brenner!

Dylan is a little bit hipster, with a touch of sophistication. These were my inspiration photos when I was writing her:

(Yes, I needed an outfit inspiration pic too :D ).


Dylan is the ultimate people pleaser. That's the way she's always connected with people, always found her worth. She's the perfect child to her strict and not-so-nurturing adopted parents. She's the ideal girlfriend for her (likely to be a politician someday) boyfriend. And she's a compassionate activist for those less fortunate than herself.

Then her boyfriend breaks up with her. She feels like she's suffocating in her own family. And a lapse in judgement (okay, total mind melt) gets her arrested at what was supposed to be a polite and peaceful protest. Dylan has always been respectful and straight-laced and the ultimate good girl. But she's about to learn how to live for herself instead of other people, and a certain sexy football player is out to give her a lesson in what it feels like to be a little bad.

Here are a few graphic teasers from All Broke Down to give you a little more of Dylan: 

And this one's not technically Dylan. It's Silas. But it's what he thinks about her and is one of my favorite moments in the book. *sigh*

And my favorite Dylan quote (and what could pretty much be the motto for the Rusk University series): 

"Why isn't there a reality TV show filled with hot guys doing sweaty, mouth-watering tasks? Oh, right. That's called sports." 

Now that you've met Dylan, you can enter to win a signed advanced copy of All Broke Down PLUS a Rusk University notebook! It's perfect for jotting down all your philanthropic ideas....or just writing "Future Mrs. Silas Moore"....not that Dylan does that or anything. (She totally does. Who among us can blame her?)

Giveaway is open internationally. :)

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The Dos and Don'ts of College, According to Dallas and Stella

With each hour that passes, we're just a little bit closer to May 13th, a.k.a the release day for All Lined Up, a.k.a. Cora is freaking out/imploding from excitement and/or nervousness. 

 

If this is the first you've heard of All Lined Up, learn more about it on Goodreads. You can also read the first thirty-four pages HERE. And if you need a little bit more motivation, pre-order ALU and register here and you'll receive 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!


You've already met our heroine Dallas Cole and her best friend Stella Santos, and you may be wondering "How do two people who are so very different manage to stay friends?" Dallas and Stella are basically poster children for the old saying, "Opposites Attract." Dallas is shy and awkward with a side of I-Hate-Everything. Stella is the life of the party, and nothing gets her down. When Dallas is all like,

 

Stella's all like, 

But they make it work, because they understand when it's okay to push each other's buttons and when it's better to take a wide berth. They soften each other, and pull each other away from their more extreme tendencies. Stella can get so wrapped up in the idea of having fun that she forgets about consequences or just pretends they don't exist. Dallas is a little too constricted and a bit of a pessimist, and needs to loosen up. And so they've come up with a system for helping each other out of their comfort zones. It's actually loosely based on a system I had with a very dear friend. I'll let you guess whether I was the awkward or the wild one. Like there's any doubt there.

Here's a little snippet from the book to explain their system:

We have this rule, something that’s helped us stay friends despite

how completely polar opposite our personalities are. It’s a

system of give and take, wherein I temper her crazy side and she

forces me to live a little.

When Stella showed up to take the SATs drunk, she got the

Dallas Cole Don’t- Be- A- Douche Stamp of Disapproval. It was my

non- nagging way of telling her that she’d gone too far. And though

there wasn’t much to do about it that Saturday, Stella signed up to

take the test again, and when the next testing day rolled around,

she was sober and serious and pulled off a decent score.

Alternately, there is the Stella Santos Suck- It- Up- You- Prude

Stamp of Approval. That stamp has gotten me into more trouble

than I care to list, including Stella’s brilliant idea to wrap a house with

toilet paper and stick maxi pads to the glass front door. What her

plan didn’t include was the knowledge that said house belonged to a

policeman, who was not keen on being an advertisement for Kotex.

The stamps are a staple of their friendship, and no matter what... when a stamp is issued, you can't say no. 

With that in mind, I'd like to present to you all The Dos and Don'ts of College, According to Dallas and Stella! See what gets approved and disapproved by our besties! 

 #1: 8 A.M. Psychology? You should...

#2: It's Friday night! Time to...

 #3: After spending the night with a guy, you....

Or try to anyway...

#4: Girls' Night Out! Grab your best friends so you can...

Try? Fail? Try again? Fail even harder?

 #5: Your crush is out with another girl, but you're not the type to wallow in self pity. Instead...

Or don't...

#6: If you can't get into a club...

 #7: To commemorate a special occasion (or just because you want to)....

Or not...

 

 #8: Need some exercise? Try this...

#9: Hey, it worked for Bliss....

Not so much... 

#10. When in doubt...

And... hate yourself. 

(MAJOR thanks to Christine at I Heart Big Books for these amazing graphics!)

Want to find out if you're a Stella or a Dallas? Take the quiz!!

Then please feel free to share your favorite advice from above! Or come up with your own! 

The One Where Dallas Falls for Carson... Sort Of.

Hey Lovelies!!!

I'm hard at work on Rusk University Book #2, but wanted to stop in for a quick update.

All Lined Up releases May 13th, which seems SO FAR AWAY... I know.

*COME CLOSER MY PRECIOUS*

Luckily, there's a huge sneak peek over on the RT Book Reviews website today! It's from relatively early in the book and is from Carson's POV. If you need a recap: Dallas is the heroine, and her dad is the university football coach. She's sworn off football and it's players, but when she hits it off with Carson, she doesn't realize he's on her Dad's team. 

*womp womp*

Carson doesn't know who she is either, and the last thing he needs is to jeopardize his spot on the team. This particular excerpt comes right after Dallas has had a rather, *ahem* unfortunate run-in with not only her ex-boyfriend, but also with another douchebag from the team. Their first meeting occurs after Carson sees Dallas screaming out her frustration at a frat party. 

So without further ado... Go meet Carson McClain! 

*HUGS*

The One with the All Lined Up Reveal!

Hello my lovelies!!! 

I am bursting with excitement to introduce you all the first book in my new Rusk University series! ALL LINED UP is a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel published by William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins). It is due to be released on May 13, 2014!!

   

AHHHHHHH! How crazy awesome was that?

Go ahead. Watch it again. I'll wait. :)

I love this video, and I love the cover, and I love the book, and I cannot WAIT for you guys to read it. Here's a little more info:

ABOUT ALL LINED UP:

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

 

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them knows how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

“Laughter + heartache + hot sexual tension = the perfect Cora Carmack book.”

—Monica Murphy

Praise for All Lined Up:

“Feisty, sparkly, and sexy, feel the rush of falling in love all over again with Carson and Dallas! Confession: Cora Carmack's new series is my brand new addiction!” (Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author)

“Football and falling in love are two of the greatest things ever. It would take Cora Carmack to make them even better...ALL LINED UP is a touchdown!” (Jay Crownover, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author)

“Cora Carmack’s done it again! ALL LINED UP is a fantastically sweet and sexy new adult love story.” (Monica Murphy, New York Times bestselling author)

“Cora’s best book yet!” (Jennifer L. Armentrout, # 1 New York Times Bestselling author)

Pre-Order Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble iTunes
Links: Website Twitter Facebook Author Goodreads ALL LINED UP Goodreads

P.S. You can already read an excerpt here!