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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Football Friday: Meet Stella Santos & a GIVEAWAY!

We're one week closer to the release of All Lined Up on May 13th! ARCS are out in the world, reviews are rolling in, and I'm SO excited. 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. So far I introduced Carson McClain, and the heroine Dallas Cole, and now it's time to meet one of my FAVORITE characters!  

Stella is confident and bold and knows exactly who she is. She's always challenging Dallas to loosen up and have some fun, something she's very good at having. She's funny, and she'll say whatever she's thinking because she could care less what others think. 

Basically, she's everything I wish I was. ;) And because I love her so much, she plays a pretty big role in the series as a whole. 

Here's a few of my dream Stella's with some quotes! 

And because I love you guys... a slightly longer teaser featuring Stella and Dallas before one of Carson's games: 

I pull out my phone to text Carson, but I don’t know what to say. I want to tell him something that matters, something big, but the only thing that comes to mind are those three little words that we are so, so not ready for.

I tell Stella as much, and she pauses in unwrapping a piece of gum to say, “I’ve got three different words for you. Winning = BJ.”

“Stella!”

She pops the gum in her mouth. “You said you wanted something big that matters. I think that qualifies.”

“You’re terrible. And no help whatsoever.”

“Speaking of big things...” Her slow-spreading smile reminds me for the thousandth time how different we are. “How big is it? You can tell me.” 

I hope you enjoyed meeting Stella! Enter to win a signed advanced copy below! And come back next week for more chances to win and to meet more characters from the series! 

*cough* sexy football players up next *cough*

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Football Friday: Meet Dallas Cole & an ARC giveaway!

We're one week closer to the release of All Lined Up on May 13th! ARCS are out in the world, reviews are rolling in, and I'm SO excited. 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. Last week, I introduced Carson McClain, the first of multiple sexy football player book boyfriends in my new Rusk University series.

Today, I'm giving you the skinny on our heroine.

I try to get a new perspective in each of my books in an attempt to make sure as many people as possible can "see" themselves in my books and characters. So, with Dallas... I wanted to take a different route from most NA books. One reason it's so fun to write NA is that the characters are experiencing all kinds of new freedoms and getting to decide who they're going to be for the rest of their life. For All Lined Up, I threw that out the window and decided to take a look at what college is like for those who don't get to start over or get the freedom to do whatever they want. There are plenty of people who stay at home after they graduate high school, or go to college in the same town, or with people they knew from high school. 

Dallas has spent her whole life surrounded by this: 

All she wants from college is to get away and start fresh. She's a dance major, dying for the day when her father doesn't control her entire life, and she can move out of Texas and pursue what she loves. 

Then she finds out her father has taken the open coaching position at Rusk University, and that escape she'd planned gets crushed by the same thing that always seems to screw up her life: football. 

And she feels a bit like this: 

But you know... Dallas is a good ole Texas girl. We don't just take things lying down. So, she sucks it up and heads to her first college party in an attempt to have some fun and blow off steam. That's where she meets Carson McClain. He's the kind of guy that can make a girl forget all about why she had decided to hate college. 

Then she finds out he's on her father's football team. And, well... you see where this is going. 

A little more about Dallas: 

She's feisty and direct (aka... brutally honest). That's what happens when you're raised by a football coach. She's snarky and just a touch insecure (aren't we all?). She's unemotional and unattached and that's how she likes it. She prefers to push all of her emotions into her dancing where they're useful. 

And some of my favorite quotes with some potential Dallas's:

(Thanks to Amber, Yvette, and Kim for the awesome graphics. Love you ladies!)

And that's my Dallas. I can't wait for you all to meet her. As a Coach's daughter, it's hard for me not to see myself in her, except, you know, way cooler than me. 

And now that you've met Dallas, you can enter to win a signed advanced copy of All Lined Up! 

And if you want to Pre-Order ALU, you get 10 extra entries in the giveaway (plus that new Garrick/Bliss bonus scene I mentioned)! 

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FOOTBALL FRIDAY: Meet Carson McClain! Plus a Giveaway!

So, we're less than six weeks out from the release of ALL LINED UP on May 13th. If you've been under a rock for the last couple months, it's the start of a new series (the Rusk University series) all about college football. I grew up in Texas with a Coach for a father, so has a lot of me and a lot of my life in it. It's so close to my heart, and I'm so excited to share it with you. 

Like... this excited.

If you need a recap for what the book is about, here's the synopsis:

ALL LINED UP Synopsis:

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 know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

For the last month, I've been posting #FootballFriday stuff on my Facebook and Twitter (mostly consisting of attractive football players because THAT'S HOW WE DO). But today I wanted to go a little further and introduce you to one specific attractive football player.

His name is Carson McClain, and he's the male main character in All Lined Up.

To start, here's a few pictures I used for inspiration when I was writing the book:

Carson is your all-American boy-next-door. He's Texas born-and-bred with just a little bit of country in him. His best feature is his charming smile (because hot Southern boys always have a charming smile). Dallas is pretty partial to his arms, too. You know, with him being a quarterback and all. 

Carson is focused and determined, and his number one goal? To be the starting quarterback for the Rusk University Football team. He puts in hours and hours of extra practice to make that happen, which is part of the reason why Dallas reacts like this when she sees him without his shirt on for the first time:

But more than how he looks, I just love Carson as a character. He's thoughtful and sweet and funny. Here's a few of my favorite Carson lines from the book: 

I keep my eyes on my feet as he ask, "So, Daredevil, besides jumping off balconies, what other crazy things do you spend your time doing?"
"Hanging out in backyards with complete strangers, obviously."
His blue eyes are practically twinkling when he nudges my shoulder and says, "I've had my hands up your skirt, Daredevil. I think that qualifies me as an acquaintance at least." 

***

"You're it for me. So run if you'd like, but I'll follow. You can try to hold me at arm's length, but I'll never stop trying to pull you close. Be scared if you must, but you're not going to lose me. Not unless your dad comes in and finds me here, then neither of us will have a choice. "

SQUEEEE!!! Well, now you've met my Carson. To me, he's like a mix between Cade and Garrick, so if you're fond of Golden Boy or British Boy, I think you'll enjoy meeting this Country Boy. :)

If you haven't already, please:

Add All Lined Up on Goodreads.
Pre-order your copy! Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks
Read the first three chapters here!

And for stopping by to meet Carson, you can also enter to win some Rusk University swag! This week I'm giving away a Rusk T-shirt! Enter via Rafflecopter below. And stop in next week to meet our heroine, Dallas. And for another chance to win swag from Rusk! 

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