RELEASE DATE:
February 2015
Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?
I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.
You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.
Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.
Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.
"That
wasn't yours to take away," he exploded into the otherwise
silent night. His words echoed off the surrounding buildings, each
wave slicing me to the quick all over again. "That was our
place. Not yours." His voice cracked right alongside my heart.
"Yeah,
well, there was a lot of stuff that wasn't yours to take either."
I held his gaze, desperately trying to be strong, but as his eyes
grew wide, I whimpered.
His
long legs strode forward, stopping only inches away from me. He was
crowding me, but he still leaned in closer to my face. "There is
nothing in this world that was ever more mine than you," he
stated. Though it was the absolute truth, I wished with all my heart
that it were a lie.
"Till,"
I cried, swiping the tears from my eyes.
"Why!"
he shouted, causing his muscles to tense under the force. "Goddamn
it! I needed that place."
Porch
lights flashed on from the surrounding apartments, illuminating not
only the dark but also my rage.
I
shoved my hands into his chest. "What about what I needed? You
left! I waited in that fucking apartment for weeks."
He
didn't budge, but my bare feet slipped, sending me toward the ground.
Impossibly fast, Till's hand snaked out and caught my arm. I didn't
let his chivalrous gesture douse my fire. I had six months’ worth
of words to say to the man I was irrevocably in love with.
"You
took what you wanted. Then you left me."
"Doodle,"
he whispered.
I
had been perilously close to the edge of insanity, and with one
single word, he’d pushed me over.
I
lost it completely.
Pounding
my fists against his chest, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "It's
Eliza! My name is fucking Eliza! Not Doodle!" I spun to march
away, but Till's arms folded around me, lifting me off my feet to
restrain me.
I
was miniscule compared to him. There was no use in fighting, but I
still kicked my legs, irrationally desperate to get away from him—but
only because I knew I couldn't keep him for forever.
"Stop
it!" he growled into my ear. "I know your Goddamn
name—probably better than I know my own."
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
THANK YOU!
Love the excerpt! I'm looking forward to reading this, sounds fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSame here! This book looks awesome! :)
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