Madness
By J.L. Vallance
Blurb:
I never wanted to fall in love.
I lived a life tainted by mental illness and the stigma that came with it. That illness almost claimed my life once and I had a promise to keep¬¬, a promise that I would live, no matter how much it hurt. All I craved in life was marginal happiness, a little success, and an unfractured mind. I longed for the normalcy that the rest of the world thrived on while fearing the intimacy that could snap the thin thread with which I held onto sanity.
I may not have had it all, but I was close...until he crashed into my world.
He turned everything upside down and shifted the scales of my balanced world. He was charming and charismatic with a healthy dash of trouble and volatility rolled in. He was completely and perfectly damaged. I tumbled hard and fast.
I fell in love with Rory O’Neill and our world was little more than madness....and it was fucking beautiful.
Available for purchase at
Excerpt
“What do you want from me, O’Neill?”
Rory released a heavy sigh, leaning back
in the chair. He studied me carefully, as if he were attempting to solve a
puzzle. He could try for the rest of his life; I was one jigsaw he’d never be
able to solve.
“To date you,” he replied simply, and I
belted out a laugh.
“Why?” I asked, continuing without
allowing for an answer. “You are the type that goes on dates to get the prize
at the end. You got the prize, buddy. You didn’t even have to work for it. If
you are coming back because you think I’m a big skank-bank and you can get a
withdrawal whenever you want, you’ve got the wrong girl.”
It was his turn to laugh. It was an
erotic sound that put my already frayed nerves on a higher, more precarious
edge than they had been. I followed his posture and leaned back, but instead of
holding my stomach in gut busting laughter, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Is that what you think this is?” he
gasped. “Christ, I could have slept with at least seventy women since you.”
“Is that supposed to win me over?”
“Yes,” he answered seriously. “I have no
problem picking women up.”
I didn’t doubt that. Hadn’t since the
night I’d met him. It was the charisma, the mega-watt smile, the sultry
sex-filled voice. His body, smile, voice, and touch promised a good night in
the making if one simply took his hand.
I want to
take his fu**ing hand. . .
“Good, then you won’t be alone tonight,”
I replied, moving to rise from the table when he reached out and grabbed my
arm, stopping me.
“I don’t want other women, Francesca. I
want you,” he said, the smile missing from his face.
“I’ve wanted nothing but you since
November.”
I shook my head.
“I’m not like other women, Mr. O’Neill.”
“Please, call me—”
“Rory, it doesn’t matter what I call you.
The message will remain the same.”
“Didn’t you ever stop to think that maybe
that’s what I like about you?” he countered.
No, no I didn’t. Being different is what
set me apart—in a bad way. That’s what makes people dislike me. Not that I mind that—being disliked. I’ve spent the
majority of my life being different,
being an outsider. I am the woman that I am, with the issues I have, and that
fact will never change. I’m proud of the obstacles I have overcome and look
forward to defeating the ones that are waiting in the wings.
“You don’t know me to know whether you
like me or not,” I argued. My dad had always told me I’d be great for the
debate team.
“I know what I felt with you.”
“You felt tequila,” I replied. “And my
vagina. Go find some Cuervo and a willing participant and repeat.”
“First, I have a high tolerance. That
tequila barely touched me. Quit trying to downplay what happened between us.
Take a little responsibility.”
“Ha!” I belted, placing a hand over my
mouth. “Listen, we had a really great time. But I don’t date, I don’t do
romance or happily ever after. That’s not written in my stars.”
“What is written in your stars?” he asked
with a quirk of the brow.
“A bright future with me, myself, and I.”
About the Author
J. L. Vallance is a wife, mom, and nurse by day, while posing as a writer by night. Plagued with an overactive imagination, a lover of all things supernatural in nature, she has an extraordinary flair for the dramatic that adds flavor to life. There’s little in her world that Otis Redding and buttercream icing can’t fix. And of course, coffee always helps too. True story.
Interview
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in
northeast Ohio. After getting married, my husband and I lived in San Antonio,
Texas for three years while he served in the USAF. We're currently raising our
family in northeastern Ohio in the county we were born in.
Tell us your latest news?
On September 2nd I released Madness, my first
contemporary romance novel. I've spent a lot of time living in fantasy worlds,
particularly that of my PNR series--The Guild Series. Madness was a nice change
of pace. It was refreshing to live in a world of characters that could easily
be my neighbors. I loved writing a story that was about mundane humans with
real problems. It was also difficult to leave them.
When and why did you begin writing?
I've used my stories for more
years than I can recount as a way to help me deal with my insomnia. I'd lay
awake at night and create these fantastical characters in my head, picking up
each night where I'd left off the night before. These characters and my stories
kept me company in the night. About two and a half years ago, I decided it was
time to start putting these characters to paper. I wanted to see them come to
life. With each page, they became bigger and better. I've loved every minute of
it.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book had begun as a love story. It was meant to
be simple. A story of a girl finding herself and finding love. It quickly
evolved on its own to become the series it is today. It's still a story about a
girl finding herself and love, but she's doing so much more along with it. When
I set out to write Deep Into the Soul, I wanted to write a story about a
strong, fierce woman. I wanted a heroine that was fully capable of saving
herself and loving herself. Vivienne Drake is fierce.
I had the same goal for Madness. I wanted to write a
story about perseverance, survival, and triumph. It was important to me that
even though Frankie Winters is troubled, she's strong. She looks to better
herself, to overcome the obstacles in her life.
My goal is to always write a strong female character that
women can relate to.
How did you come up with the title for
“Madness”?
I listen to a ton of music.
Muse is one of my favorite groups--seriously, they are the best. I had been
working on Madness for a few months and it had been nameless. There had been a
day that I listened to Madness by Muse, and the words touched me. They fit
Frankie and Rory beautifully. Not only that, but their relationship, the world
they live in--together and separately--it's madness. There isn't a
better word to describe them or their love.
What book are you reading now?
I am currently reading Debt Inheritance
by Pepper Winters. Before that, I finished Twisted Together--her final Monsters
in the Dark novel. I enjoyed the entire Monsters in the Dark series.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I really have enjoyed reading Pepper Winters' work. Her
books never fail when it comes to emotion. I look forward to reading what she
has coming in the next year.
What are your current projects?
I just finished Madness, which
was my first contemporary romance. I really enjoyed that genre. Madness and its
characters own my heart. I am giving a lot of thought into writing a spin off
novel based on one of the characters in Madness. There will be more news to
come on that project later.
In the meantime, I am working
on finishing the final novel in The Guild Series.
What would you like my readers to know?
Madness is a story about two broken and lonely people.
They meet each other at the worst time.
They fall in love.
They live in a chaotic world with one another.
And they struggle to figure out how to make it work.
But...if love isn't madness--beautiful, uncontrolled
madness--it isn't worth it.
Giveaway
One single anchor bracelet
One anchor and infinity bracelet
One anchor necklace with stamped pendant that says "You are my anchor".
One necklace with a gun charm and a stamped pendant that says "I keep a close watch on this of mine".
And two ecopies of Madness
No comments:
Post a Comment