Title: All My Memories: A Prequel (Country Roads)
Author: Grea Warner
Genre: New Adult/Women’s Fiction
Book Blurb:
Before he sold out concerts and had number one hits ...
Before she moved away to escape her past …
Before they lost touch …
Carefree Finn Murphy and reserved Lara Faulkner were college classmates. With fate drawing them to reunite, memories of that time eight years before takes hold of their hearts and minds.
What made these two opposites form a bond and friendship? How did bad timing stop them from having more? And what is bringing them back together after so many years apart?
Told from both Lara and Finn’s point-of-view, All My Memories is a unique and insightful prequel to the emotional, award-winning Country Roads series.
Excerpt:
Finn
I was in the quad with a bunch of my buddies when I saw Lara a few days later. Even though the date set-up hadn’t panned out, I could still be nice. I mean, she wasn’t awful … just not for me. So, I nodded in her direction and gave a slight wave. I know she had to have seen me—she was walking by herself only a few yards away. But nothing. Not a smile. Not a wave back. Nothing. She just continued on.
“Well, that was a blow-off.” My friend mockingly punched me in the side, and the rest of my supposed pals laughed with robust.
“Ha. Ha,” I replied while watching Lara turn her head for the slightest of seconds back in our direction. “So much for trying to be a nice guy. Anyway …” I could blow her off, too. “I’m meeting Sam at the caf. Anyone coming?”
I knew they weren’t, though. They all had classes to attend. I had an earlier lunch break. So did Sam … and not Olivia—a rare time when I saw my friend without his other half. Miracle of miracles.
I made my way down the brick walkway, through the parking lot, and into the cafeteria. Sam was already in line, so I grabbed a tray and snuck in beside him. We then found a table near the center of the room, close to the salad bar. That was my usual lunch go-to. Although, one would hardly consider what I ate as a salad. Red potatoes, tortilla chips, chickpeas, cheese, and ranch dressing landed in my bowl. I did also throw in a sprig of lettuce to make it seem legit.
“Another Murphy masterpiece,” Sam noted my food choice as I sat.
“What are you having today? Toasted O’s or Raisin Bran?” I questioned Sam’s daily cereal lunch.
“Hittin’ it wild—going marshmallows.” He smiled and scooped into the milk and cereal. I barely had my fork to my lips when I said,
“Geez, all of a sudden that girl is everywhere.”
“What girl? Who?” Sam turned his neck to scan the area.
“Lara—that girl you tried to set me up with on Friday.” I titled my chin in the direction where she sat.
She was way in the corner of the room against the wall of windows. Next to her was a blond guy I had seen around campus but didn’t know. They seemed to be looking at a laptop very intensely.
“Hey, dude, for one thing, it wasn’t me who set you up.”
“Yeah.” I rolled my eyes—it was such a natural reaction when thinking of Olivia. I wondered if Sam ever noticed. “Well, whoever did … let’s not try that one again. What’s her story, anyway? I definitely got the cold-shoulder earlier. Is it because she is with that guy? Why would Olivia try to—”
“Liv doesn’t think it’s anything really serious with Oystein.” He revealed the blond guy’s name … a strange one at that. “Plus, he is graduating next week. I don’t know what she was thinking setting you two up, though. Just because we’re friends and she’s friends with Liv, doesn’t mean—”
“No kidding.”
“She is a nice girl, though. Just quiet. Actually, I don’t know how her and Liv are friends.”
Their friendship did seem a little odd. But sometimes opposites attract. It wasn’t my concern, though. I had better things on my mind.
“Still, no more setups.” I pointed my finger at my friend. “Let’s just have fun until break.”
Lara
“So … you’ve seen Finn?” Olivia slowly opened the towering, wooden doors, as old as they were heavy.
“Huh? Finn?” I asked, trying to understand what she was talking about. My mind was still on the extensive assignment the professor had given as class ended. “What?”
“Have you seen him since the bar gig? He—”
“Oh, the music guy … the singer. No. Why would I have seen him?” We started making our way toward the main part of campus via the uneven walkway.
“I uh—”
“Oh, yeah,” I acknowledged with fresh recollection. “I did. He waved. But I kind of only saw him at the last minute, and I didn’t really think he was waving at me.”
Why would he? He was with a bunch of frat boys, and they had that top-dog presence about them. It was like high school all over again. And I hated high school.
“By the time I realized, he had already turned.” I recalled his action as well as my internal grimace, seeing him and his friends laughing. “Why?”
“He’s good-looking. Don’t ya think? Those gray eyes with the brown hair, the musician thing …” She clicked her tongue a few times.
“Yeah, but, Olivia!” I admonished.
Geez, she always acted as though she was Sam’s conjoined twin … hardly ever apart. Yet there she was, fawning over one of his best friends? I knew some girls were like that, but I didn’t expect it from her. I thought I knew her. We had been friends for the second half of the scholastic year, having met in a sociology class. Needing a partner for one of the activities, she approached me, and I was appreciative, normally keeping to myself. Her straightforwardness and outgoing personality helped me branch out a little, and I think my rational outlook helped her, too. But, sometimes, I also believed I was her personal psychology project. Or maybe that was just friendship.
“What?” She played my question about her and Finn extremely innocently—not a typical Olivia trait.
“Are you and Sam … I mean, are you thinking of going for Finn?”
She let out what I was guessing was an exasperated breath. Although, my friend had so many sighs, I couldn’t decipher their different meanings half the time. “I—Geez, Lara, no.”
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What’s your favorite activity to shake off the winter doldrums?
It is not so much the cold that bothers me in the winter but the shorter daylight hours. The darkness makes me feel like it is time to sleep. When, in reality, it is only time for dinner! So, it is important for me to stick to my exercise routines – hiking, Pilates, cardio - to keep energized and motivated. Then, I rely on natural lighting, lots of coffee, and my characters to power me through when I am writing.
Why is your featured book a cure for the winter blues?
When the colder weather keeps you inside for many days, it is the perfect time to start a book series. ALL MY MEMORIES is the dual-POV prequel to the award-winning, best-selling Country Roads series. Discover how reserved Lara and country music star Finn meet in college, what their relationship was, and what pulled them apart. Get comfy with a blanket and warm beverage, because once you read this novella, you won’t be able to resist the other emotional, dramatic, and heartwarming books in the series.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs March 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on April 1.
Author Biography:
Grea Warner wants you to cry. She wants your heart to break a little, too. Why? Because that means you feel her characters as if you were one of them. With a background in daytime dramas and a realistic approach to life, Grea writes novels that blur the line of Women’s Fiction and Romance. If you’re a fan of binge watching a TV series or have a passion for the arts like Grea, then you’ll love her fictional serials.
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Social Media Links:
💻Website: http://greawarner.com
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YouTube trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrz9DjROoIM