Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so excited to be the one to reveal this cover. Terry Newman has a new release coming out in November but we just can’t contain our excitement. Drumroll please…
Here’s the cover for her upcoming paranormal romantic comedy…
Isn’t it fabulous?
Scroll down to read all about this book.
Title Hearts on the Rocks
Author Terry Newman
Genre Paranormal Romcom
Publisher The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb
Fake dating wasn’t part of Cagney Adler’s plan to earn her PhD before she’s thirty. But neither was a rash of blind dates. When fictional characters, Alex Zurich and Blake Teesdale, leap out of the romance novel she’s reading into her world, they’re determined Mr. Rock Nerd would not only make a great fake boyfriend, but her happily ever after. The only way to get them to leave her alone is to accept the offer. But she draws the line at happily ever after.
Brad Townsend, geology doctoral student, knows Cagney Adler is the perfect fake girlfriend to help him avoid blind dates. Sure, they have nothing in common, but that’s what makes her ideal. There’s no way they’ll fall in love.
But the pretend stuff begins to look real, with double dates to the movies, and apartment warming parties. And wait, Cagney’s apartment becomes unlivable…and they find themselves roommates.
The fake relationship feels more real with every day.
Excerpt
Brad
He looked up and saw Cagney. She wore the dark-pink T-shirt. Was that the same one she wore on the blind date? And she had a light lavender-colored jacket thrown over that. It looked good on her. And she had that ponytail.
He rose when she approached the booth and took a step forward. What does a boyfriend do when they meet their girlfriend? He leaned in. They kiss her on the lips. Right? He’d seen it a hundred times in the movies. But it didn’t feel right. This was only their first fake date.
He moved slightly to the right. Kiss her on the cheek? That didn’t feel right either. Shit. At the last minute he knew that was totally inappropriate, put space between them, and extended his hand.
It took a moment, but she shook it. He couldn’t read the expression on her face. It could have been anger, annoyance, or even amusement. God, he hoped he didn’t tee her off on their first fake date.
She slid into the booth. “Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement.” He closed his laptop. “I wasn’t sure you’d think this was a good idea.”
“I’m not convinced it is a good idea, but I felt, well, I thought I’d give it a try. Like you said, no one will be trying to set us up on blind dates anymore.”
“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I’m going to eat something.” He ran a hand over his beard. “I’m not good at this. Please bear with me.”
She laughed. He realized he liked her laugh. “I couldn’t tell by the way you greeted me.”
“I’ve never”—he struggled to how to phrase it—“actually been on a real date before.” He closed an eye and shook his head. “Not one that wasn’t set up with some poor unsuspecting woman.”
She scrunched her nose.
“I want this to look like we’re really dating, and I just didn’t know how to greet you. Would kissing you on the lips be appropriate? I’ve seen Logan and Molly do that. But I’m not sure I should do it on the first date.”
She laughed. Was she laughing at him?
“No, kissing me full on the lips on our first date, our first fake date, isn’t a good idea. We’re not that far enough into our fake relationship for that.”
“Okay, then how far are we?”
She leaned back on the bench as if she were giving it serious thought. “Having never fake dated before, I’m not sure. But I’m sure we’re beyond the handshaking stage.”
His cheeks burned. “That was awkward, wasn’t it? Sorry.” His brain nagged at him to say something, but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate. He took a deep breath. “Maybe a kiss on the cheek?” He ran a hand over his beard.
Cagney took what seemed like forever to answer, then slowly nodded. “Yes, I think that would be appropriate for future fake dates.” Her smile disarmed him.
“And, uhm, you’ll let me know when our fake dating gets to the, well, the lips-kissing level.”
Again, she laughed. She looked as if she were studying him. Did he have something on his beard?
“Yes, Brad, I will. No worries. And yes, I am hungry. Let’s go up and get some food.”
Cagney
Cagney stood next to Brad at the counter. She had been here before. She practically lived at the Physics Café. She did her best writing here. She graded term papers here.
This time it felt a bit weird, though. She felt self-conscious. And when Alvin looked at them, it felt even weirder. But this is what they agreed on. To be seen in public as a couple. She didn’t know when she agreed to this how the deception would make her feel. Uneasy. When Brad first suggested it, she didn’t think farther than making Logan and Molly believe they were dating. As it turned out, everyone else would have to think that, too, for this to work.
Thankfully, it looked as if Alvin did his best to take their presence together in stride.
“Brad, why can’t you trust atoms?”
She furrowed her brows. What?
“I don’t know,” Brad said. “Why can’t I trust atoms?” He quirked a lip in a smile.
“Because they make up everything.”
They laughed. Probably too much for how funny the joke was. Or wasn’t. A short silence followed. She stared at the desserts next to the cash register, trying hard to look interested in them. Her cheeks burned. It was bad enough that this was their first time ordering as a couple, fake couple, but…
“Why did the rock take a shower every morning?” Apparently, it was Brad’s turn to tell a bad joke. She turned her attention back to her fake boyfriend. What have I gotten myself into?
“I don’t know. Why?” Alvin waited expectantly.
“Because he wanted to start with a clean slate.”
Alvin laughed. So did Brad. Cagney was definitely out of the loop.
Then just like that they stopped laughing. She scanned the café quickly to see if anyone witnessed this display of juvenile humor. Really, is this the universe scientists lived in?
“What can I get you two?” And just like that, they were out of the joke mode. Go figure.
“Oh, we’re separate.” She paused, nearly panicked. Why? “I mean I’ll pay for my own.”
That brought a scowl from Brian, no, Brad. “No, I searched online last night what humanities PhD students make. It’s pitiful.”
“What? Wait?” She touched his shoulder. It was muscled. “You mean you make more than—” The fact that he had a higher stipend than she out-horrored her more than the fact that he had been looking up her salary last night.
“Apparently, I do. I’ll pay.” He handed his card to Alvin, who looked bemused.
“All right,” he said slowly, almost as if he were afraid to ask the question, “what are you two having?”
Buy Links
You’ll be able to preorder your copy in about a month or so. In the meantime, follow Terry on social media. She loves chatting with readers on almost all platforms. 😊
Author Biography
Terry Newman is the award-winning author of several paranormal novels and novellas, including Rewrites of the Heart, Heartquake, and The Wizard of her Heart.
She enjoys writing humor and creating off-beat characters, each with their own quirks. She’s lived most of her life in northeast Ohio, where she sets all of her fictional towns.
Terry has been writing in some fashion most of her life , from small-town reporter to editor-in-chief and ghostwriter for a national natural health publishing firm. The last decade and half she’s worked a freelance writer, penning ebooks that range from Native Americans to starting a doula services business.
She has a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandpuppy. Terry lives in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio with all of her characters. Yes, it does get crowded at times.
Social Media Links
Website
Facebook: Terry Newman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tnewmanwrites
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60574351-heartquake?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=99H2V7dnWm&rank=1