The day has finally come…the launch of my YA romance STREAMLINE.
Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder.
Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.
I’m so excited for you to read this novel. I poured my heart into this military murder mystery. The story is my chance to share my deep love for the sport of swimming.
Thank you to my beautiful party co-hosts. Visit these blogs to read excerpts, interviews, and guest posts. And what party is complete without gifts?
Also, visit the Omnific Blog to read an interview about my writing process, and enter the Goodreads giveaway of two signed print copies on the right sidebar of my blog.
Enter to win Launch Party prizes! You can only enter once, but I encourage you to dive over to participating blogs and leave comments.
Please visit these lovely blogs to enter for prizes, including a swim cap and goggles. *snorts* I’ve converted at least one friend from a runner to a swimmer, and I intend to get even more of you into the pool, swimming laps.
Here is the last excerpt leading up to tomorrow’s release.
Audrey ran down several options for a quick meal, and they decided on spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad. As she and Leo cooked together, chatting amicably, she felt like a real adult, making dinner after a long day at work. She couldn’t wait to have a house with him one day when he was in the Navy. She couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone else.
They scarfed down their food, and Audrey was again in awe of how much Leo ate. She wondered where he put it all, but such was the metabolism of a swimmer. He belched loudly, patting his stomach.
“Classy.” She shook her head. “That was even louder than Elaine’s monster burps at practice today.”
“I have to get back in the pool. It’s been what, three days? I can’t remember ever being out of the water that long.”
“So then go to practice with me tomorrow.”
Leo shook his head, pointing to his swollen face. “Too many questions. I can’t go back till these cuts and bruises fade.”
“Hmm, that is a dilemma.” She thought for a moment. “I have an idea.” She explained quickly to Leo, who seemed impressed by her cleverness.
~*~
Audrey is one smart chick. Hope to see you at the PAR-TAY tomorrow!
Squee! Only a few more days until the release of Streamline on Tuesday 3-27-12.
Today’s excerpt features Audrey visiting her father, who’s in prison following his conviction for murdering a fellow Navy officer. It’s the night before her big state high school championship swim meet.
~*~
“Aren’t you studying Spanish anymore?” Audrey asked.
Her father averted his eyes. “They, um, they took the books away.”
“Why?”
He sighed and seemed to struggle for words. “It’s okay, Audrey girl. Please don’t worry about it. How’s your mother doing?”
Audrey pulled her cell phone from her purse. “I checked with the MP, and he said I could call Mom while I was here, so maybe we can all talk together this way.”
“That’s so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“No big deal, Dad.” She sat with a phone in each hand and grinned when her mother answered. “Hey, Mom. I’m here with Dad. We thought we’d call and say hi.”
“Wonderful!” her mother said. “How’s he doing? Oh, hey—make sure you get a good breakfast on Friday.”
Audrey rolled her eyes a second time. “Mom, Dad just went over race strategy, and now you’re giving me nutrition tips. I have a coach, you know.”
“But you still need your parents,” her mother insisted. “Listen, I feel awful about this, honey, but they’re not giving me time off for your meet. I won’t be able to make it.”
Audrey swallowed. “That’s okay, Mom. I know you’d be there if you could.”
“Sorry,” her father mouthed, catching her eye.
Her blinks came rapid-fire as she tried not to look at him. “So, um, Mom, how do you like the new hospital?”
Getting herself back under control, Audrey acted as a relay between her parents until her mother had to say goodbye.
“I’ll be thinking about you every minute this weekend, Audrey girl,” her dad said. “Just do your best and have fun, okay?”
“Okay, Dad. I’ll be thinking about you too.”
~*~
OMG! I was looking for a photo of a female swimmer and came across this one of Inge de Bruijn, Olympic swimmer from The Netherlands. In Streamline, Leo and Audrey joke about swimmers being flexible, but this goes beyond the pale.
Today’s Streamline excerpt is a short one, from the chapter titled “Shaving Party!” One of swimming’s bizarre traditions is to “shave down” before the big meet at the end of the year. Smooth skin is more streamlined and less resistant in the water.
Shaving down is appropriate timing for me as I drive to Indianapolis today to watch my old college swim team race in the NCAA Division III Championships. I even shaved my legs for the occasion. Wish the Lords & Ladies luck!
~*~
Audrey emerged from the bathroom to stare at Leo’s newly shorn head. His face appeared almost gaunt, and his blue eyes popped with an even brighter intensity. He looked like a badass, which would come in handy trying to intimidate competitors behind the blocks. She smiled. “You said something about helping me shave?”
Leo’s eyes floated down her body, and she hoped her melon-colored suit showed off her suntan. He took a step toward her and cocked one eyebrow. “Yeah, you’re pretty hairy, so it’ll probably take two of us to do the job.”
~*~
That is just cruel, Leo.
*SAVE the DATE*
I’ll post more soon about my book signing on Friday, May 11th in Columbus, Ohio. I’ll be signing copies of Streamline, With Good Behavior, and Bad Behavior from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at House Wine.
And now it’s time to bounce with the authors for the Omnific Blog Bounce!
Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway HERE to win a signed copy of Streamline. Also, come back for the Launch Party on 3-27 to win prizes!
Today’s excerpt offers a glimpse into the underwater world of Leo Scott:
The water rushed past his ears, obliterating all other noise.
Sensory deprivation was one of swimming’s most appealing qualities for Leo. The worries of the day, the shouted voices around him, the disappointment of authority figures—all were far away once he submerged in the water and focused on swimming as fast as possible. He did a lot of thinking during practice, sometimes solving problems and sometimes making plans.
They were doing a set of ten one hundreds, each on a faster interval, which made for a challenging aerobic workout. Eric led the fastest lane, and Leo went second.
He pushed off for his seventh one hundred, his legs burning from exertion. Long and smooth, he told himself, taking the first length out relaxed. As he approached the wall, he whipped his body over in a swift flip turn and exploded off in a tight streamline. For the next three lengths, Leo focused on keeping a long stroke with a lively tempo and closed fast on Eric’s feet. Both swimmers breathed hard at the wall and squinted at the pace clock.
Leo only had little rest before he set off to repeat the process three more times.
Before number ten, Matt barked at him: “Make this one your best, Leo!”
Leo gritted his teeth as he pushed off for the last repeat. Lifting his head at the finish, he heard Matt holler “Fifty-two!” Leo grinned as he panted.
“Great set, guys.” Matt nodded. “Fifty easy cool down.”
~*~
I’m picturing Leo to look like a younger version of USA Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. (HOT!)
Have you ever gone skinny dipping? It’s sooo fun–the feeling of naughty, weightless freedom. Skinny dipping has a special place in my YA novel Streamline, which will launch in just one week on 3/27/12.
Today’s excerpt is 17 year-old Leo remembering when he first felt a spark of romance for his swimming teammate Audrey.
Two years ago, when Leo was a sophomore, he’d finally grown taller and more muscular. His friends told him he’d drawn the attention of several girls, yet he was oblivious to their stares. Consumed by school, swimming, and trying to please his father, he hadn’t even considered dating.
It had been a hot September evening, and the swim team had just finished a grueling round of running the stadium stairs. Leo then added an additional half-hour of stair climbing for himself, knowing his father would expect that extra effort. As he emerged from the showers and toweled off in the empty locker room, he heard giggles in the pool.
Once dressed, Leo went to investigate the sound. The pool gates were locked, but all the swimmers knew the security code for those occasional mornings when Matt overslept. Leo heard giggles again. He just had to find out what was so fun in there.
Quietly keying the code, Leo entered and stayed in the shadows of the pool deck as dusk encroached. Smack in the middle of the pool were Audrey Rose and Elaine Ferris, two sophomores on the girls team. They snorted with laughter as they attempted some synchronized swimming moves. Audrey’s graceful arm flared over her head as she kept her body afloat with furious kicking.
Elaine applauded. “Brah-vo,” she mocked.
When Audrey floated on her back and extended her lean leg in the air, Leo had gasped. Audrey was naked! Skinny dipping! He caught a glimpse of two perfect breasts: perky, curvy mounds he just had to caress. He suddenly saw the daughter of his father’s subordinate in a whole new light.
Elaine started. “Who’s there?”
Not wanting to be a creepy stalker, Leo had immediately stepped out of the shadows, his eyes alight with mischief. “I’m just enjoying the show, ladies.”
Audrey’s mouth dropped open. “Leo Scott!” She turned to Elaine and they whispered. “Turn around, Leo!” Audrey ordered.
He gave a little mock salute and performed a sharp about face. He heard vigorous splashing as Audrey and Elaine swam to the other side of the pool, then a rush of water as they pulled themselves out.
“Don’t peek!” Audrey shouted.
Leo put his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels and reveling in every second of her embarrassment.
When he heard the patter of feet toward the women’s locker room, Leo turned around. “Audrey?”
She halted, nervously tightening her towel around her chest. “What?”
Leo came as close as he dared, lest Audrey dart away like a gazelle from a hunter.He flashed a warm smile and watched her face flush. “I judged your routine, and I give you a nine.”
It took her only a second to recover. “Only a nine?” she pouted. “What would I have to do to get a ten?”
“You need to get higher out of the water.” Leo cleared his throat. “You know, so the judge can get a better view of your, ah, your, your beautiful smile.”
“Is that right?” Audrey scanned the deck for Elaine, who’d walked over to the other side of the pool and now seemed busy organizing the kickboards and pull buoys. “Maybe you could show me sometime?”
Leo laughed. “I’d like that.” They stared awkwardly for a moment, and Audrey shivered in the humid breeze. Fearing she was about to leave, Leo blurted, “Well, I gave you my number. How about you give me yours?”
Audrey narrowed her eyes and smiled. “The only way you get my number is if you change yours to a ten.”
“Done.” Leo nodded decisively. “You were absolutely perfect.”
Happy Monday! I had the pleasure of reading Madison’s lovely review for With Good Behavior on the Guilty Pleasures blog, which made Sunday great. The weekends still fly by far too quickly, though.
Today’s Streamline excerpt features Leo’s mother and brother. Jason, Leo’s absent older brother, had been living in Seattle but recently returned home to Florida.
Jason was silent for a few moments. “How’s Leo doing?”
“Fine,” Mary responded immediately. Then she frowned and shook her head. “No, he’s not fine. Something’s wrong, Jase. His swimming times are horrible, he’s not doing well in school, and I feel like he’s a stranger to me.”
Jason nodded grimly, not looking the least bit surprised.
“But enough about us. What’ve you been doing the past four years?”
Jason hesitated.
With an uncomfortable silence between them, Mary sighed. Why did the Scott men refuse to let her in? She hated chasing them.
“Mom, I want to tell you all about me. I do,” Jason finally said. “But first we need to talk about Leo. He’s in trouble.”
Uh-oh! Jason’s onto his little bro like chlorine on skin.
See you tomorrow for another excerpt, when we flash back to how Leo and Audrey met.
Today’s excerpt from Streamline is a flashback for our hero Leo Scott. Nobody’s going to get away with talking trash about his girlfriend Audrey.
~*~
Leo had felt on top of the world that first week of school. He was finally a senior and had less than one year left under his father’s control. His father had insisted he apply to the Academy, but Leo had fought for permission to apply to other universities as well. His relationship with Audrey was going swimmingly, and he brimmed with excitement over the opportunity to win state in both the 50 and 100 free.
One small drawback was the year’s locker assignments. Leo pulled books out and tried to ignore Billy Ryan, who had the locker next to his. A defensive back on the football team, Billy’s sole communication with Leo up to that point had been grunts and menacing stares, but today he was suddenly chatty.
“So, Scott, what are you? Mulatto or something?”
Leo’s face had burned but he remained silent, stuffing books in his backpack.
“What’s a sweet thing like Audrey Rose see in you?”
Leo fought for control. “Don’t talk about her.”
“I hear you two have an open relationship. Might have to hit that sometime.”
Leo had tackled Billy with Muhammad Ali speed and unleashed furious punches. Blood streamed out of Billy’s nose by the time Assistant Principal Morrison had grabbed Leo and hauled him to his feet.
~*~
Uh oh. Papa Scott isn’t going to be happy about his son getting in trouble for fighting in school.
Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for two signed copies of Streamline–see the right sidebar of this blog.
Today’s Streamline excerpt explores swimmers’ copious carbohydrates consumption the night before a competition. One of the sport’s many strange traditions that I explore in this novel!
Five days after Audrey’s return from Chicago, it was carbo-loading time: the night before the North Florida Invitational.
Leo, Audrey, Elaine, and Alex munched salad while awaiting their pasta, the main event, at The Olive Garden. The ravenous swimmers ignored their waitress’ disapproving looks each time she brought a new basket of breadsticks. They were currently on their fourth.
Leo watched Alex brush breadcrumbs off his chest and laughed at his T-shirt: I wish my lawn was emo so it could cut itself.
“So Mr. Cranky…” Elaine fixed a stare on Leo. “What puts you in such a good mood tonight?”
Leo grinned. “Cold-hearted Sadist left town for a week, and life is good.”
Audrey tilted her head. “I thought you called your dad Cruel SOB?”
“Those terms are interchangeable.” Leo winked. “It’s all CS.”
“When you said CS I always thought you meant Commander Scott,” said Alex, suddenly piecing it together. “But I like these much better.” He grinned. “I’ll personally really miss Cocky Sucker’s menacing stares at tomorrow’s meet. Who can I thank for making him leave?”
“His CO ordered him to go to California or something. Who really cares?” Leo raised his ice water. “I’d like to propose a toast to the seniors.”
They giggled and raised their glasses. When Leo noticed Audrey’s stare, and he tried to stop the trembling in his hand. Time for another pill.
“Here’s to our wives and girlfriends,” Leo said with a laugh. “May they never meet!”
Snickers enveloped the table.
“Seriously, though, going into our last invite, I want to thank you guys for always being there. Four long years—I couldn’t have made it without you. Friendship is the best kind of ship.”
~*~
It’s Thursday, so guess what? Time for the Author Blog Bounce, baby!
With the Launch Party for Streamline less than two weeks away (3/27/12), I’ve been answering interview questions about what inspired me to write this swimming story. It struck me this morning that one underlying inspiration is WATER.
I feel very connected to the water. My sign is Aquarius, the water bearer. I’ve been swimming competitively for 33 years. Water is supportive and silent.
Here the hero of Streamline, Leo Scott, attempts to explain the beauty of water to his psychologist:
She chuckled. “So, back to you, sounds like you‘re on the swim team here. What do you like about swimming? Fastening a band-aid to his toe, Leo pictured the high school pool. “So much. It‘s an individual sport. It‘s all on me—the victories, the defeats. I love how hard it is… Not everyone‘s willing to wake up before zero-five-hundred, and only the strongest can make it. It‘s also cool how soothing and refreshing the water is. It‘s like another world where you can‘t hear a thing; you‘re just alone in your thoughts. And to swim fast, you can‘t fight the water. You have to flow with it, feel it, surrender to it.”
This morning I came across a song by Florence + The Machine—“What the Water Gave Me.” I was intrigued by these lyrics:
Time it took us
To where the water was
That’s what the water gave me
And time goes quicker
Between the two of us
Oh, my love, don’t forsake me
Take what the water gave me
And oh poor Atlas
The world’s a beast of a burden
You’ve been holding on a long time
And all this longing
And the shields are left to rust
That’s what the water gave us
So lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Lead singer Florence had this to say about the lyrics: “When I was writing this song I was thinking a lot about those people who have lost their lives in vain attempts to save their loved ones from drowning.”
Jennifer Lane Books 