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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

her plan is destined to fail - Not Every Girl by Jane McGarry

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood.

Description:

Published: April 27th, 2015

Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail.

She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way.

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated.

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional. 

Author's Interview

1. Tell us about your new release:
Not Every Girl is my debut novel. It is a young adult adventure/romance with a feisty heroine, a standoffish prince and a few crafty outlaws for good measure. The two main characters are thrown together on an unexpected quest to save their fathers with plenty of action along the way.

2. Can you tell us about your journey towards publication?
I had worked for 10+ years in the pharmaceutical industry before leaving to be a stay-at-home mom. Writing soon became an escape from the daily grind of child rearing. Then, I had the idea for Not Every Girl and things took off from there.

3. What is your method of choice when you write? 
I like to freehand write my manuscripts in notebooks before typing them into a computer. This makes me feel like a dinosaur sometimes, like I should be more tech savvy with my writing. For some reason, writing with a pen and paper makes my creative juices flow more freely. My first round of edits occurs when I finally type the work into a computer.

4. Any advice for aspiring authors? 
First, read a lot, especially in your chosen genre so you will know what publishers are looking for in a work. Second, don’t forget that publishing is a business, so make sure you learn about it while you are writing. It will help you immensely when it comes time to submit your work. Finally, be persistent and believe in your work don’t give up on your dream.

5. What are you working on right now?
Right now I am working on the sequel to Not Every Girl. Now that she has proved herself in battle, Olivia has some new troubles to work through with Liam. It is exciting to be able to continue their story and I look forward to sharing it with everyone.

(author's material)
EXCERPT


I dust off and grab my bags, intending to fetch the horses. Only one short step later I hear an angry voice yell, "Peter! Where are you?"
It is Sir Michael. He is not happy. Freezing in my tracks, I spin around to him, as does nearly everyone else.
"Get over here, lad," he yells in my direction, "this stupid lace has broken."
In an instant, I am at his side. Indeed, the end of the leather lace that secures the left side of his jerkin has snapped off. His supply sack sits nearby. I rummage through it, hunting for a replacement cord. Surely, Puck packed an extra lace or something that can be used as a reasonable substitute.
Uh-oh!
Dread drifts in, envelops me in its icy claws. My stomach becomes lead. Puck had spoken about replacing the laces of Sir Michael's jerkin in the armory the other night. Obviously, he had planned to do it before the journey, but he did not get the chance—because I had interrupted him with dinner and…
My heart races, sweat beads on my brow. I am paralyzed with fear until a boot toe jabs my side. "Look alive, boy!" Sir Michael orders. Mechanically, I resume groping through the bag hoping to find something—anything—that I can improvise with. There is nothing.
"What I don't understand is why these laces were not replaced prior to this trip. They clearly needed to be," he snaps.
Unsure what else to do, I mumble an apology.
Bad move.
Sir Michael takes this as insolence and yanks me up by the armpit. Spinning me around to face him, he roars, "I am speaking to you, Peter, and therefore require your undivided attention. Do you understand?"
I stand there mutely, aware that his yelling has drawn the attention of everyone. Certainly, they all try to act as if they are not listening, but I am sure every ear is perked up in this direction. Before I can think of a way out of this situation…
"And take off that blasted helmet so you can look me straight in the eyes when I am talking to you!" In one fell swoop, he reaches out and knocks my helmet to the ground. "Surely I have taught you more respect than…"
His words abruptly cease.
Under different circumstances, his expression would be quite comical. He has stopped yelling in midsentence, his mouth agape, eyes wide and disbelieving. His face resembles those painted masks some gypsy vendors sell at our city's festivals. Lydia has one; she always tries to scare Grace with it. Since no response from me seems to be required, I stare at the ground and wait for all the pieces to fall into place for him. To my surprise, he draws his sword and points the tip right at my throat. For some reason, at this stressful moment, my brain manages to register that this is the second time in three days I have had a sword to my throat. Not such a good track record. His next words surprise me even more.
"Who are you?" He scowls. "Speak quickly!"
"Olivia," I say in a strangulated whisper. It dawns on me that Sir Michael does not have the first clue who I am. For all he knows, I mean them harm, particularly the King, whom he is sworn to protect with his life.
"Who?" The point pushes painfully into my neck.
"Olivia?"
This time the voice isn't mine. It is my father's. He rushed over at the sound of the commotion and now stands with much the same expression Sir Michael had a moment ago.
"How…? What are you…? Explain yourself, young lady!"




About the author:

Reading was always a big part of my life. Creating my own stories developed out of this love. Finally, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel and that was when Not Every Girl was conceived.

I live in New Jersey with my husband, two sons and an extremely spoiled cat. When I am not running around with my family or writing, I can be found curled up with a good book and said cat. It is my belief that a good book, a loyal pet and anything made of chocolate can brighten just about any day.

14 comments:

Jan Lee said...

What an awesome excerpt! I loved reading that the boy may really be a girl, how sneaky :) I'd love to read the whole book!

steve weber said...

Love this excerpt and the cover! thank you for the chance to win!

Patrick Siu said...

I have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.

Arf2-D2 said...

I like the excerpt too. I like characters who are willing to work for what they want.

Unknown said...

Great excerpt! Would love to read this book :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like a very fascinating book to read!!

Cass Raynaud said...

Love the cover! thank you for the chance to win!

Stephanie LaPlante said...

Sounds like a book I'd like to read.

Unknown said...

I look forward to reading your book.

Anonymous said...

great excerpt!

Danielle merkle said...

Thank you for the great giveaway!

Dan Denman said...

I like the cover and description of the book. Olivia sounds like a great character!

Betul E. said...

I am loving the cover and the book really sounds good

Betul E.

Unknown said...

sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway.

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