a devastating collision... Aftereffects (Ripple Effects #3) by L.J. Greene

"Overall, I loved the book. It's a book I recommend to everyone, not only as an escape from real world, but also just to enjoy a good love story that touches hearts and make us wondering about our personal lives, because of the connection we may get and feel." Jessica, Goodreads

Description:

Published: October 8th, 2018

What could be more terrifying than falling in love with the person who is your good place? Maybe realizing just a smidge too late that there can be dire consequences to becoming your best friend’s lover.

The lives of Keir Stevens and Selene Georgiou serendipitously collide midspan on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, one jarring step ahead of fate. He’s a temporary transplant from Seattle; she’s facing the biggest career opportunity of her life. They have no notion of the common thread that connects them. 

As they come to discover they share a similar adversity, their relationship evolves from a fun and frivolous infatuation with nowhere to go into a true friendship with sincerity, humor, and respect at its heart. 

It’s awfully hard not to fall in love with that—even if you’re pretty darn certain you shouldn’t.

But when love and friendship suffer their own devastating collision—their interests brutally conflicting—the consequences of blurring the lines between the two suddenly become real. In the end, which one will be the stronger? And more importantly, can either survive?

AFTEREFFECTS is a standalone dual POV adult contemporary romance about the things we choose in life out of all the things that are beyond our choosing—a tale of love and friendship, of time and how we spend it, and of the inner wars that ultimately show us what really matters.

Author's Q&As

How would you describe your style of writing?

I don’t know that I have a specific style. But I will say this: while many of my favorite romance novels feature that dark and brooding hero – and I’m all for that! – I love the challenge of writing characters that fly in the face of common romance tropes, and creating extraordinary situations from ordinary occurrences. We don’t often see the strong male lead who is unapologetically emotional and demonstrative, not just with his lady-love, but with his friends, as well. And that’s what made Keir in Aftereffects so much fun for me. He says big things easily, without any hesitation or self-consciousness. He’s very introspective in a way we don’t often see men portrayed.

What mindset or routine do you have when preparing to write?

It’s so great that you ask this question because creativity and the creative process are central themes in my second book, Sound Effects. I had the great fun of exploring the creative mind of an artist, and comparing (or revealing!) my own process through the writing of that book.

So to answer your question, for me it’s more of a mindset than a routine. Inspiration can come at any time. It often comes in chunks, particularly when I’m in the shower or lying in bed at night or driving in traffic. I try to jot things down on my phone, a sticky pad – whatever I have handy – so that I can come back to these bits and pieces when I’m ready to put the scene together. 

I typically write scene by scene, in a very serial way. And I don’t move on until I’m satisfied with the scene I’m crafting. I imagine my process is much like that of a painter; I write in layers, building up a scene over and over and over again until it has just the right tone. A lot of times, I’ll absolutely despise the scene I’m writing – feel completely frustrated and dissatisfied with it. And then I’ll add something small, usually some sort of emotional connection that was missing, and – bam! – it just suddenly works! It’s like a magic trick! So for me, the key is to never give in to the temptation of ‘good enough.’

How do you approach character development?

Some of my best characters are the ones who’ve gone totally rogue! They start out as one thing, and end up as something totally different. And I think that’s because you have a sense of your characters when you start a project, but, just like real people, the process of discovering their complexities is very much an ongoing thing. They don’t reveal themselves all at once. Nor should they.

My job as a writer is to discover the humanity in every character, no matter how distasteful (or perfect, for that matter!) they may seem, initially. Characters who are all of one thing and nothing of another are not interesting.

People watching can sometimes be helpful in that way. But more often than not, I find that character development comes from my being honest with myself about my own complexities, and being willing to examine them in an honest way through my characters.

If you could have dinner with 7 fictional characters, who would they be?

Morgaine from The Mists of Avalon. This was the first book that truly wrecked me. Morgaine is one bad-ass heroine! I’ve never stopped wanting to be her!

Merlin – because, duh, he’s Merlin!

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts I don’t think I’d get a word in edgewise but who wouldn’t love the conversation?

Lord John Grey from Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John Series - talk about a complex character with a great sense of irony and humor. I love that man!

Will, Max, and Bennett from the Beautiful Series– Zip it, Christina and Lauren! This is my imaginary dinner and I want all three. I do love men with a good sense of humor…

Tristan Vega – I’m still recovering from RK Lilly’s Bad Things series. I’m just saying…not that’s it’s been four years, or anything!

TOUR SCHEDULE

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About the author:

LJ Greene is a self-professed obsessive multi-tasker who writes really boring stuff by day and lets her inner romantic fly by night. This California native is married to the most amazing man and has two beautiful children, not old enough to read her books. (They probably wouldn’t want to anyway on account of the “Ew, gross” factor.) She’s an avid reader of all genres with an embarrassingly large ebook collection, and a weird penchant for reading the acknowledgements at the end of a novel. She's also a music lover with no apparent musical talent, a travel enthusiast, and a cheese connoisseur. 

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