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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, December 4, 2018

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!

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. 

Author's Giveaway

20 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thanks for hosting!

LJ Greene said...

Thank you so much for having me and for showcasing Aftereffects! It's been great fun! :)

katieoscarlet said...

I enjoyed the blurb and am looking forward to reading. Best friends crossing the line is not usually a good thing.

Victoria Alexander said...

Really great post, I enjoyed checking it out.

Dale Wilken said...

Sounds really great.

Rita Wray said...

Sounds like a good book.

Calvin F. said...

Brilliant, seems like a nice read

Bernie Wallace said...

Who is your favorite author of all time? Congrats on the release. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

wendy Hutton said...

thanks the book sounds interesting

LJ Greene said...

Hi Katie,

It's so interesting to me that you mentioned the danger of crossing the best friends line. It's actually one of the reasons I was so excited to write this book in the first place. I totally agree with you. And I think the reason that the friends/lovers theme is so enduringly powerful is because the risk/reward ratio is so high on both sides. How amazing is it to be loved by the person who knows you best – knows all your flaws – and thinks you’re perfect anyway. But if things don’t quite go as planned, how difficult to lose both the love of your life and the person you most want to call when you lose the love of your life? There are tough choices to make there and, as you so rightly pointed out, they are very real. In fact, what has surprised me more than anything is how strongly this whole subject has resonated with readers in the reviews left on Goodreads. I can't tell you how gratifying that is.

I hope you'll have a chance to read Aftereffects, but regardless, thank you for supporting indie authors like me who are given a voice by blogs like Mystical Books and by readers like you.

Warm regards, LJ

LJ Greene said...

Hi Bernie,

Thank you so much for your kind words and for your question. And since you provided your email, I'll send this to you directly as well. As for my favorite author, that's a tough one because I read like it's going out of style! The honest, though not so PC answer, perhaps, is that the first author who really changed my perception of what reading should be like was Marion Bradley. Her book, The Mists of Avalon, was one the first books I read as a (young) adult, and it changed my entire perspective on reading for pleasure. There's been a lot to come out about her personal life that I wouldn't condone, of course, but that book instilled in me a love - a passion, really - for reading, for strong female characters, and for the power of the written word. I still own the paperback I bought more than 25 years ago. In addition, many authors have left an imprint. I suppose I would have to say Leon Uris, Pat Conroy and Diana Gabaldon rank among my all time favorites for the beauty and complexity of their characters. In my genre, Christina Lauren for the humor and heart that lie at the core of every great romance. I love a happy ending. And I love real characters that reflect and echo the realities - good and bad - of world that we actually live in.

Thank you for asking. And thank you for supporting blogs like Mystical Books that give independent authors a chance to add our voice to the chorus.

Warmly,

LJ Greene

LJ Greene said...

Wendy/Calvin/Rita/Dan/Victoria,

Thank you! You've made my day!

Warm regards,

LJ Greene

Debbie P said...

This book sounds like an intriguing read. Great cover.

LJ Greene said...

Thank you, Debbie!

I agree! It's gorgeous! Full credit goes to Joshua from X Book Cover Design, who brought Keir to life exactly as I saw him in my mind, and added a touch of mystical that I didn't even realize would be so fitting when we designed it two years ago. I'll pass along your compliments. And if I may, what's inside is pretty good too! :)

Best regards, LJ

Jolanda said...

Looks & sounds great.

LJ Greene said...

Thanks Jolanda! I may be a tiny bit biased but I think so. :)

bison61 said...

the book sounds great-thanks for the giveaway

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

LJ Greene said...

I hope you win! :)

Bridgett Wilbur said...

Sounds like something I would love to read.

LJ Greene said...

I hope you do! And let me know what you think! :)