Blast from the Past: Rock Bottom

posted in: Book Excerpts, Various Musings | 0

I’m still converting old pages on my website to blog posts. Thanks for bearing with me. This week, we’ll be looking at everything Bullet!

Rock Bottom, the much-anticipated sequel to Bullet.

Ethan Richards has fought depression and a host of other demons all his adult life, and it’s caused him to lose everything—his wife, his son, his friends, and he almost loses the one thing that means the most to him—his band. He hits rock bottom and believes there is no way out. Enter Jenna McCormick, a feisty drug and alcohol counselor, a woman with her own share of troubles. She finds Ethan intriguing but keeps him at a distance while trying to help him face life without crutches. She feels a spark but denies it, knowing that a relationship with unstable Ethan could be dangerous for both of them.

Ethan knows what he wants, though, and isn’t used to being told no. Jenna isn’t willing to risk Ethan losing his tenuous grip on sobriety, however, and is prepared to deny her deeper feelings to help Ethan climb out of his hole, but he learns how to let go of his pain when he finds that someone is prepared to walk with him through the shadows. Can he convince Jenna that they should take a chance on love or will they forever deny their feelings in an effort to keep Ethan on the straight and narrow?

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While Rock Bottom is my second bestselling book, there are still hundreds (perhaps more) of Bullet fans who refuse to read the book–that’s how much that hate Ethan!

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Excerpt:

“You planning to help me set the room up?”

Ethan smiled and walked in behind her. “I’d be happy to.”

He started unfolding chairs and setting them up while Jenna filled the coffee pot up with water. When she started filling the filter with coffee grounds, Ethan asked, “So…do you have any plans tomorrow night?” She took a deep breath. No. That was what she’d feared. Before she could respond, he said, “I ask because I have two tickets to a band out of Pueblo I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about, and I don’t want to go by myself.”

She couldn’t resist. “What kind of music?”

She didn’t turn around to see the look on his face, but she could hear the smile just the same. “What kind do you think?”

It was a lie when she said, “You might be into jazz for all I know.” She’d known a little about him and his band before he’d come into her life, but since he’d become a regular in her group sessions, she’d done quite a bit of research. She knew damn good and well that he was a heavy metal lover just like she was. She thought she’d read that his favorite band was Suicide Silence. So she didn’t think he was inviting her to a jazz concert…but one never knew.

He started laughing. “Yeah…I look like the jazz type, don’t I?” He unfolded another chair and set it down. “Actually, I respect the hell out of jazz. But you’re right. Not a jazz band. Metal. Their name is Pretty Little Lies. Have you heard of them?”

“No. But I don’t get out much.”

“Well, we can change that.”

She switched on the coffee pot and then turned around to face Ethan. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Yeah, I kind of gathered that from previous conversations. I want to make you a deal, though.”

She couldn’t resist, even though she knew it was the worst idea ever. “And that would be?”

He set down the last chair and walked over to her. “We just go as friends…you know, to have fun. No pressure. Nothing at stake. Just two music lovers going to enjoy a band.”

Her eyes searched his. She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or just shining her on, but he was irresistible to her. She sighed. “Okay, all right. And then do you promise to stop bugging me?”

“Bugging you? I’m bugging you?”

She smiled. “You know what I mean.”

He smirked. “Maybe.” He knew he had to move quickly. “So can I get your number before people come in so we can work out the details tomorrow morning?”

Against her better judgment, she gave him her cell number, and he added it to his phone. He’d just stuck his phone back in his pocket when the next person arrived for group. He winked and took his seat and damned if she didn’t find herself distracted for the rest of the night.

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