My Worst-Selling Book

posted in: Book Excerpts, Various Musings | 0

Okay, so Worst Mother isn’t my worst-selling book, but it’s close.  I know a number of reasons why, but I think the biggest reason why readers don’t read this book is actually a combination of two things:  the cover and the title.  I’ve considered changing both for that very reason, but I haven’t yet and I may not ever.  I don’t know that, at this stage of the game, it would help anyway.

I can tell you this much–my hardcore readers who have given this book a chance have loved it and wondered why they avoided it for so long.  It’s one of my biggest books (only overshadowed by Bullet, Fully Automatic, and Savage) and it’s a big story.  Basically, it asks the question what would you do if something bad happened to your child?  Randi Miller isn’t a bad mother, but she thinks she is.  She’s a single mom trying to make ends meet and trying to make a better life for herself and her kids.  I wanted to show the struggle single moms face, even when they’re trying to do everything right.

To celebrate Mother’s Day, I’m offering Worst Mother on sale for today, Saturday, and Sunday on all sites for 99 cents.  If this is one you’ve avoided because I’ve managed to scare you off with the title or the cover, maybe you’ll want to pick it up now.  Mary Lou, Page Princess, the book reviewer (who is now also one of my beta readers) had this to say about the book:

The truth is, i almost didn’t read it. Even though I am probably Jade’s biggest fan (no Kathy Bates jokes, please), I was intimidated. This was truly a case of judging a book by its cover. I have known enough trailer trash in my life, that i just didn’t see the merit in reading something about them……. There is no trailer trash in this story! …

After finishing this story, – which I read in one day because I absolutely could NOT put it down – I had a nice little cry, and then I read the prologue. As I contemplated it, I realized that “happily ever after” doesn’t mean you have had a fairy tale life, it just means you learned to smile again after the tears…and isn’t that what we all want?

I hope you’ll give the book a try.  I’d love to know what you think!

Blurb

Can she discover her daughter’s secret before it destroys their family?

When Randi Miller discovers that her daughter Sarah’s preteen behavior is more than typical hormonal angst, she struggles to get Sarah the help she needs while she watches the rest of her life fall apart around her. Randi has made some mistakes in her life, mistakes that she feels continue to haunt her. In trying to pick up the pieces, though, she feels that she has neglected her children; she works full-time, attends college, and maintains a casual friends-with-benefits relationship with a man she is hesitant to admit she loves, and in doing so, feels that she has missed the obvious signs that something bad has happened to her daughter.

Excerpt

As she came back in the kitchen glaring, Justin said, “Chill out, okay. I don’t need any shit from you.”

“It’s only fair, friend.”

He grabbed her around the waist. “I wasn’t kidding, you know.”

Randi managed to maintain eye contact and licked her lips. “It’s not going to happen.” And she meant it.

He continued to look straight in her eyes. He cocked an eyebrow. “You know I usually get what I want.”

“Not tonight. You need to go home.” She didn’t have the strength to push him away and wasn’t even going to try. Instead, she turned her head away. He started kissing her neck. Damn it—he always knew what to do. But she was still angry. She was not going to let him make love to her tonight. “Knock it off, Justin.” She brought her arms up to his chest and pushed against him half-heartedly. But he continued to kiss her neck. “I said stop it.”

“I know what you need. And no matter how pissed off I made you,” he said, his left hand moving to the front of her jeans; she hadn’t even realized that her hands had stopped pushing against him and were now up at his shoulders—still not holding him but no longer pushing him away, “I know you need a good lay. The last time was with that guy.” She felt the zipper on her pants slide down. “I can’t even tell you the last time we were together. You know you can’t say no to me, Randi. You’ve never been able to tell me no…”

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qtpo0N
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/RDAd0M
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1jvFiTL
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1rOMw4y
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1wqyi0a

 

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