Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Collide by Melissa J. Crispin

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Bridging the Gap Promotions, for Collide by Melissa J. Crispin.  Please leave a comment or question for Melissa to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter the tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

Guest Post by Melissa J. Crispin

Hi there! Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I’m very excited about the release of my YA Fantasy, Collide, and wanted to share something about both myself and my book.

I’ve been asked if the three main characters in Collide are based on anyone I know in real life. The answer is no. I haven’t met anyone exactly like Kayla, Alec, or Luke in person. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I inadvertently put pieces of myself in each of them. When I take a step back, I can now see what I never noticed the entire time I was writing the book. I have a few things in common with each of them. Curious what that might be?

Well, let’s start with Kayla. One trait I do have in common with her which I was aware of all along is that we both lost our dads at a young age. My father passed away from lung cancer when I was eighteen, and it changed me, to say the least. Kayla lost her father in a tragic car accident, but she lost him, nonetheless. His passing changed her, too.

The less obvious thing we have in common is a love for our vehicles. In Collide, Kayla drives a restored yellow, VW bug that she affectionately named Goldie. There are a few times in the story where she’s stressed out and seeks refuge in the safety of her car. While I haven’t named my own car, I do love my lifted Jeep. If I’m having a bad day, I have been known to sit in it quietly for a few minutes before I face whatever disaster awaits.

Moving on to Luke…He’s a distance runner. Back when I was in high school (and trust me this was quite a while ago) I was also a runner, though not of Luke’s caliber. He’s an elite athlete capable of breaking school records, but that was never me. I ran cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track and I loved it. As an adult, I’ve also run a half-marathon and two full marathons. I go through long stretches of time where I won’t run at all, then I’ll run like a maniac. For whatever reason, I always find my way back to it.

As for Alec, in Collide, he tells Kayla about how his house was originally a vacation home that’s been in his family for many generations. My husband’s family has a place in New Hampshire not too far from where the book takes place. We spend vacation time there time allows. I find being outdoors peaceful in that area, much like Alec does in one of the scenes in the book.

So, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the characters in my story and me. Thanks for reading! J 

COLLIDE

Melissa J. Crispin

Release Date: March 18th

Approx. 88K, Evernight Teen

Romance/Love Triangle/Fantasy Elements

Kayla has a plan. She’s moving to the city after graduation and Luke’s coming with her. He’ll eventually become a doctor, she’ll be a ballerina—and they’ll live happily ever after. That is, until dark forces, led by a sister she never knew existed, start hunting her down for a power she never knew she had.

When Kayla starts working with a boy named Alec to learn how to defend herself and to stop the evil from eliminating the worlds, she finds herself falling for him. Hard. Torn between two loves and struggling to do what’s right for Earth and Afterlife, Kayla must decide if she’s fighting to keep her life together, or letting it go to save everyone else’s.

Buy Links:    ARe    Evernight Teen     Amazon

14+ due to sexuality, language, teen pregnancy, and adult situations

EXCERPT

Luke nodded. “Let me get this straight. So, this guy, he can heal your leg, protect you from something that isn’t yet clear to me, and bring you to some otherworldly place, where you’re reunited with your father?”

“Yeah.” There was that word again.

He pulled his hand out of mine and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, that’s pretty damn hard to compete with.”

“Luke, this isn’t a competition. This is my life. He’s already saved me once.”

“And I’ll do it again,” Alec said.

Luke pointed a finger at Alec. “I don’t care what you can do. I don’t like you. You stole my girl, who’s pregnant with my baby.” Luke stepped around me and got in Alec’s face. “She will always have a part of me in her life.”

Alec slowly shook his head. “Not new news, and for the record, you stole her from me. So, you don’t get to play that card.”

The tension thickened in the air until the hairs stood on the back of my neck.

“She never said a word to you before all this weird shit started to go down.” Luke poked Alec in the chest. “You’re a liar.”

“It’s true,” I whispered.

Luke whirled around. “What?”

“Before us. It was him.”

Luke opened his mouth, as if to say something, but snapped it shut. He finally spoke after a long moment. “You said I was your first boyfriend. Your first kiss. Your first everything with a guy. You lied to me?”

“At the time, I thought that was true. He finds me in my dreams and takes me to Afterlife. That’s how we met. I never even knew he was real. I thought he was a boy in some recurring dream. I never even remembered until I barreled him over in the hallway one day by accident. His touch jarred my memory.”

Luke’s eyes were wild. “Do me a favor. Do not talk about touching him, ever, in my presence.”

“I’m sorry, Luke. That’s why this is so difficult. I’m only now remembering things that happened before us. It’s … confusing.”

“You were with him? Actually with him, before me?”

I swallowed. “We were sort of dating.”

“That’s not what I meant.” A muscle ticked in Luke’s jaw, and realization dawned on me.

“Oh, no. We didn’t.” I cleared my throat. “Not that…”

“I don’t know what you’re so pissed about. You’re the one who got to have a real relationship with her,” Alec said.

“Shut up. Just shut the hell up.” Luke gently brushed me to the side, leaving him and Alec staring each other down. “You’re an asshole.”

“Hate me, if you want. Call me whatever you want. But that girl right there?” He pointed to me. “She needs me. I swore to protect her, and I don’t give a shit about what you think. I’m her best shot at survival. Your baby’s, too. So, next time you get in my face, remember their lives are at stake and that your guns can’t fight off the shit that’s coming.”

“Asshole,” Luke muttered.

“Douche,” Alec said under his breath.

“Stop fighting,” I said from behind Luke’s back.

“You’re a loser. A loser, with no friends and no life, who came in and stole my girlfriend. Even if she chooses you, you’ll have to help her with my baby. Every time you look at our kid, you’ll be reminded of who was there first.”

I took a step outward to try to get between them, but Alec swung before I could, and as his fist connected with Luke’s face, Luke charged him, sending them both tumbling toward the ground.

Fists flew and grunts sounded in the scuffle as they rolled, each trying to get the upper hand.

“Stop!” I yelled.

About the author:

Melissa J. Crispin lives in Connecticut with her husband, two kids, and an adorable Siberian Husky. She spends her days in the corporate world, and pursues her passion for writing in the late nights and early mornings.

From micro-fiction to novels, Melissa loves to write stories in varying lengths. But, no matter the story, it's almost always about the romance.

Website: http://melissajcrispin.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaJCrispin  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissajcrispinauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissajcrispin/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MelissaJCrispin

a Rafflecopter giveaway