Publication date: February 18th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
~ What's It About?~
When Emma Anderson arrived at San Francisco International Airport, she regretted accepting the distinction of being the maid of honor to Gaby’s—her childhood friend—wedding. It had been years since the last time she set foot in Menlo Park, where her parents had been killed. The rug where she had been shoving her feelings since that day looked bumpier than a camel’s hump. Who could blame her; if she hadn’t been selfish they’d still be around. Ever since that fateful day, Emma has been perfecting the knack of Getting By.
Cade’s wedding in Menlo Park—a city close to San Francisco—might be the perfect place for Jake Knight to shake the memories of his ex, Emma Anderson for good. Single, available women galore for an entire week was the perfect medication, one he intended to take three times a day for an entire week to return to his player days. It was a plan the former spy thought flawless until he came face to face with the maid of honor. Jake’s perfect retreat turns into a flight, fight or hide week of celebrations.
~Purchase~
~ Excerpt~
On the drive back to the hotel, Mom, Dad and Cade talked about what a great family those Clements were. I continued driving, tuning them out. Mitch gave me the ‘what’s going on’ look. The twin connection kicked in. He knew me too well. Gaby’s like my best friend, maid of honor and loner by choice reminded me of Emma, my Emma Anderson, whose sister was into weird stuff. Pain, and two guys…. I shook my head at the mental picture that came to my mind by fusing Chloe and her sister.
Funny I never ran a background check on my girl, nor did I check if such a sister existed or what her story was. I respected her boundaries, we did light and uncomplicated. Emma didn’t know much of my background either. She didn’t know what I truly did for a living. She used to call me a Rent a Cop. Mercenary, bounty hunter and security intelligence were more accurate. The fortune I owned wasn’t important to her, or how I made it. Grandfather left us enough money to begin a few ventures, and by the age of nineteen Mitch and I had started a few businesses. Our game was to start businesses and then sell them at a high price. While my brother tended said ventures, I went through special training and worked for a specialized agency; the easiest term to apply was spy.
I did the gig until a tender loving asshole blew a whistle and compromised my mission, killing my unit and barely missing me. The said unknown agency made me retire, and I went back into the business world while my body recuperated. The hero gig ended and my years as a civilian began, though when I recovered the itch to open my own operation and claim part of who I wanted to be pushed me to open a high security company. Liam joined our business ventures when he graduated and now we owned a sizable amount of places, including an advertising company—where my lovely Emma worked.
In a foul mood, I parked close to the emergency exit, got out of the car and headed toward the bar. Mom yelled something about breakfast behind me, but I ignored the woman. What were the odds that Emma would be Gaby’s friend? Serendipity had a fucked up sense of humor; the odds increased five percent with each step I took toward the bar of the hotel. And Chloe’s little sister, fuck, no way would I get tangled with the freak case Gavin had described for years. Hold on, yes, I was with her for more than twenty four months.
Liam sat next to me and ordered two scotches. “Emma’s on vacation,” he said. Was this a conversation about Gaby’s friend? Because I had come to the bar to numb myself, not rehash my screwed up life.
“So?” I shrugged, gulped my shot and ordered another one.
He shook his head and continued talking. “I sent a general email to the creative department to see who’ll pick up your project.” I gave him a glare. “She’s out.”
“Emma is never on vacation. She might still answer,” I responded. Emma didn’t respect her free time. She craved work, needed it, her drug of choice, like Gaby said. I told him to give it to whoever he thought directly, not… fuck. I worried, because why was she on holiday? The wedding? “Why is she off, is her grandfather sick, again?”
“I don’t know,” Liam answered, and Mitch arrived from wherever he had been and sat on my other side. Why were they flanking me? I didn’t need babysitting. “Though, I heard she moved them from their house to an assisted living community. Again, not much information, you know she keeps to herself. But you’re over her, right?” Liam, who adored Emma for her amazing talent, kept my relationship and her job separate. “I think she’s Gaby’s little friend, Jay. We saw her. Here, today.” The words were said with enough pause so they would sink in.
I gulped two more shots ignoring the conclusion Liam gave me. Clearly I was going to run into her, wedding or not. The question was what the fuck was I going to do when I saw her?
“One week of unadulterated awkwardness,” Mitch finally spoke. I wanted to punch the smirk off his face. “So, you getting drunk again?”
~Meet The Author~
Claudia lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a
bichon who thinks she’s a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She’s a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.
Connect With The Author
~ Questions & Answers~
Q: Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?
C.B.: I just wing for the first draft. My stories start with an idea and the first words are a scene… any scene. From there I start sculpting it.
Q: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
C.B.: Modern: I’d say it’s a tie between Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and Nora Roberts.
Classic… I’d like to think that throughout the years I have learned from Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cervantes, Wilde, Asimov, Dickens and Austin. Let’s not forget Shakespeare, who wrote about Italy without ever visiting the country.
Q: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
C.B. My friends, and also my social media friends. Members of Facebook I met five years ago and now from twitter, the community of indie authors is amazingly supportive. Not only with my writing, but on a personal level too.
Irene: Why did you start writing, Claudia?
C.B: I read a lot when I was little, since I lived with my grandmother, I was privy to my grandfather’s books. [No one told the adults I needed age appropriate literature] There I was, a six year old reading Cervantes, Dostoyevsky, Marquez and encyclopedias. From there I began writing, trying to imagine a different life—a fun life.
Q: Who designed the cover for Getting By?
C.B. The team at Damonza, they are amazingly talented.
Q: What was the hardest part of writing Getting By?
C.B. Writing Jake’s POV, it is the first time I attempt to write from the male perspective.
K.M.: What can you offer them in the way of information or entertainment?
C.B. I like to think I’m bringing witty, neurotic, human characters that, although they want to be perfect they live their lives with flaws like everyone else, yet they handle it the best they can. I try to add some humor to the mix with the promise that’s there’s always a better tomorrow –or at least something nice on the next page.
Stephanie Neighbour: I’ve decided to out you as a gadget junkie—Apple in particular. What is your gadget of choice for writing your manuscripts?
CB: Hardcore apple, however my computer isn’t…something about software and other gibberish that the IT man of the house keeps telling. When I’m not typing at my desk, I’m using one of my three iPad to write a scene. After I email it and fix it.
S.N.: Your number one guilty pleasure is??? (I already know it isn’t Taco Bell)
CB: Any and all carbohydrates, chocolate, candy, pastries, real tacos…overall I’m a foodie.
S.N.: Do you decide the path of your characters or do they take on a life of their own as the story unfolds?
C.B. They take their own path and I just have to watch them behave, there’s been a few times when I have to erase several chapters because they don’t care about closure. One of the reasons why I have 7 first drafts of Getting By stored in my computer.
S.N.: Have you always considered yourself a writer? If so, when did you begin writing? If not, at what age did you begin writing?
Definitely a storyteller, age…fairly young. A few times I wrote the stories; that began around middle school. During high school, my best friend who had an ongoing Telenovela with her boyfriend suggested that I documented it and make myself famous with it. One day I might out her, as soon as I find my notebook I’ll get her.
Six years ago I retook the idea of writing what the voices in my head tell me. Last year is when I found the guts to share them.
S.N.: If you could write in a different genre, what would it be?
CB: Sci-Fi… in middle school I seriously made my boyfriend believe I was an alien. Mothership and all explained in detailed. I was raised in a house of Assimov lovers, Star Trek geeks and overall nerds.
Fantasy and paranormal too, that comes from the fairy side of my family and my grandfather who always told me I’m good with ghosts—he died before I was born.
S.N.: Who or what inspires you?
CB: Music inspires me, it sets the mood of how the book will go. Who…the people I observe.
S.N.: Early bird or night owl?
CB: Night Owl? I work Australia time, which usually is when we sleep here in America.
S.N.: Your dream vacation is….
CB: Depends on my mood, I love to walk and discover new places, but if I’m tired a good sun tan in front of the ocean is perfect.
S.N.: Name something you are really horrible at. (Doesn’t have to be related to writing)
CB: Crafts, I have two left hands. I can’t use a thread and a needle even if my life depends on it. *useless, the voices in my head scream in unison*
S.N.: What can we expect from you in the future? New projects? Other ventures?
This book I’m releasing, Getting by, is the first installment of series A Knights Tales. Following Jake, Mitch and Liam three playboy brothers who have a playboy life but a knight in shining armor complex. Their world collides a bit with the world of Where Life Takes You—the Life series. There’s a cameo from one of the characters of WLTY here.
The second project is Next To You, book number two of the Life series. I teamed up with Damonza and we have a gorgeous cover, which should be reveal in the near future. On this book, we’ll not only listen to Becca, but also Dan’s side of the story. This is not a rehash of the first book from Dan’s POV though. There are a few cameos from the characters of Getting by here. And the precious is already with my Editor extraordinaire, Karen.
I’m doodling with the second book of the Knights Tales series Standing By, that’s Mitch and Hayley’s story. Meanwhile, in the other side of my brain; I’m pondering about a third book of the Life series, with Buddy’s life—Dan’s foster brother. There’s another book which at the moment is a skeleton trying to stir up the usual protocol and bring a different kind of theme to what’s been written lately. There’s a twist on it and I’m hoping to pull something fun.
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