Just Out of Reach
by Belinda Stevens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When high school freshman Katherine Boyd meets David, her
life is forever altered. Their romance experiences the turmoil of Mississippi
in the sixties, family relationships that keep them apart, and political
differences that threaten to destroy them. Through the death of JFK and James
Meredith’s admission to Ole Miss, Katherine’s growth means being progressive in
a traditional Southern family, accepting the loss of those closest to her, and learning
to cope with her family’s darkest secrets. Just Out of Reach is the story of a
young woman forged in desperate times and a love that changes her life forever.
EXCERPT
I was numb from the news. As I listened to Dr. Pierce, my mind
seemed to separate from my body.
It was like my family doctor, the same doctor that had delivered my
girls, was talking to someone else.
I thought I had been so careful but, obviously, not careful enough. I was pregnant, and Tom was not the
father! I thought about my last
pregnancy. This time I knew I
would not abort. Other than that,
I didn’t know what I was going to do.
As I drove home, I thought about the events that had lead to my present
state; all the things Tom did wrong and the things I did wrong as well.
After Birmingham, things settled
down somewhat. For the girls’
sake, Tom stopped drinking.
But we still fought over everything from civil rights to how I raised
the girls, especially Katherine.
She was her father’s favorite, and Tom felt she could do no wrong. My youngest daughter was very
independent and had a strong, stubborn streak in her. No matter how I tried to force her to behave, she fought
back. It always led to tantrums,
tears, and eventually spankings.
As my daughter grew older, the fighting between me and Katherine
worsened, with Tom acting as a referee.
The fact that my husband sided with Katherine enraged me. This, of course, widened the gulf
between me and Tom. We were like
strangers living under the same roof, barely speaking to one another. There were days and sometime weeks of
silence between the two of us.
Things rocked along unchanged until the fall of 1958.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the gateway to
the Mississippi Delta, in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties, and has a
true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine in Just Out of
Reach, which is Belinda’s first novel. She is an attorney who currently
practices law in Yazoo City and resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog,
Humprey B.
Facebook: facebook.com/belinda.stevens.733
Twitter: @BelindaSteven20
Blog: belindastevens.blogspot.com
Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Out-Reach-Belinda-Stevens/dp/0615760384/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372900298&sr=1-1
Belinda will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a
randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow
the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of
winning. The tour dates can be found here:
I'm loving this cover, yes I'm very naughty I do judge. Did you have a lot of input?
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I adore the cover too! It's got that timeless kind of soldier/lover pose...but some heat behind it with the colors of the sunset!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
I was just reading the sneak peek of your book at Amazon. The first chapter is written in Katherine's POV, but the rest of the chapters seem to be written from her mother's POV. Do they switch back and forth?
ReplyDeletekareninnc at gmail dot com
This sounds rather sad in a way, but I am certain it must have a HEA
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book. Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com