Ari Tucker's Blog

Okay, I know most of you are probably going to not believe me when I say this... but I promise you it's true... What's Left of Us is DONE!

Yep, it's finished and heading into get edited!

So, I have set the final release date of February 4!

Thank you for sticking with me and not giving up on this book. I hope you'll love it as much as I do. :)

So, when I started writing WLoU I had given myself a deadline of the beginning of summer to get this finished. I really thought it would happen, I mean the characters were talking, and the story was just coming to me. But then they stopped. Even though I knew the direction I wanted it to go, I was drawing blanks as to how I should go about getting it there.

After a month break, the characters are finally back, and I'm writing again.

I'm hoping to get this out within the next couple months, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Until then, I'll post a little teaser here for you:

"I spotted him through the window right away and my heart started beating out of my chest the same way it did when I saw him last night. Even though he was blocking my view and I couldn’t see who he was with, a halo of blonde hair was a dead giveaway - it was the same girl from the party.

Suddenly, coming here didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore. He’d moved on, or he was trying to move on, and here I was, a reminder of things he probably didn’t want to remember. It wasn’t like we were friends anymore and I had any right to follow him around like this. But it was Beck.

Against my better judgement I went to the door and stepped into the coffee shop. The smell of coffee assaulted my senses, reminding me that I hadn’t had my morning dose of black.

Blondie spotted me at the doorway and narrowed her eyes at me, then leaned over to Beck and whispered something into his ear, dragging her fingers along his forearm in a very intimate gesture. Way too close, I thought, and almost welcomed the uneasy feeling that another girl was being so personal with Beck. I hadn’t seen that green-eyes monster in a year.

After a moment, he turned around and located me, his expression showing no emotion whatsoever. I held in a gasp. His eye was completely swollen shut and there was a large gash with purplish-yellow bruising across his cheek. It took all the self-control I possessed not to rush over to him. Somehow I doubted he’d want me to do that, after everything.

I tried to smile at him instead, though I was sure it was more of a grimace. I haven’t smiled a genuine one so long I think I’ve forgotten how to do it. He nodded, acknowledging me, and I had a brief thought that everything was going to be okay with the world. Beck was back.

And then he turned his attention back to blondie. She gave me an icy smile that held nothing nice, before taking his hand in hers. And that was it.

I pretended that I didn’t see her look, as I walked over to the counter to order a coffee. I found an empty spot by the counter and waited while they made my drink, drumming my fingers on the smooth, flat surface of the counter, feeling the coldness of it every time my fingers made contact.

I was acutely aware of my cell phone in my pocket, the weight of it, the shape of it, as it rested against my hip. My hands were itching to dial the number of the only other person that would make me feel better right now. I looked back at blondie and Beck, both of them completely ignoring me.

The thing was that I deserved everything I felt at that moment. In fact, he was being kind.

What I definitely didn’t deserve was any comfort Ash could give me today."

So, I had originally intended to have WLoU released in August. But life had other plans for me, so with all that settled now, I'm back to writing!

I'm hoping to have WLoU released soon, and I'm looking forward to sharing this with you.

Thank you all for your amazing support, I'm completely blown away!

So, guess who gets to read the p r o l o g u e tonight? You do!

It's not long. It came to me in a dream! Just kidding, but I did wake up knowing I would write it that day. I've stressed over that prologue for so long because anything, ANYTHING, I'd have written would give the whole story away, and where's the fun in that?

So, I woke up, and there it was. And now you get to read it, judge it, criticize it, admire it (maybe?), hate it, love it (hopefully), tear it apart...

Scary.

I tried really hard not to edit, because if I do, I'd just change the whole thing.

Anyways, I hope you at least enjoy the teaser. I hope you share it :D Most of all, I hope it makes you feel for him as much as I do. He's my favorite boy :).

Please remember, though - this book is still a work in progress. This means that maybe (for sure) things get changed, need editing, etc., etc. But here goes nothing.

A shiver ran down his spine. Turn around, it willed him, the feeling that he was being watched growing more and more insistent. He looked at the girl talking to him, trying to focus on her seductive whisper, pretty mouth, her sparkly eyes, but it all turned to white noise. Turn around.

He did. His eyes immediately found what his body already knew was there. He frowned at the sleeve tattoo on her left arm, a glint of silver piercing underneath her lip, both looking out of place and just right at the same time. Her hair was all wrong, her dress too short. Anyone else wouldn’t have recognized her as the girl he once knew, she looked so different. To him, she looked exactly the same as she always did. Beautiful.

He wasn’t ready for this. Not yet. Seeing her now, he didn’t know if he’d ever be.

She smiled. Awkward, barely there. But even the slightest of her smiles had the power to take his breath away.

He ordered his feet, go to her, but he didn’t move, and neither did she. They stood amongst a throng of people who were completely unaware that something profound just happened. She smiled at him. She smiled at him.

God, he loved that smile. It lit up even the darkest of rooms. He remembered all of her smiles, especially the ones that were for him. He remembered the way she would flip her dark locks away from her chocolate eyes, the scent of her hair overwhelming his senses. He remembered her voice, remembering it was the only thing that got him through the last year. He remembered her touch, bringing calm and storm whenever she was near. Until... How could he forget?

Her love, it was never for him, and neither were her smiles. The memory of that touch scarred his skin, her lavender scent burned his throat and he didn’t want to be anywhere near her now.

Because in the end, he remembered what they became. What the three of them were now. What he made of them. How could he ever forget?

 What's Left of Us, people. Coming August 1st (hopefully sooner). Add it to your TBR!

This will be just a short-ish update.

I now have release date for What's Left of Us. It's *drumroll please* August 1st, 2013.

 
Yes, yes, I know it's a bit too far away. Though, truth be told, three months for - tying up loose ends, doing edits and rewrites and formatting and just generally being pleased with what the story is - a bit tight. At least it seems a bit tight. But hey, if, if I get it done sooner, I'm hitting that publish button like there's no tomorrow.

So, August 1st. Be there. Or, uh... buy it from where it will be published.

Ah, yes. Keep an eye out for a special treat in the next couple of days. You will get to read the prologue and meet my favorite boy. Who is it? Well, that's a secret. But you still get to see inside his head.

Today's the day! What's Left of Us got a brand new, beautiful, shiny cover.

I won't go into detail why I changed it, but it had to be done, and while the old one will always hold a special place in my heart, I think it's for the best. I love it so much I can't stop staring at it.

So, without any further yadda yadda, head on over to:

Up All Night Book Blog
Say It With Books
Up All Night Book Blog
Just Booked (for Facebook people :) and while you're there, give them a likey)

to view the new cover. I will give you just a LEETLE teaser


The cover was designed by Cover It! Designs.

So, input? How do you guys like it?

So, seven days of running the two characters' names polls, and I had a tie :(. I know, I know, I was really hoping that wouldn't happen, but there you have it.

For the first character, a reliable, down to earth kind of guy - Asher, Ash was leading by far. From the get go it looked like it would win, and it did. So, character one is now Ash.

The second, reckless, free spirited guy was where the trouble started (and isn't that just fitting?) Max seemed to lead the way throughout the week, and then, all of a sudden, Beckham caught up to him. For every vote Max would get, Beckham would follow straight away.

So, naturally, I asked a friend to break the tie. And Beckham it is.

I'm so glad, because, in all honesty, I couldn't really make up my mind about the names. I'm still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that the names had to be changed. I think the only character that didn't go through a name change is Calla.

In other news, I've been thinking of a cover redesign. More about that if it ever happens.

So that's it. Oh wait, not really. Come the beginning of May, I will be sharing the prologue of What's Left of Us exclusively at Say It With Books blog, along with an interview and a giveaway and the whole shebang :). I'm kinda, sorta excited about this, but nervous at the same time.

Right now the book has 1082 adds on Goodreads, which also makes me very nervous. I was thinking I would have 500 adds, tops, but as it turns out, people might actually read this (not-so) little book I'm writing.
Thank you all for the amazing support.

- Ari