Author Name: Teegan Loy
Book Name: Love Complicated
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover
Artist: Christy Caughie
Release
Date: May 11, 2015
Blurb:
Life is all
about making choices. Some are complicated. Some are simple. But for
eighteen-year-old Jalen Marten, none are easy. Jalen has managed to stay
invisible for his entire high school career. He has a small group of friends,
and it’s enough for him. He doesn’t want or crave attention from his peers. All
Jalen wants is to survive high school.
Austin Suter is
the hot, talented tennis player who has the entire school bowing at his feet.
Girls routinely throw themselves at him, and boys like Jalen stay the hell out
of his way. Austin is destined for greatness on the world stage of professional
tennis.
The kiss between
them wasn’t supposed to happen. Falling in love definitely hadn’t been part of
Jalen’s plan.
And when Austin
turns pro, Jalen begins to realize that the choices he makes will affect
Austin’s life. One wrong choice and Austin’s career could be over before it
really begins. Jalen is not sure where he fits, or even if he fits at all in
Austin’s life. But the more complicated things become, the less the idea of
being apart appeals. Love should simplify things, not complicate them.
But the
Pages or Words: 280 pages
Categories: Contemporary Romance, New
Adult
Excerpt: The locker room reeked of socks that hadn’t
seen the inside of a washing machine since the beginning of the semester. This
place was the second worst part of my day in high school. The first was walking
through the front door.
But gym class was its own
private hell. I didn’t dislike sports; I just wasn’t any good at them. The kids
loved to humiliate me on the court, in the water, on the field, or wherever the
teacher had us. I’d been smashed in the face with a basketball, volleyball,
soccer ball, and every other ball invented by humans.
Today my class was playing
tennis, which was worse, because not only was there a ball, but also a racket.
It increased my chances of getting hurt by tenfold. And I really wanted to
survive my final year of high school and not die from embarrassment in gym
class. I’d made it through the first sport of the year, soccer, by sticking to
the sidelines and pretending to participate by running away from the ball.
This morning my mom came home
from work as I was leaving for school, and I begged her to write me some sort
of note to excuse me from tennis. She declined and told me to get more involved
at school. What good was having a surgical nurse for a mother if she wouldn’t
help her only kid out of a jam? And what did participating in gym class have to
do with getting involved at school? I couldn’t get involved if I was in a coma
or dead.
I started to argue with her,
but the dark circles under her eyes and the heavy sigh that fell from her lips
made me ease off. I kissed her on the cheek and told her to get some rest.
So now my only hope of not
playing tennis was a freak rainstorm, and from the way the sun was shining, I
knew it wasn’t going to happen. I had no choice but to change, hide among my
classmates, and hope Mr. Tames, my sadistic gym teacher, didn’t pick me to
play.
Most of the kids were excited
to be outside and acted like monkeys just released from their cages. They
jumped on one another and hollered all the way out to the courts.
I hoped my quiet demeanor
would help me blend into the background. Unfortunately my stellar plan didn’t
work. Mr. Tames handed me a tennis racket and paired me with a hockey player
named Kasey. Our first opponents were another music nerd and a regular kid. I
stayed out of Kasey’s way as he raced around the court, destroying them. We won
the match, and Kasey high-fived me by smacking me on the forehead. I scowled at
him, because if we had lost, I could have sat down and celebrated getting out
of gym class unscathed.
Our next match was against a
soccer player and Austin Suter, who had been pegged as the next Wimbledon
champion. At least that’s what he told everyone.
He was a pretty boy with full
lips and light brown wavy hair that brushed his shoulders. Girls routinely
threw themselves at him, and boys like me stayed the hell out of his way. One
smoldering look from him and I’d have to walk around school with a book in
front of my crotch. Admiring him from afar was the best I could manage.
“Hey, Austin,” my partner
shouted across the net. “I’m going to shove this ball down your throat.”
“You’re going to be eating
yours,” Austin shot back. His partner gave him a fist bump. Kasey and Austin
exchanged a few more verbal warnings. I fiddled with the strings on my racket,
and pretended to listen to Kasey’s game plan. Austin’s partner dutifully held
his racket while Austin pulled his hair into a ponytail.
“Gentlemen,” Mr. Tames
warned. “Enough trash talk. Start the game.”
I groaned and resisted
raising my hand to ask to be dismissed. They spun a racket to see who served
first. Austin sneered and Kasey growled.
It was supposed to be a
friendly game, but the testosterone roared, and the game quickly turned
cutthroat. I managed to stay out of Kasey’s way and every ball hit in my
direction. I even accidentally returned one. The shot startled Austin and he
missed. Mr. Tames whooped and pumped his fist. I should have taken the moment
to demand an A.
“Lucky shot, blondie,” Austin
shouted at me.
Kasey flipped him off and got
yelled at by Mr. Tames again. The students surrounding the court yelled for
someone’s head on a platter. I was pretty sure it was me they wanted served up
for lunch.
The intensity of the game
increased with each returned ball and I started to fear for my life when one
zinged by my ear.
“Take it easy, Austin,” Mr.
Tames shouted when Austin tried to nail Kasey in the balls. “Jalen, you don’t
move this well when you’re playing dodgeball. The point of this game is to
actually make contact with the ball. At least attempt to use your racket.”
I rolled my eyes and readied
for the next point. Austin served to Kasey, who somehow got his racket on the
ball and it popped over the net. The ball seemed to hover in the air, giving me
time to figure out I had a bull’s-eye painted on my forehead. Austin raised his
racket and connected with the ball, which connected with my face. Who knew a
tennis ball felt like a giant rock when smashed into your eye socket. My racket
clattered to the ground, and I covered my face to make sure my eyeball didn’t
actually fall out.
Austin must have hurdled the
net, because he was suddenly kneeling next to me and breathing down my neck. I
tried to crawl away from him and his stupid apologies, but he caught me and
helped me to my feet. Tames barked orders to set me on the bench while he went
for medical supplies. Austin put his arm around my waist and I limped to the
bench. The other guys hooted and hollered at me until Austin shot a scowl at
them and quieted the entire gym class.
“Is your ankle okay?” Austin
asked.
“My ankle is fine,” I snarled
and sat down. “Limping makes my eye feel better.”
About the
author:
Teegan Loy began writing a long time ago. Notebooks
filled with ideas were stacked around the house. One day, she sat down with
renewed ambition and something fantastic happened; she completed a story.
(unbelievable, but true) Now most of her time is spent writing, but she takes
an occasional break to go to the movies, where she imagines her stories on the
big screen. She also enjoy watching hockey (love, love hockey) filling her iPod
with music, and driving her daughter around town (amended…around the country) to
various activites.
Where to find the author:
Teeganloy.wordpress.com
A Short Q & A with Author Teegan Loy
I’m Teegan Loy,
author of four novels, including my newest, Love
Complicated. Thanks for having me.
1)
Is there a character in your books that
you can’t stand? (Antagonist for example) And what makes them someone you don’t
like?
The worst character I wrote was a
teammate of Erik’s in Frozen Hearts
nicknamed Cookie. Although his part was small, the way he treated Erik was
terrible.
2)
Are there misconceptions people have
about your genre?
I think this misconception can be found in
most genres but telling someone they can’t write a story based on their gender
or lack of personal experience is to me, odd. I’m pretty sure Tolkien wasn’t a
hobbit and JK Rowling never attended Hogwarts School or Witchcraft & Wizardry.
Like the blurb says, life is
about making choices. Some are complicated and some are simple. I want people
to examine their own choices and how they might affect others.
4)
How has your writing evolved since your
first book?
This
is my fourth novel, so I hope my writing is improving, becoming more precise
and readable.
5)
One food you don’t care if you never eat
it again.
I
don’t like seafood.
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Tour
Dates & Stops:
11-May
12-May
13-May
14-May
15-May
18-May
19-May
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21-May
22-May
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Prize: A book from Teegan’s backlist
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