Between You and I
By
Beth D. Carter
Release Date: August 10, 2016
Synopsis
A broken
engagement left Madeline Shawl feeling like a shattered woman. When she meets Hunter Caligari, he seems to
be the perfect man for some friends-with-benefits action. But when the easy affair turns into something
more, it threatens her comfortable grief.
The passion of
the younger man nearly infects her until Hunter tries to articulate it with the
three words she refuses to hear. When she pushes him away, wounding his heart,
she finds her own broken all over again.
Still, Madeline
struggles to leave the past and accept that when Hunter said, "I love
you," he wasn't just speaking for himself.
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Excerpt
“Where do you
live?” she asked once they reached her sedan.
“Off Silverado,”
he said. “The Mustang Apartments.”
Madeline nodded
and a few minutes later she was driving out of the parking garage, easing into
traffic to head toward his home. The entire time she was acutely aware of his
presence in her car, the warmth that his body generated inside the small
confines. Or maybe she was simply hot and bothered.
All too soon she
pulled in front of the gate that sealed off his apartment complex, and then
slipped into an empty slot designated for future residents. She put the car in
park and turned off the engine. For a moment neither one moved. She simply sat
there, with her hands on the steering wheel, her heart pounding, and every
nerve ending standing at attention. Waiting. Anticipating. He shifted and she
felt his gaze on her, so slowly she turned.
The overhead parking lights illuminated his face through the front
window, highlighting his chiseled good looks. Suddenly the small confines of
her car seemed hot. A bit overwhelming.
“I had a great
time,” Hunter murmured.
Madeline wet her
dry lips with her tongue. His head moved fractionally closer.
“Me…” She had to
clear her throat from the huskiness coming through. “Me too.”
He smiled and
their gazes met. Locked. She had this sense of free falling, just plunging head
first into an unknown abyss. Had she ever felt like this with Kevin? With him
everything had been easy. Simplistic. Nothing like what she was feeling now,
with Hunter. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and she leaned into it,
absorbing his heat. His eyelids narrowed a bit and his attention shifted to her
mouth. All sorts of delicious tingles spread through her body because she knew
he was going to kiss her. God! She wanted to kiss him back so much it was an
ache deep in her gut. His head descended and her eyes fluttered shut just as
the first touch of his mouth on hers brushed her lips. So gentle, like the dewy
wisp of butterfly wings, and she wondered if he had kissed her at all.
Author Interview
Thank you so
much for having me here today! I’ve
often had people ask why do I write erotica romance? Do I really have to use those
words? Well, yes. Yes, I do. And I’ve had it all. The raised eyebrows, the nose in the air,
even the rolled eyes. Everything that screams disapproval. All because I say I write erotica
romance. People can’t seem to get past
the ‘erotica’ part of that statement.
But I can’t NOT
write. I might explode if I’m not at my
laptop trying to find a synonym for the words ‘gazed into his eyes’. And why erotica romance? Because it’s real. The sex is graphic because
the love is intense. My stories are not
about people like the Cleavers, or the Brady Bunch. My stories are about people with
problems…about an ex-soldier fighting PTSD, women kidnapped for a human
trafficking ring, a man who was inappropriately touched as a child, a woman who
has survived alone in a wasteland for years.
These characters are raw. Their
emotions are encased in ice. These
people are helpless, hopeless…until love finds them.
In my latest
book, Between You and I, the heroine, Madeline, is scared about feeling again
after the man she loves walks away from her.
She hides behind a plethora of interesting friends, keeping herself busy
so she’s not lonely. Or at least, she
tries to convince herself she isn’t lonely.
When she meets Hunter, who is a little younger than her, she suddenly is
confronted by the prospect of the numbness she’s wound herself in melting
away.
I’m not sure
what other writers do, but I often use my writing as a way of dealing with my
issues. It’s very cathartic. I’m very proud to have written about a woman
who has gone through the same emotional turmoil I went through. I hope Madeline’s story helps others who
might be struggling with the same type of uncertainties.
What inspired
you to write Between You and I?
This book was
inspired by my own battle with endometriosis.
I was diagnosed in my twenties and suffered with pain, depression, and
insomnia for over twenty years. It’s still a medical condition most people
don’t know anything about. I finally
made the decision to have a hysterectomy last year and while lying in the
hospital bed, I came up with Madeline.
For a few years I’d been toying with the idea of a book, but it was that
moment, right after surgery, that Madeline became a real person to me.
Tell us about
the heroine, Madeline, in Between You and I:
Externally,
she’s tough. She covers up her pain with
a “no worries” attitude. But internally,
she’s lonely. She wishes for someone to
hold her and take care of her for a moment.
In that respect, she’s a personification of what I went through. Writing, for me, is a very cathartic way of
dealing with issues.
Was there as
specific part of the story that you absolutely loved writing as well as not
enjoyed writing?
I loved finding
her balance with the hero, Hunter. He’s
younger than her so having her get past her mental block on that was fun
exploring. My least favorite part in
writing this story was figuring out the ending.
The one that the book ended up with was my second ending. It was hard figuring out the believable way
to write their happy ever after.
Please tell a
little about Between You and I without giving too much of a spoiler away.
This book was
inspired by my own battle with endometriosis.
For a few years I’d been toying with the idea of a book about a heroine
who had it, but it was the moment right after my hysterectomy surgery, that
Madeline became a real person to me. The
hero, Hunter, had to be a right balance of understanding, hunky, and confused,
otherwise, he’s too one dimensional. I
think I hit that balance, and I consider this book one of my best.
Do you plan all
your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?
Mostly my
characters develop as I write them, but in this case, Madeline was planned out
extensively, mainly because a lot of her is me.
I used my own struggle with endometriosis as her emotional platform to
find love with a younger man.
What is your
favorite line in Between You and I? Why?
“Tell me, right
now, what’s standing between you and I that makes you scared of that word,” he
demanded. “Why are you so afraid of love?”
I love
that line! It was the first line I
thought of when I began to think of Madeline’s story and it’s where I got the
title. I know it’s not grammatically
correct but it sounds more dramatic than “between you and me”.
Meet
the Author
I like writing about the very ordinary girl
thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be
lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers.
I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to
write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to
think outside the box. I love writing
characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who
find redemption through love.
I’ve been pretty
fortunate in life to experience some amazing things. I’ve lived in France, travelled throughout
Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I am
a mom to an amazing little boy. I’ve
walked a red carpet event and visited the USS Voyager. I hate washing dishes
but I love cooking. I hate washing clothes but I love wearing them. Writing my
bio is difficult because I never know what to say so I hope you like this
one. My favorite color is red but I look
best in black (it’s slimming). I hate
people who don't pick up their dog's crap in public places, people who don’t
use turn signals, and I really hate people who are rude and condescending. I
especially hate discrimination in all and every form. And although I love holding a book in my
hand, I absolutely adore my ereader, whom I’ve named Ruby. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it
really easy to find me on the web.
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