Blog Tour: The Way It Hurts

The Way It Hurts by Patty Blount

From the award-winning author of Some Boys comes a new ripped-from-the-headlines story about the unthinking backlash of Twitter culture

There may be two sides to every story, but sometimes there’s only one way to set things right…

Music is Elijah’s life. His band plays loud and hard, and he’ll do anything to get them a big break. He needs that success to help take care of his sister, who has special needs. So he’d rather be practicing when his friends drag him to a musical in the next town…until the lead starts to sing.

Kristen dreams of a career on stage like her grandmother’s. She knows she needs an edge to get into a competitive theater program—and being the star in her high school musical isn’t going to cut it. The applause and the attention only encourage her to work harder.

Elijah can't take his eyes off of Kristen's performance, and he snaps a photo of her in costume that he posts online with a comment that everybody misunderstands. It goes viral. Suddenly, Elijah and Kristen are in a new spotlight as the online backlash spins out of control. And the consequences are bigger than they both could have ever imagined because these threats don’t stay online…they follow them into real life.

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PATTY BLOUNT grew up quiet and invisible in Queens, NY, but found her voice writing smart and strong characters willing to fight for what’s right. Today, she’s the award-winning author of edgy, emotional contemporary romance. Powered by way too much chocolate, Patty supports women’s rights by giving a voice to characters facing realistic situations like rape (SOME BOYS, 2014), bullying (SEND, 2012), and grief (NOTHING LEFT TO BURN, 2015). She enjoys hearing from her readers so visit her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

Find Patty Online

Website: http://www.pattyblount.com/

Twitter: @PattyBlount

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PattyBlountNovels/

Instagram: @Pattyblount3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5344531.Patty_Blount

What's your favorite scene?

I have so many favorite scenes in this book, but I think my absolute favorite scene is when Elijah and Kristen share their first kiss. I began my writing career writing contemporary romance so I'm just a sucker for love scenes. 

Elijah's got swagger and attitude in truckloads but the truth is, he's kind of a jerk. Except around Kristen. Well, not always. Okay, sometimes, he's a jerk around her, too, but it's not on purpose.  

For her, he's willing to change, willing to let her see beneath the act and the pretense, even willing to let her hang out with his sister, who has special needs. But the one thing he's NOT willing to do is risk the friendship he and Kristen have developed by indulging in the wild attraction he has for her. And that's pretty much because he knows he's a jerk and just doesn't want her to think it, too. 

Elijah's true self emerges over the course of the story. Kristen sees how he is with his sister and when Etta, her grandmother, suffers a health crisis, Elijah is there for her every step of the way. There are a number of near-misses but the big kiss finally comes when Kristen stops waiting for Elijah to make a move and takes matters into her own hands.

Here it is:

Elijah took my hands. “Okay, look. Maybe you’re right. Maybe these people are taking this whole battle thing way too seriously. If you’re scared, then we’ll stop. No more posts except for appearance information.” 

“So no more battle of the sexes, no more make Kris scream?” 

He held up his hand. “Swear to God.” 

“Okay.” I sighed in relief. “You’d really do that?”

He leaned closer and repeated the vow. “I promise, Kris.” 

And just like that, I forgot why I was mad at him. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even blink because I was afraid he’d let go. This was the part of him I adored. I clung to him for a long moment, and when his gaze drifted to my mouth, I wondered if—hoped— prayed—he’d finally kiss me. 

And then, Etta’s voice suddenly spoke inside my head. “Well, my God, darling, it’s the twenty-first century. What on earth are you waiting for? You can kiss him.” 

I could. Yes. Yes, I could just lift my head and lean in and kiss Elijah Hamilton like it was a normal, ordinary occurrence. 

Right. Like kissing Elijah Hamilton would ever be ordinary? 

I’d watched him kiss that girl at the mall and was sure I’d memorized all the steps in his routine. He’d move in, grip my face between his hands, run his thumb along my jaw, and finally, glide his arm down around my body, pulling me against his own, all the while, peeking through his lashes to see if I enjoyed it. 

I wasn’t sure when I decided—or even what made me decide. I just touched my lips to his and waited. 

It took a second or two. But then there was a sudden, tiny squeak from him, and I felt the pulse in his wrist leap under my fingertips. And then, his hands were in my hair, angling my head just the way he liked it, his tongue brushing against mine, so soft it might have been my imagination... except imaginary kisses were never so intense. He kissed me like I was a song he wrote, lips wrapped around every word until it hummed with hidden meaning and promise, and his hands held me the way they held his guitar—like the music would stop if he let me go. 

To me, this is like a perfect kiss. I love how it’s everything she imagined it would be.

 That's a pretty good kiss! 

And one lucky reader (Canada/US only please) will win a copy of the book!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Some Boys

Grace has liked Ian for a while. But she knows that he'll reject her after what happened in the woods. One night at a party, the golden boy of the town (and Ian's best friend) raped her.  But when she accuses him, the whole town turns against her.

Now, armed with her attitude and fierce clothing, Grace keeps the world at bay. But when she and Ian are forced to spend the spring vacation at the school cleaning lockers, they end up talking. They share secrets. Does Ian like her? Is Grace ready to trust anyone? Does Ian believe Grace?

My Thoughts: It took me a while to read this one because of the subject matter, but I'm so glad that I read it! When the book opens, the rape has already happened and Grace is going through hell. I love how she defends herself and doesn't run from the situation, even though she thinks about it. I hate that she's put in this situation. I hate that almost everyone, with the exception of her mother and Ian, have it out for her. I love the duel point of views and seeing the sides of the story from both Grace and Ian. I really liked Ian's father. This is definitely a #YASaves book that should be required reading.

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: My Library
Library Recommendations: Highly recommended for public libraries.

Blog Tour: YA Thrills and Chills

Halloween is on the horizon, and for many of us that means binge watching and reading all the scary stories that we can get our hands on! Because scary stories so often involve hapless teenagers who unwittingly fall into deadly scenarios involving monsters, killers, and the occasional psychopath we asked young adult thriller and horror authors Rin Chupeco, Natalie Richards, Patty Blount, and Allan Stratton to share the advice they would give their characters to help them make it out of the story alive!

Rin Chupeco (The Suffering):

 I'd suggest that Okiku take a vacation every now and then. She hasn't had any in over three hundred years and it tends to make her cranky. Hawaii is nice almost all year round. She loves hot springs, so even a weekend getaway in Kyoto would improve her mood tremendously. I'd say the same thing for Callie, too – she worries way too much. Surprisingly, I don't have much advice to give Tark. After everything he's gone through, it's a wonder he's still sane.

Natalie Richards (My Secret to Tell)

I think I’d tell Emmie to ease up on herself.  In fact, one of her mentors does say that early on in My Secret to Tell, but my characters never listen.  Believe me, I’d know.  But Emmie really wants to make people happy.  When there are failings or wounds in her family or her friends, she’s always there trying to make it right, trying to fill up the holes.  But it’s a hard thing and Emmie’s spread awfully thin.  And frankly, with her lifelong friend and crush, Deacon, on the run from the police, Emmie ends up helping way more than she probably should, but that’s what love does to us, right?  We all go a little farther than we plan when our hearts are on the line.

As for Deacon, I think I’d tell him to let himself heal.  Deacon lost his mother—he actually discovered her when she died—and he’s sort of stuck in his grief, even though it’s been years.  Sometimes grief can do that.  It can shut a person down and leave them shadows of their former selves.  He’s a bit broken, really.  A little closed off and reckless and untrusting.  But the trouble with being stuck in grief is that you can’t always just hop over the hard parts.  Sometimes lots of little things have to work together to see you through to the other side.  That’s what Deacon’s journey is about in many ways.  That and, of course, trying not to go to prison. 

Patty Blount (Nothing Left to Burn)

To trust that nothing is permanent. No matter how bad things feel right now, there is always a change coming.

Dear Dad,
I promised Matt I’d do this—become a Junior Cadet. That I wouldn’t let you break me down. I know you hate me. Blame me for everything you lost. But that day I lost my brother and my dad. You could never be proud of me, could you? I was too “different.” So, just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m saying good-bye. Maybe someday you’ll miss me.
Reece

Reece’s words make her ache. Amanda understands wanting to belong. As a foster kid, she only feels at home at the firehouse where she volunteers. She wants to help Reece, but his dad is her boss. And she won’t risk her place as a Junior Cadet—it’s all that she has. But when a string of arsons points to Amanda’s foster brother as the culprit, her whole world is about to go up in flames. And the only way for Amanda and Reece to save each other is to risk getting burned

Allan Stratton (The Dogs):

Don’t! Just don’t!

I mean, FGS, Cameron—don’t look out the window at the cornfields when it’s dark. Because for sure you’ll see shadows. And the shadows will move. And then what will you do? What will you think? So just don’t, okay?

And about the trapdoor to the attic: if a trapdoor to an attic is nailed shut, it’s because there’s something up there. Something you likely don’t want to see. So don’t even think about opening it. Just stare at the floor and pretend it doesn’t exist.

As for the old barn, there’s a reason it hasn’t been used in fifty years. Don’t ask. There just is. You know it. Also, anyone who ever worked there is dead by now. Like the farmer who got ripped apart by his dogs. You know the story, right? So don’t go there.

Don’t go into Mr. Sinclair’s barn either. He has a meat grinder. Ever wondered how people get rid of dead bodies? No? Good. Because it would only upset you.

And while we’re on the subject of being upset, don’t think about your father. And for sure, don’t phone him. You and your mom have been on the run for years. You know why too. He almost killed her. And, okay, maybe she’s a little paranoid, but maybe she isn’t. Maybe all the things she can’t tell you are true.

So like I said, if you think of doing something: Don’t. Just don’t.

BUY LINKS:

The Suffering by Rin Chupeco

My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

Nothing Left to Burn by Patty Blount

 The Dogs by Allan Stratton

Enter to win a THRILLS and CHILLS Prize Pack
 featuring titles from Rin Chupeco, Natalie Richards, Patty Blount, and Allan Stratton:

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Guest Post: Patty Blount

I'm excited to have a special guest Patty Blount talking about an important issue on learning the truth before speaking and the dangers of internet attackers. 

Among the deepest pain I’ve ever felt in my life is being unfairly judged and punished for something I never did by someone I trusted, someone who should have known me better. It hurt so much, I wasn’t sure I’d survive. I kept asking myself how anyone who knew me could think me capable of this. 

Thankfully, the internet did not factor into this particular trial. Imagining that sort of condemnation by hundreds of people who do not know me is a form of torture, I’m certain of it.

This is precisely how main character Grace suffers in Some Boys. After she’s attacked by sports celebrity Zac McMahon at a party, her friends, most of the school, and her parents don’t fully believe her side of the story. Worse, complete strangers enter the debate online, after her attacker posts an incriminating video. 

As I write this post, the internet has been lit up with news of the tragedy that occurred when race car driver Tony Stewart hit and killed another driver, who’d left his wrecked car. Internet users forget that they’re posting about people with feelings, people who may be experiencing guilt we can’t even imagine. They forget that they do not have all the facts in hand and are rushing to judge—to pile more guilt on top of what people are already trying to cope with because it’s just so easy to step onto that virtual soap box. 

Also as I write this post, news of comedian Robin Williams’s death has just reached me. In my favorite role as John Keating in Dead Poets Society, Williams said, “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Some Boys is sadly a story inspired by too many real news events. If my words and ideas can change the world, I fervently hope they will help encourage readers of this book to practice internet restraint the next time something happens in real life that compels them to take sides, to unfairly criticize or condemn someone simply because everyone else is doing it, or to shame them for something that was not their fault. 

***

Some girls say no. Some boys don’t listen.

When Grace meets Ian, she’s afraid. Afraid he’ll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses Zac, the town golden boy, of rape, everyone turns against her. Ian wouldn't be the first to call her a slut and a liar.

Except Ian doesn’t reject her. He’s the one person who looks past the taunts and the names and the tough-girl act to see the real Grace. He’s the one who gives her the courage to fight back.

He’s also Zac’s best friend.

Patty Blount works as a software technical writer by day and novelist by night. Dared by her 13-year-old son to try fiction, Patty wrote her first manuscript in an ice rink. A short version of her debut novel, Send, finished in the top ten of the Writer's Digest 79th Annual Writing Competition.