Hello blog friends! I have a special guest today. Friend and colleague, author Staci Troilo is visiting and sharing her new release, No Such Luck. I read the novella in one evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well-written and attention-absorbing, it warmed my heart and left me thinking about years long past. If you're looking for a short read, I highly recommend it. Now let's see what Staci has to say...
Thanks for inviting me here today, Gwen. Hi, everyone. I appreciate you spending a few minutes with me while I tell you about my new release, No Such Luck. It’s a quick and clean romance perfect for the Christmas season.
Piper Seidel could always rely on Jack Rhodes. He’d been her best friend as long as she could remember and knew more about her than anyone. Which was kind of the problem. He knew everything. And he saw everything. She couldn’t keep a secret from him if she tried. Which she did. Pointlessly. In this brief excerpt, we see how well Jack can read her, and how easily he can break down her walls.
Piper Seidel could always rely on Jack Rhodes. He’d been her best friend as long as she could remember and knew more about her than anyone. Which was kind of the problem. He knew everything. And he saw everything. She couldn’t keep a secret from him if she tried. Which she did. Pointlessly. In this brief excerpt, we see how well Jack can read her, and how easily he can break down her walls.
EXCERPT
Piper sat at their usual booth by the window. She sent her dad a quick text, then looked outside. “Man, the snow just keeps on coming. We were getting flurries in Arkansas when I left, but it seldom snows there. And almost never heavy like this.”
“Don’t you miss it here?”
“Around the holidays, sure.”
“Are you ever moving back?”
She toyed with the oregano shaker beside the napkin dispenser. When Mr. Amato brought a pitcher and two glasses of soda to the table, she took a sip. “I don’t think he brought us diet.”
“You don’t need to watch your calories.”
Piper was grateful the table hid most of her curves. She wasn’t the scrawny teenager he remembered, having filled out in oh-so-many places. But he was looking at her like he had X-ray vision.
She gazed out the window. “The snow is beautiful at night.”
“Yeah. Beautiful.”
Piper turned toward him again. He was staring at her face.
“What?” She touched her cheeks, her lips.
He shook his head. “You remember back in third grade—”
Mr. Amato brought their pizza and two plates. “Buon appetito!”
“Oh, man. This smells so good.” She beamed up at him.
He gestured to the pie. “Mangia!”
They dug into their pizza. It was so good, Piper almost didn’t mind scalding the roof of her mouth on the cheese. Almost.
“Perfection, Mr. Amato.”
“Ah!” He waved off the compliment, then returned to the kitchen.
She took another bite and moaned as she chewed. “You just can’t get pizza like this where I live.”
“See. That’s just another reason for you to move home.”
Piper sighed.
“Come on, Pea. I know you aren’t happy. Happy people don’t break into tears in the middle of a grocery store. Talk to me.”
She wanted to. Needed to. “It’s hard to put into words.”
“Just start at the beginning.”
Piper sat at their usual booth by the window. She sent her dad a quick text, then looked outside. “Man, the snow just keeps on coming. We were getting flurries in Arkansas when I left, but it seldom snows there. And almost never heavy like this.”
“Don’t you miss it here?”
“Around the holidays, sure.”
“Are you ever moving back?”
She toyed with the oregano shaker beside the napkin dispenser. When Mr. Amato brought a pitcher and two glasses of soda to the table, she took a sip. “I don’t think he brought us diet.”
“You don’t need to watch your calories.”
Piper was grateful the table hid most of her curves. She wasn’t the scrawny teenager he remembered, having filled out in oh-so-many places. But he was looking at her like he had X-ray vision.
She gazed out the window. “The snow is beautiful at night.”
“Yeah. Beautiful.”
Piper turned toward him again. He was staring at her face.
“What?” She touched her cheeks, her lips.
He shook his head. “You remember back in third grade—”
Mr. Amato brought their pizza and two plates. “Buon appetito!”
“Oh, man. This smells so good.” She beamed up at him.
He gestured to the pie. “Mangia!”
They dug into their pizza. It was so good, Piper almost didn’t mind scalding the roof of her mouth on the cheese. Almost.
“Perfection, Mr. Amato.”
“Ah!” He waved off the compliment, then returned to the kitchen.
She took another bite and moaned as she chewed. “You just can’t get pizza like this where I live.”
“See. That’s just another reason for you to move home.”
Piper sighed.
“Come on, Pea. I know you aren’t happy. Happy people don’t break into tears in the middle of a grocery store. Talk to me.”
She wanted to. Needed to. “It’s hard to put into words.”
“Just start at the beginning.”
When I wrote this story, I was fondly remembering (and desperately missing) my hometown. Everyone needs a pizza chef like Mr. Amato. And every girl needs a friend like Jack.
I hope you enjoyed that quick sneak peek. No Such Luck, the first installment of the Keystone Couples series, is available now on Amazon.
BLURB
Seeds of luck usually wither. The rare one grows and blooms.
Piper Seidel has one thing going for her—a red carnation given to her by Tommy Burnett in the tenth grade. It might have dried over the years, but it’s still her good luck charm. Losing it sets her life in a downward spiral, forcing her to return to her hometown where she comes face to face with her high school crush.
The years have been kind to Tommy, who looks better than ever. Unfortunately, Piper is at her worst, continually embarrassing herself whenever he’s around. The only plus? Her long-time friend, Jack Rhodes, still lives in town. Since she last saw him, his legs have grown longer, his biceps thicker, and his shoulders broader. He was always the brother she never had, but now she can’t help noticing him in an unsisterly way. Jack is every bit as caring as he’s ever been—until her bad luck drives him away, maybe forever.
Piper needs a new good luck charm, and fast, before she loses her final chance at happiness.
I hope you enjoyed that quick sneak peek. No Such Luck, the first installment of the Keystone Couples series, is available now on Amazon.
BLURB
Seeds of luck usually wither. The rare one grows and blooms.
Piper Seidel has one thing going for her—a red carnation given to her by Tommy Burnett in the tenth grade. It might have dried over the years, but it’s still her good luck charm. Losing it sets her life in a downward spiral, forcing her to return to her hometown where she comes face to face with her high school crush.
The years have been kind to Tommy, who looks better than ever. Unfortunately, Piper is at her worst, continually embarrassing herself whenever he’s around. The only plus? Her long-time friend, Jack Rhodes, still lives in town. Since she last saw him, his legs have grown longer, his biceps thicker, and his shoulders broader. He was always the brother she never had, but now she can’t help noticing him in an unsisterly way. Jack is every bit as caring as he’s ever been—until her bad luck drives him away, maybe forever.
Piper needs a new good luck charm, and fast, before she loses her final chance at happiness.
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