POINTE OF BREAKING
A Standalone College Dance Novel
by Amy Daws and Sarah J. Pepper
RELEASE DATE: TUESDAY, JULY 21
SYNOPSIS:
POINTE
Getting screwed over backstage by my married-ex tears my heart into a million tiny pieces.
[Sitting in the audience at the ballet with my former fling wasn’t my idea of fun.]
I live in my pointe shoes, not even my ex can taint my love for ballet.
[I hate the ballet. This on again/off again crap was getting old.]
And then my whole world changes when I notice the smoldering gaze…
[Then I look to the stage, and I can’t take my eyes off…]
OF...
Leo Richards.
[Adeline Parker.]
Concentrating on anything except his sexy…everything, is impossible.
[Her presence commands my attention…I’ve never experienced this before.]
He makes me second-guess everything I’ve ever dreamed about.
[She makes me question everything I’ve ever known.]
Fighting him is a strategic sport—no clothes allowed.
[All I can think about are her sexy ballerina legs wrapped around me—tutu definitely on.]
BREAKING
Our scandalous rendezvous is plastered all over NYC’s tabloids.
[Because of my status in Manhattan, now I’ve dragged her into the limelight.]
My ex will stop at nothing to tear us apart.
[Seriously powerful people forbid me to be with her.]
Rumors about his past keep building.
[I can’t tell her this secret.]
When it came to Leo, I only knew the big things.
[When it came to Adeline, I knew nothing about the little things.]
But uncovering those things about him [her] may push us past our breaking point.
[Sitting in the audience at the ballet with my former fling wasn’t my idea of fun.]
I live in my pointe shoes, not even my ex can taint my love for ballet.
[I hate the ballet. This on again/off again crap was getting old.]
And then my whole world changes when I notice the smoldering gaze…
[Then I look to the stage, and I can’t take my eyes off…]
OF...
Leo Richards.
[Adeline Parker.]
Concentrating on anything except his sexy…everything, is impossible.
[Her presence commands my attention…I’ve never experienced this before.]
He makes me second-guess everything I’ve ever dreamed about.
[She makes me question everything I’ve ever known.]
Fighting him is a strategic sport—no clothes allowed.
[All I can think about are her sexy ballerina legs wrapped around me—tutu definitely on.]
BREAKING
Our scandalous rendezvous is plastered all over NYC’s tabloids.
[Because of my status in Manhattan, now I’ve dragged her into the limelight.]
My ex will stop at nothing to tear us apart.
[Seriously powerful people forbid me to be with her.]
Rumors about his past keep building.
[I can’t tell her this secret.]
When it came to Leo, I only knew the big things.
[When it came to Adeline, I knew nothing about the little things.]
But uncovering those things about him [her] may push us past our breaking point.
Purchase Links:
Barnes and Noble ♦ Coming Soon
Kobo ♦ Coming Soon
Release Author Rap Duet:
10 Fun Facts You Might Not Need to Know About #DaPep:
From KIMYE to BENNIFER. From BRANGELINA to TOMCAT.
Now we introduce to you.....DAPEP.
Amy DAws and Sarah J. PEPper.
Indie Authors. Best Friends. And now, Co-Authors.
Fun Facts:
1. They both love ranch. Sarah would bathe in it if it didn’t risk an infection.
2. They have little to no boundaries with each other…as became apparent at a book conference in Phoenix. They can’t share the details, but just know it was #MuchTooMuch
3. Sarah actually has a very small amount of ballet experience.
4. Amy once pretended to have ballet experience at church camp so she could get the dance solo. Jesus knew the truth.
5. Sarah has won three dance offs, aside from one. That eleven year old haunts her to this day.
6. Sarah & Amy live three minutes apart. And they measure all distance in time.
7. While writing the romantic scenes in Pointe of Breaking, Amy & Sarah couldn’t look each other in the eye.
8. They had no outline for Pointe of Breaking.
9. Amy takes notes in a Hello Kitty notepad. Sarah takes notes in her head.
10. Amy is convinced that Sarah has a folder in her email account labeled “I hate Amy”. Sarah just laughs every time Amy asks her about it…The fact that she’s not denying it hasn’t escaped Amy’s attention.
From KIMYE to BENNIFER. From BRANGELINA to TOMCAT.
Now we introduce to you.....DAPEP.
Amy DAws and Sarah J. PEPper.
Indie Authors. Best Friends. And now, Co-Authors.
Fun Facts:
1. They both love ranch. Sarah would bathe in it if it didn’t risk an infection.
2. They have little to no boundaries with each other…as became apparent at a book conference in Phoenix. They can’t share the details, but just know it was #MuchTooMuch
3. Sarah actually has a very small amount of ballet experience.
4. Amy once pretended to have ballet experience at church camp so she could get the dance solo. Jesus knew the truth.
5. Sarah has won three dance offs, aside from one. That eleven year old haunts her to this day.
6. Sarah & Amy live three minutes apart. And they measure all distance in time.
7. While writing the romantic scenes in Pointe of Breaking, Amy & Sarah couldn’t look each other in the eye.
8. They had no outline for Pointe of Breaking.
9. Amy takes notes in a Hello Kitty notepad. Sarah takes notes in her head.
10. Amy is convinced that Sarah has a folder in her email account labeled “I hate Amy”. Sarah just laughs every time Amy asks her about it…The fact that she’s not denying it hasn’t escaped Amy’s attention.
Interview Questions:
How did the two of you meet?
Sarah: At Barnes and Noble of course! Kinda cliché, I know but where else would two coffee addicts/book nerds go?
Amy: Yep. Good ‘ol B&N. Sarah and I live in the same town and I was in the process of writing a memoir about my struggles through multiple miscarriages. I was in dire need of publishing help so I basically Facebook stalked her until she agreed to meet up and help me!
Sarah: At Barnes and Noble of course! Kinda cliché, I know but where else would two coffee addicts/book nerds go?
Amy: Yep. Good ‘ol B&N. Sarah and I live in the same town and I was in the process of writing a memoir about my struggles through multiple miscarriages. I was in dire need of publishing help so I basically Facebook stalked her until she agreed to meet up and help me!
Would you say it was Insta-Love?
Sarah: LMAO! Well, let's just say that secrets were spilled and I left crying like a baby.
Amy: She was quite moved by my story. But that doesn’t take much. Pepper is a bawl baby. I would say it was definitely “insta-respect” on both sides. She was impressed that I knew as much as I did about publishing and I was impressed she’d written 12 books and knew basically EVERYTHING! It wasn’t long before we became great friends. Having another author in town to bounce ideas and frustrations off of over a cold cocktail is amaze-balls.
Sarah: LMAO! Well, let's just say that secrets were spilled and I left crying like a baby.
Amy: She was quite moved by my story. But that doesn’t take much. Pepper is a bawl baby. I would say it was definitely “insta-respect” on both sides. She was impressed that I knew as much as I did about publishing and I was impressed she’d written 12 books and knew basically EVERYTHING! It wasn’t long before we became great friends. Having another author in town to bounce ideas and frustrations off of over a cold cocktail is amaze-balls.
How did the idea for a collaboration come up?
Amy: It’s all Pepper’s fault! I blame her entirely. ☺ Actually, it was just before the release of the 3rd book in my London Lovers Series and just after the release of her Snow White Lies. I was resistant at first because I couldn’t wrap my brain around breaking away from my London Lovers. But she sent me her first chapter and dang it…I was inspired. That’s all it took.
Sarah: Daws and I were at our lovely biweekly writer block session (aka drinks on some random night)(akaaka babbling about books because our husbands were so sick of hearing about this chapter or that). Anyways, earlier that day I watched the Take Me to Church ballet YouTube vid (on repeat) and fell freaking IN LOVE with the love, angst and torment. I wanted to do something a little different than my usual fantasy romances, so I pitched it to Daws... and so we fell into a world of tutus, pointe shoes and hot college boys ;-)
Amy: It’s all Pepper’s fault! I blame her entirely. ☺ Actually, it was just before the release of the 3rd book in my London Lovers Series and just after the release of her Snow White Lies. I was resistant at first because I couldn’t wrap my brain around breaking away from my London Lovers. But she sent me her first chapter and dang it…I was inspired. That’s all it took.
Sarah: Daws and I were at our lovely biweekly writer block session (aka drinks on some random night)(akaaka babbling about books because our husbands were so sick of hearing about this chapter or that). Anyways, earlier that day I watched the Take Me to Church ballet YouTube vid (on repeat) and fell freaking IN LOVE with the love, angst and torment. I wanted to do something a little different than my usual fantasy romances, so I pitched it to Daws... and so we fell into a world of tutus, pointe shoes and hot college boys ;-)
What kind of process did you two have? Outline? Writing together?
Amy: No outline. Which probably means we’re crazy. Or stupid. Or possibly both. In the beginning I didn’t even want to tell her what I had in mind for what was going to come up next. I remember messaging her and being like… “Ohhh, just you wait til you see what’s coming!”
Sarah: I just pretend to write. Honestly, I let my characters drive, so to speak. I create and try to develop their personality and they usually give me some attitude so by the time I figure what’s going on, the characters usually have written the end.
Amy: No outline. Which probably means we’re crazy. Or stupid. Or possibly both. In the beginning I didn’t even want to tell her what I had in mind for what was going to come up next. I remember messaging her and being like… “Ohhh, just you wait til you see what’s coming!”
Sarah: I just pretend to write. Honestly, I let my characters drive, so to speak. I create and try to develop their personality and they usually give me some attitude so by the time I figure what’s going on, the characters usually have written the end.
Was the process of collaborating easier or harder than writing solo?
Sarah: Oh there was a give and take. Immediately after Daws agreed to do a collaboration with me, I was like OMG! WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?! WE ARE BOTH CONTROL FREAKS (I say with the utmost respect Daws) lol so I write the first chappy and email it to Daws, secretly hoping she doesn’t scower her email like I do lol. I panicked and feared the demise of our friendship even though she hadn't written a word. Lol, so to say I got cold feet was an understatement.... I was all prepared to give her the "maybe we shouldn't do this together speech" when she sent me her follow up chappy....
I was like...
Omg, this is PURE GOLD!
I fell in love... it was instant. Lol, so I called Daws up and told her I was going to be a pain in the ass to work with. I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes like that wasn't a secret lol. And the rest of the book followed a similar process. <3 br="" daws="" my="">
Amy: It’s fun to have someone just as emotionally invested as you are in your story. So that was a positive. But overall, I’d say it’s a harder process. I’m used to an editor ripping my stuff apart, but it took a bit for me to be able to accept that from a peer. Working through creative differences was difficult. I remember telling her once when we were butting heads… “If you want this idea, you gotta sell me on it. Sell me on it and then we can do it!” That’s a lot of what our creative process was. Selling each other on our ideas. But that was exciting too!
Sarah: Oh there was a give and take. Immediately after Daws agreed to do a collaboration with me, I was like OMG! WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?! WE ARE BOTH CONTROL FREAKS (I say with the utmost respect Daws) lol so I write the first chappy and email it to Daws, secretly hoping she doesn’t scower her email like I do lol. I panicked and feared the demise of our friendship even though she hadn't written a word. Lol, so to say I got cold feet was an understatement.... I was all prepared to give her the "maybe we shouldn't do this together speech" when she sent me her follow up chappy....
I was like...
Omg, this is PURE GOLD!
I fell in love... it was instant. Lol, so I called Daws up and told her I was going to be a pain in the ass to work with. I am pretty sure she rolled her eyes like that wasn't a secret lol. And the rest of the book followed a similar process. <3 br="" daws="" my="">
Amy: It’s fun to have someone just as emotionally invested as you are in your story. So that was a positive. But overall, I’d say it’s a harder process. I’m used to an editor ripping my stuff apart, but it took a bit for me to be able to accept that from a peer. Working through creative differences was difficult. I remember telling her once when we were butting heads… “If you want this idea, you gotta sell me on it. Sell me on it and then we can do it!” That’s a lot of what our creative process was. Selling each other on our ideas. But that was exciting too!
Can we expect more collaborations between the two of you?
Amy: I don’t know! There’s a secondary character in our book that has peaked both of our interests. And Pepper and I live in the same town making collaborating really accessible. So who knows!
Sarah: Lol I am game but that all depends on our readers :-D
Amy: I don’t know! There’s a secondary character in our book that has peaked both of our interests. And Pepper and I live in the same town making collaborating really accessible. So who knows!
Sarah: Lol I am game but that all depends on our readers :-D
What can we expect from Pointe of Breaking: When Ivy League and Tutus Collide?
Amy: Angst. That’s the biggest thing I’d say. It’s an emotional, rollercoaster, angsty read. But there’s some humor peppered (see what I did there?) in to breathe lightness to the story. And it’s definitely got some sexy bits to it! It’s just a really deep love story about finding someone and pushing through the barriers that make relationships hard.
Sarah: Plus, we went back and forth with the chapters... so if any one chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I want you to imagine either Daws or I getting ready to affectionately strangle each other whilst thinking, "how am I going to fix this mess!"
Hehe, it was FUN!
Amy: Angst. That’s the biggest thing I’d say. It’s an emotional, rollercoaster, angsty read. But there’s some humor peppered (see what I did there?) in to breathe lightness to the story. And it’s definitely got some sexy bits to it! It’s just a really deep love story about finding someone and pushing through the barriers that make relationships hard.
Sarah: Plus, we went back and forth with the chapters... so if any one chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I want you to imagine either Daws or I getting ready to affectionately strangle each other whilst thinking, "how am I going to fix this mess!"
Hehe, it was FUN!
What was the best part of collaborating with a friend?
Amy: I feel like working together and critiquing each other’s chapters enabled this amazing quality control for both of us. Pepper pushed my writing abilities for sure. Even more than my editor has in the past. My sister beta read and she said she could see a definite improvement in my writing. So that’s exciting to take and apply into my London Lovers Series!
Sarah: Knowing that Daws knows me—the real me. And since we are tight, we aren’t afraid to call each other out if we weren’t writing our best. Knowing that we each are committed to the story 100% helped a lot.
Amy: I feel like working together and critiquing each other’s chapters enabled this amazing quality control for both of us. Pepper pushed my writing abilities for sure. Even more than my editor has in the past. My sister beta read and she said she could see a definite improvement in my writing. So that’s exciting to take and apply into my London Lovers Series!
Sarah: Knowing that Daws knows me—the real me. And since we are tight, we aren’t afraid to call each other out if we weren’t writing our best. Knowing that we each are committed to the story 100% helped a lot.
Any embarrassing stories to share from working together?
Sarah: Lol the sex scenes hahaha. I don't think Daws realized how dirty I got!
Amy: Yes, the sex scenes were super weird at first!!! And we would talk to each other inside the word doc that we passed back and forth with comments in the margins that are definitely not fit for this interview! It was hilarious.
Sarah: Lol the sex scenes hahaha. I don't think Daws realized how dirty I got!
Amy: Yes, the sex scenes were super weird at first!!! And we would talk to each other inside the word doc that we passed back and forth with comments in the margins that are definitely not fit for this interview! It was hilarious.
Lastly, can you tell me the favorite quote that the other person wrote?
Amy: I made the comment: “Best thing you’ve written so far!” several times throughout the book. Pepper has a great lyrical quality to her writing that I envy. So there were many…but here’s just one: “I thought I was enough. The happiness that had once tingled through me like it was awakening my soul was now shredding it. Hopelessness replaced the hopeful.”
Sarah: "I f**king hate the ballet.” This line, this sole comment sold me on the collaboration. It was just soooo different from the chapter I previously wrote—such a completely different standpoint. It was perfect.
Amy: I made the comment: “Best thing you’ve written so far!” several times throughout the book. Pepper has a great lyrical quality to her writing that I envy. So there were many…but here’s just one: “I thought I was enough. The happiness that had once tingled through me like it was awakening my soul was now shredding it. Hopelessness replaced the hopeful.”
Sarah: "I f**king hate the ballet.” This line, this sole comment sold me on the collaboration. It was just soooo different from the chapter I previously wrote—such a completely different standpoint. It was perfect.
Amy Daws Bio
Amy Daws is a commercial producer and lives in South Dakota with her husband and daughter. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired Amy’s passion for writing. On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside children’s-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little miracle. For more of Amy’s work, visit: www.amydawsauthor.com
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Sarah J. Pepper Bio
Sarah J. Pepper specializes in dark, paranormal romance - think "happy ever after" but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn't only filled with hugs, kisses, bunnies, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It's in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of - both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn't always on time, and the glass slipper is a little snug. However, it doesn't mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit? Get a glimpse inside her head at www.sarahjpepper.com
Sarah J. Pepper specializes in dark, paranormal romance - think "happy ever after" but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn't only filled with hugs, kisses, bunnies, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It's in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of - both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn't always on time, and the glass slipper is a little snug. However, it doesn't mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit? Get a glimpse inside her head at www.sarahjpepper.com
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