Friday, May 25, 2018

Spotlight-Excerpt & Giveaway: FIXING SYDNEY by Diane Zparkki (Branson's Kind of Love #1)

Fixing Sydney Tour Graphic
FIXING SYDNEY
Diane Zparkki
Series: Branson's Kind of Love Book 1
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publication Date: August 1, 2016
Finding love with suspense mystery hovering over her
Sydney Sommer's world fell apart after senior prom. Since then, her life had become a constant loop of unfortunate scenarios that kept her in constant fear of what might be lurking around the next corner. Her trust in others was at a standstill. Even those who were closest to her were held at a distance.
After serving active duty overseas, Jaxon Triggs moved away from his hometown, hoping the change in scenery would help him build a new future for himself. What he wasn't expecting was to fall for a girl who was broken.
From the first moment Jaxon laid eyes on Sydney, he was curious. He became determined to do everything he could to break through the armor Sydney held around her so securely. His instinct to protect her and keep her safe kicked in as the dangers she encountered became more personal.
With dread always looming close by and secrets discovered, would Sydney be able to handle the new changes in her life yet heal at the same time?
"Story starts off with a bang and doesn't let up."
- Emily, Goodreads Reviewer
"Diane Zparkki really manages to captivate the reader with her words and descriptions. I felt the fear, I felt the raw need, I felt the emotions come off these characters."
- Bailey Ember, Goodreads Reviewer

Purchase Links

Excerpt

Sydney

Staring at myself in the mirror propped up in the corner of my bedroom, I wondered, How the hell did I get here? I stood there for another ten minutes, thinking I better contemplate something else. 

My outfit included black jeans, converse, and a black tank top. My wardrobe mostly consisted of jeans, hoodies, sneakers, and boots. No dresses. In fact, the only formal dresses I had owned were the two I had worn to prom. The first one was to my best friend Shannon’s prom. Billy asked me to be his date after his girlfriend dumped him two days before to go with one of the football stars. Bitch. I donated that dress to a local charity. The other dress was worn to my own prom the following year. That dress was now long gone, buried at the bottom of some garbage landfill, being wormed back into the earth. Good riddance. 

I was ready for my parents’ famous Sunday barbeque—well, my mom and stepdad, but I just called him “Dad” now. They loved having the family over for dinner. I didn’t know why they thought it was such a big deal when one of us was always there during the week, mooching dinner. If I were honest with myself, the real reason they had these dinners was to check on my mental stability. Over the past few years, those dinners had become a regular occurrence after I moved out to attend college.

I had taken a year off after high school to get myself back on track after I’d had a major meltdown that would have taken out three towns. Now I was coming back at a turtle’s pace, but I was coming back. 

High school was so long ago, filled with great memories of football games, soccer games, pep rallies, dances, drinking, and school pranks. It had been the ultimate high school experience…until I had started dating Steve. Prom night had destroyed all those happy memories. That evening had twisted me up inside, shut me down so tightly nothing was going to penetrate my Teflon wall. It was the closest I had ever felt to death. 

Death…Maybe death had occurred, just not in the physical sense.

I knew what death looked like, and I knew how people acted around it. 

My father died when I was four. My memory was cloudy of him, but I remembered that day clearly. 

My father lay in a plain mahogany coffin, wearing his favorite blue, checkered shirt. I had no idea why I knew it was his favorite; I just knew. He also had on a pair of black jeans, his boots, and his leather vest that had patches on it, like the other men at the funeral. To this day, every once in a while, I would get a whiff of worked-in leather, and it would remind me of him. I didn’t know why I would remember that above all else, though.

I also remembered a man at the back of the parlor, dressed similar to my dad. He had several tattoos, as did the rest of the men who stood with him and shook his hand. 

“Mommy, is Daddy sleeping? Why can’t I wake him? Why won’t he wake up? Daddy, wake up!”

Book Tour

Join the Book Tour from May 23 - June 5, 2018.
Join us and visit each tour stop daily! Discover features, excerpts, reviews, interviews, fun facts and more.
Check the latest tour schedule at the Fixing Sydney Book Page.
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About Diane Zparkki

I was born and raised in the greater Toronto area and raised my own family in the suburbs of the city. I'm a busy working mom with writing being my second full time job. With my husband, we have raised three great kids. Who constantly keep me on my toes and laughing. I enjoy planning themed parties and traveling with my family creating memories. Thrill seeking of some sort is always on the menu which I usually drags my family along with me. Going to the movies is always a good night out or curling up with a book and a steaming cup of tea. I have been known to do some Netflix binge watching.
I was never a big reader or writer in my youth-Coles Notes were my best friend throughout college. My enthusiasm for reading came later in life when I joined a book club. I enjoyed reading those initial books that got me hooked into the literary world, but I wanted raw, simple, and happily ever after with a bit of get down and dirty. That was when my love for Alpha bad boys on a Harley was set in motion.
After becoming an avid reader, my mind started to create my first story, and I needed to get it out.
Fixing Sydney and Holden's Regrets are the first two of Branson's Kind of Love Trilogy. I hope you enjoy Sydney and Holden's stories with Logan's coming in the near future.

Giveaway!

WIN ONE OF TWO $20 GIFT CARDS
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Prizes up for grabs:
Two (2) $20 Amazon Gift Cards
Contest runs from May 23 - June 5, 2018.

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1 comment:

  1. Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the book description, excerpt and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters and now my twin daughters who all love to read. We have found some amazing books for everyone. So, thank you!

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