Coffee, books and me: Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye Tour

Hi guys! Today, we have a tour stop for Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye tour by Shari A. Brody, hosted by CBB promotions. We have an excerpt of the novel below, plus don’t forget to enter the tour-wide giveaway. Enjoy!

I would also like to apologize to CBB promotions and Shari Brody as my post went out late (accidentally saved as draft, sigh). Again, so sorry.

Anyway, here’s the post! enjoy!

Title: Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye
Author: Shari A. Brody
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Before my older sister Francesca died, I worked at the bakery and wrote songs, but now I write lists. Lists like ten reasons why it's my fault Francesca's dead, or five reasons why I should try and win Howie back, or one reason why I need to stop lying to everyone, including myself.
Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye is an extraordinary novel about one family's struggle to make sense of their world after losing a family member to addiction. Through sixteen-year-old Carmella's eyes, we witness the courage and strength it takes to overcome the consequences of grief, guilt and co-dependency. WIth conviction and determination, Carmella shows us what can happen when we're open to love, feel the pain of our loss, and find the courage to accept the truth of our lives.

EXCERPT!

Someone calls out Howie’s name and one of the guys in the crowd shoves another cup into my hand, then into Howie’s. Howie shrugs his shoulders, puts the cup down on the counter, and introduces me as “the cake artist” to a bunch of kids in a circle, who are dying to know who I am. I set my cup down next to his as he keeps me close to him, his arm and shoulder touching mine the whole time. He brags to everyone how talented I am, being Mrs. Sparacini’s apprentice and all. I go along with the lie. Realizing I’m stuck here and can’t leave without making an ass out of myself, I make a short list of why I shouldn’t run like hell:

Howie’s the first person who makes me laugh like I used to with Francesca.
Howie gets cuter by the minute.
He smells like heaven.
Howie makes me think there’s a chance my life could get better.

After I make my list, I glance over at the clock, thinking about the early morning.

He notices me checking the time. “Before it gets too late, let me show you the art.”

“Sure.”

Howie pulls me out of the kitchen and through a dining room, which leads to a living room, through a mini bar, which leads to a second living room, and then to a dark, wood-paneled door. He puts his finger up to his lips like we’re five years old and sneaking around the house where we shouldn’t be.

He swings the door open and gestures for me to walk into an enormous room filled with tiny paned windows on one side, solid dark wood walls with three abstract paintings hanging on the other. Another wall is lined with bookcases all the way up to a freakishly tall ceiling, complete with a ladder attached by a brass railing. I can smell the leather sofas and chairs perched on top of a huge multi-colored rug, probably handmade in some far-off foreign land. Howie closes the door.

I avoid looking at him. He scares me, this scares me, but at the same time I don’t want to leave. I’m so messed up.

“Wow. This room is amazing.” I need to fill the bubble of silence.

Howie walks up to me and reaches for the necklaces I’m clutching in the palm of my hand. He drapes each one over my head while he stares at my lips. He’s totally got a kiss on his mind and I sooo don’t know what to do about it.

So I turn away and walk along the wall of books, touching the spine of each one with my fingers, wondering what lurks inside the pages, wondering if someone became so torn apart by a story she’d decide to never take a chance on reading that kind of book again.

Howie stands in front of me. “Best room in the house, don’t you think?”

I want to run like there’s a grizzly bear chasing me.

“So you’ve known Z-man forever then?” I ask.

He smiles, “Forever, since kindergarten.”

My armpits get hot. I hope I don’t faint. Through the corner of my eye I see the lights from outside flickering through the windowpanes. He’s about to kiss me. I know it. He leans into me a little bit.

I quickly turn my head, like when I’m at the doctor and he hits my knee with the rubber hammer thing and my leg jerks up.

“Carmella,” Hannah yells. “Are you in there?”

Bang. The door flies open.

Howie and I jump. We spin around towards the doorway.

Hannah cups her hand over her mouth. “Oops. Sorry,” she laughs. “We gotta go. Z-man says everyone out. It’s almost curfew.” She taps her wrist, laughing. She dashes out of the room like a kid.

Howie and I smile at each other, looking down at the ground, knowing she thinks she interrupted a kiss that never happened.

That was a very nice excerpt wasn’t it?

Tour-wide giveaway! :)

Prize:

3 signed paperback copies of Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye by Shari A. Brady

US only

3 ebook copies of Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye by Shari A. Brady

Open INT

and $25 Amazon Gift Card

Open INT

Rules:

Must be 13 or older to enter.

Opens Feb. 4th, 2013 and ends Feb. 20th, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Shari A. Brady:

Shari A. Brady is a native Chicagoan and previously had so many careers she’s lost count. A graduate of Loyola University’s Business School and University of Chicago’s Creative Writing program, she’s finally a full-time writer, a dream she’s carried with her since she was twelve. She lives in suburban Chicago with two of the best kids ever and their shelter dog, Betty Queen Elizabeth. This is her first novel and her last career.

Links:

www.sharibrady.com

www.facebook.com/ShariABradyAuthor

www.twitter.com/sharibrady

Check out the rest of the tour!

2/4 Chocolate Coated Reviews ~ Excerpt & Interview

2/4 Moosubi Reviews ~ Review & Top Ten

2/5 The Flyleaf Review ~ Review

2/5 Love is Not a Triangle ~ Review & Excerpt

2/6 I Am a Reader, Not a Writer ~ Interview

2/6 I Talk Books! ~ Review

2/7 A Diary of a Book Addict ~ Review