With: Kathy Lyons
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I love this excerpt because it shows how I feel about my
press, the good and the bad. I see myself in both Rob and Heidi here because I
have moments just like this one. Some days I burn the press and all that
publicity be damned. Other days, I feel like I exist because of all the words I
create or other create about me. It’s weird. And it’s wonderful. And it’s life.
Giveaway:
Giveaway:
Here’s the excerpt. Comment below on if you see yourself
reflected in this scene. One lucky winner will win a Locker Room Dairies café
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He went right to the
business of lighting it and soon we had flames dancing in front of us. It was a
lovely night with a nearly full moon and more stars than I’d ever seen, even down
in Ft. Lauderdale. He pulled me to a bench and sat down next to me. We were
near enough to the fire that I felt the heat of it on my face almost as much as
the press of his large body heated my insides. We were thigh to thigh as he
grabbed the full wastepaper basket.
“What is that?” I asked.
He pulled a handful of
newsprint out and showed it to me. “Press clippings. Mom cuts out everything
anybody says about me and leaves it on my dresser.”
I eyed the full
wastebasket. “That’s a lot of press.”
“Tell me about it,” he
drawled as he tossed a handful into the fire. He didn’t even look at the
headlines, much less read all those column inches. He just tossed them all in
the fire.
“Your mother spent hours
doing that,” I said. “You’re just burning them?”
“Yup. And she knows. It’s
been my ritual since I was in high school.”
“To burn the newspapers?”
“To burn whatever is said
about me—good, bad, or ugly.”
I watched him toss more
words onto the fire. I followed a particularly large chunk as it curled on the
edges, caught flame, then disintegrated into ash. A black square lifted up into
the air and I followed the tiny piece until it fluttered away, caught on the
breeze.
“You really hate the
press that much?” I asked.
“Nope. But it’s easy to
let this shit get into my head. So after a particularly bad game in high
school, my dad and I came out here and burned it all. The bad reviews first,
but eventually everything. The stuff about me breaking hitting records. The
first time someone said I was the new Babe Ruth. The time the story broke that
I’d gone into the minors and then later to the Bobcats.” He held up a big
article about his jump to the majors. It was the lead sports story in the Indianapolis Sun from a few months ago.
With a grin, he tossed it into the fire. “It’s how I keep myself real. This
stuff…” He held up another handful of careful clippings. “It’s not who I am.”
Again they went into the
fire. Piece by piece until the wastebasket was empty. And I was impressed. I
still had a copy of every article I’d written for the newspaper. I had a copy
of my award-winning essay tucked in my file
cabinet. My SAT scores hadn’t been important for years, but they were still
pinned on the corkboard in my bedroom at home. Not to mention all the stuff my mom had put on our Wall of Accomplishments. I
couldn’t bring myself to burn any of it. They were proof that I was smart. That
I was a good writer. That I had value. And I looked at them when I began to
doubt myself. I couldn’t imagine burning any of it.
“So if that isn’t you,” I
asked, “what is?”
“Nothing is. I’m me, not
this stuff.”
Grounded. The man was so
damn grounded in who he was that I couldn’t begin to fathom it. I was my
accomplishments. If someone asked me who I was, I’d list my job and what I’d
written. Apparently, Rob was just a guy who played baseball really well and
that blew my mind.
“You can’t possibly be
that free of ego,” I said.
He flashed me that
thousand-watt grin. “Well, I do count the
pieces of paper.”
“What?”
He pointed at the waste bin. “There were three hundred
and twelve articles in there. All about me.”
And there it was. A
sparkle in his eye as he laughed at himself. Not only was he grounded, but he
could make fun of his own ritual. He could show me that even burning all the
press about him, he was still very aware of how big a deal he was in some
circles. And somehow that just made him more freaking attractive. Humility,
humor, and enough self-awareness to admit that part of him loved every moment
of his fame.
“You are so full of
shit,” I teased. “Burning the articles while counting every column inch.”
“It’s part of my charm.”

Making it to the Major Leagues is all rookie ballplayer, Rob Lee, has ever dreamed of. But now, he's a little overwhelmed with his new celebrity status. Everyone wants a piece of the new heavy hitter for the Indianapolis Bobcats. Still, he's worked hard for it, and he doesn't have many regrets. Although there is one...
If journalist Heidi Wong wants to keep her job, she needs to come up with a story—fast! That's why she tells her boss that she knows the Bobcat's reclusive new slugger, Rob Lee. And she does...in the Biblical sense. During Spring Break three years ago, she and Rob shared a torrid night on the beach. And she's wanted him again ever since.
But everyone knows reporters and athletes don't mix. Rob's contract doesn't allow him to talk to the press, and her job depends on it. Which is driving them both just a little crazy…
About the Author:
Kathy Lyons is the fun, contemporary side of USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee. She loves sassy romance with lots of laughter and sex. Spice is the variety of life, right? Okay, so maybe two kids, two cats, two pennames, and writing over 50 books has messed with her mind, but she still keeps having fun.
Or hang out with her sexy historical half, Jade Lee. Titled heroes with dark secrets are Jade's passion. Especially when they fall for women who add more than just spice to their lives.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST May 18th. Due to GDPR regulations you no longer need to submit your email address in the comments. If you have been selected as a winner your name will be posted at the top of the post. You may then contact maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com to claim your prize. Your email address will be shared with the author/publicist providing the giveaway.
I can’t say if this scene reflected me on either characters. But let me just say, that cover - that smile, somehow he reminds me of Gus Kenworthy. Totally random comment, I know ;-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the scene, but I do not think it reflects me... thanks for sharing!
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