Blog Hop and Giveaway: STOP! by Alison G. Bailey

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Tuesday, June 16, 2015

We LOVE Alison G. Bailey and STOP! is scheduled for release on June 25th!

Get a sneak peek of Chapter 1 during the Blog Hop Promo Week from June 15^th – June 19^th.

And make sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an ARC copy of this book!

Follow along the blog hop promo week by checking out Nose Stuck in a Book tomorrow or by using the following schedule:

6/15 – Alison G. Bailey

6/16 – Reviews by Tammy and Kim

6/17 – Nose Stuck in a Book

6/18 – The Literary Gossip

6/19 – Shh Moms Reading

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Release Date: June 25^th

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Every life has a different path full of sharp turns, smooth curves, and steep drop offs.

Hollis Murphy has a plan—college, career, boyfriend, love, marriage, family. A predictable, normal life. She’s on track until an outside force causes her to crash and burn. They call it an accident, because that’s the only word they know to explain what happens to her. It helps everyone move on with their lives, except for Hollis. She holds on to the belief that she’s been targeted for a reason.

Risher Stevenson is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the hottest boy Hollis has ever laid eyes on. He fits perfectly into her original plan for a normal life. Everyone loves him.

Benton Daniels is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the bravest boy Hollis has ever met. He doesn’t fit into her life but gives it purpose and makes it extraordinary. Everyone hates him.

One is bullied. One is tormented. All are judged. How will it STOP?

STOP! Excerpt #2

Before Mom gave me a second warning, I stepped into the shower and quickly washed. I sat down at the vanity and towel dried my dark auburn hair, twisting it into a high messy bun. Angling my head to the right, I tilted my chin, allowing the harsh light above to brighten my face. The flames had torched almost the entire left side. Thankfully, my eye and nose weren’t involved. Pictures had been taken when I first got to the emergency room. It was routine. But I never looked at them and I didn’t look at myself until a month after they had performed the skin graft.

I have a hazy memory of a team of doctors in my room discussing among themselves and with my parents the best course of action. The burn on my face was too severe and the risk for infection too high to let it heal on its own. They sliced a large section of skin from my upper thigh and sewed it to my cheek. When I woke up from the surgery, I had a brief moment of clarity. Sobs burst out of me as I realized half of my face had melted away. Mom did her best to get me to believe that once the skin graft healed, I’d look as good as new. After all, the skin used was mine. It would match. But when the bandages came off I didn’t look human.

Different shades of red flesh in varying degrees of bumpiness replaced what was once smooth clear skin. The scar ran from my temple down to just above my jawline. The edges were ragged in some areas and curved in others. Nothing was consistent, not the color or the texture. It looked as if I had a Rorschach ink blot test tattooed across my cheek. My parents and Maggie put in a good effort as the months passed, telling me how much smoother and clearer my skin looked. I was sure I’d be able to see a big difference if I compared photos from the first month, but that didn’t translate into making me feel less of a freak. I hoped the day would come soon when I could look in the mirror and notice my heart-shaped lips, my long lashes, and my bright blue eyes, instead of this giant splotch.

My hand shook as I lined up all the items I needed for the transformation—foundation, setting powder, eyeliner, blush, lip gloss, and mascara. I’d been looking forward to this day for months, but now that it had arrived, I was having second thoughts.

For as long as I could remember, I had wanted to attend Chambers University, which was about a three-and-a-half hour drive from home. Chambers had one of the best math departments in the country. I was a math geek with dreams of becoming a college professor. When I was a kid, my parents bought me a double-sided blackboard, chalk on one side, dry erase on the other side. I used to line up my dolls and stuffed animals across my bed and teach them the multiplication table. I loved the definitiveness of numbers. There was always a right and wrong answer. Black and white, no gray area. I found comfort in that, especially after the incident when my life was nothing but clouded in gray. I was on track to reach my goal when I got derailed.

Alison G. Bailey
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Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school Alison began writing one-act plays, which she later produced. Her debut novel, Present Perfect, landed on Amazon's Best Seller List and appeared on many "Best Reads of 2013" Book Blogs. The novel won Best Book at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention Awards. Her second novel, Past Imperfect, was published in February of 2014 and appeared on several best books of 2014 lists as well. Presently Perfect, the third and final book in The “Perfect” series was released in Dec 2014 to rave reviews. In March 2015 all the love, swoon, heat, and angst were combined into the Perfect Series Box Set.