Blog Tour & Giveaway: In This Life by Christine Brae
It started out so simply. Anna runs away to Thailand, drags her best friend Dante with her and spends a few weeks away, taking on other people’s problems while getting away from her own. She meets the enigmatic Jude Grayson, and for as long as it’s clear to both of them that it ends when they leave, she thinks she’s got the perfect fling planned out.
Or does she?
Anna returns home to find that her life is no longer the way it once was, and that she can’t stop thinking about him. She learns through tragedy that nothing she’s ever believed in has turned out to be true. The worst part? The people she loved were keeping a secret from her. And that no matter what she does, no matter how hard she fights against it, every path she takes keeps leading her back to Jude.
This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. And with the struggle between morality and guilt, faith and acceptance, there comes a learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe.
From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.
What inspired you to write this story?
People, places, things, me. I wanted to write a book about the lessons I learned last year.
How and why did you pick the settings for your story?
These are two places that are near and dear to my heart. Thailand is a beautiful place, an amazing place to fall in love. New York is my 2nd home next to Paris. I spent so much time there, I know it like I know the back of my hand. I had such wonderful times in NY, I wanted to write about them.
What was the most surprising thing you learned in writing this book?
I learned that I am as driven about making this book the best that it can be as I am with everything else in my life. It may not always be a good thing, but I learned so much about patience and humility with this book.
Fast Talk:
Last book you read? F*Love by Tarryn Fisher. You know, that’s all talk, right? She loves love.
Biggest pet peeve? Stop touching your nose and your ears and then me.
3 Favorite places you have visited? Boracay, Paris, New York
The craziest thing you have done for love? Can’t tell you because I’m still doing it.
Finish the sentence: In this life… there are different kinds of love.
“Blue,” he sighed, “I wish things were different.” The luster in his eyes was gone.
I rested my head on his chest as he clasped his hands together behind my back. There was nothing else for me to say. I too wished that everything was different, and yet I hoped that things would stay the same. I needed my mother at that very moment. I wanted to tell her that I understood. I wanted to ask her about these feelings. I wanted her to confirm whether this was love.
I lifted my head up to catch his lips slightly parted. “I have to call my mom,” I said.
He acknowledged the loss of the moment. “Sure. Let’s get back inside and you can use my phone,” he replied, continuing to hold me close while smoothing his hands over my hair.
“Gray?”
“Hmm?” he answered dreamily.
“I’m a little freaked out. There’s something rubbing against my leg.”
He lifted me up gently, turning the flashlight back on and handing it over to me. I settled my feet lightly in the sand, afraid to step on something I couldn’t see. He guided my hand and held the light a few inches above the water.
“Look,” he said excitedly. “They’re seahorses.” He reached his hands down just below the surface, enclosing them in the palms of his hands.
“Cool! Why are they tangled up with each other like that?”
“It’s their defense mechanism. Do you see how the male with the pouch is hanging on to her tail? He’s protecting her.”
I brought my face closer to the water.
“Hey, do you know what they say about seahorses?” Jude asked.
“No, but I know you’re about to tell me,” I teased.
“That they mate for life. One mate. One partner. For life.” He emphasized this fact.
“That’s just a myth. Nothing, no one, mates for life.”
Christine Brae is a full time career woman who thought she could write a book about her life and then run away as far as possible from it. She never imagined that her words would touch the hearts of so many women with the same story to tell. Her second book, His Wounded Light was released in December, 2013.
Christine's third book, Insipid, is a standalone that was released in June, 2014, and her fourth book, In This Life is scheduled for release in January 2016.
When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.
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