Guestpost, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway: Sandine Tomas – The Music of Love

A warm welcome to author Sandine Tomas joining us to talk about the release of her first novel “The Music of Love”.
Sandine talks to us about her writing , shares an exclusive excerpt and brought a giveaway for our readers !
Welcome Sandine 🙂

My name is Sandine Tomas and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to introduce myself and share a little about my first published novel, The Music of Love, including an exclusive excerpt. Plus, there’s an opportunity to win a free e-book copy at the end!

 

One of the oldest writing tips out there is ‘write what you know.’ I have a simple response to that: Poppycock. If we only wrote about things for which we have personal experience I fear there would be very little fun fiction to read. Entire genres would disappear.

 

Think of it … no Hogwarts, androids or reconstituted dinosaurs. We’d wouldn’t instantly know the temperature that burns books and likely never think about growing a potato on Mars. So when I look to find a new book to read I could care less if the writer actually experienced it or not – as long as they tell me a good story.

 

In terms of romance novels, writers do have the advantage of experiencing love for themselves. But the fun in writing (and reading) romance is to explore how love forms between characters whose experiences of the world are different from anything in the writer’s life. Since everyone isn’t an author (lucky thing for the sanity of the planet) we count on those who are to showcase all the infinite variations of love – giving every reader a glimpse into a new way to feel.

 

So I don’t bother with ‘writing what you know.’ I write what I feel, what makes my pulse pound, heart race, and mind skitter so fast that landing is tough. That’s what I like to read as well. In The Music of Love, my character Julian fears his love is not enough for his partner. Except for those times he fears that maybe it’s too much.

“Zach?”

“Yeah?”

 

“Let’s not…. I know it’s stupid. But I don’t want to make a big deal out of our anniversary.” He and Tyler had blown up at just about a year. David hit the one-year date on the spot, used it as his reason—was a good time to reevaluate things. And Spenser announced he’d met Trish a few days short of their one-year anniversary. All had been the same, absolutely no warning. Things were fine, and then they were broken up, like one of those freak accidents when a construction beam falls on an unfortunate pedestrian.

 

The minute the words were out, Julian regretted saying them. He never should have brought it up again. Practically one of the only things that could really tick off Zachary was discussion of Julian’s exes. And it wasn’t like Julian didn’t grasp how no boyfriend would want to keep having that conversation. Except he couldn’t really keep anything from Zachary; it would just come out. Maybe that was the problem. After a while the culmination of all of Julian’s brain dumps made the other person realize that they’d made this huge mistake.

 

Zachary turned over to prop himself up on his elbow, one finger lazily tracing Julian’s jawline. “I fucking adore you. It’s not going to shut off at random. Love doesn’t have an expiration date.” After that declaration Zachary snuggled closer and by the rhythmic pace of his breathing, he was already dozing off.

 

Trying to rest but still feeling wired, Julian chastised himself. He really needed to stop talking about their upcoming anniversary. It had to be aggravating. Of course it was. Maybe just having that conversation enough times would make Zachary so sick of Julian he’d want to end it?

 

The following night Zachary came home late from class. His cell had gone to voice mail and he hadn’t rung back. Julian had thought of going to bed, but after staring at the empty space where Zachary wouldn’t be, he changed his mind and returned to the sofa. He spent some time holding the remote, but the TV never went on. He tried to recall any other time Zachary hadn’t responded to a voice message, but nothing came to mind.

 

As the time crept by, Julian’s imagination got wilder. What if Zachary met a fellow student who shared Zachary’s passion for the law? A better match. He knew how oddball they were, Julian with his reserve and hesitation and flighty wanderings. Compared to Zachary’s tenaciousness, drive, and certainty. By the time the door creaked open, Julian had left indentations in his palms from squeezing his fingernails into them too hard.

 

“Hey,” Zachary mumbled tiredly, putting down his messenger bag near the door.

 

“Where’ve you been?” Ugh. That wasn’t what Julian wanted to say. Well. Yeah, it was. But he’d convinced himself not to say it first thing.

 

“Sorry, babe, I had to talk to my professor.”

 

Julian’s higher order brain shouted, let it go, let it go, let it go. His amphibian brain had other ideas. “Oh. I called, but you didn’t call back.”

 

“Phone’s dead. I’m sorry I worried you.”

 

Julian flushed. He hadn’t been worried in the way Zachary thought. What kind of creepy, awful boyfriend was he that he hadn’t thought something bad had happened but rather that maybe Zachary was doing something he shouldn’t? And that wasn’t even it—he hadn’t believed any cheating was going on—more that someone more interesting than Julian had captivated Zachary.

 

“What?” Zachary asked, standing over Julian.

 

“What what?”

 

Usually their word game made Zachary smile, but this time it seemed more of a grimace. “Were you sitting here afraid I was out with my other boyfriend?”

 

The shudder was unstoppable despite knowing that Zachary was teasing and not confessing to anything. He did trust Zachary; it wasn’t that. Fuck, he was just such a mess.

 

“Oh God. I can’t even joke with you anymore.” Zachary dropped onto the sofa and took him in a hug.

 

Julian buried his head into Zachary’s neck, feeling fifty kinds of stupid. “I’m sorry. It’s just that this one-year business is making me unable to be normal about anything. I must be driving you bonkers.”

 

“No.” Zachary pulled back so he could see Julian but kept his grip in place on his shoulders. “I’m sorry, that was a really stupid joke—I can only blame the late hour. Jules, you can tell me anything. That way I can too. This—” He indicated their almost embraced bodies. “—is our safe place, remember?”

 

Julian nodded.

 

“Now, no more worrying about silly dates on a calendar, and just trust me, okay?” Zachary asked.

 

Julian inhaled. Zachary had asked that before. He wished with all his might he could just answer yes and not feel that numbing fear. This time he got as far as answering yes. It really would be a long week.

 

Do you care whether or not the author of a book you like really experienced what they are writing about? Tell me in the comments and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free e-book copy of The Music of Love! Please provide contact information.

The Music of Love Blurb

Sometimes the music of love skips a beat….

Paralegal by day, musician by night, Julian has an expiration date stamped on his forehead when it comes to love. No relationship has made it past a year, so Julian avoids romance like the plague and concentrates on his music instead.

Which works fine until gorgeous, smart, and funny Zachary joins Julian’s firm. One look at the man and Julian knows he’s dangerous. No matter what, he can’t fall for Zachary. He has to spare Zachary the pain of dumping Julian at the one-year mark. His brilliant plan? Ask a straight friend to pose as his significant other to keep Zachary away. Not surprisingly, his scheme does little to dampen the attraction—on either side.

When Zachary gives Julian a second chance despite his deception, Julian thinks his curse might be broken. But then he’s faced with the impossible choice between a life with Zachary and living his dream of touring with the band….

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

 

Sandine Tomas grew up an unapologetic bookworm, making friends with characters from the ancient past to the farthest reaches of the universe. Her career as a marketing writer has given her insight into the divergence between what a person thinks they want and what they truly need. Relationships are at the heart of her writing, and she enjoys creating characters who become so real that their stories beg to be told. Writing allows her to explore people and ideas from all sides, spinning a notion around like a gem until its facets glisten.

Twisting the old adage about writing what you know into writing what you feel, Sandine doesn’t shy away from raw emotions, turbulent circumstances, and above all, deep passions, fueled by humor, honesty, and trust. She enjoys instilling her characters with the flaws, courage, and idiosyncrasies that brings them to life.

Sandine lives in New York with her husband, two daughters and a Golden Retriever named Noodle. An unabashed TV and film enthusiast, she happily binge watches her favorites until her eyes glaze over. Her other guilty pleasures include attending fandom conventions, sleeping in on weekends, and recharging solo by holing up with a caramel macchiato and an amazing book.

Contact Info

Website: sandinetomas.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandineTomas

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sandine.tomas

Email: [email protected]