Monday, January 14, 2013

Blog Tour Stop: Edge of the Past by Jennifer Comeaux






Welcome to my stop on the Edge of the Past blog tour.  This tour is hosted by I Am A Read, Not A Writer.  My stop includes and interview with the author, review, excerpt, and an amazing giveaway!!!


Life on the Edge

Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.

Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily’s dreams of gold.

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Edge of the Past

Emily's skating career and personal life have never been more golden. She and her partner Chris have won every competition they've entered this season, and she's found the man of her dreams in her coach Sergei. But when one of the biggest competitions of the year takes Emily and Sergei to Russia, Sergei's past explodes into the present and makes Emily doubt everything in their future.


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Title: Edge of the Past
Author: Jennifer Comeaux
Publisher: Astraea Press
Publication: November 27th, 2o12
Pages: 268
Format: eARC
Rating: 5/5 stars


My Review

This book was fan-flipping-tastic!!!  Words can't describe how much I loved this book.  I read this book in one sitting, because once I started it, I couldn't put it down.  I was captivated from the very first page.  WOW!!!  Talk about throwing a hook, and reeling you in.  This is what Edge of the Past did to me.  I couldn't stop reading it, and now that that I have it finished, I want to go back and read it again.  Jennifer Comeaux did a wonderful job a crafting a story that seemed so realistic that I felt like I was right there the entire time.  I loved that I was able able to feel what the characters felt, see what the character saw, and experience what they saw.  Jennifer's writing style was remarkable on that aspect.  Edge of the Past was beautifully written.

Emily's life is looking pretty good at the moment.  With winning every competition with her partner Chris, planning a wedding with Sergei, and getting ready to head to Russia for one of their biggest competitions yet, life couldn't get any better.  Or so she though.  In Russia, everything changed for them.  Life-altering changes.  Emily got to meet Elena, Sergei's ex, for the first time.  Not only that, but Sergei and Emily got to meet his daughter, Liza, for the first time.  Emily lets Elena and Liza stay with her to keep an eye on Elena.  Sergei really wants to get to know his daughter.  He starts focusing on that and Emily feels as if she is getting pushed aside.  Will Sergei and Emily be able to face the challenges together and get through it?  Will there still be a wedding for Emily and Sergei?

I fell in love with the characters even more through this book.  I was able to relate to each and everyone of them.  The characters seems very real, facing real life situations that could actually happen, and that is what made me love this even more.  I adore the relationship between Sergei and Emily.  They are one of my favorite couples to read about.

Emily is a strong character.  She is very competitive and never gives up.  When she goes though these challenges with Sergei, I was able to feel everything she going through.  It was very tough for her.  If I was in the same place, I would be questioning everything also.  She tried her best though.  I loved how she was with Liza.  She would be one of those cool step-mothers.  Sergei is just flat out sexy and gorgeous!!!  I would marry that man in a heart book.  I could understand him wanting that time with his daughter.  He did everything he could to try and please and help everyone.  Sergei tore me to pieces several times in this story.  He is a very lovable character and I just want to hug him.  Liza was adorable.  I couldn't help but love her like everyone else did.  Chris is an amazing partner and a great friend to have.  He is awesome.  Elena I wanted to hit sometimes.  She finally grew up and saw the error or her ways so at least she is trying.

Edge of the Past is a book that I will definitely reread.  I really love where this series is ending.  Talk about an ending.  This book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride.  I laughed, cried, jumped up and down, and sometimes I got a little mad.  I am eagerly awaiting the next book.  I can't see what happens with Sergei, Emily, and the others next.  I recommend this story to everyone wanting a great book to read!!!



 Excerpt


Sergei pressed me up into the star lift, and I noticed some of the other skaters idling and watching us. We sped past them, and Sergei set me down, preparing for the closing seconds of the program.
In time with the final piano notes, I edged away from Sergei, and he rushed toward me, trapping me in his arms for the ending pose. I gasped at the passion with which he grabbed me. His eyes held my gaze then slowly drifted down to my mouth, and my body hummed from the fiery energy between us. I leaned into his chest and squeezed my fingers harder around his biceps.
A few of my training mates erupted with applause and whistles, and Sergei jerked backward. He didn’t say anything as he took off to cool down, leaving me alone in the middle of the ice with more than my muscles burning.



Interview with Jennifer Comeaux



1. Is there any advice you could give to aspiring writers? Can you give us a little insight on how to get published?

 The biggest piece of advice I give to aspiring writers is to seek feedback on your work. You always need more eyes than your own on your work in order to learn and grow. I’ve used a site called Critique Circle to have my rough drafts critiqued, and it’s been so helpful!
There are a lot of different publishing options out there today, and everyone should decide what’s best for them. My dream was to be traditionally published and to see my book in print, so I looked for a publisher that I thought would be a good fit for my work. My advice would be to do as much research as you can on the types of publishers that interest you and to reach out to as many people in the industry as you can.

2. What is your favorite quote?

 If is a small word with a big meaning.

3. How many books will you be writing for this series? 

There will be three books in the EDGE series.

4. What are you currently working on? Are there any other books you have planned?

 I’m currently working on Book 3 of the series! In the future, I’d like to write companion books to the series that will focus on some of the secondary characters.

5. Can you give us a sneak peak on what book 3 will be about? Or a scene?

 Book 3 will continue Emily and Sergei’s journey and also tell Emily’s best friend Aubrey’s story as they all prepare for the 2006 Olympics. There will be a huge snowstorm a few months before the Olympics, and the storm will end up impacting Emily and Aubrey in more ways than they could’ve imagined.

6. Can you give us a little more insight into Emily's and Chris's skating career? Some secrets we don't know about. How they got together and so on.  

Chris’s previous partner quit to attend college, so Chris began the search for a new one. Emily had just moved to Cape Cod to work with Sergei to learn pairs and to find a partner, and Sergei called Chris to come for a tryout. When Emily and Chris skated together for the first time, they both knew it felt right, and Sergei could see it, too. With Chris and Sergei’s help, Emily learned the pairs elements rather quickly, and a year later they won the silver medal at their first national championship together!

7. What was your favorite scene to write about in both books? 

My favorite scene to write in Life on the Edge was the Tokyo nightclub/hotel scene because I love writing flirty dialogue and exploring the chemistry between Emily and Sergei. In Edge of the Past, my favorite scene to write was when Emily and Sergei finally have some quality time alone together. I’m a romantic at heart, so the romantic scenes are always my favorite!

8. Who is your favorite Ice Skater in real life and in your book? 

 My current favorite skaters in real life are the ice dance team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White. They’re the 2011 World Champions and 2010 Olympic silver medalists, and they’re also two of the greatest people around! In my books, my favorite skaters are Emily and Chris. I love their relationship and how they support each other. I like to choreograph their programs in my head

9. Can you tell us one secret about Sergei that we don't know about? 

 Sergei’s skating coach when he was growing up was very harsh and threatening. When Sergei decided to go into coaching, he vowed he would never treat his students like his coach treated him and his partner Elena. He’s firm with his students, but he wants them to always know he cares about their well-being and he’s always in their corner.

10. What is your favorite genre to read and write? 

New Adult romance is my favorite genre to both read and write.

11. Can you tell us about your writing process? How much research went into this story?  

This was the first book I had to plot from start to finish (my first book sort of evolved from a serial I was writing for friends), so it was a challenge! I did a partial outline and then just started writing the rest to see where the story would take me. I did a lot of Internet research on Russia for this book since part of the story takes place there.

12. If you could trade places with one character from your book, who would it be and why? If you could trade places with a character from any book, who would it be and why? 

 I would trade places with Emily so I could discover what it feels like to be an expert skater. I’d love to know what that feeling of flying across the ice is like. If I could trade places with a character from another book it would be Jacqueline from Easy because Lucas was my book boyfriend of the year!





Author Jennifer Comeaux

Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life On the Edge, her first published novel.


When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see a different side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing. Jennifer is blessed with a wonderful family and many friends who have encouraged her to pursue her dream of being a published author.



Links: 



Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/24/13



Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great review. The book sounds fabulous.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for the amazing review and the super fun interview, Kristina!!

    ReplyDelete