by Joanne Wadsworth | Feb 17, 2014 | Author Blog
Hey everyone, here’s Liza O’Connor with the third book in her A Long Road to Love series. She’s also running two giveaways, so don’t forget to check out how to enter at the end of the post. I’ve been fortunate to read both the first two books in this humorous disaster romance series, and had a giggle while I read them. So, without further ado, I’ll hand everything over to Liza.
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Coming to Reason. How does that happen?
Like Carrie, in my life, ‘coming to reason’ came fast and hard.
When the man I thought was my soul mate of ten years told me he’d met someone else and wanted to see where it might go, I was floored. Totally didn’t see it coming.
Surely, there should have been some signs…
We never fought, so I pushed my memory for smaller hints. We still did things together, played tennis, skied. There had to be some hint I hadn’t caught onto.
A man can’t fall out of love
and I completely fail to notice, can he?
I thought back to the night I finished reading Bridges of Madison Country. I looked over to him and likened us to the couple in love. I remember he seemed disturbed by the comparison. No doubt because he saw Heather as his true love, and me the one keeping them from being happy. At the time I assumed he hadn’t liked the book and didn’t wish to be compared to it.
That was the only clue I had.
In my perspective, this Heather person came out of nowhere.
I asked him to tell me about her. He seemed happy to share. She worked at his office, she had a girl from a previous marriage, and a boyfriend so this wasn’t easy for either of them. She was my age and he really liked her and wanted to see where it might go. He spoke with great calmness and compassion, but not an ounce of guilt or remorse. He had to know his words were ripping me apart, but he didn’t give a shit. It was all about him. (I say this now. At the time I only saw his compassion, not what was missing.)
He asked me to stay until he got the matter sorted out.
And because I loved him more than I loved myself, I agreed.
We had plans to attend a theatre production that night and I tried my hardest to be cheerful, but the more his words replayed in my mind, the deeper they cut. I began to silently cry, then not so silently. We had to leave so other people could enjoy the play.
His mother called me soon after. She was so sorry we were breaking up. Then she told me less than a month ago, he’d told her he ‘was thinking about’ marrying me. That floored me. Now nothing made sense.
I moved into the guest bedroom. Living in his house with him kept me hoping we could turn matters around. I desperately wanted to fix whatever was wrong. I got him to go to counseling with me, but after the first meeting, where we got along so well, the counselor split us up.
And thus began the counselor’s efforts to make me come to reason, but I remained hopelessly in love, so desperate to fix my soulmate’s temporary insanity. Instead of helping me fix my problem, the guy focused on the unhealthy aspects of our relationship. Even before I came to reason, I knew he strongly felt I needed to break away.
But at home, matters almost seemed normal again except I slept in the guest room and my heart was severely injured. My soul mate went to visit friends in California. He said Heather wasn’t going, but he may have lied. Still, every night he would call and tell me the stupid ass things he’d done because I wasn’t there to fix matters. We’d laugh and hope grew within me that we could get beyond this. He mentioned the same, saying we’d be stronger in the end.
While a part of me hoped for the best, another part of me knew whatever had broken wasn’t fixable nor could I ever trust him again. I would always be searching for signs I missed this time.
Somewhere in this painful month, I parked my pride at the curb and called Heather, begging her not to take him from me. She said she had no idea what I was talking about. Nothing was going on between her and my guy.
Now I wondered if my soul mate had truly gone insane and had made this whole romance up.
I discovered the truth on the day we planned to go to a Giant’s game. I remember telling him that morning how much I was looking forward to the having fun together. He agreed and for a moment things seemed good. Due to my counselor’s advice, after work I never went straight home. I would go to the Y and swim laps for two hours.
But this night, I didn’t want to make us late for the game, so I cut my workout short and hurried home. He’d promised to be home by six. When it turned six-thirty, something broke inside me. I got in my car and drove to his place of work. The door was locked, so I lurked about outside, pacing in fury. Finally, he and Heather came out, arm in arm, laughing and happy. (Had I owned a gun, none of us would be alive now. When I saw them together, I lost all reason.)
Being gunless, I went a little crazy on him while Heather scurried back into the office.
All my pent up rage came pouring out of me. And when I finally made it back home, my EX-soulmate opened my car door and declared it over. He was done with Heather. No more.
Too Late. I was done with him.
‘Reason’ had finally arrived. I realized if he had truly loved me, he couldn’t hurt me like this. He was either a sadist or the most self-centered guy in the world, but this had never been a healthy love. I had loved him more than I loved myself, which is NEVER a good thing. And from my new perspective he didn’t love me at all. I was just easy to get along with and willing to do things he liked to do. A convenience, nothing more.
And that was it. I made him leave his house and live with his mother for a month while I hunted for a house of my own. Then I left and never looked back.
In my book Coming to Reason, Carrie ignores reality so long you’ll want to slap her silly, then wham, all hell breaks loose and in a single day she’s over him. I’ve no doubt someone who’s never loved a Trent will say Carrie comes to reason too fast, but I will argue from personal experience that anyone stubborn and determined enough to love a Trent can turn on a dime the moment she realizes that he never loved her and that she deserves much more than he’ll ever give. This enlightenment doesn’t happen over time, it happens in an instant when she finally sees him for the man he is, rather than the illusion she loved.
Later after the pain goes away you realize he’s not evil incarnate. He’s just broken and has no idea what love is. But the actual moment of Coming to Reason can be incredibly fast and life changing.
For me, it began the best years of my life. And for that, I thank you, Heather. Sorry, he broke your heart too, but that was inevitable.
Here’s a bit about the book
Coming to Reason:
COMING TO REASON
Book Three: A Long Road to Love
Humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance
Amazon
Blurb
Carrie has committed to an inter-species marriage with Trent, her billionaire boss. Only, she requested a long engagement to improve his stats. Presently, he is eighty percent dreamboat and twenty percent nightmare.
When he fires her so they can be a ‘normal couple’, everything heads south. Providing her a stark contrast, her new boss is everything a woman could want in a man.
But for Carrie, her heart is taken and thus, her path to reason remains long and arduous.
Liza O’Conner writes books that speak to my soul. Carrie is a character you will not soon forget.
–Rebecca Royce, author of The Warrior series.
I only have one thing to say about Liza O’Connor’s A Long Road to Love series: Read them. They’re funny. You won’t regret it!
—Maria Hammarblad, author of Kidnapped.
Excerpt
He shook his head. “I’m still growing up from the petulant child I’ve been all my life.” He exhaled and met her gaze. “To continue my progress, I need your assistance.”
She marveled at his newly acquired ability to admit weaknesses. “Anything,” she promised.
Leaning in, he kissed her forehead. “My therapist believes your desire to be the world’s best EA and my girlfriend is hampering my attempts to grow up. You take care of all my problems. He says I need to handle matters for myself.”
Fear spread from her chest out to her fingertips, making her numb, slowing her brain. “Are you saying you want to break up with me?”
“Never!” He covered her face with kisses.
She pushed him away. “Then what?”
“It’s time to do what we talked about months ago. You need to quit Lancaster Chairs and get another job.”
Was he insane? He couldn’t survive two hours without her. “We should do this slowly, so you can wean off.”
He smiled. “Michael disagrees.”
She’d always liked his therapist, until now. “Maybe I should talk to him.”
“No! You’ll only prove to him I’ve made no progress at all.” He gripped her hands. “I need to stand on my own two feet. You have to let me grow up and take responsibility for myself.”
“All right.” Her stomach roiled with doubt. He’d be calling her back in a week to help save his company again.
Still, growing up meant he’d make mistakes along the way. She had to let him take the reins, even if doing so had disaster written all over it. “I’ll start looking on my lunch hour.”
“No. We need a clean cut. As of now, you no longer work at Lancaster Chairs.”
“Trent! We have to have a transition. We’ll need to find a new EA. I’ll need to train the person in.”
He pressed his fingers to her lips. “I completed the interviews and I’m going in to train my EA. I’ve got it all under control.”
His assurance stunned her. He must have planned this for weeks, perhaps months, but never said a word, which hurt her feelings. Still, she sucked it up and tried to focus on the positive. Trent wanted to grow up and take responsibility. “I should still come in and show the person…guy or girl?”
The question made him choke. “Are you kidding? After Grant? No way in hell I’d hire another male.”
A Long Road to Love
Book One
Worst Week Ever
“Love this book and couldn’t stop laughing from beginning to end.” 5 stars – Alves – Amazon
61 reviews: 4.3 stars
Book Two
Oh Stupid Heart
“Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think…NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars – Brian’s Mom – Amazon
8 reviews: 4.8 stars
Book Three
Coming to Reason
Other Books by Liza O’Connor
Ghost Lover
will return March 1
Liza O’Connor
Author Bio:
Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
LIZA O’CONNOR & UPCOMING BOOKS:
Prizes:
Tour prize: a $50 Amazon Gift Card
Gift at every stop for one lucky commenter
Must request book in comments
& leave email address:
Worst Week Ever or
Oh Stupid Heart ebook.
Enter to Win $50 Amazon Gift Card
by Joanne Wadsworth | Dec 27, 2013 | Author Blog
GHOST LOVER
By Liza O’Connor
Contemporary Romance with a touch of paranormal
Two sexy English brothers. One irresistible ghost. Who would you choose as your lover?
Completely broke and with a criminal record to boot, Senna Smith is one day from eviction from her apartment when Brendon, her promiscuous roommate from London, suggests she go to England, marry him, and manage his fortune. With few other options, she agrees to an open marriage. But she’ll never, ever, have sex with him, knowing if she falls in love with him, he’ll break her heart.
As trustee of Brendon’s family fortune, there is no way Brendon’s older brother, Garrison Durran, is going to let him marry a self-professed American gold-digger. As Senna tries to embrace castle life and English society for Brendon’s sake, Gar discovers Senna is the perfect woman for him–beautiful and intelligent, kind and caring. Now, if she wasn’t already engaged to his brother…
The ancestral ghost of Durran Castle has to intervene if the Durran brothers have any chance of an heir. He can’t leave them to fix matters on their own. They are useless buggers when it comes to love. As counselor to Gar, matchmaker for Brendon, and lover to Senna, a ghost’s work is never done.
CONTENT WARNING: Allergy warning: Ghost cat in book.
A huge welcome to Liza O’Connor and her wonderful characters from Ghost Lover. I love this cover. I’m so glad you’ve dropped by, Liza, and brought your characters along with you for an interview. And thanks so much for offering a giveaway. Check it out at the end, everyone. Liza’s going to take it away here, while I head over to her blog. My characters from Witness Pursuit are going to answer the hard questions at her place.
Today, Joanne and I are swapping locations. I’m interviewing my unruly herd at her site in beautiful and warm New Zealand, and she’s interviewing her characters on my site in a cold castle set in England.
Liza: I’m glad to see everyone is here, because I want you all to contribute to this interview.
Gar: I’m not discussing the ghosts.
Liza: Not a problem. Today’s topic is about when one door closes, another one opens. I believe all you have experienced this.
Brendon: I thought the saying was: When a door is locked, break a window.
Senna: No, it’s: Don’t cry ‘why me?’ when a door closes, because the door was actually a portal to hell.
Liza: *grips head* Why did I think this would be easy? Okay, who would like to begin?
Brendon: I’ll go. About a year ago, I lost the only person who had ever loved me. The cook attempted to console me, but then declared I’d gotten her pregnant. Attempting to fix matters, I convinced the trustee of my fund to give me a million pounds, which I purposely lost on a single roll of the roulette table. I thought if the cook believed I’d lost all my money, she’d remember someone else who might be the father of her child.
Gar: The cook held firm and demanded I give her a million to go away. In a fit of anger over both the blackmailing cook and the roulette fiasco I sent Brendon to the states, instead of realizing what he needed was a brother who loved him. I will forever regret that.
Brendon: I forgive you, since in the states I discovered a fabulous woman who liked me.
Cat: What? Who?
Brendon: *grips Cat’s hand* I found Senna, broke a window and crawled into her one-room flat —
Senna: Several nights in a row. I couldn’t afford to replace anymore windows, so I gave him a key. Then after I fed and sheltered him for six months, he steals $400 from my bank account so my rent check bounces and the landlord evicts me.
Liza: Yeah, Brendon, I had to drop the first two chapters of my book because of you. My readers seriously hated you for stealing her money.
Brendon: I had to save her. No matter how hard Senna tried, she couldn’t get ahead. I was certain if she came to England where she’d never have to worry about money again, she’d be so much better off.
Liza: Then why didn’t you just ask her?
Brendon: Because she would’ve never accepted my offer of marriage until I made her really desperate. As in rock bottom. Otherwise, she would’ve kept living on the edge, miserable and one step from starvation every day, with no friends to help her in times of trouble.
Senna: He’s right. No one likes a convicted felon. I was destined for a hard and miserable life before Brendon stole my money, then offered me a way out of the disaster he’d created.
Liza: So this is an excellent example of when one door closes, another opens. Senna was a day from being homeless and look at her fabulous life now. Now Gar, I know you hate participating in my interviews but–
Gar: I’m not discussing ghosts.
Liza: Could you give us an example how something you perceived as a terrible event turned out to bring you great happiness?
Gar: Brendon calls and says I have to pay for him and his fiancée to return to England or he’ll sell the family teacups he’d stolen when he left. The idea of having my life disrupted with Brendon’s antics again gave me an ulcer, but I had to save the teacups, so I bought the tickets.
*grips Senna’s hand*
And once I stopped being a jerk, I discovered Senna to be the finest woman of my acquaintance. My life became so much brighter with her in it.
Liza: And you, Cat. I believe you had a major ‘one door shuts, another one opens’ moment?
Cat: I did. I had just met a really nice English dude who had bought three of my paintings, only two hadn’t been for sale and I wanted them back. When he told me he’d already shipped them to England, I kind of got violent.
Gar: Kind of? She knocked me to floor and was seconds away from stomping me to death. I got up and assured her I’d send all three pieces back to her and stormed off. I intended to return to England alone the next day.
Cat: Only the monster who claimed to be my father sent a bunch a goons to my apartment and took everything I possessed…even the toilet paper. I had three new paintings I’d done…that still upsets me. But his message was clear. Come home and be an obedient daughter or die on the streets.
Gar: Fortunately, she knew where I was staying and came there. When I washed her face clean of her Goth makeup, she looked incredibly like Senna, leaving me no choice but to bring her home.
Cat: *hugs Brendon.* And there I met my soul mate.
Lassier the ghost: *materializes* And finally I had the proper cast to set matters straight. But still, you would not believe how difficult they made it. Keeping this family line going is nearly impossible. How I long for the old days when women had no say in the matter of marriage and children.
Cat: If I kick Lassier in the balls while he’s materialized, will it hurt him?
Lassier: I’m out of here. *disappears*
Cat: *grins* I take that as a yes.
Brendon: I don’t think you should test your theory. Ghosts have long memories and excel at pranks.
Liza: Once again I have lost control of the interview. I know inviting only one or two would be easier, but then the rest would have been at the castle where Joanne Wadsworth is interviewing her characters on my site. Anyone want to lay odds her characters are better behaved?
*Everyone stares at their shoes, plucks lint, or stares out windows*
Liza stands: I’m calling this interview done. It’s a gorgeous day in New Zealand. I’m going rafting down a 21 foot waterfall. Who’s with me?
And now a short excerpt for those who didn’t fit in the raft:
Senna woke to her breast beeping. Trying to make sense of the oddity, she pushed herself up to rest on her elbows and discovered the noise came from Brendon’s wristwatch. Somehow, his hand had found its way beneath her bra during the night, and now chirped like a baby chick.
She contemplated tearing his hand off at the wrist, but he looked so angelic with his curly dark hair framing his handsome face. With a heavy sigh, she unlatched her bra and eased his hand out, then gently shook him until his face scrunched into a pained grimace.
He groaned and frowned at his noisy watch. “This is a god-awful hour to be woken up,” he said in his sexy British accent. “Never bothers me when I’m coming home at this hour.”
Senna rolled her eyes. “Speak for yourself.”
Pushing himself up, he shook his head. “Remember the second night I came around? You kept yelling at me, ‘Did I realize it was four in the morning?’ At the time, I couldn’t understand your fuss.” He groaned and scratched his scalp. “Well, I certainly understand it now. It’s bloody hell to be woken at this ungodly hour.”
BUY LINKS
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About Liza O’Connor:
Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog, Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
Liza’s Blog and Website Facebook Twitter
Click Here for More Information
About Ghost Lover
–ooOoo–
FREEBIE!!!!
To One Lucky Commenter, I’ll give away one copy of Worst Week Ever
What do you get when you put a hardworking, can-do middle-class young woman together with an egoistical, outrageous, billionaire boss, then throw in the worst week of disasters imaginable?
A humorous disaster romance of epic proportions.
Just leave an email address in your comment and tell me you want Worst Week Ever.
–ooOoo–
Hey everyone, I’m back. My characters from Witness Pursuit are answering the hard questions over at Liza’s blog. If anyone wants to drop by, here’s the link-> http://www.lizaoconnor.com/2013/12/joanne-wadsworth-brings-her-witness.html
Don’t forget to leave a comment for Liza’s giveaway right here, along with your email address. Have a wonderful week. 🙂
by Joanne Wadsworth | Sep 6, 2013 | Author Blog
OH STUPID HEART
Book Two of: A Long Road To Love
Humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance by Liza O’Connor
Carrie Hanson is in love with a different species: Trent, a pampered, uber-rich socialite who’s also her boss. Everyone keeps telling her it’s a train wreck looking to happen, but her heart wants what it wants. So despite the billion and one reasons not to, Carrie commits to this inter-species relationship. But while she’s off being trained for her new job responsibilities, a beautiful ex fiancée is working hard to get Trent back and Carrie fired.
I have a special treat for everyone today. Author Liza O’Connor is here and she has a DOUBLE GIVEAWAY on offer. The first book in this series is available for FREE on Amazon for a limited time, so check out the details below. Also, feel free to enter Liza’s rafflecopter draw for a chance to win a $25 Amazon voucher as well.
I hope you’ll all join me in welcoming Liza and her fabulous characters from her upcoming release Oh Stupid Heart. I’m so glad you’ve dropped by, Liza.
Hi Joanne. Today, Carrie Hanson and Trent Lancaster have come to promote their second book in the Long Road To Love Series.
How did you manage to meet your writer?
Carrie: She arrived during our Worst Week Ever.
.
.
Trent: I think she caused it.
.
.
.
Carrie: *Places hand on Trent’s arm* Crazy stuff happens in life all the time. Just because we had the worst run of luck imaginable, doesn’t mean she created it.
Did you ever consider your story would be told?
Carrie: Given we made national news during our worst week ever? Yes, I suspect our story will be told over and over. *She frowns at Trent* Which reminds me. I think the blonde you hired for HR might work for Gossep.
Trent: *rolls his eyes* I don’t know what you have against Angel. She’s quite lovely.
Carrie: Her name is An-ge-la, not Angel.
Trent: You have no need to be jealous. I only love you.
Carrie: *grins and cuddles against him*
Do you need to have a stern word with your writer for any reason, and why?
Carrie: I’m sorry, but yes I do. Liza, you know how much I dislike Trent’s former fiancée, why did you put her in book two. You have no idea how it hurt me to see Trent kissing her in his penthouse.
She’s one of his species, an uber rich billionaire from Long Island. How is a 4’6”, middle-class girl from New Jersey going to compete with her?
Trent: *wraps his arm around her and pulls her tight to him* I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me and it meant nothing. You are the heart and soul of my business and the only woman I’ve ever loved.
What was your favorite thing to do in your book? And don’t forget keep it G-rated.
Carrie: That’s okay because somebody *stares at Trent* decided we should take matters slow.
Trent: Most of my relationships never last more than a month, so I want to slow down and do it right this time.
Carrie: Which means our favorite thing we do is improve Trent’s business.
Trent: My favorite thing is being with Carrie while she improves my business.
If you could rewrite any scene in your book, what would it be?
Carrie: That one I get to call. I would erase Coco from existence. Without Coco, the jerk Grant wouldn’t have been hired either.
Trent: Grant is Carrie’s replacement in her roll of Executive Assistant. I told Coco to only hire a guy so she would be jealous, but it doesn’t seem to have worked.
Carrie: I am NOT jealous of Grant. He’s a horrible person, one of the biggest jerks I’ve ever met.
Trent: I don’t have a problem with him.
Carrie: Then why doesn’t he have a key to your office?
Trent: Are you nuts? They only person to whom I’ve ever given a key to my office is you.
Are you happy with how everything turned out?
Carrie: Very much, but I don’t understand why it’s always so hard to reach our HEA moments. I guess that’s what happens when you fall in love with a different species.
Trent: *growls* I’m not a different species. I’m just belong to a different economic and social level, which I’ve never fit into. Until you came along, I didn’t fit anywhere. You are the first person who has ever truly loved me and not my possessions.
Would you care for another sequel?
Carrie: I think we have to. Liza has already bought a cover. It’s called Coming to Reason. *she bites her bottom lip* I’m a bit concerned over the title.
If you could do anything over again, what would it be?
Carrie: I would be taller.
Trent: I would find Carrie sooner.
What’s your greatest fear?
Trent: That Carrie will leave me.
Carrie: I’m not going to leave you. You’ve made remarkable improvement. Why would I leave you now? You are becoming a great boss and boyfriend.
The next two questions are for you, Liza. As the writer, is there anything you’d like to say in response to your characters’ interview?
Liza: I wrote this humorous disaster romance series so young women can read about a relationship more screwed up than theirs. However, I’m hoping they will grasp the life lessons hidden within these stories and apply them to their own lives.
Big Life Lesson: Just because a guy says he loves you, doesn’t make him Mr. Right.
Are you working on anything new and if so when can we expect to see it?
A delightful romance called Ghost Lover will come out December 2, 2013. It’s about two brothers who fall in love with the same girl, requiring the ancestral ghost to sort matters out, only the ghost falls in love with her as well.
Then the final book of this series, Coming to Reason, will come out early next year. I decided to put a gap between book 2: Oh Stupid Heart and book 3: Coming to Reason, so readers can enjoy the happy ending of Oh Stupid Heart a bit longer before it all falls apart, yet again.
GIVEAWAY ONE:
On September 5th, 6th and 7th, if you’d like to pick up your FREE copy of Worst Week Ever, book one in Liza’s series, click the Amazon link right here.
Here’s an excerpt of Oh Stupid Heart to whet your appetite.
As the train filled with lesser quality people all talking on their cell phones, the noise and cacophony of smells began to irritate Trent. If not for the pleasure of holding Carrie, he would have demanded the conductor stop the train and let them off so he could have his driver rescue them. The train barely picked up speed before it slowed down, stopped, and allowed more people on. They just kept coming and coming. His glare discouraged a few people from sitting on the other side of Carrie, but eventually an old, heavyset black woman collapsed in the seat with a sigh.
“Don’t normally get to sit,” she muttered, and released a heavy sigh of exhaustion. Her faded, crumpled, threadbare clothes looked as tired as she did.
The conductor stopped and demanded five dollars. She pulled out a coin purse and tried to pay him in quarters.
“No coins.”
The woman put a calloused hand to her forehead and shook her head. “It’s all I got.”
“Not my problem,” the conductor said.
“Take her fee out of the change you owe me,” Trent snapped. Why did the guy have to be such a jerk?
The guy clicked more paper then thrust a ticket into her coin-filled hand. Finally, he handed Trent three twenties.
“And a five,” Trent growled.
The conductor muttered softly and thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a five. He glared at Trent. “You’re only getting this, because of her.” He nodded at Carrie. “Otherwise, you’d pay a second service fee.” He handed Trent the bills and stormed off.
The old woman flashed Trent a weary smile, displaying brown and yellow teeth, which made him slightly nauseous.
His grandmother had always said “Never engage with the common people. Perform all charity at a distance.”
“Thank you for the ticket. They’re so expensive, especially since I got sick last month and needed medicine. I didn’t have any money left to buy a monthly ticket.”
“How much is a monthly ticket?” he asked.
“$125.00. But I don’t have it, so I’m paying ten dollars a day. And I only make sixty a night, forty once they take out taxes.”
“What do you do?”
“I clean an office building. Job starts at 8 p.m. and I have to be done by 5 a.m. with no excuses. If I don’t show, or I don’t finish, I get fired.”
He retrieved his wallet, culled two hundred, and added it to the change the conductor had returned. He passed it to the woman. “Here’s enough to buy the monthly ticket and a bit extra to put aside to buy medicine the next time you get sick.”
The woman studied the hundred dollar bills. “Are these real?”
“I assume so. I got them from the bank.”
The woman’s brow furrowed and handed them back to him, keeping the twenties and five. “I can’t afford to get arrested. I’ll lose my job.”
Never had a person refused his money before. It hurt his feelings and frustrated him. Damn it, I wanted to be charitable. Why can’t the damn woman just do her part?
A Long Road to Love
Book Two — Oh Stupid Heart — Coming Mid-September
Book One — Worst Week Ever — Available on Amazon
BIO: Liza O’Connor
Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O’CONNOR: Liza’s Blog and Website / Facebook / Twitter / Worst Week Ever Trailer
OTHER BOOKS BY LIZA O’CONNOR: Saving Casey / Worst Week Ever
COMING SOON: Oh Stupid Heart / Coming To Reason / Ghost Lover
TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER DRAW FOR THE $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD, click on the link:
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If you wish to continue following Liza’s blog tour, click this link here.
