by Becky Wicks
‘Journey!’ Ed hollers, walking around to her and Joshua squeezes my hand again, tries to hide his smile. ‘Or should we say Annabel Kline? How’s business for you?’
‘It’s good,’ she says. ‘I guess I wanted to apologize to all the people I pissed off!’ She winks at Karin as she says it. ‘I’ve never had a job like that before, but it was kind of fun. You should’ve seen your face, Joshua, when I screamed at you over that goat. I’m sorry!’
‘No apologies necessary,’ Joshua says, but she runs a hand through her now-much-shorter and blond hair and smiles.
‘Were you surprised when they figured out you were a plant?’ Ed asks her now, folding his arms, and she shakes her head.
‘I knew they were smart. That’s why I bowed out early. There’s one every season, right? For the record, though, I do know about astrology.’ She glances at me. ‘Two Pisceans with the same birthday? It’s not surprising to me that Joshua and Alyssa made something amazing out of this experience, or that they did it together.’
Everyone nods and claps at that and Shan rolls his eyes. ‘Please yogi,’ he says, ‘save it for the campfire.’
Laughter erupts but I’m pretty sure I see Joshua’s cheeks redden at the same time as mine do. The world loves Shan. G-A-Y-fronts are now available at Urban Outfitters in a box with his face on. His early eviction thanks to the jellyfish sting doesn’t seem to have made much difference to his popularity. He’s coming to Greece with me and Joshua and his ‘besticle’ Marty, soon. That should make for some interesting blog posts.
Ed re-caps some moments from the show, shows us all on that first day, crawling round in the shelter; the moment Joshua and I almost bumped foreheads, fighting for space. It seems like so long ago. Sometimes now, when I close my eyes, I can still hear that ocean and the rain, the cicadas in the trees and the rush of the waterfall that hid us as we followed our instincts like animals, right into love. I got lost and found myself - or at least a better, more rounded version of myself, out on that island.
But there is a lot to be said for pillows and comforters, and for making love to my incredible, brave boyfriend with four strong walls around us and a bedpost to grip instead of sand. We just have to be a little quieter with our tribal sounds in a hotel on Franklin Avenue, in Los Angeles. That’s all.
The End
Hold your horses, cowgirls - there's a bonus chapter, AND you could win a $100 Amazon voucher! Review this book on Amazon and/or Goodreads by October 30, 2014, email me the URL and I'll put you in that draw. Review on both and get two entries.
Everyone gets a free bonus chapter emailed right back (double yay!!)
Reviews are super important to us indie-authors because it's the only way people know our work doesn't suck (and hopefully it doesn't!) so I figured this was a pretty fair way to get some help, right?
Big thanks for your support while I work on book three - it means the world!
Tweet me up @bex_wicks
(I always welcome distractions. Especially cat photos)
Did you like this book?
Here’s what people are saying about Before He Was Famous (Starstruck #1) - #1 in Amazon's Coming of Age list and #2 in Contemporary Romance - 08/14/14:
“Super-sexy, fast-paced and unputtdownable. Get ready for Chloe and Noah to break your heart!” - Sarah Alderson - (author of Hunting Lila, Fated & The Sound)
“WOW!!! That was FREAKIN FANTASTIC!!!” - Jen ~ Schmexy Girl Book Blog
“Their attraction to each other is so intense it practically jumps off each page!” – KandTBookReviews
“This book is brilliant!!! Being a TV insider I can also see the parallels between this and what really goes on -- Becky’s done her research but more than that, she’s written a love story that will stick with you forever!” - Paul Ewart - Senior Producer, Channel 7 (Sydney Australia)
“A brilliant love story. An emotional roller coaster. A deep look inside. Before He Was Famous will wrap you up in knots and won’t let you go until the end.” - Katie St. Claire (Goodreads reader)
Download Before He Was Famous (Starstruck #1) on Amazon now.
Follow me on Twitter @bex_wicks, on Facebook and on my blog at www.beckywicks.com
COMING SOON
Before He Was a Secret (Starstruck #3)
There’s a lot to be said for perfect harmony
When singer/songwriter Stephanie leaves home to try her luck in Nashville, waiting tables and being 'that blond from Deserted' isn't exactly what she had in mind. Soon a sexy piano player called Conor is helping her see her story very differently. United by a passion for music, the two work through their pasts until a deep love seems unbreakable and a songbook full of experiences start making dreams come true.
When a twist of fate leads famous HotFlush manager Denzel to Stephanie, he sets his sights on making her a superstar, but there's a catch. Instead of Conor, Denzel wants Stephanie paired up with singer Travis Flynn - a man with big dreams of his own, who won’t take no for an answer.
As sparks fly and secrets and lies start to surface, Stephanie's story starts to take a very different turn. And it's soon clear that neither man is quite what he seems.
Acknowledgments
It’s always so bizarre when you find yourself at this page, at the end of a journey you’ve taken in your head. You look up blinking at the world like you’ve been in some kind of dream and then you hope to hell that others will like that dream as much as you did!
Huge thanks to my friends Dacey Calisura, Pip Russell and Tracy Fitzgerald, plus Liz, Ray, Simon and Charlotte for their constant support, and also as usual to the brilliant Sarah Alderson, fellow author and true friend who knows what it’s like and just gets it.
Big shout outs to the amazing Ashley Frank for her generous tips and time in helping this British author sound more ‘Merican,’ and also Asa and Ubud Pilates for tearing me away from this book and getting my body flexing as much as my tired brain.
Massive thanks to my cover designer, the talented Jeanine Henning, and of course the bloggers, readers and supporters out there who give up their time for the love of books and give us writers something to write for. Without you none of this would be possible. You rock, all of you. Thank you.
Table of Contents
1 Alyssa
2 Joshua
3 Alyssa
4 Joshua
5 Alyssa
6 Joshua
7 Alyssa
8 Joshua
9 Alyssa
10 Joshua
11 Alyssa
12 Joshua
13 Alyssa
14 Joshua
15 Alyssa
16 Joshua
17 Alyssa
18 Joshua
19 Alyssa
20 Joshua
21 Alyssa
22 Joshua
23 Alyssa
24 Joshua
25 Alyssa
26 Joshua
27 Alyssa
28 Alyssa
29 Joshua
30 Alyssa
31 Joshua
32 Alyssa
33 Joshua
34 Alyssa
35 Joshua
36 Alyssa
37 Joshua
38 Alyssa
39 Alyssa
40 Joshua
41 Alyssa
Epilogue
Did you like this book?
Coming Soon
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Quote
1 Alyssa
2 Joshua
3 Alyssa
4 Joshua
5 Alyssa
6 Joshua
7 Alyssa
8 Joshua
9 Alyssa
10 Joshua
11 Alyssa
12 Joshua
13 Alyssa
14 Joshua
15 Alyssa
16 Joshua
17 Alyssa
18 Joshua
> 19 Alyssa
20 Joshua
21 Alyssa
22 Joshua
23 Alyssa
24 Joshua
25 Alyssa
26 Joshua
27 Alyssa
28 Alyssa
29 Joshua
30 Alyssa
31 Joshua
32 Alyssa
33 Joshua
34 Alyssa
35 Joshua
36 Alyssa
37 Joshua
38 Alyssa
39 Alyssa
40 Joshua
41 Alyssa
Epilogue
Did you like this book?
Coming Soon
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
