SINGLE MOM MOVES INTO HIS APARTMENT BUILDING!!Β
Broken Like Me by Kaitie Howie IS LIVE and it sounds all sorts of angsty and wonderful, and the author (Kaitie Howie is today’s newsletter sponsor, and we’re celebrating with a fun guest post and giveaway.
Mona: I just finished Broken Like Me and loved it! I didnβt want to put it down. It has all the feels!
P.S. Fun fact about me (in regards to two of the songs from her playlist): I LOVE Broken, and Happier makes me cry. And don’t even get me started on that video. But the lyrics alone… ugh. My heart.
P.P.S. She’s a bit terrified of publishing this one, ’cause it’s a piece of her soul. She was desperately trying to find a book in this theme, and couldn’t… and so she wrote it herself. And I LOVE the sound of that.
So what’s it about?
Rose is hidingβfrom her past, from her own mind, from the world she knows promises no happy endings as she works to make a better life for her newborn daughter. Josh is tryingβto make ends meet, to protect his only family from the fears that haunt them both, to keep the darkness from winning while he makes his way through the hurdles life keeps coming.
When Rose and her daughter move into the building Josh and his best friends live in, it becomes clear theyβre meant to be a part of each otherβs livesβtrauma knows trauma, and weary hearts and broken souls grow together. But beyond their newfound friendship, the universe has more in store for Rose and Josh, from falling in love and the babyβs first words to a horrifying court trial.
And when their pasts come back to haunt them, each other is all they have while they face their darkest fears.
Fun facts:
I started writing this book when I was studying abroad in Russia!
So picture me, ignoring the World Cup happening around me and the beauty of this country Iβd dreamed of, staying up until ungodly hours in the brightness of White Nights to let the words pour out of me.
This bookβs working title was βLearning to Breatheβ
The playlist I made while writing this book has both broken by lovelytheband and Happier by Bastille probably more times than is healthy
Inspiration:
This was the story that I needed at the most difficult time of my life; I searched everywhere, read everything with similar subject matter, trying to find one that understood exactly what I was feeling in that moment, and it was justβimpossible. But I needed it to existβmy brain was so desperately clamoring for it that I could think of nothing else, even though I was in another country on a trip I couldβve never dreamed of affording. It shouldβve been the best time of my life, but I spent every moment dwelling on what ifs and what might have beens, and it got to a point where the only way to make it stop was to get it out of meβby writing it down.
Honestly Iβm terrified to publish this because it is genuinely a piece of my soulβone of the most important onesβand allowing other people access to that feels terrifying, especially as someone who hates being vulnerable. But there was a time when I was 15 and struggling, and felt so alone and like I couldnβt breathe, until I found this book that justβgot it, put exactly what I was feeling into words. And that moment wasβeverything. Changed my life. So I feel like I have to put my own book out there on the off chance that it might do the same for someone else.
About me as a writer:
Iβm 22, and have been writing since middle school (I like to think there has been substantial improvement since then!)
I read (and write) an embarrassing amount of fanfic, but honestly I think itβs been the most helpful tool to help me hone writing skills, since it allows me to focus on strengthening one element at a time (e.g. just characterization, or plot) and also allows for a lot of instant feedback (especially since itβs from strangers!)
I actually canβt picture when I read or write and so a lot of the early drafts were beta readers saying nice things but being confused when I would go chapters without mentioning any type of sceneryβwhich was then very weird for me to integrate since I donβt exactly have a template in my mind
I have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology but I still insist that the best way to learn about humanity and psych is by reading fiction, because every single choice an author makes is a reflection of the sum total of their experience
I use writing to do a lot of processing and a lot of the time donβt realize all of the facets of what Iβm feeling until Iβm attempting to write it into someone elseI have ADHD so I tend to go days/weeks/months without being able to focus enough to write and then the writing brain will strike and I sit down, hyper fixate on writing, and crank out 5k+ in one day
I teach middle school social studies, so hereβs to hoping they continue to be blissfully unaware of this bookβs existence!
Now for the giveaway!
The author is giving away a print or ebook copy (if the winner is in the US – winner chooses) or an ebook copy (if the winner is outside of the US) to one lucky commenter here! π
HowΒ to enter for a chance to win it?
Just leave a comment below, (and better yet β tell me what theme or trope you wish someone would write that you’re dying to read) andΒ by 10pm EST, Sunday June 20th 2021, I will randomly selectΒ oneΒ lucky commenter as the winner.
The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond confirming their mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. The book will be sent to the winner by the author.
OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL!! π
Oh I’m SO excited, I’m into enemies to lovers and love the billionaire alpha male. Can’t think of a troupe that hasn’t been explored but always up for reading something new.
I love friends to lovers or second chance trope romance. Also i enjoy a book with great suuporting characters.
I want to read enemies to lovers. There are many books but I need something darker something more sexy in enemies to lovers books.