Monday, December 15, 2014

FIGHTING SILENCE (On the Ropes #1)- COVER REVEAL


Title: Fighting Silence (On the Ropes #1)
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: February 2015
Add to your TBR: Goodreads
Photographer: Sara Eirew
Cover Designer: Ashbee Designs
Cover Model: Mat Wolf of Mat Wolf Fitness




Cover


Blurb
Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?

I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine.  I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.

You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.

Fighting for her.

Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.



Fighting Silence - Excerpt 

"That wasn't yours to take away," he exploded into the otherwise silent night. His words echoed off the surrounding buildings, each wave slicing me to the quick all over again. "That was our place. Not yours." His voice cracked right alongside my heart.
"Yeah, well, there was a lot of stuff that wasn't yours to take either." I held his gaze, desperately trying to be strong, but as his eyes grew wide, I whimpered.
His long legs strode forward, stopping only inches away from me. He was crowding me, but he still leaned in closer to my face. "There is nothing in this world that was ever more mine than you," he stated. Though it was the absolute truth, I wished with all my heart that it were a lie.
"Till," I cried, swiping the tears from my eyes.
"Why!" he shouted, causing his muscles to tense under the force. "Goddamn it! I needed that place."
Porch lights flashed on from the surrounding apartments, illuminating not only the dark but also my rage.
I shoved my hands into his chest. "What about what I needed? You left! I waited in that fucking apartment for weeks."
He didn't budge, but my bare feet slipped, sending me toward the ground. Impossibly fast, Till's hand snaked out and caught my arm. I didn't let his chivalrous gesture douse my fire. I had six months’ worth of words to say to the man I was irrevocably in love with.
"You took what you wanted. Then you left me."
"Doodle," he whispered.
I had been perilously close to the edge of insanity, and with one single word, he’d pushed me over.
I lost it completely.
Pounding my fists against his chest, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "It's Eliza! My name is fucking Eliza! Not Doodle!" I spun to march away, but Till's arms folded around me, lifting me off my feet to restrain me.
I was miniscule compared to him. There was no use in fighting, but I still kicked my legs, irrationally desperate to get away from him—but only because I knew I couldn't keep him for forever.
"Stop it!" he growled into my ear. "I know your Goddamn name—probably better than I know my own."



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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Among the Echoes Update: Now added to the Wrecked & Ruined Series



*Tap Tap* May I have your attention please. I have an announcement to make.

As of today, I will be adding Among the Echoes into the Wrecked and Ruined Series as book 2.5. Allow me to explain why this is just now happening.

When I originally marketed Among the Echoes, I chose to promote it as a standalone and leave it out of the Wrecked and Ruined series. I wanted that series to include only those individuals who were DIRECTLY involved in the wreck: Brett, Caleb, Sarah. (You will note Savor Me is also not included in that series officially.) But more than that, I really wanted to give you an "Oh shit!" moment at the end when you realized that Leo was crossing over to Broken Course.

Back in August when Echoes released, I didn't want you to know that Leo was Sarah's man ahead of time. I just wanted you to meet Leo in his own element before forming your opinions of him. Basically, I wanted you to fall in love with Leo without Sarah's reputation overshadowing him. I needed to give him a fighting chance before I fed him to the Sarah haters. (And trust me there are plenty. Rightly so.) It worked. MOST people fell in love with Leo (though some didn't.) Some loved him so much that they sent me hate mail about what a terrible person I was for hooking him up with Sarah. I laughed. That was fun.

Now. Let's fast forward to Friday when I released Broken Course. It became blindingly obvious to me that, while I enjoyed the hell out of the shocked reactions at the end of Echoes, I had confused several of you by not announcing that Leo was first met in Among the Echoes. Several of my readers didn't realize that the books tied together at all. I want to apologize for that. I love a good twist, but it appears I may have twisted it a little too hard.

So full disclosure...
★ Yes. Among the Echoes is a complete standalone that includes an epilogue for Slate and Erica. It is not Leo's book, but he does have a substantial role.
★ With the exception of the last sentence of the book, there are no cross over characters or situations from Changing Course and Stolen Course in Among the Echoes.
★You do NOT have to read Among the Echoes in order to understand and enjoy Broken Course. Leo's past is explained in Broken Course.
★ If you would like to fully experience Leo's past ahead of time, it is suggested that you read Among The Echoes between Stolen Course (Book 2) and Broken Course (Book 3).

So there you have it. I'm sorry for the confusion. Well, I'm kinda sorry anyway. Seriously, that hate mail after Echoes was hilarious. Thank you so much for reading! Now I must go. It's wine time!!!

★•**•.★ New Wrecked and Ruined Reading Order ★•**•.★
Book 1➜ Changing Course: http://amzn.to/11cogUW

Book 2➜ Stolen Course: http://amzn.to/145R9TY

Book 2.5➜ Among the Echoes: http://amzn.to/1xEtQt8

Book 3➜ Broken Course: http://amzn.to/1zfIA2G

Saturday, November 8, 2014

BROKEN COURSE (Wrecked & Ruined #3): NOW AVAILABLE




Title: Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #3)
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: November 06, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Add to your TBR: Goodreads



Synopsis: 

Seven years ago, my life changed forever. One accident and the person I saw in the mirror no longer resembled the woman I used to be. I was lost and confused inside my own body. I felt alone and disconnected from the world, carrying the incredible weight of guilt and loss that wasn't even mine to harbor. 



Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn't hurt to breathe. Don't get me wrong. Leo isn't perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another. 



Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn’t questioned and being happy is…well, easy. 



Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?







**Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone.**



Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #1)

Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #2)

Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #3)

**********************
Get to know Leo James in 
Among the Echoes




Tuesday, October 7, 2014

BROKEN COURSE (Wrecked and Ruined #3) COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY

Broken eBook
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Title: Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #3)
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: November 10, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance



goodreads


   
Blurb
Seven years ago, my life changed forever. One accident and the person I saw in the mirror no longer resembled the woman I used to be. I was lost and confused inside my own body. I felt alone and disconnected from the world, carrying the incredible weight of guilt and loss that wasn't even mine to harbor. Then fate led me to Leo James. He taught me that crazy could be perfectly normal and it shouldn't hurt to breathe. Don't get me wrong. Leo isn't perfect. He has his own cross to bear, and the truth is, that might be why I fell for him in the first place. But despite everything he does for me, learning to forgive myself is infinitely harder than overlooking the flaws of another. Now, the secrets and lies of our past have begun to dictate our future—threatening to ruin us before we get the chance to try. Perhaps we were cursed from the start. Or maybe, just maybe, the remnants of our fractured lives will fit together to form one whole, where love isn't questioned and being happy is…well, easy. Can a second broken soul be enough to fill the voids of my own? Or will such scarred pasts prove too much for our love alone to overcome?



**Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone.**


Broken Teaser222222


     


Wrecked and Ruined Series
wrecked and ruined

Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #1)

Stolen Course (Wrecked and Ruined, #2)
   


 
Enter to win a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!



BrokenCover 300dpi_full-3



love 2

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

CHANGING COURSE COVER REVEAL!


Changing Course Cover
Title: Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)
Author: Aly Martinez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: January 29, 2014
Cover Designer: Ashbee Designs


Synopsis:
I met Sarah Kate Erickson when I was 21 years old. I was lucky enough to keep her for seven years before a tragic accident stole her from me. She didn’t die, but sometimes I think it would have been easier if she had. 

I lived in a haze for those four years after the accident. Catering to her every need, even though she hated the very sight of my face. I tried to hold on to her and the future that we were supposed to build together. But you can’t hold on to someone that doesn’t exist anymore.

It wasn’t until I met Jesse Addison, a barista at the local coffee shop, that I realized I didn’t just lose Sarah that tragic night, I lost myself as well. Jesse taught me how to let go of the past and learn to love again. But what happens when your past haunts your present and the woman you used to love refuses to accept the woman you can’t live without?


**Intended for readers 18+. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.**


Prologue:
"Sarah, don't do this. Damn it! Stay with me." I reach over and gently brush her blood soaked hair off her forehead. Even in this horrific moment, I'm in absolute awe of how beautiful she looks. Bleeding and broken, unmoving in my arms she is still the most mesmerizing woman I have ever laid eyes on. Deep down, I know this just the husk of my wife. My Sarah would never have done this to herself. More importantly, she never would have done this to me. Maybe it takes this level of madness, but I finally realize that I have lost her completely.
Whether she lives or dies, Sarah is gone. This is not the woman who made me laugh more in seven years than the rest of my life combined. She definitely isn't the woman who I spent years planning a future with, a future that now no longer exists. I feel a heavy weight in my chest at my silent confession, but oddly enough I also feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. I have watched this woman disintegrate in front of my eyes for almost seven months; everyday losing her a little more. The light in her eyes fading, while piece by piece and bit by bit, she lost grip of reality. Mentally, emotionally, and now physically, she's left me.
My Sarah died seven months ago on her way home from dinner, and I will never see her walk back into my life. Suddenly, I can't breathe. I'm terrified, and not only because Sarah might finally succeed in taking her own life. I'm paralyzed by the realization that my life is spiraling down in a free fall headed straight for misery and the only thing I can think to do is anchor myself to this dying woman. I love Sarah with all my heart, but I am clinging not to the woman in my arms but rather to the life I thought we were going to have together. I have to accept that she isn't there anymore. Her heart might still be beating but the bloody, confused, emotionally lost woman I am holding now is only the shell of my first and only love.
"Where the fuck is that ambulance!" I yell as loud as my cracking voice will allow. Stroking the little bit of her unmarred skin that I'm able to reach, I whisper in her ear, "Hang on baby." Then I repeat the one sentence I have said almost daily since the tragic event that stole her from me. Maybe I say it for her, maybe just for me, but I know it is the biggest lie I have ever uttered. "Just hang on baby, it's all going to be okay."


About The Author:

I’m a 32 year old wife and stay at home mom to four kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. My life is crazy, which is probably why I drink entirely too much wine. Oh who am I kidding, I had a love affair with wine long before the kids came along.  I was born and raised in Savannah Georgia, but we recently moved to Chicago. Let me tell you, this southern girl was not ready for the cold weather up here!
I’m an avid reader, but I haven’t always been that way. A few years ago my sister loaned me her Nook Color, and it changed my life forever. In the span of about two years, I read over 500 books. My newfound love of reading led me to start a book blog with two of my best friends. (Insert shameless plug here: WhiteZinBookends.com). Through WZ Bookends, I've had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing authors, bloggers, and readers out there. Now that I have taken the leap into writing my own book, they’ve all shown me endless amounts of encouragement and support.

While driving home from Walmart one day in late October, a story embedded itself in my head and would not let go. It spiraled out of control until I finally opened my laptop and started writing. This journey has been a wild ride filled with tears, hand cramps, and tons of laughs. I love company, so follow me at one of the social links below and join me aboard this crazy train!



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Friday, November 29, 2013

Welcome Aboard the Crazy Train!

Hey y'all! My name is Aly Martinez (just in case you missed the huge header). I spend my days as a stay at home mom while pretending to be an author. I'm 32 and have a boat load of kids that keep me busy. My life is crazy, which is probably why I drink entirely too much wine. A few years ago I started reading, and it changed my life forever. Over the span of two years, I've read over 400 books. It's been an amazing journey. It lead me to start a book blog (shameless plug: www.whitezinbookends.com) a few months back with two of my best friends. Through WZ Bookends, I've had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing authors, bloggers, and readers out there.

While driving home from Walmart one day in late October,  a story embedded itself in my head and wouldn't let go. It spiraled out of control until I finally opened my laptop and just started writing. Six weeks later, I'm 80% done with my first novel, Changing Course. It's a contemporary romance written for readers who are 18+.

It's been a wild ride filled with tears, hand cramps, and lots of laughs. I love company, so please join me aboard the crazy train!