This Much is True by Katherine Owen EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY!

This Much is True by Katherine Owen
Release Date:  August 11th, 2013
Pages: 432
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Fate brings them together.Fame & lies keep them apart.One truth remains…

She’ s become the Paly High girl with the most tragic story…
At 17, Tally Landon just wants to graduate and leave for New York to pursue ballet. Her best friend Marla convinces her to attend one last party—a college party—where she can be among strangers and evade the whisperings about her heartbreaking loss of her twin that follows her everywhere she goes. She meets Lincoln Presley, Stanford’ s famous baseball wonder and has a little fun at his expense—when she lies about her age and who she really is—intent on being someone else for the night and escaping her tragic story.

His only focus is baseball, but he can’ t forget the girl he saved on Valentine’ s Day…
At 22, Lincoln Presley’ s star is on the rise—about to finish at Stanford and expected to be taken early in Major League Baseball’ s upcoming draft—his cousin’ s party serves as a welcome distraction. But then, he sees the girl from Valentine’ s Day that he saved from that horrific car accident and can’ t quite hide his disappointment when she appears to look right through him and not remember him at all. He vows to learn her name at least before he leaves. What’ s the harm in getting to know this girl? What’ s the worst that can happen?

They share this incredible connection, but fate soon tests these star-crossed lovers in all kinds of ways…
And yet, despite the lies being told to protect the other, and the trappings of fame that continually separate them, and in lieu of the deception by those they’ ve come to trust the most; one truth remains.

This much is true.

***Author’s note*** THIS IS A STAND-ALONE NOVEL. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Excerpt

Chapter Four

 

It’ s been more than three months since the funeral, long after the debacle in the Caribbean with my parents and Tommy, where we did a lot of pretending that everything was normal even though it clearly wasn’ t. We holed up in a five-star hotel room and blithely watched the ocean waves from our hotel suite most of the time, and no one said a word. Although after three days of this imposed confinement with what was left of my family, I did sneak off into the streets of St. Thomas and found a brief respite in the arms of one of the handsome locals. He didn’ t know a word of English, and that suited me just fine. He seemed to like the fact that I chain-smoked one cigarette after another after we’ d done the deed in all various ways possible at least a half-dozen times and I didn’ t ask for money. Apparently, this was a refreshing change for him as well. At least, that’ s what I was able to put together through his various hand gestures and his excited Spanish. He seemed to like the fact that I didn’ t ask for anything except sex and silence.

But the risk factor to both my body and soul was patently high, and I almost lost it with him completely at one point. The shock of what I’ d done with a complete stranger in a foreign country resonated with me on an ever deeper almost visceral level. And, as much as I’ d felt something, however lascivious it was, fucking a foreigner—a complete stranger from a different culture—both pleased and shamed me on some incalculable, twisted level of my psyche. After that, I made a promise to myself—to do better, to be good. The harsh truth was far simpler. He made me feel something. Good or bad. I wasn’ t sure; but I was disturbed by all this contemplative thought. Enough so, that when we returned home, I was intent on changing my ways. I was intent upon becoming the good daughter my parents so desperately needed. I would serve as Holly’ s replacement in the only way I knew how: I would become more like her, at least for the foreseeable future, and effectively eschew my defiant and deviant ways for fucking a stranger—a foreign one at that. I’ d be more careful. I’ d be good.

Even so, here at Paly, despite my rather stealthy and unspectacular return to school and maintaining a somewhat earnest intent upon being more like Holly and focusing solely upon ballet, I’ ve been unable to completely avoid the piercing spotlight. You would think after a long while that people would forget all about my sad circumstances—sans sister; but no, you would be wrong. A proverbial slow season of inevitable relationship breakups this spring keeps Holly’ s fiery demise firmly planted into the hearts and minds of Paly’ s student body and continues to hold their unwelcome attention upon me—sole survivor Tally—the victim’ s sister. With Holly’ s tragic end still reigning as the top newsflash for the year, I serve as the unwilling entertainment—fodder for the social headlines—starring in the lead role as the dead sister’ s twin.

And I hear the whispers. The fervent gossip is everywhere around me.

Did you see her? How do you think she does it? Have you seen her mom? I hear her mom’ s drinking again, and her dad works all the time at the hospital. It must be hard on them all, losing Holly like that. I don’ t know what I’ d do. She looks so sad. Do you think we should say something? Or, do you think she wants to be left alone? Have you seen Rob Thorn? I hear he’ s thinking of transferring. It’ s probably hard on the guy seeing his dead girlfriend’ s face every day in the form of Tally Landon’ s.

I do hear you, you know. I hear it all.

This is not attention that I am seeking. This is not a story I want to star in; but, apparently, I don’ t have a choice in the matter. I’ m counting the final hours that will lead me to the safe haven that only graduation can promise—a permanent respite from the self-serving gossip. A permanent break from high school is just what I need.

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About The Author

Dark. Edgy. Contemporary. Romantic. Were we describing me? Or my fiction? Sorry.

I drink too much…coffee, not enough water. I swear too much for God and my mother, and I slip these into my fiction. Sorry.

I’m impatient, a perfectionist, a wordsmith, a dreamer, which ends up being good and bad. I’m a workaholic; ask my “fam-dam-ily”.

I’ve written four novels in as many years: “When I See You, “Not To Us”, Seeing Julia” as well as my latest release “This Much Is True” (which hit #1 on Amazon best seller lists for Sports Romance, Holiday Romance within a week of its release). Competitive; much, KO? Oh yes.

If you love angsty, unpredictable love stories, I’m yours. ♥ Connect with me at facebook.com/KatherineOwenAuthor.

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