By EJ
Hanagan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Jason
Barnes is a free spirit. Underneath that fun-loving surface lurks a severe case
of PTSD, his personal souvenir from the war on terror. After his young marriage
breaks up, he bounces from girlfriend to girlfriend, never allowing himself to
get too close, all while maintaining a friendship with his ex-wife, Samantha
Colton.
Everything changes
when he meets Abby Jacobsen, a smart and sassy artist – but with love comes
jealousy, and Abby doesn’t stand for Jason’s cozy friendship with Samantha. Two
hours after a heated argument causes Jason to storm out of their apartment,
Abby receives a phone call from the intensive care unit of a New Hampshire
hospital. The hospital walls close in on Abby and Samantha as they are forced
to make tough decisions while trying hard not to kill each other. The two form
a rare bond when Emma Jane, Jason’s mom, arrives on the scene. Three weeks
after Jason’s accident, Abby is left alone and hovering over a handful of positive
pregnancy tests. During her pregnancy, Abby works with Samantha to dig up clues
of Jason’s past. As the truth is discovered, their worlds are irreversibly
changed.
An emotionally-moving
look at PTSD and the intersection of three lives, Saving Jason is a riveting
glimpse into unexpected friendships and the ripples we leave without our
knowledge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
It seldom rains in southern California, which is why the
balmy, wet air had struck me that day as a sign that something was about to go
terribly wrong. I wound and dipped along the winding road of Camp Pendleton,
taking the turns more slowly than ever before. Although I had driven this route
a thousand times in the past two years, I felt the need to go more slowly, to
prolong saying goodbye to Jason. As soon as I pulled into the entrance labeled
“Location of Departure,” a million emotions invaded me all at once, and the tears
began to trickle, ever so gently down my cheeks.
“Alright, this is it.” Jason, far too happy to be going off
to war, said as he leaned in for one sweet, subtle goodbye kiss. Opening the
back door of our tiny VW Golf, Jason retrieved his pack and hauled it on his
back effortlessly as I met him on the passenger side of the car. I remember the
sound of the wet, rocky dirt crunching beneath my feet. Knowing Jason all too
well, I tried to avoid a sappy emotional goodbye scene. Instead, I gathered a
last bit of strength and wrapped my arms around him. Burying my face in his freshly
issued desert camouflage uniform, I allowed a few tears to slip out, leaving
them behind on his collar as if to send him off with a piece of me.
“I love you. I'll be fine. Remember, this is what I was
trained to do. This is what I signed up for.” He enveloped my face in his
strong, callused hands.
"Just don't die, okay? Promise me that. Promise
me."
"I promise you. I love you always.” I love you always:
the four words we so conveniently passed back and forth since we first started
dating. The four words that served as a goodbye on all phone calls and somehow
managed to cure all our disagreements.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
EJ Hanagan is
a fitness fanatic, obsessive reader and animal lover. She currently lives in a
sleepy little beach town just outside of Boston with her husband, their new
aughter, and the family’s two giant Newfoundland dogs. After spending four
years in the Air Force, she put her fire for fitness to good use and worked as
a personal trainer while attending college. EJ credits the amazing, brave
people she met in the military for giving her the passion and focus to raise
awareness for veterans with PTSD. Her hope is to bring the invisible scars of
war to the surface through her writing and community involvement.
You can learn
more about EJ, her books, and her charity work at www.ejhanagan.com.
Connect with
EJ online:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/EJHanagan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EJHanaganbooks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway:
EJ will be awarding a $50 Starbucks GC to a
randomly selected winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour HERE
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover! It's so cute!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt.. thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved the excerpt. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletei enjoyed the excerpt and blurb
ReplyDelete