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Midweek Spotlight!
Today we are spotlighting W.S. Carmichael's
At Long Last!
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of At Long Last from W.S. Carmichael
W.S. Carmichael's
At Long Last!
Jenni Lynn Scott is a successful, single mother. She’s funny and independent, has a good relationship with her ex-husband and the greatest best friend a girl could ask for. So what if she’s a little lonely now and then? She loves her life – mostly.
Dylan Montgomery enjoys his carefree life, drifting from town to town. He has a thriving business flipping houses, and can’t imagine being tied down to one place.
Jenni Lynn hasn’t seen or heard from Dylan in fifteen years. They were best friends until the devastating destruction of his family forced him to leave town. He cut off all contact without explanation or apology. Naturally, she’s shocked (and maybe just a little angry) when he returns to Laurel Creek to help care for his grandmother. She’s even more shocked to discover the tall, lanky boy she remembers has transformed into one of the sexiest men she’s ever seen.
Reconnecting with Jenni Lynn has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because Dylan is finally able to bring closure to his greatest regret - abandoning Jenni Lynn. A curse, because while they’ve been rekindling their friendship, she’s ignited a fiery passion inside of Dylan that is quickly burning out of control.
Warning - explicit content.
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Q & A with W.S. Carmichael about At Long Last!
Tell us about At Long Last.
At Long Last is a contemporary romance novel about estranged friends and second chances.
Dylan Montgomery and his family left town suddenly after the death of his father when Dylan was seventeen. Jenni Lynn was his best friend, but shortly after he moved away, he cut off all contact with her, without explanation.
He returns to Laurel Creek fifteen years later to care for his grandmother, who happens to be Jenni Lynn’s ex-landlord and good friend.
When Jenni Lynn discovers he’s back in town, there’s shock, anger and a few tears. However, it doesn’t take long before their friendship is rekindled, along with a steamy attraction they can’t ignore.
The novel is written in alternating, first-person viewpoint, making it a fun, fast read.
What initially inspired you to write At Long Last?
I’ve always had an interest in writing, but the time never seemed right. I was busy with my job, three kids, husband, and well, life. I can’t explain the internal drive I felt, but I suddenly knew the time was right to finally put pen to paper. So, I began by fleshing out the characters’ personalities, and allowed those traits to direct the flow of the book.
Tell us little about the characters in At Long Last.
Dylan Montgomery is thirty two years old. He owns a successful business flipping houses around the country. He’s determined never to fall in love, never to give anyone that kind of power over him. Like most men, he thinks he has life all figured out. That is, until a woman comes along and makes him question everything.
Jenni Lynn Scott is a single mother of a thirteen year old boy. Her med school plans derailed when she came home from her first year of college with a rapidly swelling belly. She and the baby’s father tried to make it work, but divorced when he fell in love with someone else. Never one to be bitter, Jenni Lynn eventually became a nurse and worked hard to make a life for her and her son, Jase.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Finding time to write was probably my biggest challenge. I have three teenagers, a husband and a full time job. While I would love to write full time, this gig isn’t paying the bills just yet. Someday, maybe. For now, I squeeze in time whenever I can, often at the expense of my precious sleep.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favorite part is when Dylan admits to himself he’s in love with Jenni Lynn. He tries so hard to fight it, but once he finally concedes to his feelings, he realizes he can never go back to the empty life he had before.
What are your future project(s)?
Right now, I’m working on book two in the Laurel Creek series. It’s the story of Emma, Jenni Lynn’s best friend, and Matt, Dylan’s younger brother. Not to toot my own horn (alright, maybe a little), but I think readers will love it even more than At Long Last. Initially, I had planned on a Fall 2017 release, but it’s going so well I may be able to release sooner. I’ll keep you posted.
Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers about this book/series?
I’ve gotten great feedback on At Long Last. If you like contemporary romance, give it a try. It’s a fun, fast read. Also, there is strong language and explicit sexual scenes, not appropriate for anyone younger than 18. Available on Amazon for Kindle or in Paperback.
Now an exciting excerpt At Long Last!
I make my way down the steps to the first landing, enjoying the slight creak in the stairs. Muffled voices are coming from the kitchen. Most likely someone from church, or someone dropping off mending. Gram was a seamstress when she was younger, and she still does some alterations and repairs every now and then. Like I said, she doesn’t need the money, but it keeps her busy and she enjoys it.
Moving through the living room, I hesitate. Debating whether I should interrupt, the visitor’s voice carries clearly to where I’m standing. Wait. Is that Jenni Lynn? What the hell is she doing here? She’s supposed to be a doctor. In a big hospital. In the city. Not here. Definitely not here. All she talked about when we were growing up was moving far away from here.
I lost touch with Jenni Lynn after I moved away. She was my best friend, but I have to admit I wasn’t a very good friend to her. When we moved to Arizona, I put all my energy into forgetting. The few times I did call Jenni Lynn I’d miss her so much after we hung up. It was like losing Dad, Jenni Lynn and my whole life all over again. And again. And again. Finally, I just stopped returning her calls. It hurt too much. I always meant to try again when I felt stronger, but I kept finding excuses until too much time had passed.
Jenni Lynn was amazing. She was beautiful, but not in the head cheerleader way. She was thin with a simple, natural beauty. She had this huge personality you couldn’t ignore and a heart to match it. She was one of the most compassionate people I knew, but sometimes her compassion manifested itself in brutal honesty. Everyone knew if they asked her opinion on something, they’d get it, pure and unfiltered. You never had to guess what she was thinking. If she was happy, you knew it. If she was pissed, you definitely knew it. I doubt she's still holding a grudge, but if she is, I'm about to hear about it.
Turning the corner into the kitchen, I’m expecting to see my skinny, freckle faced friend. What I see instead is a woman, and a very attractive one at that. She’s grown her hair out. Her long red hair is in a loose ponytail that trails down her back, drawing my eyes to an amazing ass even those baggy scrubs can’t hide. Before I can get too distracted, I hear her ask Gram if the truck in the drive belongs to a contractor. Either Gram wasn’t expecting company tonight, or she purposely didn’t tell Jenni Lynn I’d be here. In any case, I’d better get it over with.
“Nope. It’s mine.” At first, there is no reaction other than the sharp intake of breath and the stiffening of her shoulders. When she turns to face me, her expression quickly changes from one of surprise to one of fury.
“You bastard!” is all she says before storming out of the house.
Author Bio:
W.S. Carmichael is the mother of three busy teenagers and two adorable golden retrievers, wife to the love of her life, full time nurse, mediocre (at best) Tae Kwon Do practitioner, daughter, sister and friend extraordinaire and part time (hoping one day to be full time) author.
Alright, not really. While she does strive for all of the above, she's usually a hot mess and is perpetually late. She forgets more than she remembers, there's almost always a protective layer of dust on her furniture and sometimes she really doesn't care if the kids eat cereal for dinner.
But, she does love her family and is eternally grateful for the support they offer while she writes her heart out. Her first book At Long Last has been well received, and she's hoping to release the next novel in the Laurel Creek series before fall 2017.
She's especially thankful to her fans. Without all of you, her dreams of becoming an author would still be languishing in a tattered notebook somewhere.
About Lauren Blakely:
