Blog Tour: Here by Denise Grover Swank (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Hello Bloggy Followers! I am so excited to be participating in this book tour organized by A Tale of Many Reviews for Denise Grover Swank's novel: Here!

And..... I have an excerpt from the book to show you on the blog today! :)) But first, a little bit more information about Denise:

Denise Grover Swank lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning. Denise is represented by Amanda Luedeke of MacGregor Literary.

You can find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her at denisegroverswank@gmail.com You can also follow her on Twitter: @DeniseMSwank or  friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deniseswank

Excerpt:

Evan leans forward. “What’s that?”

Covering it with my hand, I slide it toward my backpack. “It's just doodling. I started doing this after the accident.”

He reaches for it and stops. “Can I see?”

I hesitate. No one’s seen my drawings. But the gentleness in his eyes is reassuring and I slowly slide it toward him. “Sure, it’s just doodles. I don’t even think about it when I draw. It just flows out.”

He pulls it closer to look, then sucks in his breath. “You don’t know what this is?”

“No. Do you?”

His face is paler than usual and after a moment of hesitation, he nods.

“What is it?”

Evan scoots the notebook between the two of us. “See this? It’s a Celtic love knot.” His finger traces a scroll design in the middle. The lines on the page are so intricately woven it’s difficult to make out. Finally, two elaborate interwoven hearts jump out, one upside down on the other.

“I didn’t even know I was doing this,” I whisper. “I can’t believe I drew that.”

“Why not? You’re an artist.”

I purse my lips and shake my head. “No. I don't know why I said that last night. I wasn’t lying, though. It just slipped out.”

His lips part as he stares at me in disbelief. “But you can draw. Look at this.” He points to the paper.

“No, I only started doing this after the accident. I could never draw anything before.”

He sits back in his chair in silence.

“You said this was a Celtic knot. I thought Celtic knots were three interwoven triangles, not two hearts.”

After a couple seconds, he sits straighter. “Um…” He rubs a hand over his face. “Celtic knots have lots of different shapes and styles. Triangles usually represent the Holy Trinity. This is a love knot, which is why it has two hearts. The lines don’t have a beginning or an end. It represents a timeless love.”

“How do you know about Celtic knots?”

He pauses, then, for the first time since he saw the page, he smiles. “I’m Irish. Part of my heritage.”

“Whittaker doesn’t sound very Irish.”

“I’m Irish on my mother’s side.”

“Lucky you. I’m German. You get St. Patrick’s Day and Celtic folklore. I get wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut.”

The smile disappears. “You’re different.”

Dread creeps in. “I thought that was obvious.” My words are clipped.

“Wait. That’s not what I meant.”

Pulling the notebook away, I close the cover. “That’s okay. I know what I am.”

“And what exactly do you think you are?”

I heave a sigh. “A freak.”

He grabs my chin and turns my head to face him. His eyes narrow and he looks angry. “You’re not a freak and don’t you let anyone make you think you are. You’ve been through hell.”

The courage to ask the question burning in my gut erupts. “Why now, Evan? Why notice me now?”

He searches my face. “Because it took me this long to find you.”

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Here (On the Otherside, #1) by Denise Grover Swank



Synopsis: Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from.
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-Kristen ♥