Exit Stage Right | Excerpt + Giveaway

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ABOUT THE BOOK

She wants to dance, and she’s willing to sacrifice everything, everyone, to get it. 

Coco Bradley is a talented ballet dancer, and when an opportunity arises for her to audition for the prestigious Spencer School of the Performing Arts, she’s not about to let anyone stop her— including her parents, her friends, and any of the prima donnas of the art school. A pastor’s kid, Coco has grown up serving God and people, but gaining entry to Spencer means leaving behind all the expectations that come with growing up in the pastorate, as well as the dead-end town of Wyattsville. 

Coco lives by the creed “Ballet First,” but she’s about to find out in a painful way that there’s more to life than dancing. 

Opportunities, fame, and love all come calling as Coco chases her dream. But in going after what she wants, will she lose the things that matter most?

Publisher: Word Alive Press

Release Date: November 30, 2019

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EXCERPT

Mike flopped down on his double bed, his face sinking into the soft quilt his grandmother had made for him a couple of years ago. He closed his eyes, hoping to block out reality. Coco was leaving. He turned over onto his back and flung his arms over his eyes. He couldn’t believe Pastor Dan and Mrs. Bradley had said yes. He groaned as he thought back to that day on the bus. He should never have told her about that stupid audition. What had he been thinking? She was leaving, and it was all his fault. He’d been dreaming about their last year of high school together. He had hoped ... for what? That maybe she felt something more than friendship for him? That she’d go to prom with him? 

He pressed his palms against his eyes. Suddenly the dreams he’d been holding on to for so long had tanked. He felt like someone had sucker-punched him. The yearbook on the nightstand caught his eye and he reached for it. Flipping through the pages, he found what he was looking for—a black and white image of Coco and him at a football game in grade ten. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. They had stuffed themselves on hot dogs and popcorn, cheering on the senior football team. And they had laughed and joked. She had looked so pretty with her cheeks flushed from the crisp air, hair flying in the breeze. That was the day he’d noticed Coco as a girl. As someone he’d like to know as more than a friend. 

He gently outlined her form with his finger. He’d been afraid at first to admit to himself that he had a crush on her. He’d played it cool, telling himself they were just friends and those feelings would go away. But a year and a half later, the feelings had bloomed into something more than a crush. He no longer wanted to date other girls. He’d been working up his courage to say something to Coco, but now it was too late. Wasn’t it? Abruptly, he snapped the book shut and threw it on the bed. His gut churned again. He’d had months to tell Coco how he felt, and he’d blown it. She’d never go out with him. Coco had been offered the opportunity to leave Wyattsville and everyone in it behind, and she obviously couldn’t wait to take it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Willcock grew up telling herself stories in the middle of the night to keep away the monsters that lurked in the dark. Once she realized there weren’t any real monsters, she kept telling stories. A voracious reader, Jennifer reads many different genres, but she never outgrew young adult fiction. A degree in English Literature enabled her to keep her love affair with reading and writing alive. A blogger, speaker, and writer, she belongs to the MOPS Network of Speakers and the Word Guild of Canada.

Jennifer studied ballet through the Royal Academy of Dance during her teen years and into adulthood. She has taught in private and community settings and choreographed productions for her church over the years. In 2017, Jennifer decided she was brave enough to try and write fiction and joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. She “won” it, writing 50,000 words in thirty days. The result is Exit Stage Right, a dream she thought was impossible to achieve. In 2019, the novel made the shortlist of the Word Alive Press fiction writing contest.

Besides being a mom to two sons, she is married to Mark, a pastor. She works part-time in the local library, where she’s inspired every day to write a book that will one day be on the shelves. The family’s pet dwarf rabbit, Whiskers, is her muse as he sits at her feet while she writes. She’d love for you to connect with her online.

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GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a copy of Exit Stage Right and a $25 Amazon gift card.

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 16, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 23, 2020. US/CAN only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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TOUR SCHEDULE

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