My Big News

I've been trying to get a book published for three years now. Three seperate books, three very different storylines, but always the same answer. I tried to do it the "right" way by querying and obtaining an agent. I had nibbles on each book, but no bites, and I finally came to the realization that I was going to have to take this into my own hands.

My novel Keep You is now for sale at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Keep-You-1-Lauren-Gilley/dp/1479150010/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346009792&sr=1-1&keywords=Lauren+Gilley This is the Amazon US link, but it's available in Europe as well.

Gary Jones of Gary and Elaine's Photography shot my cover. I had this vision of red Converse sneakers done in black and white and red, and he captured it perfectly. http://www.facebook.com/#!/GaryAndElainesPhotography

This project is a bit of a departure from what I normally write. It's a romance, but also a family drama; a story about kids growing up and realizing what they mean to one another. Like I told agents:

"Keep You, complete at 99,448 words, is a contemporary romance with a literary fiction feel. Told in both the “Then” and the “Now”, the novel follows the story of Tameron Wales, a boy who had to grow up too fast because his mother needed him, and who drove away the love of his life on purpose so that he might spare her from the violent threat of his father. Joanna Walker, twenty-three and youngest of five, struggling to make ends meet post-grad, still doesn’t understand exactly what happened four years ago when Tam left her standing up against her dorm building, in the rain, like something out of a bad made-for-TV movie. She only knows that her brother Mike’s wedding – an extravagant, farcical Irish castle ordeal ordered by his fiancée – will bring she and Tam together again and that no castle in the world could be large enough to contain the history between them…nor the lingering emotions. Jo Walker is the kind of girl who knows what she wants out of life, and she’s always wanted Tam, even if she kind of hates him a little bit right now."

I had so much fun writing this and I'm really hoping someone out there will enjoy reading it. I ordered my own proof and the physical quality of the book is on par with everything in the bookstore right now. I was so pleased!