Hey everyone! Today I am taking part in the book blast for Love In Provence by William Auch! I have an excerpt and a giveaway to share with you all!
.jpg)
LOVE IN PROVENCE
By
William Auch
BLURB:
When John Martin is forced to sell his tech company, he decides to take a six-month vacation to the south of France.
When he meets Madame Garcin, her daughter Sophie, and her granddaughter Isabelle, his life is changed forever. What began as a long vacation becomes a journey of self-discovery marked by love, loss, and tragedy.
He is molded by this family of three generations of women, tempered by tragedy themselves, in ways that he could never have imagined.
EXCERPT:
It seemed to John that the next three weeks could not go by fast enough. He was energized and quickly got back into the routine of jogging along the Embarcadero. It was a Sunday morning and John had made it all the way to the Marina Green, which was farther than the length of his usual run.
The green was filled with joggers, mothers pushing strollers, and the sailors heading for the yacht harbor. The sky was bright blue and cloudless, and a stiff breeze blew into the harbor from the other side of the Golden Gate. John stopped in the middle of the green to catch his breath and looked up to see a sky full of kites. There were large ones, small ones, one that looked like a dragon, and another which resembled a bird, all in a kaleidoscope of colors that were enhanced by the sun from above. They all danced in the wind, some darting side to side, and others diving toward each other as if to demonstrate who owned the skies. Some would descend to the ground then dart back up into the sky again.
Off to one side was a small girl with a pony tail, who ran across the grass as though she were about to lift off like a bird. Behind her she towed a small red kite, which stubbornly refused to become airborne despite her best attempts to launch it. Each time the kite plunged to the grass she would tighten the string again and make another run at it, only to have the kite rise about ten feet, then plummet to the grass. She tried over and over again with such determination, John wondered how long she had been at it. After each failed attempt she would look over at her mother who was keeping an eye on her from a distance, then the girl would continue with more determination than the previous attempt. John thought about Isabelle and how much he missed her. He could not wait to see her. He could imagine Isabelle when she was young, pulling on the kite string with the same determination as the little girl.
John walked over to her mother sitting on the grass and asked with a smile, “Do you mind if I give her a hand?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows at first and studied John from top to bottom, but then a smile slowly crept onto her face. “Sure, why not?”
It seemed to John that the next three weeks could not go by fast enough. He was energized and quickly got back into the routine of jogging along the Embarcadero. It was a Sunday morning and John had made it all the way to the Marina Green, which was farther than the length of his usual run.
The green was filled with joggers, mothers pushing strollers, and the sailors heading for the yacht harbor. The sky was bright blue and cloudless, and a stiff breeze blew into the harbor from the other side of the Golden Gate. John stopped in the middle of the green to catch his breath and looked up to see a sky full of kites. There were large ones, small ones, one that looked like a dragon, and another which resembled a bird, all in a kaleidoscope of colors that were enhanced by the sun from above. They all danced in the wind, some darting side to side, and others diving toward each other as if to demonstrate who owned the skies. Some would descend to the ground then dart back up into the sky again.
Off to one side was a small girl with a pony tail, who ran across the grass as though she were about to lift off like a bird. Behind her she towed a small red kite, which stubbornly refused to become airborne despite her best attempts to launch it. Each time the kite plunged to the grass she would tighten the string again and make another run at it, only to have the kite rise about ten feet, then plummet to the grass. She tried over and over again with such determination, John wondered how long she had been at it. After each failed attempt she would look over at her mother who was keeping an eye on her from a distance, then the girl would continue with more determination than the previous attempt. John thought about Isabelle and how much he missed her. He could not wait to see her. He could imagine Isabelle when she was young, pulling on the kite string with the same determination as the little girl.
John walked over to her mother sitting on the grass and asked with a smile, “Do you mind if I give her a hand?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows at first and studied John from top to bottom, but then a smile slowly crept onto her face. “Sure, why not?”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:William Auch is a physician residing in Sacramento, California. When not seeing patients, he writes, studies French, and travels the world.
LINKS:
BUY LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Love-in-Provence-ebook/dp/B00ALZFM16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358005740&sr=8-1&keywords=love+in+provence
Giveaway
The author is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. Simply Comment below with your email address to be entered! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour to better your chances.
I would like to thank the host and everyone who comments. I will not be able to comment during the day, but will check in later this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Auch
It sounds like an interesting read!
ReplyDeletegalaschick78(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Love the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Sounds great to me!
ReplyDeleteanas-karina@ mail.ru
Looks interesting, I'm going to look it up on Goodreads.
ReplyDeleteemiliana25(at)web(dot)de
From this excerpt, it sounds the John is quite lonely. I wonder what his character is like.
ReplyDeletechrysrawr@yahoo.com
I'm curious why he decided to help the child, it's not like he knew her?
ReplyDeletelyra.lucky7ATgmailDOTcom
To Christine and Lyra, John is not lonely on the outside. He has no trouble finding women with his Ferrari, million dollar apartment, etc. But he is lonely on the inside. I think he is a bit insecure as well. Not comfortable with his emotions. It's easier to hide behind his money and show off than to have a deep serious relationship with someone.
ReplyDeleteHe helped the girl because he was thinking of Isabelle. The old John would have cared less about some little girl. And the mother of the girl sees this new side in him. And he's not sure how to handle it.
Thanks for the excerpt
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteandralynn 7 at gmail dot com
William (I am assuming that your comment is the one under Anonymous) - Thank you for the insight into John's character! Now I am even more intrigued to know who Isabelle is and where John's new life will take him.
ReplyDeleteThe book cover has a nostalgic charm. The brief book description is just enough to make me curious as to what the plot really holds. And from what I can tell of the writing style in the excerpt provided this book is probably well written with vivid imagery and easy flow.
Thank you for sharing this book and being part of the book blast.
Uilani25(at)Hotmail(dot)com