Today I am so pleased to welcome Garrett Leigh to Joyfully Jay. Garrett has come to share an exclusive excerpt from her latest release, Heart. She has also brought along a copy to give away to two lucky readers! Please join me in giving Garrett a big welcome!

Excerpt

Excerpt #4 (Exclusively for Joyfully Jay)
Taken from Heart…

The lorry stopped around dawn. The driver got out, but Dex stayed huddled in the back, holding his breath and wound so tight every nerve in his body felt like it would snap, until he felt safe enough to shuffle to the side of the trailer.

Cautiously, he peered through the tarpaulin and scanned the car park. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so he took a chance, slithered out of the trailer, and crept around the cab of the lorry. He hadn’t heard the driver lock up, and sure enough, when he tried the door, it opened right up. After another furtive glance around, he swiped a jacket, a can of Coke, and a wallet from the passenger seat.

There wasn’t much in the wallet—twenty quid—but it served its purpose. He used it to pay a foreign truck driver to buy him a sandwich and take him the rest of the way to London. The Polish driver didn’t speak much English, but when he let Dex out of the cab in the capital, he told him he was in Regent’s Park.

Dex watched the lorry disappear into the heavy traffic, and then, lacking any better ideas, shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking. He walked all day, and by nightfall, he found himself in a busy shopping district bustling with commuters and tourists. Alarmed, he trailed to a stop. He’d never seen such crowded streets. Living out on the site, he didn’t mix much with the outside world, at least not like this. People jostled and shoved him, taking no notice of him at all. Instinctively, he shrank back, edging away from the pavement until he found the blocked-up entrance of a disused alleyway.

He crouched down, hugging his knees to his chest. His heart pounded. He’d escaped, he was free. But what the fuck did he do now? He had no money, no food, and no place to sleep.

Not even a rusty bloody caravan.

Despair swept over him. He pushed his face into his knees and wrapped his arms over his head. He’d run for his life, only to confirm what he already knew: there was nothing else out there.

Not for him.


Blurb

HEARTTheFinal_edited-1Cornish pastry chef Seb Wright dreads the summer tourist season. The cash injection to his artisan fudge pantry is more than welcome, the extra work, less so. Then one summer, a shadowy Good Samaritan catches his eye. Irish Traveller Dex is bewitching, a beautiful sullen enigma who turns Seb’s world upside down until he disappears in the night, vanishing like a mystical summer rain.

Twelve months later Dex is in the midst of a dark storm. A slave to his master, ‘Uncle’ Braden, he spends his days cleaning caravans and his nights working in Braden’s other businesses. His short summer with Seb seems a lifetime ago. Lost in the savage violence of the murky underworld, he doesn’t dare dream he’ll ever find his way back, until one night, a brutal crime opens the door for a chance escape. A new life beckons, old faces emerge, and immersed in the heady vibe of London’s East End, new love begins to heal his fractured heart.


Bio

Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id and Black Jazz Press. Her protagonists will always always be tortured, crippled, broken, and deeply flawed. Throw in a tale of enduring true love, some stubbly facial hair, and a bunch of tattoos, and you’ve got yourself a Garrett special.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible. That, and dreaming up new ways to torture her characters. Garrett believes in happy endings; she just likes to make her boys work for it.

Garrett also works as a freelance cover artist for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art info, please visit blackjazzpress.com

Social media:
Website: http://garrettleigh.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks
Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com


Giveaway

Leigh has brought two ebook copies of Heart to give away to two lucky readers. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Friday, October 31st at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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