We're honored to host Penelope Douglas' Until You Blog Tour today! I pretty much stalked Penelope for Until You and after I read it I might have proposed to her on Twitter. I will neither deny nor confirm this, however, I will say that Until You is one of the most compelling male POV stories I've ever read. You will love getting into Jared's heartbreaking, naughty, dark, and complex mind. Once you get into his head, you will want to pitch a tent and stay in there forever. A lot of our questions from Bully, Book 1, were answered with gut wrenching and happy surprises! And wow, wow, WOW, Jared & Tate are scorching! I loved Jared in Bully but now it's an obsessive and consuming devotion. Read. This. Book!
Note: You don't need to read Bully first but we highly recommend you do, it's only $0.99! One of our Top Reads of 2013!
Today read our fun interview with Jared & Tate, read a powerful excerpt, and enter a HUGE tour Giveaway to win (1) Kindle Paperwhite, (5) $50 gift cards to either Amazon or B&N, (5) Prize packs (bookmarks, rack cards, a custom key chain and signed copies of Bully and Until You) or (10) eBook copies of Bully. Blog Tour Organized by the lovely As the Pages Turn.
Note: You don't need to read Bully first but we highly recommend you do, it's only $0.99! One of our Top Reads of 2013!
Today read our fun interview with Jared & Tate, read a powerful excerpt, and enter a HUGE tour Giveaway to win (1) Kindle Paperwhite, (5) $50 gift cards to either Amazon or B&N, (5) Prize packs (bookmarks, rack cards, a custom key chain and signed copies of Bully and Until You) or (10) eBook copies of Bully. Blog Tour Organized by the lovely As the Pages Turn.
Character Interview with Tate & Jared!
Regret, Forgiveness, Love & Their Future
Questions for Tate & Jared:
What is your biggest regret in life?
Tate: Not fighting back sooner. Maybe if Jared and I had engaged more, we would’ve fought through what was wrong much earlier.
Jared: Hurting the only person that was ever truly there for me.
If you had a do over of any one event in your life, what would it be and why?
Jared: When I left my brother. I know I should say the moment I started to hurt Tate, but I have no idea what happened to Jax after I left. What really happened in the basement. I wish I’d been more brave, because I let him down. I abandoned him.
Tate: The first time Jared humiliated me at school freshman year. I should’ve kicked him in the balls.
Jared: *rolls eyes* Yeah, that would’ve solved my problem.
Tate: Well, it would’ve made me feel better.
Aren't they adorable?! Psst, we approve Tate!
What is the one word that comes to mind when you think of Tate/Jared?
Jared: Storm
Tate: Kiss
What do you love most about the other?
Tate: I like the way he looks at me. It’s like at any second he’ll throw me over his shoulder and carry me off to the closest secluded spot.
Jared: I love her fight. She pushes back and has me feeling five different emotions all at once. I feel alive.
What's next for you both as individuals and a couple?
Tate: Jared’s applying to schools, and I’m planning to leave for New York in the fall. We want to be close to each other, but we know the next step is a scary one. It’ll be hard to part and be separated for even a day.
Questions for Tate:
How did you really feel when your best friend started to hook up with Jared, because you handled it much better than I would of?
I was very upset, as you saw. But I cared more about surviving Jared than confronting my best friend. I didn’t want him to win. He couldn’t win.
What happened in Paris to make your come back such a strong person?
Nothing extraordinary. Traveling , especially in a foreign country, gives you self-awareness and confidence. I knew who I was when I came back. I trusted that I could handle myself.
What was the most hurtful thing Jared did to you?
Just every mean thing he ever said. The words coming from his mouth hurt so much more than his actions.
What made you decide to help Jared out by driving in that race? You had the perfect opportunity to get back at him there.
Oh, I just wanted to race! I wasn’t letting Jared or anyone else ruin that high.
Why did you forgive Jared?
Because he deserved a chance. We had a past—memories—and I trusted that the past few years weren’t the real him. He was worth a try.
What is your biggest regret in life?
Tate: Not fighting back sooner. Maybe if Jared and I had engaged more, we would’ve fought through what was wrong much earlier.
Jared: Hurting the only person that was ever truly there for me.
If you had a do over of any one event in your life, what would it be and why?
Jared: When I left my brother. I know I should say the moment I started to hurt Tate, but I have no idea what happened to Jax after I left. What really happened in the basement. I wish I’d been more brave, because I let him down. I abandoned him.
Tate: The first time Jared humiliated me at school freshman year. I should’ve kicked him in the balls.
Jared: *rolls eyes* Yeah, that would’ve solved my problem.
Tate: Well, it would’ve made me feel better.
Aren't they adorable?! Psst, we approve Tate!
What is the one word that comes to mind when you think of Tate/Jared?
Jared: Storm
Tate: Kiss
What do you love most about the other?
Tate: I like the way he looks at me. It’s like at any second he’ll throw me over his shoulder and carry me off to the closest secluded spot.
Jared: I love her fight. She pushes back and has me feeling five different emotions all at once. I feel alive.
What's next for you both as individuals and a couple?
Tate: Jared’s applying to schools, and I’m planning to leave for New York in the fall. We want to be close to each other, but we know the next step is a scary one. It’ll be hard to part and be separated for even a day.
Questions for Tate:
How did you really feel when your best friend started to hook up with Jared, because you handled it much better than I would of?
I was very upset, as you saw. But I cared more about surviving Jared than confronting my best friend. I didn’t want him to win. He couldn’t win.
What happened in Paris to make your come back such a strong person?
Nothing extraordinary. Traveling , especially in a foreign country, gives you self-awareness and confidence. I knew who I was when I came back. I trusted that I could handle myself.
What was the most hurtful thing Jared did to you?
Just every mean thing he ever said. The words coming from his mouth hurt so much more than his actions.
What made you decide to help Jared out by driving in that race? You had the perfect opportunity to get back at him there.
Oh, I just wanted to race! I wasn’t letting Jared or anyone else ruin that high.
Why did you forgive Jared?
Because he deserved a chance. We had a past—memories—and I trusted that the past few years weren’t the real him. He was worth a try.
Questions for Jared
(he is so sexay!):
What made you finally break when it came to Tate? The poem Tate read in class?
The kiss?
The poem. When I knew that she always cared. That she always loved me. And when I kissed her, and she kissed me back, I was hungrier than I’d ever been. I wanted more, and knowing she wanted more, was like all the anger and resentment turned into an appetite for something else.
What were you most afraid of if Tate learned about what happened to you with your Dad & Jax?
I was afraid she would see me as weak for letting that get in our way.
What was your reason for hooking up with Tate's best friend?
Make Tate hate me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away from her, so I thought that if I turned her best friend against her, then she’d truly be done with me.
Why didn't you just MAN UP and talk to Tate in the first place?
I ask myself that all the time.
Thank you Tate & Jared! Big Love from TRSOR!
(he is so sexay!):
What made you finally break when it came to Tate? The poem Tate read in class?
The kiss?
The poem. When I knew that she always cared. That she always loved me. And when I kissed her, and she kissed me back, I was hungrier than I’d ever been. I wanted more, and knowing she wanted more, was like all the anger and resentment turned into an appetite for something else.
What were you most afraid of if Tate learned about what happened to you with your Dad & Jax?
I was afraid she would see me as weak for letting that get in our way.
What was your reason for hooking up with Tate's best friend?
Make Tate hate me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away from her, so I thought that if I turned her best friend against her, then she’d truly be done with me.
Why didn't you just MAN UP and talk to Tate in the first place?
I ask myself that all the time.
Thank you Tate & Jared! Big Love from TRSOR!
Until You Excerpt: Tate is Home
Pulling up the window and leaning out, I spied the branch sliding against the panes above me. With him gone, I’d have to take care of that tomorrow.
The rain was coming down in sheets and made everything glisten under the bright glow of the streetlights. I let my gaze wander through the maze of branches, shaking off memories of which ones I’d scraped my leg on or which ones I’d sat on with Tate.
I loved the damn tree, and I wanted it cut down.
And then…I didn’t even see the tree anymore.
My eyes caught sunshine in a midnight sky, and I fucking stilled.
Tate?
“What the hell?” I whispered, breathless and not blinking.
She was standing in her bedroom, leaning on the doorframe of her open French doors. And she was staring at me.
What the hell am I seeing right now?
She was supposed to be in Germany with her dad, at least until Christmas.
Every muscle in my body tightened as I supported myself on the window sill, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from her. It was like I was in an alternate universe, starving, and she was a fucking buffet.
She was home.
I closed my eyes for a moment and swallowed down my heartbeat that was creeping up my throat. I was sick, excited, and grateful all at the same time.
Jesus, she’s home.
She wore some little pajama shorts and a white tank top. Not really so different from what I’d noticed she wore to bed a year ago, but for some reason, the sight of her was like a raging fire through my chest. I wanted to rip through the fucking tree and peel all the clothes off of her and love her like the past three years had never happened.
Her hair blew around her, and I could feel her eyes, locked in shadow, on me.
My mouth was dry, and the rush of breath and blood through my body felt so damn good.
Until she backed up and closed the doors.
No. I swallowed, not wanting her to go away.
Go on. Go pick a fight, I told myself, but I shook my head.
No. Just leave her alone. She hasn’t been thinking about me, and I needed to get over it.
I was crawling the walls inside my head, knowing for fact that I needed to grow up and let her be. Let her go to school without rumors and pranks hovering over her. Let her be happy. We were nearly adults now, and this petty shit had to end.
But…
I’d just felt more alive in the past ten seconds than I had in a year.
Seeing that face, knowing I’d wake up to her blaring music and seeing her leave the house to jog in the morning…
My phone buzzed with a text, and I walked over to check it.
It was from Tate’s dad.
Change of plans. Tate’s home. On her own until Christmas. Give her back the house key, and be nice. Or else.
I narrowed my eyes, rereading the text over and over again.
I don’t even think I breathed.
She was alone? Until Christmas?
I closed my eyes, and let out a laugh.
And all of a sudden I was as thrilled as hell to wake up tomorrow.
The rain was coming down in sheets and made everything glisten under the bright glow of the streetlights. I let my gaze wander through the maze of branches, shaking off memories of which ones I’d scraped my leg on or which ones I’d sat on with Tate.
I loved the damn tree, and I wanted it cut down.
And then…I didn’t even see the tree anymore.
My eyes caught sunshine in a midnight sky, and I fucking stilled.
Tate?
“What the hell?” I whispered, breathless and not blinking.
She was standing in her bedroom, leaning on the doorframe of her open French doors. And she was staring at me.
What the hell am I seeing right now?
She was supposed to be in Germany with her dad, at least until Christmas.
Every muscle in my body tightened as I supported myself on the window sill, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from her. It was like I was in an alternate universe, starving, and she was a fucking buffet.
She was home.
I closed my eyes for a moment and swallowed down my heartbeat that was creeping up my throat. I was sick, excited, and grateful all at the same time.
Jesus, she’s home.
She wore some little pajama shorts and a white tank top. Not really so different from what I’d noticed she wore to bed a year ago, but for some reason, the sight of her was like a raging fire through my chest. I wanted to rip through the fucking tree and peel all the clothes off of her and love her like the past three years had never happened.
Her hair blew around her, and I could feel her eyes, locked in shadow, on me.
My mouth was dry, and the rush of breath and blood through my body felt so damn good.
Until she backed up and closed the doors.
No. I swallowed, not wanting her to go away.
Go on. Go pick a fight, I told myself, but I shook my head.
No. Just leave her alone. She hasn’t been thinking about me, and I needed to get over it.
I was crawling the walls inside my head, knowing for fact that I needed to grow up and let her be. Let her go to school without rumors and pranks hovering over her. Let her be happy. We were nearly adults now, and this petty shit had to end.
But…
I’d just felt more alive in the past ten seconds than I had in a year.
Seeing that face, knowing I’d wake up to her blaring music and seeing her leave the house to jog in the morning…
My phone buzzed with a text, and I walked over to check it.
It was from Tate’s dad.
Change of plans. Tate’s home. On her own until Christmas. Give her back the house key, and be nice. Or else.
I narrowed my eyes, rereading the text over and over again.
I don’t even think I breathed.
She was alone? Until Christmas?
I closed my eyes, and let out a laugh.
And all of a sudden I was as thrilled as hell to wake up tomorrow.
Until You Synopsis & Purchase Button
NEW ADULT ROMANCE---UNTIL YOU (Book 1.5 in the Fall Away Series)
***This book contains graphic sexual content, harsh language, and violence. It is intended for ages 18+.
Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or so numb that you actually felt high? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between.
Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.
Except Tatum.
I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her or anyone else.
So I hurt her. I pushed her away.
But I still need her. She centers me, and I can pool all of my anger into her. Engaging, challenging, bullying her--call it what you will--but it's my food, my air, and the last part of me that feels anything human.
But then she went and screwed everything up. She left. She went to France for a year and came back a different girl.
Now, when I push, she pushes back.
*This is Jared's point of view and a companion novel to BULLY. It can be read as a stand alone, but reading BULLY first is strongly encouraged. Having Tate's point of view will help you appreciate Jared's side more. This is NOT Bully re-told.
This is Jared's story.
***This book contains graphic sexual content, harsh language, and violence. It is intended for ages 18+.
Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or so numb that you actually felt high? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between.
Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.
Except Tatum.
I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can't let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her or anyone else.
So I hurt her. I pushed her away.
But I still need her. She centers me, and I can pool all of my anger into her. Engaging, challenging, bullying her--call it what you will--but it's my food, my air, and the last part of me that feels anything human.
But then she went and screwed everything up. She left. She went to France for a year and came back a different girl.
Now, when I push, she pushes back.
*This is Jared's point of view and a companion novel to BULLY. It can be read as a stand alone, but reading BULLY first is strongly encouraged. Having Tate's point of view will help you appreciate Jared's side more. This is NOT Bully re-told.
This is Jared's story.
Bully Synopsis and Purchase Button
My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.
But he still won't leave me alone.
We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.
But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.
*This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.
**This book is the first in a series but can be read as a STAND ALONE. The next books will focus on side characters from this story.
But he still won't leave me alone.
We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.
But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.
*This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.
**This book is the first in a series but can be read as a STAND ALONE. The next books will focus on side characters from this story.
Author Bio: Meet Penelope Douglas!
Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.
Stalk Penelope: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
Stalk Penelope: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
HUGE Giveaway: Paperwhite, $50 GC, Signed Books & SWAG!
