I’d like to thank A.J. Walters for this teaser. I just finished An Acute Attraction so this little excerpt came in at the right time. The cover is awesome too. I am really looking forward to this next book, A Constant Attraction as the story of Isabel and Marc continues. Enjoy!
Emelie
“Standing tall, at the large imposing window of her Cambridge hotel room, Dr Emiliana Acerbi presses the end call button on her phone. She is confident that she is the one in control. She is the one calling all of the shots, holding all of the cards and that she is the strongest out of the two of them, out of her and Marc Sanders. She has always been this way, since very early on in life and had to be in order to succeed, to succeed in what is mainly seen as a man’s world.
From a young age men had been the authoritative figures within her family and community in Italy. There the men were still very firmly set in their ways. The men were the bread winners, head of the family and everyone looked up to them. This became more apparent after her father passed away, after losing his battle to lung cancer, when she was only six years old and her mother had to turn to Emiliana’s uncle, her father’s elder brother for help and support.
As it was him who they had to rely upon, to avoid being homeless and put out on to the street, he used and abused the situation. Emiliana wasn’t allowed to do anything without his permission and in time, her mother turned into the ghost of a woman she once was. Valeria Martinelli had no say in what discipline or punishment was handed out, or which direction her daughter was to take, therefore just blended into everything else around them.
However Emelie wasn’t a daft or silly little girl. In fact, she was the complete opposite. Yes, she played by the rules and did what was expected of her. She kept her mouth shut and continued to do what was asked of her. The display and theatre she put on for her uncle was enough to pacify him, but not too obvious for him to question the reasoning behind her way of living. At the age of ten, Emelie made the conscious decision that she was not going to lead the rest of her sorry and turbulent life like that. So, she buckled down at school and any spare time she had in between having to do chores around the house and entertaining her uncle, she would do extra studying. As any spare time was sparse, she would often stay awake late into the night and, either using the bright moonlight or what little street lighting there was, she would cram as much as she could in. Emelie knew her uncle would never fund her college or university fees, as he wanted her to become another little woman, just like her mother, who stayed at home and did nothing else.
With this she needed to prove to herself and others, such as her teachers at school, what she was truly capable of doing.
Striving to be the best, to be at the top of her classes, taking home extra work, Emelie hoped it would lead to her getting a scholarship or grant.
As it went, she did ace her exams and at the age of sixteen, Emelie packed the one case she could get a hold of and left for Milan, her only possessions being a few clothes, her diary and a photograph of her parents taken during happier times. Her uncle hadn’t been a complete tyrant. He would give Emelie ‘pocket money’ as he called it, for when she worked incredibly hard for him, entertaining him and his comrades. Six years of saving and stashing the money in an old antique tin under her bed, meant she had enough to buy her ticket and pay for the first couple of months rent. It broke her heart to sell the one item that had belonged to her father, but she knew that her father would approve of her using the money from the sale of the gold pocket watch, to fulfil her dream of becoming something and someone. So, until her grant kicked in, she had to use the cash to live off.
Her living conditions may not have been great, but she was free!”
Buy Links for An Acute Attraction (book 1)
About the Author: A.J. Walters
A J Walters is a new contemporary romance author who has just made her first appearance on to the indie circuit. Having interests in history, romance and elements of erotica, she has brought all of these together in her debut publication; An Acute Attraction.
Wanting to break the trend of size 12 virgins in books, A J Walters has introduced a new real woman in Isabel Chambers. She’s a size 18-20, working single mother who now feels is it her time to start living her life again. At the ripe young age of 39, A J Walters also wanted to show that you can experience everything that a twenty-something would.
“I saw that a 39 year old isn’t quite at retirement age for fun, sex and finding love again. There are so many women out there that can be represented in books as well as the slim, innocent and beautiful types. Don’t get me wrong I love reading books with them in, but there is so many of them around now I felt it is time for something different. I’d like to think I brought my sense of humour across in it as well. I am ditsy, I suffer from ‘foot in mouth’ syndrome, but I can also be serious and sentimental. From the feedback I’ve had, apparently it makes for a great writing voice.”
A J Walters currently lives in North Staffordshire, UK with her 2 children.
Connect with A.J. Walters
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7359445.A_J_Walters
Reading & Writing Between The Wines Blog 