When We Collide Tour Stop and Giveaway

When We Collide by A.L. Jackson

William has spent six years running from his past and the last eight months trying to rid his mind of the dreams that increasingly haunt his nights. Trapped in a world of false ambitions and feigned affections, William knows he’s reached a breaking point and something’s going to give.

Maggie had lived her entire life without hope until one man showed her what it meant to be loved. He’d been her light in a lifetime of darkness. Six years ago, that darkness stole him away. Without him, she’s surrendered herself to an existence she doesn’t know how to escape.

When the family William left behind is struck by tragedy, he is called back to the one place he’s sworn to never return to again. 

In a moment that will change his life forever, William comes face to face with the girl who, with one look, captured his heart. He is unable to ignore the buried desires and the hope for the future they’d once believed they’d have. 

Now William is ready to fight to take back what had been stolen from him six years before.
But he never imagined what that fight might cost him. 

A.L. Jackson gives you an intimate look into the lives of a family bound by an unseen connection in this new contemporary romance.

Review

Fantastic! I loved this book for several reasons.. one for the message that it delivers, and two for how Jackson handled the message. It deals with abuse, and the message is clear.. Don't stick in those relationships. But the finesse in which the message is delivered makes you fall in love with the characters and the story. Oh and the plot takes you on a few heart-wrenching turns!

Cover and Writing Style
I love the cover, and it suits the story. BUT I feel like the cover should be a bit more contemporary; at first glance I thought the cover was for a paranormal novel. I love the writing style Jackson used in this novel. It had two POV's as well as past/present tense narration, which made the book exciting to read!

Main Character
This is a hard one because the story is told from two POV's. But the main character is William, and I love him... feel bad for him.. want to hug him. He fell hard, and Maggie wasn't there to catch him. He was hurt but also very much in love.

Swoonworthy Points: 7
Despite this being a story about Maggie's abuse, it was also very swoonworthy.. especially the flashbacks to their earlier years.. When Williams was courting Maggie. He was sweet, kind, caring, protective, patient.. everything you could ever ask for in a man.

I love it!! I would highly recommend this book!

Guest Post by A.L. Jackson

Hey all! I’m A. L. Jackson, author of Pulled and Take This Regret. I want to thank Taking it One Page at a Time for asking me to share with you today on my 10 Tips On Becoming a Better Writer.

I spent some time contemplating whether I wanted to focus on the overall picture and lifestyle of being a writer, or if I wanted to focus on craft. In the end I thought I’d give you a little of both.

So here it goes ~ A. L. Jackson’s 10 Tips to Becoming a Better Writer

1. Never give up. Yes, this is a general philosophy that can be applied to almost any passion, but one that is essential to being a writer. If you’ve chosen writing or becoming an author as your passion and aspiration, then expect that there will be a lot of discouragement that will come with it. There will be times when it feels as if it is just not worth it. But there will also be times, like when you hold your published book in your hands, when it feels like the most amazing thing in the world.

2. Outline. If you’re writing your first book, I strongly recommend that you begin with an outline. It’s essential to know where you’re beginning, the direction you’re heading, and your ultimate destination. Be sure that the plot makes sense and you can clearly see how you can take your reader on this journey. You’ll have plenty of space to allow your characters and plot to grow and develop as you write, but an outline will help you to stay on the right track. After that first book, you should be able to tell if you’re a stronger writer with or without an outline.

3. Continue to read. Read the classics, read the bestsellers, and read in your genre. Allow yourself to be inspired!

4. Find a critique partner you trust. I can’t emphasize this enough. A critique partner can help you see the holes in your plot and characterization issues that we, as writers, can’t see. Often these things are clear in our heads, but it may not come across that way to the reader. Plus it’s so encouraging to have another writer friend who we can toss ideas around with and support each other in our writing. On a side note: Be sure this critique partner’s interest is in helping you become a better writer and not in tearing you down.

5. Look for common themes, words, and phrases in your manuscript. Most authors have favorite words and phrases. Identify them and be sure you don’t overuse them.

6. Get rid of those adverbs! I recommend doing a search through all the adverbs in your manuscript. If you can replace an adverb with strong verbs and descriptions instead (which you almost always can), do it.

7. Show, don’t tell. Bet you haven’t heard that before  Don’t tell us your character feels sad, but describe the scene unfolding that made brought on the sadness, the actions of the character in response to it, and give clear descriptions of what the character is experiencing and feeling.

8. Approach editing with an open mind. Our first instinct as writers can be to be defensive of our work, but open your mind to suggestions given to you by your editor and/or critique partner. Editors are there to help make our books better, not tear them apart. If you disagree with a suggestion, take the time to discuss it with your editor and see if the two of you can work together to create a good solution.

9. Don’t let formatting or punctuation marks tell your story for you. Don’t overuse italics for emphasis or exclamation marks to show excitement. Let your story speak for itself.

10. Continue to write. The more you write, the better writer you’ll become. Plus, you love it, right? So sit back and enjoy what you do.

Thank you again to Taking it One Page at a Time. Wishing you all much luck in your writing endeavors!

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