Blog Tour: GIBBOUS MOON by Katie Groom

 

Gibbous Moon

by Katie Groom

 

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GENRE: Paranormal Thriller/Romance

 

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BLURB: Werewolf and professor of literature Hugh spent nearly 200 years to find his soulmate, Zoie, but others betrayed him, working with rivals to take her away in only an instant. Revenge was swift and unsatisfying. More people need to pay for what was stolen from Hugh.

 

Zoie’s death had been orchestrated by powerful beings in the supernatural world. Exacting revenge will require precision and planning.

 

Biding his time before acting, Hugh reverts to the patterns that finding true love had disrupted. Walking through life in a fog, he does his best to appear as if he is moving forward, though nothing feels the same.

 

As Hugh tries to start the next chapter in his life with Rosalie, he is haunted by the memory of Zoie. The literature professor cringes every time he’s reminded that Rosalie doesn’t like to read, but he tells himself that opposites should attract. That Rosalie can patch the hole left in his heart when Zoie died. His revenge will take time, and wallowing in grief won’t help.

 

Just as Hugh is still focused on revenge, his enemies are still plotting to harm Hugh further. It’s dangerous to oppose a bereaved werewolf, but even werewolves can be hurt.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Zoie quickly flew down closer, taking in everything that was going on around her. Hugh had a death grip on her body, and a terrified crowd of hotel employees had gathered in the lobby. One of them was on the phone—undoubtedly calling for emergency help. Not only was it obvious to Zoie that she was dead, but Hugh had literally crashed through a wall of glass to get to her. One police car was not going to cover this.

 

Stevie and Hugh’s best friend Cade were trying to convince Hugh to leave. They tried to plea from every angle—any excuse to get him to comply. “No!” Zoie cried. “Don’t leave me.” She couldn’t imagine that Hugh would even consider leaving her there.

 

“You need to leave her, and you need to go,” Cayden stated as they knelt down in front of Hugh. Their face was so full of genuine concern. It became obvious to Zoie that this was the best choice.

 

Zoie placed her feet on the pool deck and walked over to Hugh—despite everything going on, she noticed that her shoes didn’t make that strange squelching sound that they should have. So her guess was right, then; she was dead.

 

Hugh ignored Cade’s pleas, but Zoie inched closer and put her hand on his shoulder. She lied, “It’s okay, Hugh. Go.” It was in his best interest and in the best interest of their world for Hugh to leave.

 

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Topic: What was the hardest part about writing this story?

 

The most difficult thing about writing Gibbous Moon? That’s easy: Imposter Syndrome.

 

Look, I definitely know that I am not the best writer in the world. So what I’m about to write, please, don’t take it as I’m arrogant. I just have a strong feeling that I’m not the worst writer to ever grace the page, either.

 

But sometimes, I just can’t convince myself of that. Sometimes, I feel like all of my ideas are awful, and there were times during the writing phase of Gibbous Moon that I felt that way.

 

I wondered if the choices I was making in the story would alienate my readers. I make some bold choices in Gibbous Moon, and they could be considered controversial. For example, I have added a polyamorous relationship in the mix, and that’s not typical for romance. I was worried that my readers would dislike this, however, it felt right for the story and the characters.

 

Second guessing choices like this had me re-writing the story many times, and not trusting my instincts about the characters and the world that I created and love so much was fueling that imposter syndrome.

 

It had gotten to the point that as I was writing I heard that when I did finish the book, turning it in would be a mistake. I worried that the publisher was going to hate it and ask me to rewrite the entire thing. That was my biggest fear, to be honest. That I could deliver on Fixed Moon, but Gibbous Moon would be a big, disappointing failure.

 

Still, I pushed through. I read a quote from another writer that said that first drafts were meant to be just that — the first draft. They aren’t meant to be pretty. Just to get the story out there. So that’s what I did. I wrote an ugly first draft by trusting my instincts. I did some editing, and I ended up being pretty proud of it.

 

As it turns out, the publisher loved it, and everything had gone pretty smoothly with the process from there on out. I just needed to push the Imposter Syndrome out of my mind and just go with it, and I’m glad I did. I like the story that ended up on the page, and I hope that my readers do too.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Katie Groom grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from PITT and her master’s in Employment and Labor Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2016, she decided to move to Alabama in order to avoid as much snow as possible (and to advance her career in Human Resources).

 

When she isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing movies and TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She also loves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal of reaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spending time with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.

 

https://cinnabarmoth.com/katie-groom/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katie-Groom/author/B0B5YM1QGG

https://www.amazon.com/Gibbous-Moon-Katie-Groom/dp/195397189X

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22116587.Katie_Groom

 

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GIVEAWAY:

Katie Groom will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway