ALL BEAUTIFUL
THINGS
Bell Bridge Books
THE TRUTH MAY DESTROY THEM BOTH
Seven years ago, a knife-wielding stranger left socialite Ava Camden
for dead. She survived, but her face was brutally scarred. Now Graham Sapphire is
determined to clear his brother’s name and win her trust in a desperate search
for the truth.
Read
a little, Buy
the book
Graham
and Ava went outside, where the alley was quiet and the sky faded to purple. He
retrieved a bottle of water from the front seat and took a swig. He wore a
white t-shirt that clung to his triceps, down his hard chest and flat stomach.
The shirt became slightly translucent with his perspiration. Through the shirt,
she saw the outline of the bandage where he’d been cut.
His
jeans sat low on his hips, only being loose at the waist. Her eyes fell to his
thighs and down to his work boots. She suddenly felt thirsty. In her mind, she
kept apologizing for his wound, but sorry wasn’t the right word for how she was
feeling.
When
their eyes met, he looked embarrassed as though she’d been judging him. Graham
took another swig of water from the bottle he carried and gently held it out to
her.
“You
need some water?”
She wanted to say no. She wanted to
say she didn’t need a drink. She wanted to explain that she had not been
judging him for his clothes or his work boots. He wouldn’t believe her if she
said the dirt on his boots made her trust him.
“Sure.” She accepted the bottle
against her better judgment and took a small sip.
MEET
NICKI
She lives in Atlanta with her four children, husband, and a cat. Nicki
thinks everyone should write and loves connecting with readers. For more
information go to: www.nickisalcedo.com.
"I love this woman!"
I met Nicki too many years ago to admit to while we were volunteering. She's amazing and caring, a great writer, a loving mom and wife. And man am I glad she calls me friend. ~Angi
GET
TO KNOW NICKI
NICKI: Not often
enough. My kids are at those ages where none of them sit still. They are 9, 8,
6, and 3. I used to get lost in a book a week. Now I’m lucky if I get lost in a
book once a month. For an avid reader, a book a month is terrible! I have a
book with me at all time just in case a have a few minutes to get lost in one.
ANGI: What’s the
first book you remember reading?
NICKI: A Taste of
Blackberries by Doris
Buchanan Smith. I read it in second grade. I remembered crying and crying. I
didn’t know that books could make feel such intense emotions before that book.
I didn’t know a book could make you cry. It was a wonderful feeling, but also
frightening, to become someone else and feel their joy and pain.
ANGI: What’s your
favorite “love” word?
NICKI: Embraced. I
don’t mind the word hug. Hug is wrapping your arms around someone. Embraced is
better. It is my favorite love word. Embraced is both a physical and mental
action. Embraced is touching and accepting. It’s a word that shows up in my
novel in both English and Spanish.
ANGI: What’s your
favorite fairy tale?
NICKI: My novel is
based on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I like scarred heroes. In ALL
BEAUTIFUL THINGS, the heroine has the scars. She is the beast. The hero is the
beauty. I always liked the variations of the beauty and the beast story,
because they two people looking for something other than love. The beast needs
redemption. The beauty longs for freedom. It also helps that in the Disney
version Belle gets a library as a gift. Readers and writers took a collective
gasp at that scene and shouted, “Yes!”
NICKI: Snoopy. More
specifically Snoopy dancing. Peanuts was always a favorite cartoon when I was
growing up. I love Charlie Brown and the gang, but Snoopy is my favorite. He is
happiness and silliness and joy. Charlie is introspection. I like that too.
Woodstock is exuberance. You can tell I’ve thought about all these characters
at length.
ANGI: What do you
like about the hero of your book?
NICKI: Graham
Sapphire is kindness. You don’t see that a lot as the main characteristic of an
alpha hero, but Graham takes care of his family and the woman he loves. Ava is
brooding and scarred and afraid. Because Graham has survived very traumatic
events of his own, his first instinct is to nurture those around him.
ANGI: What sound
or noise do you love?
NICKI: I love the
sound of the train. I could hear the train from my house as a kid. Today the
train is a bit further away from where I live, but I can still hear it. The
sound of the train whistle and the wheels on the track are very evocative.
Sadness. Mystery. Hiding. Running away. I’m probably the only person on earth
who loves getting caught at a train crossing, even when I’m late! The whistle
is an intermittent sound, but the wheels have the same repetitive quality of
waves crashing on a shore. I’m pretty sure the sound of a train is good for the
soul.
ANGI: Fairy Tale
or Action Adventure?
NICKI: I am an avid
romance reader. I love a romance novel. I adore fairy tales, but if I’m at the
movies or watching TV I choose action adventure. I like superheroes, sci-fi,
zombie stuff. If people are running around shooting lasers and avoiding
explosions, I’m pretty much going to love it.
ANGI: What was the
first story you remember writing?
NICKI: I wrote a
story about a young girl with nine brothers when I was in elementary school. It
didn’t have a plot, but the kids wandered around town having silly adventures.
ANGI: What’s your
favorite movie of all time?
NICKI: The
Terminator. Yes, 1980’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. Time travel, sci-fi, romance. It
is my go-to movie when I’m sad. I wish I had something high-brow or a current
movie as my favorite. The truth The Terminator is perfect. Ridiculous and
perfect.
ANGI: Who’s your
favorite villain?
NICKI: Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley is one of my all-time favorite books. The monster is created by
Victor Frankenstein. The monster is the most heart-breaking villain in
literature. I guess he is another beast who I love. He questions human nature,
love, and survival.
I also watch The Walking Dead and have read the
graphic novels. The Governor is a scary villain. He is insane. His character show what happens
when questioning human nature, love, and survival goes horribly wrong.
ANGI: What is your
biggest vice?
NICKI: A nice
dinner. I have four kids. Food at home is usually macaroni and cheese or
broccoli. Nothing fancy. Everything I eat at home is eaten standing up. My day
job is pretty busy, so I often miss lunch. My husband knows that I don’t need
flowers or jewelry. I like a nice dinner out. We have a favorite restaurant in
our town and the name is taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: “Dost thou
think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” Part
of my biggest vice is dessert. I plan my meals around the ability to have
dessert. Preferably apple or cherry pie. If not that, then anything warm.
Cobbler, bread pudding, chocolate cake. Books are a better vice for me. Fewer
calories.
ANGI’S
GOTTA ASK: I doubt that you ever have any "down" time, but if you
do…what do you do for fun?
NICKI'S GOTTA ANSWER:
You are right. I don’t have down time unless you count soccer practice
and piano lessons and school projects. Honestly, writing is my down time. Writing
is my fun. Writing is the only thing I do that is 100% for me so I consider it
my down-time even though it is my second career. I have a certain writing voice
that comes naturally to me, and I try writing different genres and different
points-of-view in my “down-time.” I like writing to be fun. I play with
language.
FIND
NICKI:
Twitter @NickiSalcedo
This is Nicki's debut, but she writes for
It’s Only A Novel . And what's UP NEXT for NICKI? I’m working on revisions on two other novels. Southern fiction with romantic elements.
NICKI
is giving away a copy of All Beautiful Things.
Kindle version or a paperback copy--winner's choice.
International Kindle book giveaway: ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS may not be
available in all countries due to copyright restrictions. In these cases the
recipient will be given the option to request an exchange for gift credit on
their Amazon.com account during the redemption process, or they may contact
Customer Service for assistance in exchanging the book.
Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed
the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be
mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the
post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings
are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not
claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get
Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the
listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest
authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.
NEXT
UP ON GLIAS: Join us tomorrow for Judy Alter. I'll be back next week with
Roxanne St. Claire & Pamela Hearon. ~Angi Morgan
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NICKI
WANTS TO KNOW: ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS is a story about reversing
expectations. The “beast” is the woman, the “beauty” is the man. What are your
favorite books where there was an unexpected twist or something that defied
stereotypes?