Giveaway and Guest Post: $10 PayPal cash and Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair

Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair

Disappointment has been on speed dial in Ellen Grayson's life lately. Her dad died, her mom numbs the grief with drugs and alcohol, and her so-called friends have slowly abandoned her.
Trusting a popular teacher with her troubles should have been safe and should NOT have led to an unwelcome seduction attempt that made her desperate to escape the final moments of Junior year. Lesson learned. Best to keep all the sordid details to herself and trust no one.
Enter Rex Jacobi, a cocky boy, recently transplanted from New York City and fellow summer camp employee. Though his quick wit and confidence draws her in, she can't let him get too close. And summer is just long enough and hot enough to keep a boy like that at arm's length.
But by the time Rex's charm wears down her resistance, it's too late. He's put Ellen on the "just friends" shelf and has shifted his romantic attentions to the impossibly annoying and perky anti-Ellen. Even worse, the teacher who tried to get her to sleep with him is still at it, preying on other girls while Ellen struggles to come to terms with what happened.
With her ability to trust as shaky as a chastity vow on prom night, Ellen must decide if she has enough remaining courage to speak up about the well-liked teacher and risk retribution, tell Rex how she really feels about him and risk heartbreak, or hold all her secrets inside. After all, it's the only safe place she knows when the only thing louder than words is the fear of being rejected.

This or That Guest Post from character

Rex Jacobi from Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair

Let's get to know Rex Jacobi, hero of Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair.

First, the basics. My name is Rex Jacobi--Italian on my Pa's side, Russian on my Ma's. I was born in NYC but I recently moved to Vancouver, WA, a 'burb of Portland, OR. I'm 17, 5'11", with brown hair and hazel eyes. I used to play varsity lacrosse back in NY. I also study Krav Maga, but don't let that fool you. I'm more of a lover than a fighter. ;)

My girlfriend, Ellen, asked me to do this interview, claiming it was necessary because all readers knew about me was what she told them and, according to her, she may have been "a little harsh" in a few places.

Seriously? A little?

As much as I love Ellen, and honestly I can't remember when I didn't love her, she's a tough critic. But in her defense, she's had some rough patches in her life.  Anyone who's dealt with some of what she has would be wary of strangers too.

I'm sure she portrayed me as a bit of a player in the earlier parts of her story. Honestly, after she shoved me on my ass for kissing her, I assumed she wasn't interested in boys, so I moved on. I know, I know. Arrogant and stupid on my part.  Believe me, I know this now! But at the time, when I saw that douche Mark Zero hounding on her and then asked around, I realized I had it all wrong. I told myself, "Okay, Rex, she just isn't interested in you that way. Move along. Nothing to see here."

Only I didn't. I couldn't. We were friends. I mean, hell, I broke up with Gracie to be with her, but did she notice? Did she care? At the time, I could see the writing on the wall in big, bold painted graffiti letters: Welcome to the friend zone!" Yeah, that kinda sucked, but I still loved her, so what was I gonna do?

Persevere, that's what! That's what I do. I'm like a terrier that way--I never give up.  So anyway, ask away with your "this or that" meme questions. I will do my best to answer truthfully and insightfully. Got a rep to salvage here.

Vanilla or chocolate?  Chocolate hands down, although I will eat vanilla if that's all there is. I mean it's ice cream. It's not something I’m gonna get all picky over.

Edward or Jacob? Who? Pass.

Hockey or soccer? Soccer. I run better than I skate, plus I'm quite fond of my own teeth.

Video or Board Games? Video, but sometimes it's nice to pull out the old fashioned games. I've seen a few memorable games of UNO where blood was nearly drawn. Good times!

Summer or Winter? Definitely Summer. Hands down. Although I suppose there could be advantages to snuggling under stadium blankets. Wiggling my eyebrows here, if you get my drift.

Ebook or paper? Sacrilege! Paper! Preferably hardbacks. I gotta touch My Precious. Haha, that sounded rude, didn't it? Next question.

Salty or sweet? Yes, please.

Beach or mountains? Beach ... but one of the things I'm starting to love about living in the Portland area is an hour west takes me to the ocean. An hour east and I can be skiing. An hour north and I'm scoping out Mt. St. Helens all up close and personal-like. Sweet!

Phone call or email? Phone call. I talk too fast to type it all out. Plus I like hearing my girl's laughter. All the LOL's in the world can't beat the sound of that.

Early bird or night owl? Night owl.

Dog or cat? Aww man, I don't have either, but I'd love a dog. Maybe something like a Corgi or an Australian Shepherd or some kinda big terrier dog. Whatever they got at the pound, if and when I ever get a dog, I'm sure I would love.

Messy or neat? I was bred to be neat, but left to my own devices, I'd eventually gravitate toward messy. A little bit of chaos makes life more interesting.

Ninjas or pirates? Say what? Is there such a thing as a Ninja pirate--high seas rogues that steal you blind without your even knowing it? If so, that's what I'd be. If there isn't and I'm forced to choose, then I'd go with Ninja, since I'm probably a better martial artist than swordsman.

Thank you for having me over today!

If you want to read Ellen's story (and mine), check out Louder Than Words by Iris St. Clair available exclusively at Amazon (free for Kindle Prime or Kindle Unlimited members).

Author Bio:

 Iris St. Clair is the pen name for an author still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. She's pretty sure it will involve lots of kissing, sprinkled with smiles and laughter and a few dashes of angst. She believes in the two-year “fish or cut bait” dating rule and has a 20+ year marriage and two teenaged sons as proof of concept. Iris lives, writes, dreams and dances in the rainy Portland, OR area.

Iris loves to hear from readers at:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  

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