Saturday Spotlight & Giveaway: Jaye Frances–The Possibilities of Amy

Welcome to Saturday Spotlight. A feature hosted by Tina’s Book Reviews as a way of shining the light on Indie/Debut/Self Published authors. Each week I’ll have a guest post written by a featured author.

Today I am featuring The Possibilities of Amy author Jaye Frances.


Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her. ~ Goodreads | Amazon


Please welcome Jaye to the blog today with a sweet true story about unrequited love and inspiration.

Thank you, Karen, for hosting me today on For What It’s Worth. Since I’m often asked about the motivation and ideas for my stories, I wanted to share the unexpected source for my coming-of-age YA romance The Possibilities of Amy.  
My twentieth high school reunion was just two weeks away. I should have been excited. But I wasn’t. With the deadline for my column looming at the end of the week, and the final round of editing for my next book staring me in the face, driving 400 miles back to my home town to reminisce with nearly-forgotten best friends and study hall partners was not high on my list of priorities. But I also knew there was a part of me—a volleyball whacking, Coke and fries eating, rock and roll 17-year-old —that would be disappointed if I didn’t go. Hoping to sway my responsible reluctance with a dose of nostalgia, I pulled out my senior yearbook and read some of the scribbled ramblings from the peers of my youth.

There they were. The platitudes and clichés that have personalized every high school yearbook since the marriage of felt-tip pen to glossy paper. “Best of luck in the future.” “See you in college, hope you’ll let me copy your homework.” “Enjoyed our chats in math class.”

But there was one entry from a boy whose name I couldn’t place. “Wish we had spent more time together,” he wrote. A bit more heart-felt than most, but not enough to jog my memory. 

I put the book away and went back to work, not thinking any more about the admiring comment, until two weeks later, when I came face-to-face with its author at the reunion hospitality desk. He pointed to his nametag and introduced himself. Jeff was still somewhat shy, but incredibly handsome, and as we became reacquainted, I learned that he had been married for eight years, had two children, and loved to sail. He interrupted our conversation, and returned a few minutes later to introduce his wife. She shook my hand, then left to get the three of us some drinks from the bar. Then he told me—about the crush he had on me all through high school, and about the torchy, bittersweet memories he carried through college, and finally, how he had always regretted not taking the risk to ask me out.

I told him how flattered I was. And appreciative. True to tradition, we exchanged our yearbooks and updated our original comments. Finally, he thanked me for remembering him, and then mentioned something about the babysitter expecting them home by midnight. And with that, the night became another memory.

On the drive home, I stopped for something to eat, and on a whim, took my high school annual with me inside the restaurant to look at the signatures and comments I’d gathered at the reunion, especially now that we were looking back at our lives with twenty years of perspective.

I skipped all the others and went directly to Jeff’s picture, wondering what he might have added to his original note. “If I had only known what was waiting for me, I would have taken the chance,” he wrote. And then he signed it, “Silwy.”  It never made any sense until two months later, when my niece asked me if she could look through the old annual. The unusual signature brought her running—with the translation: Still in love with you.

The Possibilities of Amy offers a touching and poignant journey back to high school, through the eyes and heart of the teenage male psyche. Who knew what these guys were really going through?


Author Bio:  Jaye Frances is a columnist for the NUSA Sun Magazine and has authored three books. Her fourth, The Beach, is scheduled for release August 1, 2012.  Born in the Midwest, Jaye readily admits that her life’s destination has been the result of an open mind and a curiosity about all things irreverent. When she’s not consumed by her writing, Jaye enjoys cooking, traveling to all places tropical and “beachy” and taking pictures—lots of pictures—many of which find their way to her website. Jaye lives on the central gulf coast of Florida, sharing her home with one husband, six computers, four cameras, and several hundred pairs of shoes. For more information, visit Jaye’s website at www.jayefrances.com , or Jaye’s Blog at http://blog.jayefrances.com, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jayefrancesauthor

GIVEAWAY!

Jaye is offering one Kindle version of The Possibilities of Amy to one lucky winner!
~ Fill out the google doc below to win a Kinlde version of The Possibilities of Amy (Open to international entries)
~ Giveaway ends on Saturday July 21st at 11:59pm ET – winner announced Sunday July 22nd

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER IS RAELENE