Blitz : Rocked

Rocked by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott

(Lost in Oblivion #1)
Publication date: April 9th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Goodreads: Click

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Book 1 in the NA rock star series, Lost in Oblivion

Love definitely wasn’t on the setlist.

Opening for their idols on their first tour, Oblivion is living the dream. Mostly. Frustrated at being shoved out of his mediator role by their new manager, Deacon McCoy loses himself in brutal workouts. He only comes up for air long enough to refuel—and to tease the deliciously cute chef who makes him crave a lot more than what she’s offering on her serving plate.

As the child of roadie parents, Harper Pruitt has heard every pickup line twice. To her, musicians are one step above the scraps on her cutting board. All she wants is to get enough experience to run her own catering company, but Deacon and his bottomless stomach are too tempting to resist. He’s far from the typical rock star and before long, she finds herself experimenting with him, inside and out of the kitchen.

Apron – and panties – optional.

When Harper sees that Deacon’s dream band with his best friends may be turning into a nightmare, she can’t walk away. Deacon’s so much more than just a peacemaker and the man behind the bass. But she has her own dreams to chase…even if she’s starting to think what she’s building with him might be the biggest one of all.

You met Deacon McCoy in SEDUCED, now you can watch just how far a big man can fall.

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Music. Such a big word encompassed in so few letters. It covers a multitude of genres, just like novels do. It’s also the cornerstone of my writing. One of the first things Cari and I discovered about each other was our deep and abiding love for music. Some authors write to silence, some write to the sounds of nature, some can write with a toddler playing beside them on a playmat. For us? It’s a soundtrack.

The story builds out of the playlist we create for each storyline. Sometimes not every song stays on the playlist. It’s as fluid as our plotlines sometimes. LOL

But one thing remains true. It becomes a character in our story. The sounds, he tone, the lyrics, and the emotional punch all drive scenes. Sometimes we have to listen to the same damn song 762 times and then can’t listen to it again, or in the case of Rocked…I’ve listened to the same soundtrack for 8mos and got a little tired of it. But I couldn’t not listen to it when I was writing the draft.

Even the edits needed it as my backdrop.

However, I’m not entirely sure I can listen to Radioactive from Imagine Dragons anytime soon. That one was on rotation…a lot!!

But then there was Keith Urban’s, Cop Car. That will always have a special place in my heart and be forever immortalized in a scene in the Texas chapters of Rocked.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog.

How do you feel about music? Is there a song that makes you smile and crank it? Or snap off the radio so fast you get a wrist sprain? Let me know in he comments!

How Characters Are Born

Which of your characters are you most like? This question was posed on our writer group board. It seemed like the perfect topic for a blog post. YAY Wenches. That’s what we call ourselves. If you want to join a ridiculously fun group of women you should definitely check out the Word Wenches on Facebook. Oh the conversations that go on in there.

Cari and I formed it as a reader group and it totally evolved from there. We talk about all sorts of topics. But I warn you, it’s no for the faint of heart. LOL Things get racy in there!

Anyway, I digress. Characters…now this is my own vision of characters. Cari has a whole different way of doing things. For me? There’s always a little bit of me in there. Whether it’s the person I want to be, what I wished to be, or hope to become…all of it bleeds into the characters I create.

Especially the bad traits. All those little things you know you shouldn’t do make for perfect bits of conflict. In the Oblivion series the characters I created there’s a host of crazy that came along with it.

Deacon McCoy—gets to be the protector. I’m a big sister, so I tapped into the protective side of me. As well as the stubborn parts of me. And the judgmental part of me.

Simon Kagan—the flirty side of me that wishes I could act on my baser instincts. I let that side out of me…big time. Whoosh, that boy is a little bit of a playboy. Actually, no doubt about it. LOL But he’s also genuinely sweet and has a severe soft side for animals. He’s also far more sensitive than he lets on to the outside world.

Harper Pruitt—she’s the independent spirit I strive to be. She’s the proud and brave woman that is out there on her own and making it work. She’s also the one that trips and falls on her face

The air was heavy with the scent of lemongrass and magnolia blossoms. There was a stillness to the moment. Deacon closed his eyes and let it all in. He blocked out the conversations and the sheer size of the venue. Instead he focused on their music resonating through the amphitheater and Simon’s powerhouse vocals shredding the air.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Simon jump into the pit and past the startled security. He ran up the aisle with a whoop of delight. The gasp of surprise from the crowd turned to a murmur of response that spread through the pavilion. People on the lawn stood to see what the commotion was about.

“You like cover songs?” Simon shouted. “Okay, so you may not know our stuff, but everyone knows David Coverdale. At least you should know Whitesnake. And if you don’t? Shame on you.” Deacon shadowed his eyes against the spotlights. Christ, was all the way at the back of the house? He squinted—yep, he was climbing the railing. Son of a bitch. ”Guys…how about a little Tawny Kitaen anthem?”

“Oh, shit.” Jazz hopped off her drum riser and zipped over to the keyboard. “Here I Go Again” was their cover song for the night, but it was later in the set. The drawn out keyboard solo filled the bowl of the venue. The soundboard tech scrambled to catch up, punched the keyboard’s sound up and equalized Simon’s microphone to match it.

Nick and Gray flanked the stage, and the spot in the center where Simon belonged felt too empty. Deacon moved forward and did backup vocals like they’d rehearsed.

The guitars showcased the strengths of Gray’s classical abilities and Nick’s raw edge. Not to mention the song had a built-in guitar duel thanks to David Coverdale’s penchant for two guitarists with egos the size of their hair.

Deacon watched the people warm to Simon. Evidently the jump-in-the-crowd deal worked in the large venues just as thoroughly as Frenzy a few months ago. By the end of the song, there was an uptick in people who were standing and singing along. When the band moved into their current single, the crowd showed a little more interest.

Thank you, radio hit.

Simon crawled onto the stage and owned the next three songs. By the time their thirty minutes were up, they got the all good signal to play the full forty. With “The Becoming”, they held the crowd by the balls.

As his bass resonated through the end of the song, Deacon looked out into the crowd. People were on their feet. They were actually cheering, for fuck’s sake. He felt a small hand grip his and couldn’t stop a smile when Jazz dragged him out to the front of the stage to make their bows.

Himself, Jazz, Simon, Nick and Gray. This was what they’d gone through hell to find. His heart tried to beat its way out of his chest as he sucked in a breath. Exhaustion and adrenaline battled it out through his bloodstream.

They bowed as a unit, waved, and ran to the side stage. Deacon looked over his shoulder one last time at the crowd still cheering for them and laughed.

TARYN ELLIOTT comes from the great state of New York—upstate, thank you very much. She’s usually busy making up stories with her best friend until the wee hours of the morning, or fangirling over her favorite TV show. She falls in love with each and every one of her leading men as she writes their book, and there’s always a soundtrack to match.
She loves talking to readers, so if you’d like to reach her, please visit her website: tarynelliott.com and sign up for her newsletter, or drop her a line at: taryn@tarynelliott.com.

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR CARI QUINN saves the world one Photoshop file at a time in her job as a graphic designer. At night, she writes sexy romance, drinks a lot of coffee and plays her music way too loud. When she’s not scribbling furiously, she’s watching men’s college basketball, reading excellent books and causing trouble. Sometimes simultaneously.
Visit Cari at www.cariquinn.com to sign up for her brand new newsletter, or drop her a line at:cariquinnauthor@gmail.com.

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