{Release Blitz & Giveaway} Standing Sideways by J. Lynn Bailey (@AuthorJLynn @InkslingerPR)

Title: STANDING SIDEWAYS
Author: J. Lynn Bailey
Genre: Contemporary Romance

When Livia Stone suddenly loses her twin brother, Jasper, she must learn to navigate her new life alone. As she faces tragedy and starts down a road toward self-destruction, Daniel enters Livia’s life—at a moment when she needs it most. 
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 Standing Sideways is a poignant, relevant, and touching story of survival, courage, and compassion that will have readers crying, laughing, and most of all, debating the issues affecting the lives of parents and teens alike on a journey of hope and forgiveness.

Exclusive Excerpt ~ 

Cao is eclectic in her choice of clothes. She’ll wear just about anything. Her style makes her unique in her own right. From her jam pants to her leg warmers, she’s a trendsetter. With her tiny waist and tall frame, she can squeeze into just about anything.

“You hate grapes,” I say, putting my fork down.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?” She pops another in her mouth.

Maybe, sometimes, it’s easier in the dark. When the world doesn’t seem so loud, so chaotic.

“Why are you eating grapes?”

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”
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“Quiet, I guess.” I always give in first.

She spits her grape out into her hand. “Thank God you caved. My mom made some Chinese meal again for dinner. I gave most of it to Rosie.” Their golden retriever. “I’m starving, and grapes were my only choice in your empty refrigerator.”

Cao’s mom, Beth, has been making traditional Chinese meals for the past three weeks, she tells me. She rests her head on the crook of her arm. “And”—she pauses—“they found my stash.”

I want to say, I told you so.

“When?”
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“Yesterday. They waited.”

Cao chain-smokes out her upstairs bedroom window to prove cigarettes don’t cause lung cancer. She claims it’s a research study. But I think she got addicted somewhere along the way.

“My parents think I’m going through some sort of identity crisis. Adopted from China. White parents. Their words, not mine. ‘We want you to feel like you can be yourself, baby. We feel like you might be using cigarettes to escape whatever you’re feeling.’
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“So, what does my mom do? She’s been packing me rice in my lunch, and just this morning, I found Amy Tan’s entire book collection on my desk. And the thing is, Amy Tan was born in Oakland. And, if they knew me, they’d know, I’ve already read all of Tan’s books. You’d think, if they wanted me to embrace my culture, they’d send me to some camp in China or something. I don’t know.” She huffs. “That’s me. Now, you.” She stops. “Why are you really sitting in the dark, Liv?”

About The Author ~ 

​J. Lynn Bailey has loved to write since she learned to read, around the second grade. When she isn't running after her children, watching COPS, or on the hunt for her next Laffy Taffy joke, you can probably find her holed up in her writing room feverishly working on her next book. She lives in Northern California with her family.

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Visit With J. Lynn ~ 
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