Hi. I'm Tara Gallina and the author of Risking Forever: Vol 1 of The Forever Series, a new adult serial romance. It follows college sophomore, Ainsley Belle, and the infamous senior surrounded by mafia rumors, Sebastian Gianni.
Today, I'd like to discuss my leap from young adult novels to new adult, which led to this story, and answer a few questions about the book.
I started writing young adult romance novels because I love all the "firsts" that come with falling in love as a teenager. It wasn't long after I realized new adult or college-aged peeps have milestones and "firsts" too. Ex:
~ Legal aged-drinking and getting into bars and clubs.
~ Living away from home.
~Paying bills. Phone? Car insurance? Credit card?
~ Parties, getting drunk, and having sex. If you were a good girl or had strict parents before college, you might not have experienced any of these.
~ Love. If you didn't find it in high school, you might just find your first and forever love in college. Ainsley does!
Some fun questions:
What movie or movies would you compare the story to?
Mean Girls go to college with the dangerous and forbidden romance of Twilight—minus the paranormal aspects.
Is the story more of a romcom or a drama?
Both. It has dramatic issues paired with light suspense, but the characters have humor to them, relating to their personalities. People who have read it, say they have laughed out loud in places.
Can you compare the love interest (Sebastian Gianni) to a TV character?
Sebastian was inspired by all the Damon Salvatores in the world—minus the vampire element. Dark, brooding, dangerous, complicated, confusing, struggling with his own insecurities, hot, hot, hot, and underneath it all, a guy willing to do whatever he must for the people—girl—he loves.
Risking Forever Vol 1
The Forever Series
Tara Gallina
Genre: New Adult College Romance
Date of Publication: March 11, 2020
The Forever Series
Tara Gallina
Genre: New Adult College Romance
Date of Publication: March 11, 2020
ISBN: ISBN: 9781794313163
ASIN: B07NQ99MGF
Number of pages: PDF 150, Paperback 200
Word Count: 40,000
Cover Artist: TLC Design
Tagline: Wanting him would be wrong, tempting him even worse. But falling for him could cost her everything she's ever wanted and everyone she's ever known.
Book Description:
Risking Forever: Vol 1
My best friend has been obsessed with Sebastian since our freshman year in college. She wants him to herself, which is fine by me. He's a paycheck, a means to an end goal. He's temporary. But he's also tempting—the way he looks at me, the things he says, the way he touches me… If I'm not careful, I might do something I'll regret. ~ Ainsley Belle
The Forever Series
At twenty, Ainsley knows it's time to follow her own dreams and not the future her mother planned for her—a future she never wanted. Losing her job couldn't have come at a worse time.
Sebastian Gianni isn’t the ideal boss, but he has a position to fill and Ainsley is desperate. The sexy twenty-two year comes from money, owns a successful business, and graduates from college in three months. He has his life together in a way Ainsley could only dream.
No wonder her best friend is obsessed with dating him. Even his ex-girlfriend is determined to get him back, although threatening him seems like the wrong approach. Ainsley would be a fool to fall for the guy, too.
By no means, should she trust him. He has more secrets than anyone she knows, which makes her wonder if the mafia rumors about him are true. It doesn't matter that he's a good listener, and sweet and protective at times. That playful flirty side he shares with her alone means nothing. Right?
When a kiss turns into a secret romance neither can give up, Ainsley learns the truth about Sebastian's corrupt family and why his ex-girlfriend won't go away. A future together is near impossible and comes with a risk that could get them both killed—or give them everything they've ever wanted.
Excerpt:
I straighten and
rub my now clammy palms on my jeans. "I should go find Harper before she
finds me and gets pissed again." I stand.
Sebastian does
too. "Pissed again?"
"She might
have thought I was hitting on you in the pantry. She thought you were hitting
on me too and then got mad because she likes you. But now we know you're
engaged, so she's dealing and moving on."
He scratches his
chin. "Is Harper the girl in the silver dress?"
"Yes! You
noticed her?" Of course he did.
He takes his
empty beer bottle into the kitchenette and tosses it into the trash. "It
was hard not to. She was yelling at you when I was holding you in the
kitchen."
Holding me? He
doesn't mean it in the way I wish he did. No. I don’t wish that. He's engaged
and if he weren't, Harper would be after him. Besides, I'm trying to get a job
with him. I can't crush on my boss.
I stroll to the
railing but stop at the top of the stairs. "Are we going to settle this
job thing tonight, or do you want to do a formal interview at your office in
the bad part of town?"
"You
remembered." His face lights up. He strolls toward me, his gaze pinning me
in place.
I feel frozen,
excited, and lightheaded. It could be the wild drumming of my heart. I'm
surprised my shirt isn't thumping. I've heard about stares like this, read
about them in Harper's romance novels, but I've never been on the receiving
end.
He stops close
and peers down at me—at my lips. His citrus scent invades my senses and my body
reacts with desire. From his cologne? He's so tall, cocooning me in a way I
like but shouldn't.
"Do I have
the job?" I ask, my voice a breathy mess.
"Do you
want the job?" The way he says it makes me think he's asking if I want
him. It could be my mind playing tricks on me or the way he keeps staring at my
lips.
"Yes,"
I whisper, wondering what I just admitted to—or what he thinks I admitted to.
I'm deranged, delusional.
He touches a
strand of my hair. "This is the first thing I noticed about you when you
tried to hit me with the door."
"Tried? It
was an accident."
"Are you
sure you didn't do it on purpose?"
"I didn't
know you were there. How could I?"
"Girls do
interesting things to try to meet me."
"Not this
girl." I lean away, pissed but mostly shocked. "Guys do interesting
things too, like putting their arms around a girl who's only in her bra and not
letting her go. What's your excuse?"
His Adam's apple
bobs deep in his throat. He twirls the golden strand around his pointer finger.
"Do you want the truth?"
"Yes."
"I didn't
want anyone else to see you. I wanted you all to myself, and I wanted to know
what you'd feel like in my arms. I didn't plan it any more than you planned to
strip but you did, and I reacted."
Whoa. My throat
dries with a breath or is it a sigh? I force my mouth closed and try not to
wobble on my suddenly weak legs. Did I hear him correctly or did my brain
derail into fantasy mode? It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts. I blurt
the first idiotic one that pops into my head. "Aren't you engaged?"
ABOUT SERIAL NOVELS
RISKING FOREVER is a serial novel and one of three installments in the Forever Series. The story is continuous and meant to be read in sequential order. The average length of each book is around 200 pages in paperback and can be read in a few hours or less. For this reason, I've heard them referred to as lunchtime reads.
About the Author:
Tara Gallina grew up breathing the salty air in a small town near Clearwater Beach, Florida. The sun and sand were her playground, bathing suits and jean shorts her go-to wear.
After moving to Orlando, FL with her hubs, she left the workforce to enjoy motherhood and rekindled her love of writing. While romance is one of her favorite genres, she writes young and new adult and has a soft spot for retellings.
She has two furry writing companions who often steal her seat when she's working: a mini shih-poo named Bella, and an exotic cat named Tigerlily but who answers to Kitty because the menfolk in the house like it better. Speaking of kitties, she is obsessed with Hello Kitty, has a pink office, thinks everything is better with sparkles, freezes in temperatures below seventy, and is happiest when visiting local hotspots like Disney World or Harry Potter with her family.
Join Tara’s mailing list at https://www.taragallina.com/ and
receive the FREE serial novel Sebastian-Risking Forever: Vol 1 (Sebastian's
POV) The Forever Series.
**WARNING – Sebastian's POV has
spoilers that aren't revealed in RISKING FOREVER Ainsley's POV until mid-novel
of DARING FOREVER. If you don't want to ruin the anticipation built in the
series, wait to read Sebastian's novel until after you've finished RISKING
FOREVER and DARING FOREVER.
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