Before He Was Famous
by Becky Wicks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Falling
in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s
Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When
21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a
lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive
blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened
four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a
jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible
that that night still haunts them both?
The
music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records.
It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no
stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for
starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these
so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means
making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain
on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this
world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without
each other?
A
story of lifelong friendships, love and hope, set in a world of celebrity, fame
and social media gone very, very wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS
Chloe. Chapter 22.
I see the scar on his right shoulder from where he fell off
Jack's homemade sled one winter and tumbled roly-poly style right into a rock.
It's a thin, shiny white line. I resist the urge to touch it. He's undoing me,
again, lying here beside me in a literal bed we made ages ago but have since
refused to lie in. How does he do this?
'I guess she knows it, even if you don't,' he whispers.
'I do,' I say, and inside I'm screaming. We're not doing
this; we're not. This is dangerous. But he climbed in next to me and now it's
the strongest, aching urge to keep him here, to have him holding me again and
to never let me go. The guilt surges through me, along with the fear. 'So, she
broke up with you?' I manage.
'I guess so,' he replies, scanning my cuts with his eyes.
'She really liked you, Noah,'
'Yeah, well, maybe I'm just an asshole.'
I realize my hand is still in his hair and I retract it
quickly. He grabs it, holds it against him. You're not an asshole I'm thinking,
but for some reason I can't say it. It would be like admitting something else;
like the fact that he's an asshole to every girl who likes him, but never to
me. And then I'd have to really think about why that is and that's not
something I'll ever be comfortable with at all, even though his eyes are like
maps and his words are like anchors and his songs are like personal messages
and I love all that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Becky Wicks is a HarperCollins author
going indie! Itchy feet has led her to live and work all over the world since
leaving England at age 21,
including NYC, Sydney, Bali, South America and Dubai. Right now she’s
scribbling the second book in the HotFlush series in Vietnam,
and will soon be in Vancouver
if any hot Canadian men want to make her a cup of tea?
Becky has also written three funny travel
books about her time in Dubai, Bali and South America (HarperCollins). Her first book,
Burqalicious - The Dubai Diaries, her second book, Balilicious - The Bali
Diaries and her third, Latinalicious -The South America Diaries are out now as
ebooks.
Becky has also written a comedy romance
with author Sarah Alderson under the name Lola Salt, called The Extraordinary
Life of Lara Craft (not Croft) which should raise a giggle or two... think
Bridget Jones if Jackie Collins had written it!
LINKS
Twitter: bex_wicks
CHARACTER INTERVIEW WITH NOAH LOCKTON
So Noah, tell us, you’re going through some crazy times, but when and
where were you the happiest you’ve ever been?
Honestly, I think most
people would probably want me to say when I won Show Us What U’ve Got, but I don’t
remember anything about that except my heart beating so hard I thought I was
gonna die on that stage! I think the happiest I’ve ever been was when me and
Chloe and a bunch of others took this camping trip to the mountains and we
wrote songs and told ghost stories and just shut ourselves off from the world
for two days. Those times are important – we spend way too long glued to
technology, don’t you think?
What is your biggest fear?
I’m most afraid of not
living. Not of dying, so to speak, just of not doing all the stuff I want and
need to do with my life, you know? I want to travel, I want to see places. I
guess I’m also scared of spiders, but don’t tell Chloe that. She makes me pick
them up and put them outside and I pretend I don’t mind cause I’m a guy, but I
hate it!
What’s your greatest extravagance since you became famous?
I sent my family to the Maldives for a vacation after Jack’s accident,
oh and I flew Chloe and I to Bali ‘cause I
wanted to get away where I knew no one would take photos or follow us. I’m
buying an apartment soon in Manhattan,
but only ‘cause it’s my base right now. I don’t buy crazy stuff, really. Jack
thinks I should buy some cars and a yacht but really, I would never use them. I
bought a few new guitars though!
What is your greatest regret?
Not telling Chloe how
much she means to me sooner. I don’t want to be all gushy and lame, and I hate
to have regrets, but honestly if you love someone you should tell them, really.
You never know when it’s gonna be too late. I learnt my lesson though, I tell
everyone what they mean to me now and I’ll stick by my friends and family, no
matter what. My line of work can be so shallow – I really value meaningful
connections in my life.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I’d like to be able to
cook - I don’t have time. Chloe and
Alyssa can both cook pretty good, and you can’t beat my mom’s lasagna. Most of
the time I order salads from delis and hotel room service – I get mobbed if I
go to restaurants on my own.
Where would you like to live?
Eventually, when all this
fades, which let’s face it, it might, me and Chloe are gonna do a huge trip and
decide where we’re gonna raise a family. I kind of love the ocean, but Chloe
loves the mountains. There must be someplace with both that we can fall in love
with together.
So you’re planning to marry Chloe?
Ha! Well, that could be a
way off, but I don’t see myself with anyone else.
Can you tell us what Courtney Lentini is up to? Are you still in touch?
Not really. I think she
moved to Europe for a while with some guy when
her last album flopped. We Tweet occasionally but she has her life and I have
mine and we’re both with other people.
What quality you most admire in a woman?
Confidence. I love a
woman who’s ambitious, who knows what she wants and goes for it. There’s
nothing hotter than a chick with a dream who’d rather die than let anyone tell
her she couldn’t do something. I also like long hair on girls. And brunettes. Is
that a quality? I guess it’s not!
What do you most value about your friends?
Honesty. My brother Jack
is my closest friend and I love that he’s kind of my reality check, you know?
If things get too crazy and if he sees I have the slightest chance of getting
my head stuck up my ass he pulls me up on that pretty quick. Keeping my feet on
the ground is important! I also love people with a sense of humor. Alyssa is
probably the funniest girl I know – she’s not afraid to tell it like it is and
again, that’s honesty. I respect that.
Are
there any words or phrases that you think you overuse?
I use ‘bloody
hell’ and ‘mate’ a lot now, but that’s Denzel’s fault. He’s British (Denzel is my
manager) and we’ve all picked up a little from his vocabulary. Sometimes it’s
like he’s talking in riddles.
And finally, what is the most private thing
you’re willing to admit about you and Chloe?
I’m not answering
that.
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