BLOG TOUR & GUEST POST - A Prior Engagement By S.L. Scott

In a world built on pretenses, Everleigh Wright finds out just how carefully planned and plotted her Upper East Side life has been. Trapped in an engagement that was arranged for financial gain, she realizes things aren’t how she once thought.

William Ryder leads a life rich in family support and has endless determination. Over college courses and coffee, he becomes enamored with a classic beauty with a lot of secrets. Intrigued by her quiet propriety and quirk for ink, William falls for her, and she falls for him and his unfaltering optimism.

She was trapped in his world, wanting and hoping to stay there, to live inside their bubble forever.

Breaking free from the confines of her privileged life will cost her everything, and the star-crossed couple will discover if they are destined to be together or fated to be apart.

“Right here, right now is all that matters.”

A Prior Engagement is a story I’ve been living with for over four and a half years. I’m so excited to see it published after all of this time. I truly love this story and these characters have lived inside my heart for what seems like forever now. I was inspired to write something different than I had after reading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time. I loved and savored every word. Each word felt like Jane Austen had mulled it over for days and chose each one so precisely to make the sentence perfect. I wanted to write like that, with purpose and control.
Back in 2009, I had already written three novels before I started this one and the others were all written in first person. I like challenging myself and decided to write the next book in third person. This was new to me, and the idea I had was reminiscent of another time, much like Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet – with a star-crossed lovers feel to it. But I also wanted this novel to be about something bigger than the characters. It would address obstacles from their worlds that could keep them apart instead of their own acts standing in their way. The question I posed to myself while developing the storyline was: Could two people from such different worlds, with different expectations placed on them, make a life together if given the chance?
William and Everleigh were great to work with. Their story flowed, but I sometimes struggled with the words that best expressed their situation. That’s when I focused back on purposeful writing – writing with thought and care for every word I chose to use. This is quite a long book by publishing standards, but I also wanted this story to capture a certain tone and longing that would be present even when the characters weren’t together, so I didn’t limit myself.
This book has been through many incarnations to get to the final version I have now. I loved every minute I’ve spent developing and sharing these characters and will never regret the time and efforts that went into A Prior Engagement.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog and I hope you enjoy William and Everleigh’s journey.

XO,
S.L.

They kissed, reacquainting themselves in a gentle way. After a while, he leaned over, moving more on top of her. His hand dragged her shirt up and his fingertips traced over her stomach. He knew he wanted to take things slow and appreciate her entire body, but he wanted her so much that he struggled to find a balance between respectful and pleasing for them both. He slid his finger down the outside of one thigh before sliding up the inside of her other, touching her smooth skin. Her breath caught as she succumbed to her own feelings and to pleasure for the first time in years.

S.L. Scott is a former high-tech account manager with a journalism degree pursuing her passion for telling stories. She spends her days escaping into her characters and letting them lead her on their adventures.

Travelling, music festivals, and surfing are a few of her hobbies she loves, but she doesn’t get to enjoy on a regular basis. She has an obsession with movies, a varied taste in books, and collects Fitz & Floyd teapots. With a memory full of useless trivia facts, and a Keurig addiction, she loves a fun night in with her family as much as a loud night out with her friends.
Scott lives in the beautiful Texas hill country of Austin with her husband, two young sons, two Papillons, and her vivid imagination.
She welcomes your notes at sl@slscottauthor.com.

Find S.L. Scott:
Like S.L. Scott on Facebook
Follow S.L. Scott on Twitter @slscottauthor
Become a fan of S.L. Scott on Goodreads
Website: www.slscottauthor.com
Huffington Post/Blogger: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sl-scott/

a Rafflecopter giveaway