*Subject to final copy edits*
Recommended for mature readers.


Once upon a time… 
 
Prologue 

Eli Blue 

 Love fucking sucks.  No really, let me repeat myself.  Love. Fucking. Sucks.  I’d lived my entire life believing in fairytales, believing that my Prince Charming would swoop in and rescue me.  Then shitty heartbreak, after shitty heartbreak, knocked me down until I had no choice but to stop believing… 

Until the day I started again. 

Honestly, I never thought it would happen, but all it really took was a simple spark to ignite the smoldering within me, and then it flamed.  Want a glimpse of that day?  Want a small peek at the possibility of happily ever after before I show you the turmoil?  Yea, I figured you did.

***

See that beautiful woman, covered from head to toe in flowing blue silk, peering over the edge of the landing – that’s me.  I’m surrounded by twinkling lights and white flower sprigs that smell bright and romantic. I hated them, hated what they represented, and what I no longer had. 

I looked like a princess on the outside, but felt sad and alone inside.  I was positive no one would see it because they never do.  I’d been blindly navigating through life for a long time, since the day I’d lost the only person that ever truly loved me, when I was too young to know how much he’d be missed.  But of course like love always does, it found its way back to me in the form of a man that pulled at every inch of my body and heart.

He’s down there, just entering through the large doors.  Damn, that body-hugging penguin suit fits him perfectly.  His hair had grown longer than I remembered; the little curls that once teased along his hairline were now full ringlets.  His dark whiskers had turned long and unruly.  My heart ached at the sight of him, ached for what we once had – for the opportunity that we lost.

He looked up, his eyes immediately connecting with mine.  I saw them brighten for just an instant then slowly fade. 

Then he looked away.

A waiter handed me a flute of champagne, I downed it and took two more from the tray.  I didn’t give a shit how inappropriate it might have looked to my colleagues that were here to celebrate my dad—I needed it. In life, people take what they need most; unfortunately, I was just starting to understand this and do some taking for myself.

There was a loud tapping on the microphone that I assumed was to signal the start of the show.  Everyone that was anyone in the music industry had shown up to remember my dad’s music.  He’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month, but tonight was a somewhat lower scale gathering, if you could call an event of this size small. Everyone that knew him or worked with him throughout his career was here.  Musicians fought for the chance to play his songs, or write new music to commemorate his career.  It should be a touching occasion, but I’d been dreading it for weeks, and had practically been forced here against my will.

I took my seat in the front row and waited for the rush of memories that I didn’t want - memories that I’d buried deep were about to be yanked to the surface.  After the first song, the tears were pooling in my eyes; tears of pity for myself.  I decided the only way I was going to survive the night was to turn my emotions off – to just shut down.  It was actually starting to work, too.  Song after song, I smiled when I felt others watching me, and I clapped when everyone else clapped.  But I never heard a single note or melody – the music was lost to me.  Music has the ability to reach deep into your soul, to the places you’d forgotten; where the deepest wounds reside – and I didn’t fucking want that—I wanted to be left alone.

My entire being was numb to my surroundings until a low murmur spread through the crowd drawing my attention.  The lights lowered as one man took the stage.  My eyes grew wide as I saw who it was, and I knew I’d never be able to ignore the rhythm that came from within him that his guitar simply amplified.  Clutched in his hands was my dad’s guitar, the one I’d given him just before it all came crashing down.

He sat on a simple black stool directly in front of me; so close I could have reached out and plucked the strings myself.  But he didn’t look at me; instead he looked over me and to the crowd before finally closing his eyes to play.  His fingers slowly glided over the guitar, sending the vibrations deep into my heart.  It was one of my dad’s songs; only he’d changed it and made it his own.

While the world is still living
All my passion has faded away
My fingers on this guitar to stop feeling the ache
‘Cause she’ll never long for me

I deceived myself
She was gone from the instant I loved her
My heart still calls to her
As I try to find the power to move forward somehow
No, I won’t ever forget us

Her love was blue and made for another
A fairytale I could never measure
Full of prosperity and control
I was meager with no rise in sight

I deceived myself
She was gone from the instant I loved her
My heart still calls to her
As I try to find the power to move forward somehow
No, I won’t ever forget us

Tears of loss falling down as I try to forget
Her love was a ruse from when I first fell
None of her love, all meant for them
Cause of my pain when I think back to then

I remember her smell as it filled me full
The sound of betrayal as it spilled from her lips
Say to myself time and time again
I’ll never need her from now on

I deceived myself
She was gone from the instant I loved her
My heart still calls to her
As I try to find the power to move forward somehow
No, I won’t ever forget us

It was never meant to be
My heart knows that now
I’ve found the will to forget her now
My bequest to you ‘cause I know that’s your will

Tears were streaming down my face—no longer for myself, but for this man that I’d loved and lost – tears for us.  The song ended and he disappeared from the stage.  Before I cleared the wetness from my eyes he was standing in front of me, holding my dad’s guitar out to me.  I stood and moved toward him.  My fingers wrapped around the smooth maple wood of the guitar’s neck, and I could feel the grooves in the frets caused by years of play. 

I had wondered if I’d ever see this man, or this guitar again, and here they were, right in front of me where I could feel their presence reverberating in my soul.

Neither of us spoke.  I smiled; he frowned, and then turned and walked away.

A Blue Tale
Available December 30, 2013



Copyright by Sarah Dosher LLC

This summer and fall have proven to be a very busy time for me. I've attended numerous book signings where I've had the opportunity to meet many of you, and I've released one book while writing another.

Before the Storm was released at the end of August and my first contemporary romance will be released on December 30 - right before the new year. That will make three novels published for me in my first year of writing and I couldn't be more excited!

A Blue Tale is different than my two previous books that are part of the Storms of Life Series. While you will probably notice some similarities, A Blue Tale is a lot more grown up. The characters are older and
therefore the intended audience is older. I've debated on how to get this news out to the masses before the release because I don't want any of my younger fans picking up A Blue Tale and being surprised by its content. So I'm starting right here on my lovely, little blog. :)

I am also going to start back up Teaser Tuesday on my Facebook, Twitter, and website. I hope through the cover, synopsis, teasers, and excerpt my readers will be able to gauge if this is the type of book for them. And if all else fails there is the "sample" feature for ebooks where you will be able to read a certain percentage of the novel before purchasing.

However, I love my characters in A Blue Tale. They are the perfect balance of tough, love struck, and broken. I hope all of you enjoy them as well! :)

So I'll see you back here next week with another teaser! :)

Since the day I ventured into this author-ly world, my main point of contact with YOU has been through my author Facebook page.  Well the times they are a-changin' my friends.

Facebook now "encourages" like pages to pay to promote all of their posts.  You may have heard about this from various other Facebook pages.  Over the past few months I've noticed a steady reduction in the amount of you guys seeing my posts and therefore an obvious decline in the amount of interaction I'm able to have with my readers.

In an effort to try and keep each of you up-to-date I've decided to send a monthly newsletter...HOWEVER, in order for this newsletter to be successful I need YOU...subscribers.  And I promise not to spam you or overload your inbox.

So fill out the form below and you'll be signed up and more in touch with me then you'd ever dream possible. :)

Haven from the Storm will be shipped immediately.  Before the Storm paperbacks have been ordered and will ship once I have received them, no later than September 20th.

You may order one paperback for $15 or both for $25 - both amounts include shipping. (If you order both, they will ship together.)

Just visit the SHOP to place your order today!!!

Before the Storm is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.Haven from the Storm is also available on both.

Last weekend I had the privileged of attending an author event in Denton Texas with some amazing authors.  Look at them, can you see the talent seeping from their pours?!?!

It was a hectic yet perfect weekend and I couldn't have asked for better friends and readers.  Each of you that stopped by to say hello meant so much to me and I thank you for such a special day.

NOW for the pics. :)

TODAY is MY birthday!  YAY me!  Well no, not really.  I have to admit I've reached the age where birthday's just aren't as fun as they once were.  No, this isn't going to be a "woe-is-me-I'm-in-my-30's" post this is a "spread-the-birthday-love" post!

In honor of my birthday Haven from the Storm will be 99 cents for one month on Amazon!  So go grab it if you haven't already.

AND

I'm giving away 32 Kindle copies!  Can you guess how old I am now? ;)

Complete the Rafflecopter below to enter.  Winners will be announced next Friday, the 19th.