Today we have a special guest on the blog: S.B. Alexander, the author of Dare to Kiss. Ms Alexander is going to tell us all about the inspiration behind her story! Enjoy!
Baseball has always been a sport I’ve loved. As a little girl my nighttime prayers consisted of two things. I prayed for a better life, and I prayed that when I woke up in the morning I’d be a boy and not a girl. Sure, it was a crazy prayer or wish, but I hated when the boys in my neighborhood told me I couldn’t play baseball or any sport for that matter. “Go play with your dolls,” they had said. I didn’t want to play with dolls or dress up pretty. Nope, I wanted holey jeans, a T-shirt, a bat, a glove and a baseball. I wanted to get dirty, run around bases, hit a ball, and play the game.
Needless to say, I didn’t get what I wanted, and by golly I fought hard to show the boys I could play. I was good. But growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, society didn’t accept girls to play on little league teams with boys no matter how good they were. Instead, if I wanted to play the game I had to play softball. Now, there’s nothing wrong with softball. My problem—I couldn’t understand why girls weren’t allowed to do what boys did.
So, I did end up playing softball. In fact, when I was twelve-years-old I was asked by a coach of the city league to play on their women’s team. Since then I played softball throughout most of my adult life. I even played for the navy team when I was in the military. On top of that I followed the game of baseball by going to stadiums, collecting baseball cards, coaching, and even using the game and how it relates to math when I taught high school.
For me though, that wasn’t enough. If I couldn’t play I was going to write a story about who girl who did. Yep, I was going to show those boys in my neighborhood.
My first attempt at the story had been twenty years ago. I was sitting in a small town in the mountains of Greece where I opened a blank notebook and began writing. The plot—a high school girl who breaks through the barriers of an all-male game. But I didn’t get far. I came back to the states, started a new job and shoved the story in a safe place. It wasn’t until last October when I decided to dust off that notebook, and finally finish my story. Hence, Dare to Kiss was born. The plot changed, but it still revolves around a girl who plays baseball.
The protagonist, Lacey Robinson is a girl, who is a lot like myself. She loves the energy of the ball field. She loves hearing the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. She loves striking a batter out, but most of all she loves the game, and no matter the consequences, and she’s faced with a lot, she pushes through her demons to play the game.
In today’s society it isn’t far off that we could see females in the major leagues one day. More girls are stepping up and showing their talent and skills. Case in point would be the seventeen-year-old Chelsea Baker who was the youngest female to ever throw at batting practice for the Tampa Bay Rays back in June of this year, and the first female of Hillsborough County in Florida to make the varsity team. Then there is the incredible Mo’Ne Davis, who at thirteen-years-old has a seventy miler per hour fastball and pitched in the Little League World Series in August.
About the book:
Besides her family, Lacey Robinson’s only other love is baseball. She’s on top of the world when Arizona State University approaches her to discuss a scholarship. To be the first girl ever to grace a college boys’ team is beyond what she has ever dreamed.
Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she looses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.
After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.
Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.
To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.
Book trailer:
Her fastball is impeccable, her curveball equally as good, and her slider annihilates anyone who dares to step in the batter’s box. But fate has its own way of throwing curveballs. When she looses her mother and sister to a home invasion, baseball and her dreams die with them. Tragedy has a way of seeping deep into her psyche, causing nightmares, panic attacks and blackouts. Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, her psychiatrist recommends a change of scenery and picking up the things that she loved to do, and for Lacey that is baseball.
After a move clear across the country, only two things matter to Lacey—overcome her PTSD and make Kensington High’s baseball team. But trying out for the team comes with obstacles—the captain, Aaron Seever, doesn’t want a girl on the team.
Her life is further complicated when she meets Kade Maxwell, a tall, sexy and drool-worthy bad boy who has a magical touch that awakens her feminine side and a kiss that slowly erases her nightmares. But getting involved with him may be dangerous when Kade’s archenemy returns to town to settle a vendetta.
To complicate matters, her PTSD has taken a turn for the worse. She has to find a way to heal otherwise she may not have a chance at anything in life, especially love.
Book trailer:
About author:
Her young adult series, Vampire SEALS, includes two books, On the Edge of Humanity, and On the Edge of Eternity, which have garnered high praise from readers.
Dare to Kiss is the first book in her new adult series.
Links:
Have a great day everyone!
Happy reading,
Valia
