BooksChatter: ☀ Barren: Barren [1]

Following our Release Day Party, thank you for joining us on the Virtual Blog Tour for Barren, a New Adult novel by Elizabeth Miceli (6 October 2015, Swoon Romance, 167 pages).

Barren is a devastating and dark account of one girl's plummet to the very bottom of the human experience and the horrific and petrifying road to recovery and self-worth.

Don't miss our interview with author Elizabeth Miceli.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below, as well as our Q&A with author Elizabeth Miceli. Read the Prologue first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Elizabeth Miceli will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card + eBook copy of Barren to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Synopsis

*** PUBLISHER'S ALERT: MATURE CONTENT WARNING ***

This book contains mature content and depiction of a seventeen-year-old girl's rape at the hands of another student. It is a chilling, first-hand fictional account of an incident -- the likes of which occurs across the country at parties just like the one depicted in this story - and one we wanted to feel as raw and as devastating as incidents which occur in real life. We also understand that these scenes may be difficult and uncomfortable for some. We recommend this novel for readers ages sixteen and older.

"I cried, praying for him to finish. I closed my eyes and tried to envision myself somewhere else… somewhere where I was happy. I thought of my family all piled around our tree on Christmas morning. I thought of singing with my band. I thought of Caitlin and me baking cookies and watching movies together. But after just a few seconds of pretending, Mike would hit me or thrust deeper and I would be back in reality. I was being raped. I was all alone. I was the damsel in distress. And there was no one there to save me.""

Seventeen-year-old Stacey Lorenzo’s poor self-esteem has always consumed her. When her significant weight loss leaves her still feeling powerless- and with an eating disorder- she turns to partying to cope. This only makes matters worse because at a party she is raped, which leaves her psyche at an all-time low. Stacey drugs, cuts, and hooks up with countless guys in an attempt to find herself. But if Stacey doesn’t find a way to face her demons and overcome her fears, she might find herself in a hole so dark, even love won’t be able to pull her out.

Recommended for ages 16+. Includes scenes that depict drug use, self-harm, teen sexual situations, and sexual assault.

Teaser: Excerpt

     “I felt its sharpness against my finger … It could definitely do some damage. I could run this thin, rigid object against my white skin, and it would turn red. I could make myself bleed.
      I knelt down on the floor, trying to find a good spot to try it out on. My arm was too open to the public. My stomach was used all too often. My legs though … they were rarely seen and I’d never cut them before. They were the perfect spot.
      I sat in the tile shower and stared down at my flesh. I brought the blade to my skin and pressed down hard, harder until it pierced. I dragged the razor over my skin, making the cut deeper and thicker. The cut ran from about six inches above my kneecap to the top of my thigh.
      As I continued to slice my skin, my mind cleared. My heart stopped beating for just a second … and everything went quiet. My thoughts. My surroundings. I couldn’t even hear the water hitting the tile.
      I stopped thinking about Mike, his fingers that were forever on my skin. I stopped thinking about the way I’d treated Frank, one of the only sweet guys who had ever taken me out on a date. I stopped thinking about the fact that I had to stick my fingers down my throat to confront my problems. Everything paused. For about ten seconds it was just me, the blade, and the blood flowing down the tile to the drain.”

Barren - available NOW!

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US:

About the Author

Elizabeth hails from the smallest state with the biggest heart. She started off at The University of Akron and then transferred to the University of Rhode Island. She is a double major in both Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies. Although she loves writing- she also has a passion for helping others which is why she is studying to become a sex therapist/couples counselor.

Elizabeth loves spending time with her family and friends, singing, eating everything Italian, and baking cookies. She is “in love with love” which is probably why the driving force in almost everything she writes is romance. When she’s not getting lost in her characters she can be found waiting for her prince charming in her North Kingstown, Rhode Island home.

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