I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Final List of Winners

Posted on May 4, 2014 by SloanParker

I SWEAR TO YOU by Sloan Parker:
He’s not going to run from his best friend this time. He swears.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the blog to check out the release party posts and enter the giveaway, and for the kind words with your entries. Nothing means more to me than hearing from readers who’ve enjoyed my work. Thank you!

Here are today’s bonus winners (1 bonus winner per every 20 entries). There were a total of 89 entries. Since that’s close to the 100 mark, I’ve selected five extra winners for the week. Each have won a $10 e-gift card from All Romance eBooks and will be receiving an e-mail shortly.

Aimee A.
JenCW
Jen B.
alica
eb o.

And here is a recap of the daily winners:

Edith W.
ginawa253
Christie M.
Antonia A.
Kelsey O.
Janette D.
Mandy

Thanks again to everyone for taking part in my release party. I had such fun sharing all the pictures and tidbits about writing I SWEAR TO YOU.

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Some of Sloan’s Favorite Quotes From the Book

Posted on May 4, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is:
Edith W. Congratulations!

Here are some of my favorite lines from I SWEAR TO YOU:

Quote 1:
There was just something about Mateo, something about watching him pleasure himself that got Grady hot and bothered. It fed a primal instinct in him that no amount of fucking girls had done for him.

Quote 2:
Grady seized him by the arm and spun him around. “Teo, it doesn’t have to mean anything. So we like jerking off together? It doesn’t mean we’re— It doesn’t mean anything.”
Mateo snorted out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “It means everything.”

Quote 3:
He took Grady’s silence as the affirmation it was. He threw his arms up in the air. “How in the hell did I get all the brains in this family? What kind of asshole tells his parents he’s gay, announces it on Facebook for everyone to see, and he doesn’t even know if he likes to suck dick?”

Quote 4:
“Did you know about yourself right away after we… After we were here last time?”
Mateo took a swig of the beer as if he had to think before speaking, or work up the courage to share something so personal. “There was no going back for me after that weekend.”

Quote 5:
“I’ve missed you too, Teo. More than I can say.” Only he was saying. He’d been trying to say everything that he could think of, more than he’d ever thought he would express to anyone.
They both moved at the same time and met halfway. This kiss was less about passion and more about saying what words weren’t enough for.

Quote 6:
They didn’t speak. Grady let his lips and hands say all he could to him, and Mateo seemed to be doing the same.
Grady wanted to believe he was reading the unspoken words correctly. That Mateo had forgiven him, that this was just the beginning.

Quote 7:
Eventually they stilled, Mateo’s head on Grady’s chest as he said, “No one’s touched me like that in a long time.” He shook his head. “No one’s ever touched me like that.”

Quote 8:
He gave him a long look. It was loyalty and devotion and maybe something more all rolled into one. “I had to make sure that if you ever figured things out and wanted to try again, I could be with you and not put you in danger.”

Quote 9:
Mateo faced the water once more. “Can we stay here for a little while longer?”
“Sure. However long you want.”
Without looking Grady’s way, he asked, “How about forever?” Then he turned to him again, and for the first time since they’d gotten to the lake, those dark eyes had a peaceful serenity to them. “Does forever work for you?”

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: The Beauty in a Setting

Posted on May 3, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is:
ginawa253. Congratulations!

This is a gorgeous video capturing the sights and sounds of the river not far from where I live. Even though I SWEAR TO YOU takes place on a lake, much of this video reminds me of where Mateo and Grady grew up and where they fell for each other.

If you don’t see the embedded video above, you can watch it here: The Maumee River

Remember, if you haven’t done so yet, enter my release party giveaway for a chance at one of this week’s giveaways of a $10 e-gift card to All Romance eBooks. If you’ve already entered, you’ll be included in all of this week’s giveaways until you win a prize or the party ends. You only need to enter once. Good luck!

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Mateo and Grady’s Song & More Behind-the-Story Info

Posted on May 2, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is: Christie M. Congratulations!

BEHIND THE BOOK: THE PREMISE

Over at the Loose Id blog, I’m sharing about coming up with the basic premise for I SWEAR TO YOU.

GRADY AND MATEO’S SONG

I don’t have a full playlist for this story, but here is the best song I came across for Grady and Mateo. Some of these lyrics are just about perfect for them.

If you don’t see the embedded video above, you can watch it here: “Arms” by Christina Perri on YouTube

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Behind-the-Story Tidbits

Posted on April 30, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is:
Kelsey O. Congratulations!

I SWEAR TO YOU is now available at Amazon!

Here are some behind-the-story tidbits from my writing of Grady and Mateo’s story:

In the original premise I pitched to my publisher, Mateo and Grady’s roles were reversed. As the story unfolded, it became clear Mateo should be the one who had no one in his life after he thought he’d lost Grady, and Grady should be the more reluctant one when it came to the two of them first being together.
In an early draft, the first kiss between Mateo and Grady happened at a frat party in a bedroom upstairs. I wanted them to stop thinking and give into everything they were feeling, ultimately having sex in that bedroom at the frat house. But as I started working on that scene, I decided I wanted them to be at the lake and to not go “all the way.” That one decision was the moment everything started to fall in place for this story.
Much of this story’s first draft was written by hand in restaurants and a local coffee shop.
I Swear to You was probably one of the most linear stories I’ve ever written, meaning I started at the beginning and basically worked my way toward the end. I did have outline notes for some of the later chapters, but I wasn’t quite sure what the final scene would look like until I got farther into the story. Usually I know how each story ends very early on in the process, sometimes going so far as to write the ending before 3/4 of the book is drafted.
I had several ideas in mind for what Mateo had witnessed in his past, and until I wrote the scene in the bathroom where he tells Grady the truth, I wasn’t certain which version I was going to use.