Head Above Water by Amber Garza
Publication date: February 28th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis
Sometimes all you need is someone to hold you up.
Harper Elliott knows what it feels like to drown. To be unable to breath,
to feel the crushing weight of your lungs collapsing while waves crash over your
head and the surface is just out of reach. The ocean has stolen way too much
from her and her family. Even though she lives just miles from the beach she
rarely ever steps foot on it, and never goes in the water.
Until she meets Tag Williams, the sexy lifeguard with the funny name, kind
smile, genuine eyes and smoking hot body. He makes Harper want to do more than
just stick her toes in to test the waters. He makes her want to jump in with
both feet.
But if she does, can she trust Tag to keep her head above water?
AUTHOR BIO
Amber Garza lives in California with her amazing husband and two hilarious
children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.
Links
How HEAD ABOVE WATER was born…
I’m often asked how I come up with the ideas for my stories, and I never
quite know how to answer that. Stories and characters come to me a lot of
different ways. Sometimes characters just pop into my head with personalities
and pasts all intact. Then it’s just a matter of coming up with a plot that will
work for that unique individual. Other times a show I’m watching or book I’m
reading will spur on an idea. Or a life experience of mine will fuel a
storyline. Oftentimes, though, it’s a combination of a lot of these things
which form into one idea.
However, this book was different. I know the exact moment I came up with
the storyline for this book. It was last summer and I had brought my kids to
the gym. My daughter was swimming, my son was in the basketball court playing a
basketball game, and I was laying out by the pool reading a book. I looked up
from the pages to check on my daughter and my gaze landed on a teenage couple
in the water. The guy was teaching the girl to swim. I was mesmerized. He was
so kind and tender with her as he held her in the water. I found myself
wondering about them. What was their story? Why didn’t she know how to swim?
What was their relationship like?
And just like that HEAD ABOVE WATER took shape in my mind. I wanted to
write a story about a love like that. About a boy who would teach his
girlfriend to swim with encouragement and gentleness. The couple in the book
looks nothing like the couple at the gym, and I never did find out their story,
so any similarities would just be coincidences. But that couple definitely inspired
me.
With the basics of the story in my mind I set out to come up with
characters and Tag and Harper came very easily. Their back stories, secrets and
tainted pasts took time. In fact, I didn’t learn of Tag’s until halfway through
the rough draft, but that is typical for me.
The idea for this book has been brewing since last summer, and it’s amazing
to finally see it come to life.
Blitz-wide giveaway
Prizes (US/CAN only) - all to 1 winner:
A signed paperback, a $25 amazon card and a coconut bath and body lotion.
Head Above Water
Playlist:
Float – The Neighbourhood
Lucky – Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Talking to the Moon – Bruno Mars
The One That Got Away – Civil Wars
I Am Mountain - Gungor
Sweater Weather – The Neighbourhood
Dust to Dust – Civil Wars
From This Valley – Civil Wars
I’m Yours –Jason Mraz
Eavesdrop – Civil Wars
What a beautiful premise! Sounds great, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteEsty Boarding with Books