Sharon wrote: A Post-Valentine's Look at Love in Between the Notes + Goodreads Giveaway!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, ~~and I completely missed it because oops~~ but love is worth celebrating all year 'round, right? So I scoured my novel for the mushiest love quotes and realized ~~I forgot to write any~~ the best examples of love and affection are not always of the romantic variety. Of course, being a romance at its core, Between the Notes has plenty of ~~awkward~~ swoony and ~~mortifying~~ tingly moments. But it also has ~~tense~~ tender exchanges between friends and family. Plus, Ivy's ~~terrifying stage fright~~ passion for her music is a love story in itself.

So, without ~~embarrassing myself~~ further ado, I present some of my favorite bits of love in Between the Notes... from the swoony to the friendly, and everything in between. And ~~you better~~ don't forget to ENTER THE GOODREADS GIVEAWAY ~~or else.~~

The Swoony

"…he put one hand on the doorknob

and the other on the small of my back.

It was a simple gesture, but it melted me.

He looked into my eyes, opened the door,

and poured me into the room."

The Awkward

"He took a step back and looked at his feet,

like maybe he was trying to give me a moment

to collect myself. But I was pretty much uncollectible

at this point, so I just stood there staring at him,

all sweaty and panting like a dog."

The Brotherly

"He gave me one of his signature kisses—

a press of wet lips to my cheek,

followed by a smacking sound.

He hadn’t quite coordinated the two yet.

I kissed him back, extra hard."

The Motherly

"She gathered me in her arms.

Everything hurt when she touched me,

but I didn’t want her to let go.

I just wanted to cry on my mother’s shoulder

and let her take care of me.

And she did."

The Musical

"I took pride in being able to find music

in nearly every sound. The rustle of leaves, a squeaky swing

swaying in the breeze, the slamming of lockers…

laughter, footsteps, sighs, even sneezes.

Finding my own voice was sometimes hard,

but I could always hear the music around me."

The BFFs

"I used to sit at my window, surrounded by soft pillows,

talking to Reesa on my cell phone. She’d walk over to my house

with her phone to her ear and I’d wave to her as she crossed the yard.

We’d keep talking until she as in the house and up the stairs

and sitting next to me and we’d say bye and hi without skipping a beat."

~~Do you realize how long it took me~~ See how much fun I had making the colors of those quotes match the cover of my book? I did that for you ~~so you better go enter my giveaway now~~ because I love you. Seriously... please enter the giveaway! ~~I will cry if you don't~~ I can't wait to sign and personalize a hardcover copy of Between the Notes for the winner! OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.