Use Somebody by Riley Jean
“I could see it in his
eyes—he wanted to be the prince who rode up on his horse and saved the
day. But I was no princess, and my Prince Charming had come and gone. I
couldn’t survive losing another to dragon’s fire. Or to my own poisonous
touch.”
Reeling from a traumatic and heart-shattering loss, Scarlett Rossi escapes back to her hometown, a place that never changes, though nothing about her is the same. The new Scar is fierce. Untouchable. Resolved to bury the twisted nightmares of that horrible night… the night when everything was stolen from her… the night that divided her life into two: before him, and after.
When do-gooder Vance Holloway makes it his personal mission to cheer up the new girl at work, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Scarlett’s tough shell doesn’t fool him. He knows deep down, that sweet, innocent smile still exists, and he’ll stop at nothing to prove it. Patience, persistence, and a little ice cream pay off. Slowly they become friends. Then best friends. Then more. Only one problem: he was never supposed to fall in love.
So begins an explosive tryst of pull and resistance, between one worthy white knight, and the damsel who doesn’t want to be saved. Scarlett won’t survive another heartbreak, but can their friendship survive a compromise?
If Vance is so determined to break down these walls, he’ll have to learn—just as she did—that when it comes to things like trust and love, there are always consequences.
Because the last man that she loved swore to protect her, then paid with his life. And took with him a piece of her soul.
Now Scarlett must decide if true strength means guarding her heart, or surrendering to it once more. One final secret remains: what really happened the night she swore she’d never love another man, and whose hands are stained with his blood?
A powerful journey of romance, mystery, and redemption. This is a standalone and full-length novel.
Reeling from a traumatic and heart-shattering loss, Scarlett Rossi escapes back to her hometown, a place that never changes, though nothing about her is the same. The new Scar is fierce. Untouchable. Resolved to bury the twisted nightmares of that horrible night… the night when everything was stolen from her… the night that divided her life into two: before him, and after.
When do-gooder Vance Holloway makes it his personal mission to cheer up the new girl at work, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Scarlett’s tough shell doesn’t fool him. He knows deep down, that sweet, innocent smile still exists, and he’ll stop at nothing to prove it. Patience, persistence, and a little ice cream pay off. Slowly they become friends. Then best friends. Then more. Only one problem: he was never supposed to fall in love.
So begins an explosive tryst of pull and resistance, between one worthy white knight, and the damsel who doesn’t want to be saved. Scarlett won’t survive another heartbreak, but can their friendship survive a compromise?
If Vance is so determined to break down these walls, he’ll have to learn—just as she did—that when it comes to things like trust and love, there are always consequences.
Because the last man that she loved swore to protect her, then paid with his life. And took with him a piece of her soul.
Now Scarlett must decide if true strength means guarding her heart, or surrendering to it once more. One final secret remains: what really happened the night she swore she’d never love another man, and whose hands are stained with his blood?
A powerful journey of romance, mystery, and redemption. This is a standalone and full-length novel.
Chatting with Riley Jean
What
inspired you to write “Use Somebody”?
It’s funny,
I never actually intended to write a book.
Picture
this: 2011, the year I graduated college, started a new job, moved out and got
married. Four huge changes all at once! But they were good changes. Fantastic
changes. After years of full-time work, full-time school, and full-time wedding
planning, this was the year it all paid off.
Enter 2012.
Life was settling down. Suddenly, I had a buttload of free time on my hands. So
what did I do? I started journaling. And since I loved romance novels so much, and
was smitten with newlyweddedness, I started with my own love story.
I wrote down
everything I could remember about the goofball I met in an ice cream shop, when
I was stubborn and jaded, and he was determined to befriend me anyway. I wrote
about how he became my very best friend at a time in my life when I had no one.
I wrote about how when his feelings changed, he was patient with me, but
persistent, and how he taught me to say what I was feeling and open up my heart
again. I looked up old emails and texts, and recalled early conversations to
get it as accurate as possible.
Just in case
one day I pulled a “Notebook” and forgot all the beautiful details of how we
fell in love.
So I guess I
began where most writers begin: real life inspiration.
Here’s a fun
fact! The original title of the document? “Ice Cream and Olive Juice.” (Seriously
though, feel free to laugh, that title’s freaking ridiculous.)
Anyway, for
two years, I journaled our memories. But they were just random chunks, it
didn’t resemble a story. That’s around the time my husband snuck a peek and
encouraged me to do something with it.
So I created
a timeline. I connected the dots. I added characters and back stories. I made a
cover.
Fast forward
to 2015: I clicked “Publish.” And it felt like I just publicized my own diary.
At this
point, there’s been so much fiction and drama woven in, I definitely wouldn’t consider
it a true story. But if it feels real, that’s because the love is real. And
yes, guys like Vance Holloway do exist!
How
long have you been writing?
It all
started back in fourth grade when I penned my very first story, “Attack of the
Emu Potatoes.” Writing has been my destiny ever since.
In high
school, after experiencing my first heartbreak, I began journaling and writing
poetry as an outlet, and continued to do so throughout college. I learned so
much those years, about life and people and myself, and those lessons have
stayed with me.
Here’s
another fun fact! All the journal entries and poems featured in “Use Somebody”
came straight from my personal journal. Another reason why this story is so
close to my heart.
Although
technically I started writing this book back in 2012, the story itself was ten
years in the making.
What
book inspired you to begin writing?
I’m not sure
it was any one book. When I started writing, I was an avid reader. I read about
150 books a year. There are so many great ones out there, more and more every
month. New Adult Romance was my favorite. After a while, I started to notice a
pattern.
For
instance, where the heroine has “walls” but they crumble the first time a
handsome fella smiles at her. Or the cocky/manwhore hero, whose obsessive behavior
becomes borderline stalkerish. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite books
follow this description, and the drama can be delicious! But eventually I
wanted to read something different. Something where a young girl can read it
and say, “that’s the kind of guy I want.” So that’s what I wrote.
I wanted to
depict a real relationship, slow-burning and heartfelt. I wanted traits like dependability,
humor, and respect to be considered sexy. I wanted characters that you can
actually feel grow up from young
adults to adults, as they make mistakes and figure it all out. I wanted to
tackle tough issues, like demons, self-destruction and grief, to show what it truly
looks like to be broken, and what it takes to heal.
I didn’t
want to write a light story. I wanted to write a story that impacts the reader,
makes her feel something, makes her question everything.
I also
wanted to write that part, where her
jaw drops and she screams, “WTF?!?!?!”
;)
Who
is your favorite author(s)?
Colleen
Hoover, hands down. Yes I’m a Cohort and proud. I’ve read every book she has
written (except “Never Never,” I’m waiting until book 3 is out because I can’t
do cliffhangers!) and I’ve loved them all. Her characters are dynamic, her
romances make you feel the feels, and her plots are always unique and
intriguing. Still, she is such a down to earth and humble person. What an
inspiration.
If
you had to choose a fictional character from one of your books to have lunch
with, who would it be and why?
I’m going to
pick one of the minor characters and say Phoenix. Why? Well, because he’s
awesome! He’s a free spirit and he lives every day to the fullest. He’s friendly
and fun-loving, like a shot of positive energy. You can’t be around him and not
smile. That’s why he’s always been my favorite <3 span="">
What
has been your biggest accomplishment since publishing?
This may
sound elementary (I still consider myself a newbie author). I truly feel that
my biggest accomplishments were finishing the book, and actually getting people
to read it.
Jamie
McGuire gave some great advice to aspiring authors, which was “you need to
finish your book.” So simple, but so true! Take that idea in your head and
write it down. Polish it. Finish it.
The feeling of clicking that “Publish” button, or better yet, holding your very
own paperback in your hands, makes it all official. It’s the greatest sense of
accomplishment.
Secondly,
getting people to read it. Now more than ever, readers have so many choices out
there. At this very moment, there are 315,165 romance books available on kindle,
and that number grows every day. Needless to say, it’s tough for little indie
authors like me to stand out. Time is valuable and precious. I am humbled every
single time a reader allows me to share my story with them. If I touch one
person, then I can safely say it was all worth it.
Do
you have anything else in the works apart from your book/series?
There’s a
lot going on at the moment! Other than writing, I currently have a new cover
for “Use Somebody,” a blog tour, a sale, and plenty of giveaways coming up!
It’s all happening this fall so stay tuned!
About the Author:
Connect with Riley Jean:
