Character & Book Spotlight for A New Beginning by Andrea Boyd + Giveaway!!!

What would your reaction be if you found out you were abducted at birth and the woman you have loved and known as mother for the last twenty years wasn’t really your mother? This was the question I asked myself while developing my Rapunzel character for A New Beginning. If you’ve seen Disney’s version of the story, you’ve seen Rapunzel falling into the arms of her long-lost parents, but would it really be that simple?

As with all retellings, I needed to put my own spin on the old story. I remembered an article I read years ago about Kamiyah Mobley, a girl who experienced this very thing. She didn’t find it all that easy to forget about the woman who raised her. Her story influenced mine.

In A New Beginning, Jasmine Callahan was stolen away from her parents at birth and raised as Acacia (Cacie) Martin by her abductor, Emilia Martin. When the truth comes out, Cacie clings to the woman who raised her, rejecting her original family.

When the story makes the news, she’s faced with life in the spotlight, which is a drastic contrast to what she’s used to. To make matters worse, Cacie's hat slips off during the court proceedings revealing twelve feet of hair, earning her the title of 'the modern-day Rapunzel' and bringing even more unwanted notoriety.

Now Emilia is serving time for her crimes and Cacie is warming up to the idea of getting to know her real family. In order to leave the past behind and embrace this new beginning, she'll need to make a few changes—starting with a haircut.

And here’s where the hero, Drake Derian, comes in.

Drake isn’t your typical hero. For one thing, he’s a hairdresser. Lot’s of turning points brought him to where he is today. His mother died when he was five. After her death, he spent life in one foster home after another, adding his own brand of trouble along the way.

Things changed with his last foster mom. Bonita Adams introduced him to Jesus, sent him to college, and gave him a job in her salon. Drake uses his skills on the rich and famous as well as the downtrodden. (Some of my inspiration for this hero came from this video for Some People Do by Old Dominion.)

Life takes another turn for Drake the day Cacie shows up for her first haircut. But the best way to find out about that experience is to read the story for yourself. A New Beginning is part of the Once Upon A Summer collection. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

 ~GIVEAWAY~

Enter to win this fun summer bundle perfect for your relaxing summer reading! Includes a $10 Amazon gift card (snag a copy of Once Upon a Summer if you'd like!), mesh tote bag, tumbler, and cute sunglasses! Open to readers in the US. 

Enter to win at  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/764869f8100/

One winner will be contacted by email in early June.

_______________________________________________________

Thank so much, Andrea, for sharing some of your thought process and giving us a glimpse into Casie and Drake! I really enjoyed all the stories in this collection!!

~ Happy Reading, Y'all ~