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THE HURRICANE by R.J. Prescott
Emily
McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician,
she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends
meet long enough to finish her degree. Through an
unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em
is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever
met. 


Cormac “the
Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with
no safety and everyone is waiting for the misfire. He’s never been knocked out
before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met,
she doesn’t want anything from him. Just being around her makes him want to be a
better person. They are polar opposites who were
never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the
fight.
Excerpt 
He
grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stop facing him. He moved in so close that
our noses were almost touching.
“Tell
me you can feel this. I need to know I’m not the only one,” he spoke gently.
“I
feel it,” I whispered, staring at the ground. “But I’m not doing anything about
it. Everything that you make me feel is completely overwhelming, and I can’t
give you what you need, not even close. I don’t want to talk about why I am
this way, but just offering you friendship is a big deal for me right now.”
I
finished my rant feeling more desperate than ever. This big, strong, beautiful,
terrifying man had feelings for me, but seriously how long would they last? I
was getting better, but I was afraid of my own shadow most of the time. I was
small, weak, and lacked any self-confidence. O’Connell was dangerous,
addictive, and so sexy that I was consumed by lust every time we were in the
same room together. He used his body like a weapon and the danger attracted
women like a magnet. With that many women, all vying for his attention, what
little charm I held for him would fade like mist in the morning sun. If I let
him in, he had the power to break what little of me was left whole when I
couldn’t keep him.
Reaching
out one giant, scarred and calloused hand, he tucked a wayward curl behind my
ear. He lifted my chin with his knuckle forcing me to meet his gentle gaze. He
looked so happy and intense right now that I could feel my eyes welling up. I
never thought that anyone would ever look at me like that.
“I
know I’m scary and loud. I’m fucked up, and I’m gonna fuck up with you a lot
because I’ve never done this before. I don’t date girls, I fuck them and walk
away because that’s what they expect. It’s all they think I’m good for. I’m not
smart like you, and I know I don’t deserve you. Right now, I’m dirt poor, but
one day, I’m not gonna be. I will fight to make something better of myself, to
be someone better. Someone you can be proud of. If you need time, then I’ll
give you time. If you need friendship, then I’ll give you friendship. But
you’re mine, and when the time is right, when you’re ready, I’m coming for
you.”
I
nodded, so close to tears I knew that if I tried to speak, I’d completely break
down. I swallowed hard, and the tears fell anyway. O’Connell wiped them away
with his thumb and gently pressed his big firm lips to mine. Just like that, my
fears were forgotten. The kiss was gentle, but fireworks exploded all over my
body. It was like he had invigorated every cell with life. The touch of his
lips wasn’t enough to satisfy, only to feed my addiction. I knew in my head
that I wasn’t ready for a relationship, but my body wanted to drown in the
revelation that it could feel something other than cold, hunger, and pain. It
was a kiss both chaste and pure and everything I hoped that my first kiss would
be, because everything I gave to him, I gave freely. Slightly out of breath,
our lips parted, and he rested his forehead back against mine.
“I’m
gonna give you the fuckin world, baby,” he whispered against my lips.
He
kissed me again quickly and grinning like a kid, threaded his fingers through
mine.
“You
know friends don’t hold hands,” I whispered, knowing that there was no way that
I was letting go first.
“Huh,”
he grunted. “Me and Kier hold hands all the time.”

About
the author:
R.J.
Prescott was born in Cardiff, South Wales and studied law at the University of
Bristol, England. Four weeks before graduation she fell in love, and stayed. Ten
years later she convinced her crazy, wonderful fire fighter husband to move back
to Cardiff where they now live with their two equally crazy sons. Juggling work,
writing and family doesn’t leave a lot of time, but curling up on the sofa with
a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate for family movie night is definitely the
best part of R.J. Prescott’s week. “The Hurricane” is her debut New Adult
Novel.
Social Media Links:
Jeri’s
Book Attic Q&A


1)
What is the first book you read that comes to mind? Why is it so important to
you?
The
first book that comes to mind is ‘The Boy Who Sneaks Through My Bedroom Window’
by Kirsty Moseley. I stayed up until the early hours of the morning and read it
straight through. Afterwards, I went downstairs to make some tea and I remember
thinking about the sort of fortitude a person would have to have to endure the
kind of abuse that Em does and yet have the strength of character to fight for
their happy ever after. Then I thought about how interesting it would be if, in
a story about a boxer, she was as much of a fighter as he was. Out of that ‘The
Hurricane’ was born and it’s been one of my firm favourite books ever since.
 

2)
How much of you and/or your surroundings is a part of your stories? Is the
influence based on a conscious decision, or do you periodically recognize
yourself in one of your characters and it wasn’t planned?
It
was definitely a conscious decision to write what I know. Many British authors
have been hugely successful setting their books in other countries like the US.
For me it didn’t work and felt less contrived to give the characters voices and
accents that I hear every day. The characters themselves were influenced in a
much more spontaneous way. It wasn’t until the story was done that I realised
how many traits of friends and acquaintances were in the characters that I’d
written. Without thought, many of the funnier scenes I could relate to my own
experiences.
 

3)
If you had the chance to influence the questions people ask you in interviews,
what question is the most annoying and you would love to never hear again? What
question would you really like to answer that you have not been asked yet, and
what is your answer to that question?
I
can’t think of any questions in interviews that have been annoying. Having the
opportunity to answer questions about doing something that I love is a hugely
humbling experience and one I hope I never take for granted. I do get asked a
lot if O’Connell is based on a real person and I always feel sorry to say that
he isn’t. The question I never get asked is ‘God damn whose are those sexy hands
on the cover of The Hurricane?’ to which I would answer my husband’s. When the
cover was first designed, the model wasn’t wearing wraps and I really wanted
these added. So after a great deal of persuasion, I talked him into letting me
take his picture wearing his wraps. They were then lifted off the photo and put
onto cover. Now, every time anyone asks me to sign a book he always points out
that the hands are his. He tells me that he’s thinking of getting them insured.
I have created a monster!   

4)
Name three characteristics of your writing style that are important yet
different from other authors. 
I’m
not sure how my style is different from others as I find it really difficult to
compare what I have written with works from different authors. But my writing
process and style definitely has some specific characteristics:
1.     Every
word I ever write is completely hand written. I use only black ink and exactly
the same make and size of notebook every time. As soon as one is full I get
going on the next one until it’s done and then I type it up every few
chapters.
 

2. 
   
It’s very, very rare that I will get to write in complete peace and
quiet. My notebook comes with me EVERYWHERE and I will write outside my kid’s
school, in the dentist’s waiting room, literally any time inspiration strikes
and I can get a few minutes to put pen to paper.

3. 
   
When I write, I picture the storyline as a movie that I see happening
in my head. I think a scene or a conversation through, imagining how it would
look as a film, and try to capture that on paper.

5)
What do you want tell your readers at the end of this
interview?
Thank
you so much for taking the trouble to read this interview and if you like sexy,
brooding, possessive, hard arsed Irish men, Cormac ‘the Hurricane’ O’Connell is
definitely for you!
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