by Finn, Thia
Ryan jumped out of Gunner’s truck and pulled his luggage out of the back. “Hey, thanks for the ride, dude. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Well, if you need any help, let me know. I’m going home to go back to sleep.”
“Yeah, first chance I get.” Ryan shut his door and took off to downtown where the police station was located.
I cannot believe she would pull this shit right now. What in this fucking world has she done to get herself thrown in jail, and why didn’t she call me instead of Janae to come get her?
To be continued...
Party with the Band
While Assured Distraction might be a fictional band, the music they play is real in my mind! I decided there needed to be a PLAY LIST of the things I listened to while writing.
Here’s one of the hit songs Ryder wrote while getting his head together after losing Laina:
Stolen
Lyrics by Ryder Steel ©2015 Thia Finn
Why are these times alone
With all that is unknown
Is the life we have undone
Or did they make you run
What was taken will always be
The missing piece of me
Our lives we’ll live as broken
The time not taken, but stolen.
Some sounds bring you back
Turning, it’s only a flash
The wind that haunts with your name
My mind can’t win this game.
Ones we love the most
Sent pain my mind can’t host
I’ve died a thousand times
Guilty of love our only crime.
What was taken will always be
The missing piece of me
Our lives we’ll live as broken
The time not taken, but stolen.
Our lives we’ll live as broken
The time not taken, but stolen.
Playlist for Assure Her (Assured Distraction Series)
Follow it on Spotify at:
https://play.spotify.com/user/22sdylhty3uhosr7tomfbaaba/playlist/4BFGuENM8bCYMMyDpm4l7E
Black Mambo by Glass Animals
Under the Influence by Elle King
Tell Me Baby by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Wolf and Snake Eyes by Mumford and Sons
Run by Coin
Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie
Mind Over Matter by Young the Giant
Love Song by 311 (They do an awesome job of covering The Cure’s version)
Different Colors, Shut Up and Dance with Me, Anywayican by Walk the Moon
The Crane Wife 1 by The Decemberists
Love Love Love and Your Bones by Of Monsters and Men
Dissolve Me, Bloodflood, Hunger of the Pine by alt J
Cigarette Daydreams, Come a Little Closer, Shake Me Down by Cage the Elephant
Kings and Queens from Unplugged by Thirty Seconds to Mars (Hey, it’s Jared Leto, what more can I say!)
Renegade by X Ambassadors
Demons by Imagine Dragons
Why’d You Only Call Me by Arctic Monkeys
T-Shirt Weather by Circa Waves (sorry not sorry, it’s a fun summer beach song)
If You Ever Want To Be In Love by James Bay
Thunderhearts by Cold War Kids
Peaches by In the Valley Below
Don’t by Ed Sheeran
Acknowledgments
This has been a long journey since I wrote my first book at seventeen. I ran across it about ten years later, read it and laughed at my teenage-self, and then destroyed it. Now, I would give anything to have it back. It’s been a wild ride since that day but worth every minute.
I want to thank my Beta readers for giving me the courage to continue on this journey. Without their positive comments, I doubt I would have moved forward with Assured Distraction. Melissa, Rene, Hayley, Mandy, Mary (best sister ever), and Debbie.
I need to thank those wonderful authors I met and fell in love with at an author event called Authors After Dark. Julie Morgan, Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman, and many more were so kind to this old new kid on the block. Thank you also to Joanna Talbot, Kristi Boulware, Diane Castilleja, and Stella Price (and her minions) for allowing me to hang out, listen and learn from your expertise. I never knew publishing a book was going to be such an ordeal.
To Kyle Jones, I want to say a huge thank you for help with researching the music scene. You’ll always be a rock star to me!
Next, I want to thank my daughter, Teale. She is my most intensive reader, proofreader and general pick-it-apart, word-for-word reviewer. Her black-and-white, no-nonsense personality helped me immensely. She’s been my best cheerleader, my worst critic and generally a great twenty-something to help me, since that is the age group of my intended audience. Love you!
I want to also thank my daughter, Lacy, for helping with all of the computer expertise. Circumnavigating through the social media sphere and the computer world would not be possible without her, or my extra kid whom I love dearly, Trey, without your help. Love you both!
I could not possibly have published this book without my awesome editor, Kristen Grammar Lands. Her knowledge and encouragement have been far more than I ever expected when I found her on Facebook. She’s a sleep-deprived mom most of the time but she helped me make Assure Her the book I meant it to be. She’s also come to be my friend and author confidante.
Finally, I want to thank my husband, Steve, for all he’s done or learned to do. He’s the best and try to remind him every chance I get! Love YOU!
About the Author
Growing up in small town Texas, Thia Finn discovered life outside of it by attending The University of Texas, only to return home and marry her high school sweetheart. They raised two successful and beautiful daughters while she taught middle school Language Arts and eventually became a middle school librarian. After thirty-four years, she retired to do her favorite things, like travel, spend time off-roading with family and friends, hanging out at the Frio River, reading, and writing.
She currently lives in the same small town where she grew up, with her husband and the boss, Titan, the Chihuahua. She can often be found stalking on social media, watching Outlanders, Vikings or Game of Thrones to name a few on Netflix.
Keep up with her travels and new books and the books she loves here:
www.ThiaFinn.com
www.facebook.com/thiafinn
www.goodreads.com/author/show/14206242.Thia_Finn
@/ThiaFinnCGrif on Twitter
@CEGRIFFIN.THIAFINN on Instagram