Bring the Rain (25 page)
To my readers, I cannot thank you enough for your support and encouragement over the past two years. I seriously have the best readers in the world. Your hearts are open, kind, and generous. My adoration for you gave me the courage to take this book into the world of self-publishing so I could give you what you craved—more to read, now. Thank you for asking, thank you for encouraging, it’s here and I hope you enjoyed it.
As always, none of this would have been possible without my husband’s support. He is my rock, and my encourager. Gregory, I love you and I thank you for all of your hard work, encouragement, and belief in our future to help make this a reality.
This book also wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the support of my critique partners and friends—Fiona McLaren, Katrina Sincek, Rebecca Yarros, my Off Beats critique group, my Beta Group Peeps, and friend Elissa Lucier. Thank you for all of your help along the way!
I’ve been very blessed to find an editor in Fiona McLaren. Fiona, thank you for believing in my story even when it was chicken scratch. Thank you for stopping me from killing off a beloved animal character, and thank you for all of your patience with me as I’ve developed as an author.
Thank you to Howdy and Pony. For making my childhood magical, teaching me confidence and compassion, and still being very much part of my heart.
Also, to my agent, Jamie Drowley, thank you for your loving support in my choice to become a hybrid author. To my publicist, Melissa Saneholtz, of Sassy Savvy Fabulous, thank you for your stellar work in supporting the release of Bring the Rain.
And to Cowboy… You know who you are. I love you, and thank you for being my hope in the darkness and sticking with me through this wild adventure.
Other Novels By Lizzy Charles
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School is out and Lucy is ready for the perfect summer: lazy days at the pool, invitations to the most exclusive parties, and romantic dates with her hot new boyfriend. That is, until she lands in trouble one too many times and her parents issue the ultimate punishment: a summer job. Suddenly, the summer can't end fast enough.
To make matters worse, the job is painting houses with Justin, the most popular, egotistical guy in school. Spending all summer with Justin might be other girls' dreams, but definitely not Lucy's. After all, Justin is cocky, annoying, and a jerk. So what if he's the most beautiful jerk Lucy's ever seen? Or that his grin makes her forget she’s mad at the world? Or that maybe, just maybe, there's more to Justin than everyone thinks. Only one thing is certain: it won’t be the summer she wanted, but it might be exactly the one she needs.
Popularity isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Justin Marshall knows this better than most. For the captain of the basketball team, small business owner, and son of Minnesota's next governor, life can get pretty overwhelming. But Justin can handle anything as long as he has Lucy, the girl who fell for the man he’s trying to be.
But for Justin and Lucy, finding time together proves challenging. Stolen kisses and whispered promises just aren't enough. That is, until scandalous photos of the couple are leaked to a press intent on creating a juicy scandal during Justin's dad's gubernatorial campaign. And when Lucy becomes fair play for the tabloids and gossip pages, Justin does the only thing he can to protect her: he breaks her heart.
For Lucy, junior year is everything she hoped it would be: new friends, second chances, and a boyfriend she can’t stop kissing. That is, until the boy she’s pretty sure she loves chooses the life his family wants for him, over her.
Now it’s up to Lucy to teach him what it really means to have everything. Because for Justin, being who everyone needs him to be just might cost him the one person he can’t live without.
Lizzy
Charles
Writing is the beautiful secret hidden in the pages of Lizzy’s soul. When she’s not scrambling to raise her preschooler, toddler, and baby or caring for premature and sick babies as a neonatal intensive care nurse, you’ll find her hiding under a blanket with her laptop and plotting her next novel.
She graduated from the University of Minnesota, where she crammed children’s literature and creative writing courses into her vigorous nursing degree schedule. Her debut series, Effortless with You and Perfectly Messy, became international multi-category bestsellers. She married her high school sweet heart, a musician, so it’s no surprise she’s fallen in love with writing contemporary Young Adult romance novels.
Give her green tea, dark chocolate, and bacon and she’ll be your friend for life.