Perfectly Broken (29 page)

When her eyes find me, they almost move on without question but she stops and looks back, dropping her hand from her hair.

“Kylee?” she asks
,
but she doesn’t need to confirm. She could feel it the moment our eyes met, the same way I could. The connection between us went all the way back to the womb. I try to swallow down the panic.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Kaitlyn?”

Watch for Book Two in the Broken Series

Unforgivably Broken

Coming Summer 2014

Lili is learning to believe in love, feeling it for the first time, and trying to let it heal her from a past that tries incessantly to convince her she's not enough for anyone to truly care about. This past that she has worked so hard to run from and keep hidden has now crashed headfirst into what she sees as her future, leaving her no choice but to come clean about her mistakes...

Zane is learning that love, even the seemingly unfathomable love that builds inside you slowly through years of friendship, has it's limits. The past that has consumed him for so long is seeping through and he knows it's only a matter of time before the graveyard of skeleton's living in his closet rise to meet him. It's true that the past can hurt, but he worries that his past can kill...

When you have secrets, they can rip ragged holes in the ties that bind even the strongest relationships. When you know the secrets you keep make you a monster, one unworthy of love, you hold a power that can tear you apart from the inside... and take down those closest to you in the process.

When the truth finally comes out, you realize you are Unforgivably Broken.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When it comes to writing a book, there are so many people to thank. For starters, my family. My aunt and uncle for their unwavering and persistent confidence in my ability to follow my dream. My mom, stepdad, and grandma for reading the very messy first draft and pushing me to keep moving forward. My sister Brianna, whose shock as she read the first draft and her text “Holy crap sissy. I had no idea you were so freaking talented!” brought me to tears.

My beta team earned a massive thank you. Those who were with me from the conception of this story, Jamie and Loretta, I don’t know what I’d do without you! Jamie, our weekend in OKC at the writer’s conference was invaluable, as were all of our brainstorming sessions via Facebook messages. Loretta, I’ll never forget my fear of being trapped in a car with you for two hours driving to a book signing in the early morning hours after just sending you Unwelcome. I thought you would kill me for sure! Plus, without you, I honestly would have “Grey’s Anatomy-ed” Zane’s injuries. You worked your tail off researching that gunshot wound and I love that you cared enough to do it! (Plus, Loretta, Aunt Cathy and Uncle Mike all let me use your little “Conner’s” as research. That earns a huge thank you!)

And DeeDee, I would’ve ended up in a padded cell without our hours long chats when I was ready to give up. You were a soundboard and so many times when I went off track with the story, you helped guide me back to road. The final fight scene would’ve been so different if it weren’t for you. Plus, I can’t thank you enough for the birth of Chaos. She’s your baby but I’ve promised to cherish her and my literary baby wouldn’t have been the same without that tiny piece to complete my puzzle.

The rest of my betas: Heather, Rachel, Zackary, Kelly, Allison… Every single one of you contributed immensely to this story, whether you realize it or not. Your advice or even your comments and messages on Facebook status kept me going. I learned so much from each of you, whether it was witty comebacks like fuckweasel, helping me figure out how the police might handle a situation or telling me that my book needed a Zane sex scene and offering to help me work out how to write it from a male perspective. My personal favorite email comment remains “Congrats on creating an epic douchebag.” I laughed so hard! How did you know that was my goal in life?

My girls from NOLA: Cheryl, Whitney, Patricia, Lisa, Wendy and Retta. (This part is being added as I ride in the backseat of one of your cars on the way home.) For amazing memories that spurred a slew of new stories and for talking to your husbands about hilarious insults for Zane when I realized I’d repeated one during my final run-through of the book.

My assistant, Carrie. You might have come into the picture while this book was in its final stages before release but your help has been overwhelmingly appreciated. Without you there would be no street team and no beta group on Facebook where the beta’s get to gang up on me and plot the death of the characters. (*coughs* Lizzie *coughs*) There wouldn’t have been nearly the buzz before the release without you. You helped me more than I can explain!

My editor, the amazing Monica with Word Nerd Editing. Words fail me. (You see what I did there?) You were the first person within the New Adult community to read my baby and your messages quite literally made me cry on multiple occasions. Just knowing that you loved it so much solidified my belief that you were the one to help me polish it into the beauty it deserved to be. Plus, you were officially the first person to say you had a crush on Zane. I think that means something.

To the bloggers and street teams who shared teasers and excited words about the book, gratitude isn’t a strong enough word. In the indie community, word of mouth is key and you have to have help from the friends you’ve made along the way.

On the topic of friends I’ve made on this journey… Renee Dyer. Our journey to reach our goal has been parallel and meeting you and Amie was one of the best things that happened for me. Knowing there was someone else out there in the same boat, struggling with the same hurdles, and loving the tiny bits of my story to the point of sending me a song that brought my characters to your mind, was impossibly comforting in a stressful time. I will always be a #ProudTuckerSlut and I can’t wait to fight off the rest of the women in the world when
Waking Up
releases!

And to you, the readers, for buying my book and caring enough to read and see who I thanked. Without the people above, and without every one of you, this book would not be what it is today.

Finally, to the one who is reading this and waiting to see their name. You taught me so much about love and life. Mainly, that neither is fair. And that love is never enough. Lili’s line in chapter three “I think that trust is for people who want to get hurt.” was inspired straight from my own experience. And I have you to thank for that.

About the Author

Maegan despises writing about herself in the third person. She also hates touting her accomplishments like she thinks she’s really done anything special…

Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll tell you what you need to know. I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I went back to school in my late twenties and studied Stage Production Technology. I now work full-time in the alterations shop of a major department store and part-time backstage in the various theatres around the area.

I’ve been an avid reader from a very young age and the top goal on my list of things to accomplish in my life was to write and publish a book. During the summer of 2013, while working backstage on The Lion King, I read eleven books in four weeks. I read my first New Adult book and was introduced to a genre I felt I could totally relate to. The idea for Perfectly Broken and the character of Lili was born backstage during that time.

Connect with Me!

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaeganAbel

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MaeganAbel