Zoe Shaw’s childhood was
anything but perfect. She, her sister, Pam, and their mother, Martha, were
terrorized by Otis Shaw. The man that vowed to love and protect them had become
a drunken, abusive animal that took pleasure in their suffering. But when he
begins to look at Zoe with lover’s eyes, she finds herself taking drastic
measures to ensure that he’ll never hurt any of the Shaw women again, or so she
thinks. When word gets out that Otis may be resurfacing, Zoe, being the
strongest of the trio, decides that it’s time for them to move away and start
anew.
Desmond Page, Zoe’s best
friend, moved away a long time ago. Having had a difficult childhood of his
own, he and Zoe found love and acceptance with one another and did their best
to shield each other from harm. Now that she’s looking to relocate, he suggests
that she join him down south.
Their new home offered
everything the Shaw women ever wanted; peace, security, opportunity and even
the possibility for love. When Ramon Martinez introduced himself to Zoe, the
attraction was undeniable. And despite her better judgment, she allowed herself
to fall for the uncommonly handsome business owner. What she didn’t realize was that he was also
the product of an abusive home, but unlike her, he chose to follow the example
set by his father. His jealousy and insecurity led him to deliver painful
consequences for what he deemed inexcusable behavior. But he has clearly
underestimated Zoe and the question now is which one of them will survive this
battered love?
Excerpt:
Zoe’s phone rang again and
when she saw it was Ramon, she simply put it back in her purse, said her
goodbyes to Martha, and headed home. A little while later she pulled up to the
house and was annoyed to find Rich’s truck parked in the driveway. She was not
in the mood to deal with company, especially Rich. He was the biggest, most
arrogant jackass she’d ever met. She’d only met his little mousy girlfriend,
Candy, once and after ten minutes in Rich’s presence she felt nothing but pity
for his girlfriend. Zoe walked into the house and politely said hello, but she
never broke her stride as she headed for the bedroom.
“Where you going, babe? I
haven’t seen you all day. Don’t you want to sit out here with us and catch the
end of the game?” Ramon asked.
Zoe paused for a moment.
“Thanks, baby, but I’m exhausted. I think I’ll just head on back and get ready
for bed,” she replied as she tried to continue on to the bedroom.
“Well, will you at least
throw us a couple of sandwiches together before going back?”
“How long have you been home
Ramon?”
“A couple of hours, why?”
“Babe, you could’ve prepared
a full meal by now. I’m really tired and it won’t take you but a minute to slap
some mayo and ham on some bread.” Zoe turned and went on in the room and closed
the door.
“Damn, man, whose house is
this? Cause it looks like she’s running things. I wish the hell Candy would
talk to me like that or walk out on me,” Rich bellowed as if he were trying to
insight a riot. He leaned back into the sofa with his round belly still
sticking out as if he were eight months pregnant. His hair slicked back into a
ponytail made him look as if he were some sleazy used car salesman. He kept
staring at Ramon with those beady eyes waiting to see his friend’s reaction.
As if he were a twelve year
old, Ramon was unwilling to look like a punk in front of his friend. Without
hesitation, he took off towards the bedroom. What he didn’t need was more
encouragement, but that slimy, no good Rich offered it anyway.
“That’s right, bro. Go handle
your business.”
Ramon stormed into the room
slamming the door behind him. Startled by the loud noise, Zoe jumped and looked
around to see Ramon fuming.
“What’s wrong, babe? Did
something happen with you and Rich?”
“No, something happened with
you. How are you gonna come up in here and embarrass me like that. You roll up
in here and act like you’re too good to hang out with me and my boy and then
refuse to fix a couple of sandwiches. You need to get your damn clothes back on
and come out here and fix us something to eat!” Ramon demanded.
“You sound like a crazy man!
When my friends are here you won’t even speak to them. At least I acknowledge
that animal you call a friend. And y’all are grown ass men perfectly capable of
fixing a sandwich. I’m going to bed. Goodnight!” Zoe shouted as she slipped her
shoes off. But Ramon walked up on her and grabbed her by the arm. He dug his
nails into her flesh so hard that she immediately began to bruise, and when she
still seemed unwilling, he dug in until he drew blood. “Ramon, I swear if you
don’t let me go I’m calling the cops,” she threatened, trying her best not to
cry.
“What you’re going to do is
take your ass out there, fix us something to eat, and act like you’re glad to
do it.” He never let go of her arm as he shuffled her out of the room and into
the kitchen. As they passed by Rich, they could hear him shouting words of
encouragement to Ramon.
Having fallen in love with
literature at an early age, it only made sense for Stacey Covington-Lee to seek
a career that would allow her to combine her passion for writing and her
Communications education from Savannah State University. During her lengthy
career in the insurance industry as an Instructional and PC Trainer, Stacey
wrote and developed multiple training guides and manuals for both insurance
companies and local government.
It was at the encouragement
of a dear friend that Stacey wrote and released her first novel, The Knife In
My Back. Continuing her exploration of love, friendship, and betrayal, she has
since given us The Knife In My Back 2, Bitter Taste Of Love, and her much
anticipated, Hate The Way He Loves Me.
Stacey is an Atlanta native
and has found great enjoyment in visiting book clubs and speaking at various
events throughout the Southeast region. She loves hearing from readers and
invites everyone to visit her website, www.staceycovingtonlee.com, follow her
on Twitter (@covingtonlee) as well as Facebook
(www.facebook.com/staceycovington-lee) and IG (scovingtonlee).
Get to know Stacey:
Q. What inspires your
writing?
A. I’m inspired by those
around me, the people that I observe on the daily basis. Everyone has a story,
everyone is trying to overcome something. It’s these situations, these
struggles that tend to translate into the best stories.
Q. Hate The Way He Loves Me
focuses on domestic violence. What separates your book from other books with
the same focus?
A. My novel is not the
typical “poor victim” type story. This book is full of unlikely heroes and
twists that you’ll never see coming. It’s an emotional story that you can’t
help but get caught up in.
Q. Was any part of this book
based on real life experience?
A. While this book isn’t
based on my experience, it was inspired in part by my experience. Many years
ago I found myself in an abusive marriage. Fortunately I was able to get out of
that situation and go on to make a good life for myself with a wonderful man.
Q. Would men also find your
novel interesting or do you view it as a “chick novel?”
A. There is definitely
something in this book for everyone, including male reader. Women are not the
only ones that suffer abuse and this novel shows just what can happen when
boys/men are the victims of abuse.
Q. As an author do you feel
obligated to tackle social issues?
A. Not at all. As an author I
feel that my obligation is to entertain. However, if I can use my writing to
shed light on some very relevant social issues, why not do it? Raising
awareness, imparting knowledge through my writing is truly a gift.
Q. What can we expect from
you in the future?
A. I’m currently working on a
couple projects that are sure to be wildly entertaining and hoping to have one
released in spring of 2015.
Q. What advise would you give
to an aspiring author?
A. I would tell them to be
true to themselves. Don’t change your writing or try to do what you think will
sell. Write what you’re passionate about, write in your own voice. And once
your story is written be ready to do the serious work of promoting and building
your brand.
Find the author/Book:
Email address:
staceyleewrites@gmail.com
Book purchase link:
http://www.amazon.com/Hate-Way-He-Loves-Me-ebook/dp/B00MTZESUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1410893603&sr=1-1&keywords=hate+the+way+he+loves+me
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