NBtM Virtual Book Tour and Giveway: Parallax (S3 #1) by Dixie Jackson

Welcome to my stop on the NBtM virtual book tour for Parallax by Dixie Jackson. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a fabulous guest post from the author. There's also a tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Parallax

Series: S3 #1

Author: Dixie Jackson

Publisher: Paisley Creek Writers

Publication Date: October 1st 2020

Print Length: 217 pages

Genre: Romantic Suspense

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Six years later, Trent Wayland still isn’t over his spring fling. Probably because he was convinced when he married Captain Leila O’Neil, their fling would go on a lifetime. Leila is his soul mate and Trent knows it. He might not admit it on a regular basis, but that doesn’t negate the raw emotion she draws out of him each and every time he thinks about her. Forget the fact his heart splits in two all over again when he’s afforded the luxury of hearing her voice. That doesn’t happen often, however. Leila only tosses a handful of words his way when she initiates the weekly video calls he’s allowed with the other love of his life, their daughter Lucy.

Once upon a time, Leila O’Neil wanted to be a Marine when she grew up. She worked hard, she landed a seat at the Academy, and she was the head of her class. Then her dream was destroyed and she traded it in for a new one at the nearest Coterie portal. She wears so many faces and so many hats, at some point she lost track of her soul. That didn’t really bother her until Trent Wayland came along and almost peeled her dressing room curtain back nearly exposing her innermost person. The real person, the real Leila, who once upon a time wanted to be a Marine when she grew up.

Leila misses the real person, and realizes it at the worst possible moment. With her daughter’s life on the line and Trent on the scene of the crime, Leila figures out she’s been using her hurt and anger to fuel all the wrong goals. In a daring move, she puts it all on the line, hoping it’s enough to gain her freedom from her handlers and her husband’s forgiveness.

Goodreads * Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Does your mother know?” Trent asked. “Does she at least know you’re alive?”

“No. No one in the real world does. Well, except you.” Leila waved one hand toward him then jerked it back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Now you do.”

For a few bloated moments, Trent just stared at her with a look in his eyes which told Leila he was trying hard to wrap his head around what she’d just revealed, but was having a hard time making two ends meet.

“You need to pack.” Standing, Trent stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “We’re moving out of here within the hour.”

With his eyes to the floor, he shuffled away, left the room, and didn’t look back.

Leila pulled her hands down her face, growled, and flopped back onto the bed. Insufferable daddy issues. Why hadn’t she just sought the counsel of a good therapist instead of trying to be super daughter? But no. Absolutely not. She couldn’t let life be that easy. Leila had to take the hardest route she could map out. Except now she was lost along the road in a blinding snow storm with no GPS. Honestly, at this point, she didn’t even have a Cracker Jack box compass.

Easing back up, Leila palmed the top of her head and sighed. Pack? A half-chuckle popped out of her. When was the last time she’d been on assignment without Lucy and a situation presented itself requiring her to bug out?

She didn’t want to do this anymore.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in the heart of the Ozarks, Dixie Jackson learned a love of the written word at a young age. She remembers spinning tales before she could even write them down, but it was the encouragement of her sixth-grade creative writing teacher which would plant the idea that just never seemed to go away. She wanted to someday see her works in print.

Dixie makes her home in the Great Smoky Mountains with her retired Marine husband, two rescue dogs, and her beloved chickens. When she’s not writing, you can find her digging in the dirt and nurturing her plants while plotting the next step in one story line or another. She also loves experimenting in her kitchen, embroidering, quilting, crocheting, tracing her family’s twisted tree, and of course reading.

Website * Amazon * Bookbub * Facebook *

Facebook Group * Goodreads * Instagram

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GUEST POST:

Where Have You Been My Whole Life?
by Dixie Jackson

Hi, y’all! Thanks so much to All the Ups and Downs for hosting my tour today. I’m so excited to be here and interact with all the readers.

When I opened my proverbial envelope revealing the topic of discussion, I really had to smile, because…

Yes! I absolutely believe in soulmates! I believe in soulmates because I married mine.

I know that’s a really short answer and not post worthy, but that’s the short of it. The long of it is…

Twenty-four years ago, I was a single mom working in a factory to make ends meet, even though I hold an advanced degree or three or so, whatever. You do what you have to do when the chips are down and you have a growing six-year-old boy to clothe and feed. I was freshly divorced and wasn’t looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Anything for that matter. I’d sworn off men and was focusing on me. Then, as fate would have it, I was out celebrating with my family for my brother-in-law’s birthday, in a smoky bar just outside the Army base I grew up near, and saw my future husband. Although, at the moment I saw him I was sure he was a first-class jerk. (Yes, he knows he was giving off that vibe. He wasn’t looking for Mrs. Right or Mrs. Anything either. He was also freshly off the separated train.)

We tip-toed around each other all evening and toward the end of the night, a kid headed my way as though he was going to ask for the next dance and I was looking all around hunting a hidey-hole to avoid this guy in parachute pants. In steps my Marine in dusty cammies (although that night he had on jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat), and tells me we’re going to dance. O-kay! Later he revealed that he just couldn’t stand by and see that jerk make off with me so he knew he had to act even though he’d avoided my advances and attempts at flirting all night.

I think we danced through no less than half a dozen songs at turtle speed, although the music was galloping along at ostrich speed (hey, those things are fast!). Then he asked to drive me home, to which I was wary and reluctant. In the end I gave in and he did drive me home. We put my kid to bed and tucked him in then we sat and drank coffee together until nearly dawn when he needed to be at muster. We traded phone numbers and I saw him out. And, before he left my porch, he swooped in, cupped my face (just like in the romance novels), and came in for a kiss that left me seeing stars. He didn’t say a word when he pulled back, just left me standing there in a daze, asking in my head: where have you been my whole life?

The next day he came back with flowers and a pizza. Two months later he moved in and a few weeks after that we were married. Today I wonder where twenty-four years have gone and what I ever did before he came along.

Soulmates? Yes! I absolutely believe in them, because I married mine.

Thanks again for having me over today!

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GIVEAWAY:

Dixie Jackson will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway