Spotlight & Giveaway: Stone by Sawyer Bennett

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sawyer Bennett to HJ!

Hi Sawyer and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Stone!

 
Hey, y’all!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The Pittsburgh Titans suffered a devastating loss after their team plane crashed and everyone on board was killed. Stone Dumelin’s big chance comes when the Titans offer him a place on the team–the place once held by his younger brother, who died on the plane. Now Stone is trying to come to terms with his brother’s death and make a name for himself on the team, all while dealing with the persistent, and annoyingly beautiful, attorney handling his brother’s estate.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“You fucking stagger me, Harlow.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

As I often do, I enlisted the help of my assistant plotting this book. Only this time I forced her to go on a hike with me while we did so. Joke was on me though, because she ended up having to save me from the spiderwebs that stretched across the trail. *shudders*

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

They both internally lament about one another’s physical attributes, but that is the extent of any initial attraction.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

My readers know I’m a dog person, so anytime that I’m able to write in a mischievous furry friend, I’m all over it. This one belongs to Harlow…

Harlow reappears, a small plate of meatballs in hand and Odin by her side. I swear he’s glaring at me, but in all honesty, it could be that he has two angled brown eyebrows against the black fur that make him look humanly expressive.
She hands me the plate, which I have no choice but to accept, and gives me very specific instructions. “Take a meatball and tell him to sit. Be very clear in your command while showing him the meatball.”
I do as she says, and to my relief, the dog’s ass hits the floor as his eyes lock on the treat pinched between my thumb and forefinger.
“Now, lower the meatball,” Harlow says, her tone like a warning. “And say the word gentle as you offer it.”
My head snaps her way. “What happens if he doesn’t heed the word gentle?”
“You might lose a finger,” she quips, eyes sparkling with amusement. Which means she’s joking.
I think.

Readers should read this book….

This series revolves around a plane crash that killed the Pittsburgh Titans team and coaching staff, so emotions are already running high. STONE is more than just a player getting a second chance after his brother died in the crash. It’s about him learning to believe in himself, and working through his grief, and learning how to live in the face of tragedy. It’s a story of hope, and I think in the end readers will feel that.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I have SO MUCH more coming from the Pittsburgh Titans!! I’ve announced the first five books, but I’ve planned out the first TEN, so hold on for more hockey! Readers will also see the much anticipated return of The Chronicles of the Stone Veil series this year for all my PNR lovers. Looking forward to an AWESOME 2022! xoxo.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Signed paperback of STONE (US only)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Who is your favorite hockey team–real or fictional?

 
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Excerpt from Stone:

I look down at the last piece of mail in my hand, an unopened, nine-by-twelve manila envelope. Bonita has carte blanche to open all my mail, but she didn’t open this one, and it’s because she saw who sent it.
Brooks Dumelin.
The tears immediately well in my eyes, and I grasp the envelope against my chest. I have no clue why something has been sent from him, but it’s clearly his handwriting. That’s his name and address in the upper left-hand corner.
I pull the envelope back and look at it. It’s fairly thick and postmarked yesterday, sent from Pittsburgh.
Brooks died eleven days ago. I just attended his memorial in Ithaca, New York, four days ago. I sat in the back of the church and stood at the back of the mourners, watching as his brokenhearted family grieved.
I grieved right along with them, just as I grieve now.
“Damn you,” I murmur low, knowing my words will reach Brooks up in Heaven. “Why are you plaguing me? I’d just shed the last of my tears, you jerk.”
I can almost hear him laughing … he truly enjoyed irritating me.
Swinging my feet off my desk, I reach into my middle drawer for the letter opener. I make an efficient slit in the top and with shaking hands pull out a thick sheaf of papers.
On top is a handwritten letter from Brooks, and it charms me that he took the time to do it. Who handwrites stuff these days? It’s much faster to type.
The letter is dated last September 28. Five months ago.
Dear Little Bit …
His nickname for me, because I always took things in small increments. He was Big Bit, because he went big on everything.
I know this letter is going to come as a shock, and you’re probably going to be pissed as hell at me, but I’m hoping you’ll forgive the favor I’m about to ask.
Enclosed with this letter is my Revocable Trust with a Last Will and Testament I had an attorney draw up for me. This is probably something that’ll never come to pass, as I hope to live a very long life complete with grandkids and rocking chairs, but God forbid something does happen before then, I wanted to make sure things were taken care of. I want you to handle my estate.
No, I need you to handle my estate because, as you well know, it’s going to be a bitch.
I know I should ask your permission first, even though I know you’ll say yes, but the truth is, I’m almost too embarrassed to put this on your shoulders. If you receive this letter, it means I’m dead and beyond embarrassment, so that’s some solace, I suppose. I’ve asked the attorney who drafted these documents to mail them to you after my funeral.
I trust you to make sure my wishes are carried out. I’ve made you the trustee because I know there’s going to be dissension among family members over this, and I know you’re strong enough to make sure what needs to be done is done. You’ll know what I mean when you read the documents.
We’ve talked about it enough, so I know this probably won’t be a shock. More importantly than the trust, though… I need you to make sure he gets the journals. Please make him read them.
He’s going to fight you every step of the way.
Be stronger. I know you can.
Also tell him I love him.
Make him believe it.
Love,
Big Bit

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Minor league player Stone Dumelin lost his younger brother when the Titans’ team plane went down. He never expected the phone call that followed.

After a shoulder injury put my NHL career on ice, I resigned myself to the fact I’d never see my way out of the minor league again. As my career faded, my estranged brother’s star shot into orbit as the first line left winger for the Pittsburgh Titans. But when the team’s plane crashed returning home one night, his light was snuffed out, and I was given the opportunity of a lifetime.

Now I’m in Pittsburgh, playing for the Titans, and face-to-face with my dead brother’s ghost at every turn. His locker, his legacy, his persistent and annoyingly gorgeous attorney who won’t stop contacting me about his estate, even though I’ve demanded she leave me alone.

Harlow Alston would be extremely appealing if she wasn’t so aggravating. Only…that’s a complete lie. She pushes all the right buttons for me, and as much as I want her to quit pestering me about Brooks’s estate, I find myself intrigued by the fiery redhead who can’t take no for an answer. And the more I learn about Harlow, the more I find she might be the key to understanding who Brooks really was, and who I want to be.

I’ve got a second shot at a career I thought I’d lost and the opportunity to build something real with Harlow, but can I find strength to move forward or will my past dictate my future?
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Meet the Author:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Visit the Sawyer Bennett bookstore to buy ebooks, audio, and signed paperbacks directly from Sawyer.

For inquiries, please contact Sawyer directly at [email protected] or visit the contact page.
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