Blog Tour and Giveaway: In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild

I'm thrilled to welcome Lia Fairchild to Jo-Jo Loves to Read today!  She has decided to share an excerpt of her new novel, In Search of Lucy, with us today.

In Search of Lucy, my debut novel, is about love, relationships, and family. In creating Lucy, I sought to tell a story about how these things can affect who we are and ultimately who we become. Lucy’s journey will take you on a physical and emotional ride, and leaving you hoping she finds the happiness she deserves.

With the help of new friends and a man who won't give up on her, Lucy sets out on a journey to reunite with her sister and find the answers she so desperately needs. Can she get past her emotions and have a chance at happiness? 

In the following excerpt, Lucy finally acknowledges some of the feelings she’d been pushing away. After finding out about her sister’s illness and going through numerous tests to determine if she is a match to donate a kidney, reality comes crashing in. Everything happened so fast that she didn’t have time to process it and in this excerpt she finds herself alone at a bar.

The need to let off some steam led Lucy to Kelly’s after her appointment—a semi-regular destination spot for her. It was where she went when she couldn’t be alone but didn’t want to be with people either. Kelly’s was a small Irish tavern with a few casual tables and a bar, which is where Lucy preferred to make her perch. She walked in the double-door entrance and as usual scoped out the bar area to see if it was worth staying. The longer side of the L-shaped wood bar was optimal so Lucy could have her back to the tables. It was only a little after four, so most of the tables were empty. She noticed only one man sitting at the bar, but regrettably he was right smack in the middle. She’d have to choose either end and decided on the left side against the wall. As she walked toward the bar she noticed the bartender look up at her, causing the customer to follow his gaze. The man looked to be about in his mid-fifties. He wore khaki pants and a polo- style golf shirt, and he had a pale face with light eyes. He gave a nod and raised his glass as Lucy passed. “Good afternoon,” the bartender said in a mellow voice. It was as though he had a sixth sense, to read a person’s mood and respond with the particular tone of his greeting. He slapped a napkin down in front of Lucy as she took her seat. She recognized the bartender as the young, scruffy-faced guy who had served her before, but she wasn’t sure he recognized her. Maybe he knew she wasn’t looking for friendly banter. “What can I get ya?”

Lucy could feel her neighbor’s eyes on her and wondered how many drinks he’d had. Guys like that didn’t faze her, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with some drunken idiot. Over the years, she had developed a sort of loser radar, especially since that was mostly the type of men that she encountered around her mother.

Lucy smiled and turned away. She didn’t want to give a false aura of friendliness. But the middle-ager didn’t take the cue. He stood as if wanting to stretch his legs. Then he looked over at Lucy, cupped his napkin around his drink, and slid it across toward Lucy. She lifted her eyebrows and gave him a look that said, Don’t even think about it. What could he possibly see in her anyway? No makeup, wearing faded jeans and a white long- sleeve shirt, not to mention drinking alone at bar. The man slid his drink right back and immediately sat down. “Ookaay.”

The bartender smirked as he brought Lucy’s drink and set it down in front of her. “Here you go.” Then he turned to the back counter and began drying glasses. Lucy took a big sip of her drink, hoping to instantly drain the pressure from her brain. The last few weeks had finally caught up to her. Until now, she had basically been running on autopilot—forms, needles, exams had all been formalities. None of it seemed to be for any real purpose. She was going through the motions, full bore—until today. The psychological evaluation had really made all of it seem so real. Her mind was racing. She took another drink, this time almost finishing it. The second the bottom of the glass touched the napkin, she raised it again and finished it off. She sat still for a while, watching the bartender has he hung the last of the glasses he was drying. She could see his face in the huge mirror that hung on the back wall, and she slouched slightly to avoid seeing herself.

“Another?” he asked when she caught his eye in the mirror.

Lucy nodded in agreement, and he went to work preparing another drink. The door behind her opened and closed over the next twenty minutes, and the ensuing patrons filled in vacant tables. Lucy didn’t take notice of the increasing volume of clink-ing dishes and glasses, and muffled conversations.

After her third drink she started to feel guilty. This was not the effect she was seeking. The pain was supposed to be decreas-ing, not increasing. She tried to sort things out in her brain, but nothing was clear to her. Why am I doing this? she thought. Is this how I help my sister? By saturating my kidney with alcohol? But she wasn’t just feeling guilty, she was angry too. Why did everything seem to fall on her shoulders? Why had she gone through all that with her mother and taking care of Katie, only to have Katie run out on her?

Now all of a sudden Katie needed her again. Lucy wasn’t sure she could take seeing Katie again, taking care of her again. I can’t help her…because I can’t help myself. That was it. She finally realized that it wasn’t just the feelings you would expect when a loved one was sick. Lucy was bitter and scared and frustrated. She remembered the days when she thought she couldn’t go on. Now…she had to. She had no choice. That was a frightening thought.

Now for the giveaway!

I will be giving away one paperback copy for every ten entries, giving away a maximum of three books

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

You will have until April 20th to enter and I will draw for a winner on or after April 21st.

Good luck everyone!

**This giveaway is closed**