Boys of summers in the before time

Posted on August 13, 2020 Written by
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Sample this excerpt from the baseball romance For Everly

By Raine Thomas

Cole looked back at Wyatt. “I don’t think it’s a great idea to receive treatment by a student, Wy, genius or not. What if she screws up my arm even worse than it is?”

“Then you’ll get treated by a proper specialist, which you should do in the first place.”

Cole narrowed his gaze. “That’s not funny.”

“Hey, I’m just telling you like it is. You’re the one who thinks it’s worth risking under-the-table treatment in order to garner top dollar on your next contract.”

That wasn’t the only reason he was so concerned about keeping up appearances in regards to his physical health, but Cole let it pass. He knew how the business worked. There was no way he was going to come out to the public about his shoulder. Not if there was an alternative.

“What about another student?” Cole insisted. “Someone further along in their studies?” Preferably some Poindexter who doesn’t look so good in a skirt, he thought.

Wyatt shook his head. “There isn’t anyone more experienced than Everly. She might still be a couple of semesters from earning her doctorate, but she could pass the needed courses with flying colors right now. I’d wager that girl has more practical experience in her field than any doctoral student at GSU.”

They stopped conversing when Everly walked up with a tray. She placed their bowls of crab risotto in front of them, as well as Cole’s drink. The smell of the food was amazing.

“Is there anything else I can get you two right now?” she asked.

“No, I think we’re good here, thanks,” Wyatt said.

“All right. You know how to reach me if you think of anything.”

This time she winked at Wyatt before she walked away. Cole couldn’t deny the strange resentment he felt that the wink wasn’t for him. He shook his head at himself. Finding a hot date hadn’t ever been a problem. He didn’t need to worry about that right now.

“I feel like you’re forcing me into this decision,” he told Wyatt, picking up a fork and stabbing his risotto with it.

Wyatt’s brown eyes leveled on his. “Cole, I’ve reviewed the scans we took when you were in the hospital. You should have started treatment weeks ago to get ready for the season. If you feel like I’m forcing you into this decision, well, that’s probably because I am. You’ve got three choices: don’t do anything and deal with the pain, go public about the injury and seek the services of a specialist…or Everly.”

For Everly

Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

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Raine Thomas

is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction.

Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine has signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen.

She’s a proud indie author who is living the dream. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches, and will soon be crossing the border again to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Get to know Raine at her

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What to write?

Posted on February 17, 2020 Written by
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Monday musings on an author’s decision by bestselling author

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Raine Thomas

I’ve never met an author who didn’t have at least five stories running through their minds at any given time. I’m no different! I hear characters in my head whenever I’m not focused on anything else…while I’m walking the dog, washing the dishes, taking a shower, or riding in a car, for example. (I’d say I never heard them while I was driving, but that would make me a bald-faced liar.)

With so many stories to choose from, how do I decide what to write? Do I follow the trends? Listen to reader demands? Or do I cave into the loudest voices in my head and share their stories first?

In my career, it’s really been a combination of all of the above. I started writing my Young Adult Fantasy series about the Estilorians back when my daughter was a toddler. I had just lost my job and it was the perfect time to finally sit down and write the stories of sisters Amber, Olivia and Skye. It did so happen that YA, in general, was really popular at the time thanks to series like Harry Potter and Twilight, though I would have chosen to write the Estilorian books first in any case. They were simply the stories in my head begging to be written most.

Thanks to the popularity of my first Estilorian trilogy, it made the most sense to write more books in the series. Thus, the Firstborn trilogy came next. I got to know new characters in the world I’d spent years creating, which made it a fun writing journey. I’ll admit that the reader feedback (reviews) from my first books helped shape some of the characters in the Firstborn trilogy, and I’ll always be grateful for that. They’re some of my absolute favorites!

After publishing my sixth Estilorian book, New Adult fiction was all the rage. It was a new genre pioneered largely by indie authors and it called to me. I wrote For Everly (a New Adult baseball romance) in six weeks. It was the fastest and easiest I’d ever written a book, and it’s still one of my most popular and well-reviewed. I made more from sales of For Everly in the span of four months than I’d made in two years of my full-time job’s salary. I was sure I’d be writing full-time in no time!

Unfortunately, the New Adult market, like many others, quickly became saturated. Millions of new authors published books that year. I published Meant for Her (another New Adult baseball romance) five months after For Everly. Sales fizzled across the board and they’ve never bounced back. I heard the same story again and again from my fellow authors everywhere.

After that, I realized it was foolish to write to trends unless it happened to align with a story I want to tell. Now, I write the stories I want to write when I want to write them. It’s been remarkably liberating!

I published my seventh Estilorian novel, Deceive, the year after my baseball romances came out. From there, I moved on to my House of Archer series (New Adult rocker romances). Now I’m working on For the Win (a New Adult baseball romance). I’ve got plenty of other stories waiting patiently in the wings too…and I can’t wait to share them with the world!

Raine Thomas

Raine Thomas, new adult, young adult and romance

is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine has signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen.

Raine is a proud indie author who is living the dream. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Get to know more about Raine on

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Focus Friday: Rise of the Faire-Amanti

Posted on November 28, 2014 Written by
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By Raine Thomas

The new novel in The Ascendant series comes out on December 14!
Faire-Amanti

That passing thought had her thinking about Vycor and her parents. The Advisor and Guardians were essentially ruling at the palace in her absence while most of the planet believed she was dead. Vycor and Shaya, who had been conducting an illicit affair right under her father’s nose, could be doing any number of horrible things on the other side of the barrier separating the Dark Lands from the rest of the planet, but Kyr was powerless to stop them.

We’ll get through the protections, Kyr, Ty thought, stepping closer to her and caressing her cheek.

She leaned into his touch. How? We’ve been trying for so long. Nothing seems to work.

Don’t get discouraged. We’ve made good use of this time, haven’t we?

He was right, of course. It had taken them longer than anticipated to gather support on this side of the protections. Outcasts were scattered all over the Dark Lands. Those who weren’t being held prisoner in Vycor’s mine weren’t exactly eager to reveal themselves to strangers, and even if they did, they weren’t enthused over the idea of going up against the palace. Seeing as how it was Vycor and his Inquisitors who had gotten most of them cast out in the first place, Kyr understood their reluctance.

She and Ty had decided not to reveal their true identities to Outcasts in an effort to keep news of her survival a secret, so getting support was even more difficult. They were making headway, though. It was nice to know they had some allies now.

We’ll find a way to get through, Ty vowed, running his thumb lightly over her lower lip.

The caress made her forget about her troubles. Her gaze moved to his mouth, which turned up at the corners. He leaned down, and she rose on her toes to meet him halfway.

Geez. Can’t I ever pop in without you two pawing each other?

Kyr returned to the flats of her feet as Sem’s thought broke through the moment. She frowned as she met Ty’s gaze. They weren’t due to “chat” with Sem yet that day.

This couldn’t wait, Sem explained. I just got back from spying on another rendezvous between Shaya and Vycor.

Kyr’s eyes widened as she grasped Ty’s forearm. Her worry over Sem was bad enough when he was merely pretending to still be under Vycor’s influence so he could gather intel from within the palace. But this…

Sem, Ty thought warningly. We told you not to risk that.

Yeah, yeah. I was getting bored. I haven’t gotten you any new useful information in days. I had to do something.

Ty sighed. What did you find out?

The V’larians are still on Alametria.

Kyr’s brow wrinkled in puzzlement. She felt Ty’s concern, too. The V’larian ambassadors, Telad and Ravina, had gone back to their planet before Ty was banished to the Dark Lands.

I figured since you mentioned seeing some V’larian weaponry and supplies out there in the Dark Lands that you’d want to know, Sem conveyed.

Why would the V’larians return here so soon? Kyr wondered.

That’s the thing, Sem replied. I don’t think they ever left.

About Rise of the Faire-Amanti

This is a New Adult novel recommended for ages 17+.

Stranded in the desolate Dark Lands, Kyr and Ty share a bittersweet reunion. Alametria lies on the brink of darkness. Their people are still reeling, believing she’s dead at Ty’s hands. With no other choice, many have turned to the Guardians and Advisor Vycor for guidance, never suspecting they’re being led to slaughter.

Kyr and Ty encounter overwhelming challenges in their fight to save their people: a deadly environment, murderous Marauders, and powerful protections preventing them from reaching the palace. When the journey itself could mean their deaths, the one thing that keeps them going is the thought of bringing VycorDane to justice.

Facing a battle on multiple fronts, lacking resources, and significantly outnumbered, Kyr and Ty must rely on each other in the race to save their planet. Will they beat the odds and restore peace to Alametria…or will Vycor’s evil destroy them all?

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About the author

Raine-Thomas-Headshot-small-233x300Raine Thomas is the bestselling author of an award-winning series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane. She became truly passionate about writing when one of her stories took an Honorable Mention in a fourth-grade writing competition (who would have thought a story about a dancing spider would garner so much attention?). Carrying that passion with her, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing from Georgia State University, then her master’s degree in Humanities from Central Michigan University.

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