Cover designer: Robin Harper, Wicked by Design
Photography: Abigail Marie, NON`PA*REIL photography
Photography: Abigail Marie, NON`PA*REIL photography
Book Description:
In Present Perfect, Brad Johnson was sexy, cocky, rich and a complete Smurff**ker. He could afford anything he wanted and could charm any girl he set his eyes on. Everything was laid out in front of him, all for the taking except the one thing he craved and needed. A tragic event forces him to reevaluate his life. When he tries to change, will the people in his life let him move on from his past or will they constantly hold him to the life altering mistakes he’s made?
Mabry Darnell is intelligent, ambitious, beautiful, and sassy. Secrets from her past haunt the present causing her to question her actions in order to shield her heart and protect her life.
From the moment Brad and Mabry met, their connection was strong, intense, and electrifying. Both knew they had found the one person who could satisfy what the other ached for. When their pasts collide with their present, will it prevent them from having a future together or will love be strong enough to conquer their demons?
In Present Perfect, Brad Johnson was sexy, cocky, rich and a complete Smurff**ker. He could afford anything he wanted and could charm any girl he set his eyes on. Everything was laid out in front of him, all for the taking except the one thing he craved and needed. A tragic event forces him to reevaluate his life. When he tries to change, will the people in his life let him move on from his past or will they constantly hold him to the life altering mistakes he’s made?
Mabry Darnell is intelligent, ambitious, beautiful, and sassy. Secrets from her past haunt the present causing her to question her actions in order to shield her heart and protect her life.
From the moment Brad and Mabry met, their connection was strong, intense, and electrifying. Both knew they had found the one person who could satisfy what the other ached for. When their pasts collide with their present, will it prevent them from having a future together or will love be strong enough to conquer their demons?
Review:
So I finished up Past Imperfect a little bit ago and not exactly sure what to write. Alison G. Bailey has such a way with words that play so much with emotion its crazy. She made me cry. Again. Its not the first time she made me cry. In this book the highs were good but the lows. Wow those lows were as low you could possibly go.
In Present Perfect, I hated Brad. He was a Smurffucker. Plain and simple. But boy did he redeem himself. You wouldn’t believe that the Brad in Past Imperfect and the Brad in Present Perfect was the same guy. Things happened during the book that made Brad change and grow up. He reevaluated what he was doing and decided he didn’t want to be that way anymore. And then he met Mabry.
Mabry has had one of the toughest lives you could imagine. The events that took place were horrifying for anyone, especially a younger girl. It shaped who she became. And then she met Brad.
I loved pretty much each chapter alternated between the present and the past. And within each chapter, you had both viewpoints. You got to see the events that shaped them to who they are and also how it is affecting them in the present. And you got to hear from both of them.
And then you got to the end. And and and. Ugh, I wish I could just tell you but I can’t. I will say I gasped and broken down crying. And then the epilogue started. And I love Alison’s epilogues. She does a great job, especially with this book, of finishing it off where it needs to be.
I guess the best way to describe my emotions and overall feeling about this book is WAMFU! (Read the book to understand what that means)
So I finished up Past Imperfect a little bit ago and not exactly sure what to write. Alison G. Bailey has such a way with words that play so much with emotion its crazy. She made me cry. Again. Its not the first time she made me cry. In this book the highs were good but the lows. Wow those lows were as low you could possibly go.
In Present Perfect, I hated Brad. He was a Smurffucker. Plain and simple. But boy did he redeem himself. You wouldn’t believe that the Brad in Past Imperfect and the Brad in Present Perfect was the same guy. Things happened during the book that made Brad change and grow up. He reevaluated what he was doing and decided he didn’t want to be that way anymore. And then he met Mabry.
Mabry has had one of the toughest lives you could imagine. The events that took place were horrifying for anyone, especially a younger girl. It shaped who she became. And then she met Brad.
I loved pretty much each chapter alternated between the present and the past. And within each chapter, you had both viewpoints. You got to see the events that shaped them to who they are and also how it is affecting them in the present. And you got to hear from both of them.
And then you got to the end. And and and. Ugh, I wish I could just tell you but I can’t. I will say I gasped and broken down crying. And then the epilogue started. And I love Alison’s epilogues. She does a great job, especially with this book, of finishing it off where it needs to be.
I guess the best way to describe my emotions and overall feeling about this book is WAMFU! (Read the book to understand what that means)
Playlist:
http://open.spotify.com/user/1244737523/playlist/7nEqZk2tJYvx4nNl245FpQ
Music plays a huge role in my writing process. In fact, I’m not sure I could write without it. I think up scenes and almost all my dialogue while listening to music. I can tell within the first few seconds of a song if it fits my current story. I add a ton of songs to my playlist, each represents a period of time in the story. Even though the playlist is not in order, you can see the progression of Past Imperfect in it.
At the beginning of the playlist are more fun and light, club music. The songs towards the end of the playlist are more serious and darker. It’s not always the lyrics that strike me. Sometimes it’s the melody that evokes a feeling I want to express in a scene. “Poison and Wine” by The Civil Wars is one such song. It’s the feel of it more than the lyrics that influenced me. “I Said” by Michelle Featherstone was the total opposite. The lyrics to this song are spot on for being Brad and Mabry’s song. “Mercy” by Duffy to me is a sexy song and so I had to have Brad and Mabry dance to it.
I ty not to use the same songs for different books, but at times they overlap. But certain songs like “Everything” I will never use on another playlist unless it’s a book that’s about Noah and tweet. Same is true of “I Said”, it will always be Brad and Mabry’s song.
I thank my lucky stars every day for Spotify.
http://open.spotify.com/user/1244737523/playlist/7nEqZk2tJYvx4nNl245FpQ
Music plays a huge role in my writing process. In fact, I’m not sure I could write without it. I think up scenes and almost all my dialogue while listening to music. I can tell within the first few seconds of a song if it fits my current story. I add a ton of songs to my playlist, each represents a period of time in the story. Even though the playlist is not in order, you can see the progression of Past Imperfect in it.
At the beginning of the playlist are more fun and light, club music. The songs towards the end of the playlist are more serious and darker. It’s not always the lyrics that strike me. Sometimes it’s the melody that evokes a feeling I want to express in a scene. “Poison and Wine” by The Civil Wars is one such song. It’s the feel of it more than the lyrics that influenced me. “I Said” by Michelle Featherstone was the total opposite. The lyrics to this song are spot on for being Brad and Mabry’s song. “Mercy” by Duffy to me is a sexy song and so I had to have Brad and Mabry dance to it.
I ty not to use the same songs for different books, but at times they overlap. But certain songs like “Everything” I will never use on another playlist unless it’s a book that’s about Noah and tweet. Same is true of “I Said”, it will always be Brad and Mabry’s song.
I thank my lucky stars every day for Spotify.
Author Bio:
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she would create (write) additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school she began writing one act plays which she later produced.
Throughout the years she continued writing and producing several one act plays, but then life got in the way and she hung up her pen for a while. At the end of 2012 a very talented author friend convinced Alison to go back to writing and see what happens. So she did and fell back in love with it. Present Perfect will be Alison's first self-published book. A few personal facts, Alison loves anything sweet, especially frosting, and is addicted to Diet Pepsi. Alison's philosophy: Don't let your obstacles define you. At times life can get pretty overwhelming, but with a great support system and a lot of humor you can get through them. If you have humor in your life your spirit stays strong and you can tackle anything.
Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she would create (write) additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduated with a major in Theater. While at school she began writing one act plays which she later produced.
Throughout the years she continued writing and producing several one act plays, but then life got in the way and she hung up her pen for a while. At the end of 2012 a very talented author friend convinced Alison to go back to writing and see what happens. So she did and fell back in love with it. Present Perfect will be Alison's first self-published book. A few personal facts, Alison loves anything sweet, especially frosting, and is addicted to Diet Pepsi. Alison's philosophy: Don't let your obstacles define you. At times life can get pretty overwhelming, but with a great support system and a lot of humor you can get through them. If you have humor in your life your spirit stays strong and you can tackle anything.
Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads