(Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway) After Hours by Claire Kennedy

After Hours

by Claire Kennedy
Series: None

Release date: June 16th 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genres: Contemporary

Age category: Young Adult
No. of pages: 256 pages (paperback)
ISBN: 1481430157 (ISBN13: 9781481430159)

Synopsis:

Isa, Xavi, Peter, and Finn know that a job at the high-end Waterside Cafe isn't just about waiting tables. It's about the gossip, the hook-ups, the after-hours parties and, most of all, it's about Tips.

Tips--the high-stakes game based on dares. Whoever completes the most dares wins the collected money. A sum that could change a wasted summer into a Summer to Remember.

Isa is the new girl with an embarrassing secret, and as long as she stays on top of her game, she sees no reason why anyone could ever find out.

Xavi will do anything for the money...absolutely anything.

Peter, Xavi's stepbrother, has been in love with her for years, and he thinks the game is the perfect time to confess his feelings.

Finn is in the game just for the thrill. He has enough tips coming in to keep him happy...even if those tips come with some conditions.

From seduction to stealing to threats, the dares are a complete free-for-all, and only the best can win.

The sophisticated Waterside Cafe is anything but classy behind the scenes...and things are about to get dirty.

Guest Post

Top Ten Random Things I Want to Cross Off My Bucket List:

Visit New Zealand. Why? Because it’s absolutely stunning. And I want to see the little hobbit villages. (Are the sets still standing? I hope the sets are still standing!)
Skydiving! It’s no secret I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Risking my life jumping out of a plane? Sounds like a good time to me!
Do something big for my parents. I know this is a little ambiguous, but they’ve done so much for me, I want to surprise them in a big way somehow. Yeah, I know, number three on the list needs a little work….
See the northern lights. I saw them once in Nebraska and ever since, I’ve wanted to see them again. They’re really a natural wonder.
Visit a castle! Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a chill out in a castle and carry around a goblet and wear a crown and stuff? But I’d be cool with just the castle bit….
Buy (or rent) a little house by the water somewhere. I grew up in a house by a big lake, and ever since, I’m wanted a quaint little place near some water. Something simple, you know? Ten or twelve bedrooms is fine (just kidding)!
Ride in a gondola. I know this is probably lame and uber touristy, but I don’t even care. Hook me up.
Learn yoga. I know, this is probably not the most exciting bucket list item, but I’ve heard the health benefits are crazy awesome. And seeing as how I’m the least flexible person in the entire world, it would be awesome to be able to touch my toes!
Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’ll admit it. I’m not big on theme parks. But who doesn’t want to be Harry Potter for a day? SIGN ME UP.
Try gelato in Italy. I don’t eat dessert (I know, I’m a weirdo) so this would be a really huge deal for me.

Excerpt

I took the dare. The first dare.
My hands shake at my sides. I clench them into fists. The money that will be mine. Every last penny.
Peter looks shocked. His mouth is slightly open, and his face is pale. He didn't expect me to accept. Or he didn't want me to.
Xavi—Xavi is still standing. And, for some reason, she’s watching Peter, tears running down her cheeks. Angry tears. She wanted this.
And Finn—well, Finn sticks his hands in his pocket and grins at me.

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About the author:
Claire Kennedy is a pen name for author Amanda K. Morgan. She is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. She covers events and works as a technical writer when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda is an avid volleyball player and spends time playing both indoors and out. When Amanda isn't writing, she enjoys being entirely too busy and trying new things. Endeavors as of late include appearances in music videos, TV, and movies, rock climbing, and attending as many concerts and shows as her schedule allows.

Amanda headed up the Do The Write Thing for Nashville Project (with co-organizers/authors Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire), which tapped some of the biggest authors, editors, and agents in the industry for an online auction that raised over $70,000 for Midsouth flood relief.

For more information on Amanda's freelance or technical writing, contact her.

Author links: