The Color of Happiness
by K.P Gazelle
Release Date: 04/01/15
Radiant Books
218 pages
Summary from Goodreads
Faith
Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when
they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend,
Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her
relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection.
Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent
acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing.
Then
she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious
secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her
gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able
to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to
jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the
edge of reason?
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Excerpt
Even under his full length T-shirt, I
could tell this kid was muscular. He probably played on the basketball team
with Dale. Dale. I’d almost forgotten Dale. If this kid was a friend of Dale’s
then I didn’t want anything to do with him. The sooner I got my stuff together
and left, the better. I didn’t want to be anymore indebted to him than I
already was.
The nurse came back with some papers,
along with orders to see a doctor promptly. I knew I wasn’t going to the
doctor. I hated doctors. She looked my eye over again and said I didn’t need
the ice pack anymore. “You’re all set for class. Sixth period is just about to
begin.”
My stomach fell to my toes. The big
chemistry test. I wasn’t ready for it. Dancing in the rain, forgetting about
the test had been easy, but now that it was only minutes away, I felt like I
was headed to the gallows.
“Mrs. Friedman, did you notice that Faith
still looks quite pale? And the swelling around the corner of her eye still
looks pretty bad. Maybe . . . she should stay through sixth?” my rescuer kid
chimed in with a smile that had probably broken many girls’ hearts and slickly
pushed back his chestnut brown hair that was falling on his eyes. I watched
Mrs. Spencer melt right in front of me.
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I was
desperate, so I put on my best puppy face and played along. She rechecked my
swollen eye and nodded in agreement.
“You’re right, Alex. Faith, you can stay
here for a while. As for you, Mr. Alex, you’re in perfect shape to go back to
class now. Thank you for helping Faith here.”
“It was the least I could do. I’ll be on
my way, Mrs. Friedman. Thanks for all your help.”
Mrs. Friedman smiled and left the room.
“All right, freshman, it was nice
colliding with you. I’ll see you around.” He got to his feet and took out his
hand, “By the way, I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced before. I’m Alex.”
I looked at his hand and hesitated. He
had gotten Dale off my back the other day, saved me from catching pneumonia and
dying, and now again by getting me out of my sixth period. I took a deep sigh,
feeling my resolve break, before taking his hand and shaking it, “Faith.”
His grip was firm and for some unknown
reasons, an electric shock ran through me. I unclasped his hand at once and
turned to hide my face, which I’m sure was red by now with all the heat
simmering behind it.
He smiled as he grabbed his bag and
started heading out. Just as he was around the corner, I yelled out, “Wait. Why
do you think I’m a freshman?”
“That’s easy. Dale only picks on all the
pretty freshman girls.” He gave me that mischievous grin and wink again, and
was gone.
Feeling more confused than ever, I lay
back down on the cot. I’d think about all this later when my head wasn’t
pounding. I looked over to check the time on the big black and white clock
hanging on the wall on my left. Thirty minutes to go. As I lowered my eyes I
noticed a pile of papers neatly stacked on a small table next to me. Beside it
was my ribbon. Picking them up, I began sifting through them. My chemistry
notes. In the top right corner of the first page I had written down the test’s
date, today’s date.
So that’s how he knew I wanted to skip
sixth period. Right below the date was a sketch of a girl twirling in the rain.
Guest Post - Interview with the author
Interview
1.
Where did your inspiration
come from to write The Color of Happiness?
Different
events and people inspired different parts of the book. The element of grounded friendships was
inspired from my personal life. I have
the BEST friends!
2.
Can you relate to any of the
characters in The Color of Happiness, either personally or through a friend?
I can
relate to Faith in certain ways. Like
Faith, I put a lot of pressure on myself to excel and do the best that I
can.
3.
Your character, Faith, escapes
her peer pressure and the pressure from her parents through dance. Has dance
ever played a part in your own life?
Nope! I’m more like Tiffany – Faith’s best friend –
in that regard LOL. Couldn’t dance if my
life depended on it!
4.
Can you tell us more about
Alex, and the effect he has on Faith?
Alex,
of course, is Faith’s love interest in the book. He’s one of the people who really get Faith
to start believing in her dance abilities and in herself as an individual
overall.
5.
Were any particular areas of
the story more difficult to write than others?
Definitely,
yes. Sometimes, it was difficult to
share the exact emotions a character was experiencing at a given time.
6.
How would you describe your
writing style?
Hmmm .
. . I don’t know if I have a set style.
I like to write in character, so that changes each time.
7.
Are you an avid reader? Do you
have a favourite book/author?
Yes! I absolutely LOVE to read! I love too many books and authors to pick a
favorite . . .
8.
When you are not writing, what
do you do like to do? What is next for K.P. Gazelle?
You
would probably find me reading. I also
enjoy taking pictures, although I’m not very good at it LOL. There’s been an idea rattling in my head for
some time. Let’s see what happens with
it!
About the Author
K.P Gazelle is a true bookworm at heart - she can
spend hours with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. When she's not reading or
writing you can find her playing with her many nephews and nieces,
photographing landscapes, or eating a delicious meal.
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