Author Guest Post with Susan Zoe Bella: High Point

Jett Castle and Mia Fringe get down and dirty in this passionate, action-packed romance!

Welcome to the November 2nd stop on the blog tour for High Point by Susan Zoe Bella with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

Describe your book cover and how it came about

The cover for High Point went through several changes before I settled on this one. I wanted a model who looked very much like the real Jett thirty-seven years ago. Wander photography had just the guy! Right down to the eye color of green with flecks of brown, the hair color, the build, (great arms!), and the clothes. It’s amazing how much the model looks like the real Jett! I wanted the cover to focus on him and leave Mia to the reader’s imagination. I also wanted to incorporate the most important aspect of Jett’s career, which is Motocross. So I found that amazing (licensed) stock photo and gray-scaled it into the background. I chose grayscale because the dirt bike has a rider on it, and I didn’t want to take away from the gorgeous model. I brought Jett in as close as possible to show off his arms, and what he typically wears, and also to show his eyes and hair. The cover for High Point began with an entirely different concept. The initial cover didn’t feature a model at all. Once I completed the novel, I knew just where to go with the cover. It was truly inspired by my love for the sport and how much the model resembles the real Jett.

About the Book

High Point
by Susan Zoe Bella

Published 1 July 2023

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 490
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

It’s only rock and roll but I hate it. Groupies, parties, a cheating ex, and a dark night spawned a wake-up call. I’d shifted my focus to work and avoiding social media. Singing lead for a famous band had become nothing more than a steppingstone to my true dream of racing Pro Motocross. I hadn’t dated in years. Then ‘she’ showed up and everything in me longed to be with her. I was stoked she’d agreed to join me at High Point Raceway for the weekend, even if it meant putting up with Mack. Better still, Mia wasn’t a groupie, not even close. She wasn’t even a fan of our music. If love at first sight had a name, it would be Mia Fringe and I had to make her mine. ~ Jett

I’d seen him in passing over the years. He was the neighbor of my best friend. But we’d never officially been introduced until the night Mackie badgered me into meeting him after attending his band’s concert. I tried not to look awestruck, stunned that someone this gorgeous had been within my scope for years but had not caught my attention. He had success written all over him. Girls like me didn’t end up with guys like him. Recently unemployed, still living on the family farm, and recovering from a nervous breakdown, I was a mess. But Jett saw something in me that nobody else ever had…worth. ~ Mia

Action, drama, and chaos kick off right from the start at High Point Raceway when Mackie has second thoughts about playing matchmaker between Mia and Jett. However, when the week of bliss comes to an end, Mia is heartbroken and confused as to why Jett doesn’t keep his promise. She accepts a job as a reporter three thousand miles away to escape the pain.
Ten years later, Mia and Jett cross paths in the most startling way. She’s about to discover the truth of what really happened so long ago. Will she be able to trust Jett again when he pleads for a second chance? Can love and forgiveness conquer a decade of hurt? It all goes down in the dirt during the last race of the season.

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Excerpt

“Seems you settled down,” Kat noted. “Are we cool?”

I lifted my cup in a casual toast. “One of us is.”

Jett laughed and tapped his cup to mine. “Sweet burn.”

Kat surprised me with an impressive poker face, not revealing a hint of the daggers in her eyes I’d seen earlier. She was calculatingly wicked, a dangerous force to antagonize. However, Kat, in all her puffed-up narcissism and devious tactics had never met Fringe.

“I’m glad we worked it out,” she added.

“Mm-hm,” I muttered then directed my attention to the sexy guy with his arm around my waist.

“This is the first chance I got to check out your car. Seventy Gran Sport, right?”

“Yeah. You know cars?” He sounded surprised.

“I’ve always loved American Muscle.” I let my free hand glide up his bare arm to caress his huge bicep. “In more ways than one.”

He cocked one brow and grinned. “Would you like a closer look?”

“At the car?” I winked.

Fascination in his eyes deepened. “Both.”

“Mm-yes,” I purred.

We chugged our beer then set the empty cups aside. He eased me off his lap and escorted me to the beautiful Mediterranean Blue car parked several feet away. I moseyed around it, taking my time to admire the high-polished chrome wheels, trim, and bumpers in addition to flawless metallic paint on the body.

“Magnificent machine,” I gushed. “Four-fifty-five Stage One?”

“Yeah…” Something between awe and astonishment shimmered in his eyes as he gazed at me.

He popped the hood. “Check it out.”

“Wow…” I peered down at the engine. “Immaculate. You could eat off that. Impressive detailing. Lots of ponies under your hood.”

He slid both arms around me from behind and leaned in close. “You’re turning me on.”

I pivoted within his embrace and gazed up into heart-melting eyes that glistened in the light cast by a spectacular full moon. He lowered his head and kissed me again. This time the kiss was deeper, more intense and laced with longing.

My body relaxed against his as my arms wound around his neck. His hands slid up my back as he pulled me closer. We kissed passionately, locked in a tight embrace. He was an amazing kisser. His scent swirled around me. Arousal mounted. I hadn’t felt desire for a man, ever.

Men in my life had taken what they wanted without my consent.

The sensations Jett invoked were both alarming and thrilling.

When we eased from the kiss, he hugged me close and held me like nobody ever had. “This feels good. You feel so good…” he murmured against my neck. “So real and right and good.”

“I agree.” I rested my head against his chest and sighed dreamily.

We stood next to his car, kissing and holding each other on the most enchanting night of my life, following a rollercoaster of a day. We couldn’t seem to get close enough. Desperate longing emanated between us. Nobody existed except the two of us in that unforgettable moment.

A campfire crackled nearby. Stars reigned overhead.

The most perfect night. Perfect moment. Perfect kiss.

After a while, he pulled back and stared down into my eyes, tenderly brushing mussed hair off my face with one hand. “I’m glad you’re here, darlin, and that you stayed. You must be exhausted. I know I am. Ready to crash for the night?”

“Where?”

“I sleep in my backseat. That offer to hold you all night long is still on the table if you’re interested,” he said softly, gently.

“That’s an offer I won’t refuse. I’m gonna grab my purse, be right back.”

He cupped my chin with a tender albeit sensual touch. “I’ll be waiting.”

Mercy. The way he made me feel. Flutters and shivers raced through me, over me. I prayed to get through the night without losing self-control. I sauntered back to my chair and snagged my purse off the ground.

“Where are you going?” Mackie asked in a boozy slur, sloppy drunk as usual.

I took a quick look around. Kat and Bob had retreated to the back of their truck for the night.

“Going to bed…with Jett,” I replied, adding a snarky eyebrow shrug.

She glowered through heavy eyes. “Tick, tick, tick. You’re dancing with the devil on borrowed time.”

I gave her the finger then twirled away. A wonderful night awaited, and nobody was stealing it. The car door was open when I returned, and the front seat folded forward.

 He lay sprawled across the seat, shirtless, the fly of his jeans unsnapped, and both arms casually folded behind his head. He looked alarmingly suggestive.

About the Author

“I am a fan of happily ever after. My novels are too!”

Susan Zoe enjoys creating contemporary, paranormal, fantasy and romantic suspense stories with a gritty flair. Her stories are her own, and she typically writes outside the box. She’s always been a leader not a follower. Writing is her mental filter and how she processes the world around her, a fictional place where she can control the outcome at her comfort level with justice and happy endings. Her imagination is her greatest strength as it carries her away from daily stress.

As a survivor of hardship and chronic disease, she takes one day at a time and treasures the simple things in life. Susan Zoe is a Christian, loves animals, and practices being kind and generous every day. When not immersed in new stories, she enjoys watching movies, Motocross and Supercross, playing Yahtzee with her fiancé, and hanging out with her loyal 24/7 companion and trained service dog. She’s not a fan of sitcoms as they don’t offer enough mental stimulation. Losing herself in an intense story gives her brain the workout it needs to manage OCD, anxiety, depression, and stress.

Her achievements thus far include The Golden Wings Award for her debut novel The Satellite, the UK Nobel Pin and Editor’s Choice Award for her poem The Lonely Man, numerous 5 Star Reviews from Fallen Angels Reviews, Coffee Time Romance, InD’tale Magazine, Goodreads and more for current and retired novels. She was also a RONE Awards Finalist in 2017.

She loves to hear from readers and chat!

In her words, “Writing is the only time I’m truly free.” She’s happiest when her intriguing characters come to life and steal her away into their worlds where anything is possible.

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Giveaway Alert!

Susan Zoe Bella will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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