Book Excerpt & Giveaway: Destined to Fail by Samantha March

The Book:

Jasmine Jones is ready to begin her new life as a college student, and is ecstatic to have best friend Abby by her side. But weeks into their new college life, Abby drops the bomb- she is pregnant, and dropping out of college. Jasmine can’t handle the fact that Abby is wasting her opportunity to get an education, and going back to her cheating, abusive boyfriend. She struggles to move on from her friendship with Abby, but befriends two new girls at college. Everything seems back on track for Jasmine- great new friendships and roommates, a strong relationship with boyfriend Nate, and excelling at her college courses. But Jasmine’s newfound happiness is shattered when her pregnancy test comes out positive. Does she have to drop out of college now and become a young mother? Will Nate stay with her? How can she afford a child? Jasmine’s life has been filled with obstacles and challenges along the way- from a missing father, sexual and physical abuse, and addictions that tore her family apart. With this latest setback, Jasmine fears her life will always be a struggle. Destined to Fail is one woman’s story about overcoming adversity in life, about taking the negatives and finding a positive, and about never giving up hope.

An Excerpt:

Splat. Vomit hit the water in the toilet, landing with a sickening sound, splashing tiny droplets back up towards my face. I tried to lift my head farther from the stool, but my body felt so weak it didn’t want to respond. I threw up until I was retching, heaving noises coming from somewhere deep in my stomach. Tears rolled down my cheeks and landed in the tainted toilet water.

I had thrown up almost every day for the past three weeks. Maybe longer, I was starting to lose track. I got sick mostly in the mornings, sometimes throughout the day, and even at nights. Certain smells seemed to trigger the virus––eggs Cari cooked in the morning or the cheap frozen steak meal Kiley frequented. The worst part of being sick was the body exhaustion and dizziness. Those symptoms made it hard to go to class and I had been missing more days than usual.

I also started my new job just two weeks prior, working in the Activities Center. John’s friend Logan had put in a good word for me and I was overjoyed to be working on campus. But I had to ask Logan to cover for me twice because I was too sick to go in. That couldn’t keep happening.

I had gone to the doctor after I missed the first day of work. My unfamiliar Des Moines doctor checked my throat and questioned my eating patterns, and sent me off with a prescription to help ease the symptoms of a particularly nasty flu virus that was going around school campuses and daycares. Swallowing horse pills twice a day did nothing to help.

Now I was alone in my college apartment on a Thursday night. Cari left for a house party and Kiley had gone back to her hometown to introduce John to her parents. After I finished vomiting, I leaned back against the bathroom wall, the cold tiles sending goosebumps down my arms. Sweat dripped down my temples, running a river down my chin. I didn’t even sweat that much when I worked out. I grabbed a towel and dabbed at my forehead, willing myself to take deep breaths. I knew what I had to do.

The Author:

Samantha March fell in love with books at a young age. Thanks to her mother and grandmother, both avid readers, Samantha followed in their footsteps. Field trips to the library highlighted her week, and she went on to do volunteer work at her local library while in middle school. Her early works closely resembled characters from The Baby-Sitters Club and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movies. In high school, Samantha excelled in writing courses and even the mundane tasks of writing history papers. 

A slew of real work wake-up calls caused Samantha to shelve her dream of becoming an author. She took what she considered the practical route and enrolled in a business college in Des Moines, Iowa, where she graduated with honors in 2009. But her thoughts of writing never dissolved. In October of 2009, Samantha started the book blog ChickLitPlus.com. From her small blog, Samantha met fellow readers and writers who pushed her to continue her goal of becoming published. 

Destined to Fail is the debut novel from Samantha March, and will be published by Marching Ink in November 2011. Samantha currently lives in West Des Moines, IA with her boyfriend and jumbled cast of friends who help inspire her writing. Besides reading, writing, and ChickLitPlus responsibilities, Samantha enjoys sports- especially the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs- and will never refuse ice cream.

Find Samantha: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Find Keeper of my Heart: Goodreads | Amazon | BN 

The Giveaway:

A Destined to Fail E-book is up for grabs!

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Check out the rest of the Destined to Fail Blog Tour Here!