Today on the blog we have Aimee Friedman, author of Two Summers. Aimee is sharing with us a scene that was deleted from an earlier draft and it is pretty awesome! Go forth and enjoy.
This scene was actually in an earlier draft of the book, when I had a slightly different plotline for Summer: she was working at the local bookstore alongside her crush, Hugh. This scene takes place before an author reading at the store; Summer and Hugh are busy getting ready and have A Moment.
I stop for a moment, breathing in the musty scents of paper and leather binding. Then I hustle past the tables stacked high with fat paperbacks and shiny hardcovers. I head into the dusty back storeroom, determined to prove that I can be useful. I pick my way past cardboard boxes, careful not to dirty my white sundress. I am kneeling to open the mini-fridge when someone else walks in.
Hugh.
The tiny room suddenly feels even smaller, and heat fills my face. As Hugh maneuvers around me, his elbow brushes the back of my neck.
“I don’t mean to be in your way,” he says. “I’m just getting another table.”
“No problem,” I mumble. You’re just giving me heart palpitations. Carry on.
I turn slightly to study him. He’s dressed well for the reading, in a button-down light-blue shirt and dark slacks. His sleeves are rolled up, and I take in his nicely toned forearms as he easily lifts a folding table from the corner.
Before he can catch me staring, I whip back around. The fridge’s cold air is like a balm on my flushed cheeks. I yank out the plastic-wrapped plate of cheese cubes and stand up so fast I stagger backwards, crashing directly into Hugh.
Of course.
“You OK?” Hugh says, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady me. I glance back at him, humiliated, and notice that his cheeks are kind of red.
He blushes, too, I think, surprised. He’s not a different species.
I know he’s only blushing because I’ve almost knocked him over, and not because our faces are so close that I can see the faint scar above his top lip. My heart is racing.
“Hugh? Summer? Where are you guys?”
Two Summers by Aimee Friedman Published by Point
Published: April 26th 2016
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ONE SUMMER in the French countryside, among sun-kissed fields of lavender . . .
ANOTHER SUMMER in upstate New York, along familiar roads that lead to surprises . . .
When Summer Everett makes a split-second decision, her summer divides into two parallel worlds. In one, she travels to France, where she’s dreamed of going: a land of chocolate croissants, handsome boys, and art museums. In the other, she remains home, in her ordinary suburb, where she expects her ordinary life to continue — but nothing is as it seems.
In both summers, she will fall in love and discover new sides of herself. What may break her, though, is a terrible family secret, one she can't hide from anywhere. In the end, it may just be the truth she needs the most.
From New York Times bestselling author Aimee Friedman comes an irresistible, inventive novel that takes readers around the world and back again, and asks us what matters more: the journey or the destination.
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About Aimee Friedman
Aimee Friedman was born and raised in Queens, New York, in an apartment filled with books and different languages. She wrote her first story at the age of five, and was off and running from there. Aimee wrote all through her years as a student at the Bronx High School of Science and then Vassar College. After graduating from college in 2001, she became a children's book editor, a job she still does, and loves, to this day! Aimee published her first novel, the New York Times bestseller, South Beach, in 2005, and is now the author of several novels for young adults, the latest being Two Summers. Aimee lives in New York City, where she can usually be found writing in cafes, window-shopping, or searching for the perfect iced latte.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
6/27/2016- Novel Novice– Guest Post
6/28/2016- Page Turners Blog– Review
6/29/2016- The Cover Contessa– Interview
6/30/2016- Just Commonly– Review
7/1/2016- YA Book Nerd– Interview
Week Two:
7/4/2016- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
7/5/2016- Andi’s ABCs– Guest Post
7/6/2016- A Dream Within A Dream– Review
7/7/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book– Guest Post
7/8/2016- Margie’s Must Reads– Review
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a signed finished copy of TWO SUMMERS and TWO SUMMERS travel bags, US Only.
That was great! I love the interactions between Summer and Hugh!
Hugh is my favorite so it’s really fun seeing a deleted scene with him and Summer being adorable. Eee.