How HEAD ABOVE
WATER was born…
I’m often asked
how I come up with the ideas for my stories, and I never quite know how to
answer that. Stories and characters come to me a lot of different ways.
Sometimes characters just pop into my head with personalities and pasts all
intact. Then it’s just a matter of coming up with a plot that will work for that
unique individual. Other times a show I’m watching or book I’m reading will
spur on an idea. Or a life experience of mine will fuel a storyline.
Oftentimes, though, it’s a combination of a lot of these things which form into
one idea.
However, this
book was different. I know the exact moment I came up with the storyline for
this book. It was last summer and I had brought my kids to the gym. My daughter
was swimming, my son was in the basketball court playing a basketball game, and
I was laying out by the pool reading a book. I looked up from the pages to
check on my daughter and my gaze landed on a teenage couple in the water. The
guy was teaching the girl to swim. I was mesmerized. He was so kind and tender
with her as he held her in the water. I found myself wondering about them. What
was their story? Why didn’t she know how to swim? What was their relationship
like?
And just like
that HEAD ABOVE WATER took shape in my mind. I wanted to write a story about a
love like that. About a boy who would teach his girlfriend to swim with
encouragement and gentleness. The couple in the book looks nothing like the
couple at the gym, and I never did find out their story, so any similarities
would just be coincidences. But that couple definitely inspired me.
With the basics of the story in my mind I set out to
come up with characters and Tag and Harper came very easily. Their back
stories, secrets and tainted pasts took time. In fact, I didn’t learn of Tag’s
until halfway through the rough draft, but that is typical for me.
The idea for this book has been brewing since last
summer, and it’s amazing to finally see it come to life.
Head Above Water Playlist:
Float – The Neighbourhood
Lucky – Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Talking to the Moon – Bruno Mars
The One That Got Away – Civil Wars
I Am Mountain - Gungor
Sweater Weather – The Neighbourhood
Dust to Dust – Civil Wars
From This Valley – Civil Wars
I’m Yours –Jason Mraz
Eavesdrop – Civil Wars
Head Above Water by Amber Garza
Publication date: February 28th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Sometimes all you need is someone to hold you up.
Harper Elliott knows what it feels like to drown. To be unable to breath, to feel the crushing weight of your lungs collapsing while waves crash over your head and the surface is just out of reach. The ocean has stolen way too much from her and her family. Even though she lives just miles from the beach she rarely ever steps foot on it, and never goes in the water.
Until she meets Tag Williams, the sexy lifeguard with the funny name, kind smile, genuine eyes and smoking hot body. He makes Harper want to do more than just stick her toes in to test the waters. He makes her want to jump in with both feet.
But if she does, can she trust Tag to keep her head above water?
Purchase:
Will be found here come release day:
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AUTHOR BIO
Amber Garza lives in California with her amazing husband and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.
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