Guest Post and Giveaway: Counting on You by Kelly Jensen

We’re so pleased to have author Kelly Jensen joining us today on the tour for her brand new release, Counting on You. Kelly’s sharing her writing playlist as well as a giveaway with you, so be sure to check out the details for that at the end of the post.

Welcome, Kelly!

Counting on You Playlist

Three novellas has meant three playlists for Henry and Marc. Three opportunities to put together a collection of songs I feel best represent each of these guys and their story. I compile these playlists in two ways. Because I live up in the hills, nearly half an hour from town, I do a lot of driving. So I’m often out and about when I hear the perfect song for one of my books – usually the one that’s percolating at the forefront of my mind. If I can, I add the song to my YouTube playlist (I have one for each book/couple) and when I get home, I’ll listen to it again and quite often add it to multiple lists. Some songs just say it for so many situations, you know?

I choose about half the songs that way. The rest are the result of me searching the themes in a particular book, looking for something that fits. I did a lot of that for the second book in this series, Counting Down, and had a lot of fun searching for basement songs and getting stuck songs.

For Counting on You, I actually had a full list put together before I even got to YouTube. I just kept hearing a song that would be perfect.

The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something Just Like This

I kinda love this song for everyone I write because there’s something essential about the message here—especially in regards to the sort of romance I like to write. Most of my stories focus on two fairly ordinary guys leading fairly ordinary lives. I love the idea that romance doesn’t have to be about falling for a billionaire or an astronaut or someone more exciting than you. Not everyone is destined to save the world. Mending a broken heart, being there when someone needs you, seeing what no one else sees, loving someone back—these are the heroic gestures of contemporary romance, and this song captures that sentiment perfectly.

O.A.R. – I Go Through

This one is for Marc! So often throughout the course of telling their story, I’ve had him or Henry talk about the fact no obstacle is high enough, wide enough or deep enough to deter Mr. Determination. Marc is going over, under, around, or through. Always.

And thank goodness he does.

The Revivalists – Wish I Knew You

So this one is about an older couple, but I love it because this is a feeling I’ve had before and I don’t think I’m alone. When you’re first getting to know someone, you naturally wonder what they were like as a child, or as a teenager. You wonder if, if you’d known them then, you’d be dancing with them now. It’s an eternal question, I suppose, and the older we get, the farther it stretches. If I’d known you back then, would we still be where we are now?

This relates to Henry and Marc’s story in a way I don’t want to say too much about because Henry needs to reveal certain things about his past on his own. Same for Marc. But I’m sure there will be moments for both of them when they wished they knew each other back then.

Lifehouse – Hanging By A Moment

For two dates and two months, this has been Henry and Marc’s relationship: hanging by moments, or maybe hanging between the moments, and as each one passes, they’re falling for each other. It’s a relentless process and by the time they realise where they are, it’s too late to turn back. The only way through is Marc’s way.

Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me

There’s a reason this is on numerous top ten karaoke lists. This song is not only fun to sing, it’s fun to move to. Bonus: it invites audience participation! This song also has the distinction of being on the first compact disc I ever bought for myself.

Whitesnake – Here I Go Again

And while I’m on a theme… C’mon, you’d sing it, you know you would. (I wouldn’t, but I don’t sing in public. I’m officially a hazard.) Thankfully, this song only speaks to a small portion of this story, because I write romance and in my books, no one has to walk alone for long. <3

Thanks for following my tour! At the end of every post, I’ll be asking a question. Leave a comment with your answer (and your email address), and complete the Rafflecopter to enter! There are two prizes, both available internationally. One winner will receive $15 (US or equivalent) to spend at the Dreamspinner Press store. A second winner will receive the entire Counting series in ebook format, gifted through the Dreamspinner Press store.

Q. Do you enjoy playlists?

About the Book

Henry and Marc can’t seem to catch a break. They’ve had two disastrous dates—the first trapped in a car during a blizzard and the second locked in a basement—followed by nearly two months apart. Even though they work for the same firm, their relationship is held together by flying visits, phone calls, and text messages. A joint assignment in Washington D.C. might be more togetherness than they can handle, however.

Henry is still battling insecurity, and this assignment is too important to his career to mess up. Marc is committed. He’s falling for Henry and looks forward to having him permanently on his team and at his side. But the real test isn’t the assignment. When Marc finally lays his heart on the line, can he count on Henry to be there for him, in every way that matters? And can he do the same for Henry when Henry needs it the most?

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Dreamspinner Press

About the Author

If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.

Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas and short stories, including the Chaos Station series, co-written with Jenn Burke. Some of what she writes is speculative in nature, but mostly it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.

Connect with Kelly: Twitter | Facebook | Website

The Giveaway

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Follow the Tour

11/22   Dreamspinner Press Blog
11/27   We Three Queens
11/28   Love Bytes
11/28   TTC Books and More
11/29   The Novel Approach
11/29   Boy Meets Boy Reviews
11/29   Scattered Thoughts
11/30   Joyfully Jay
11/30   Bayou Book Junkie
12/1     Diverse Reader