Chasing Crazy
Kelly Siskind
Published on January 12, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance About CHASING CRAZY
"With an endearingly awkward female protagonist, a swoon-worthy male love interest, and Siskind's superb storytelling, this is one of the best New Adult contemporary romances I've read to date." – USA Today bestselling author K.A. Tucker
Dear Mom & Dad, I dropped out of school. I'm going backpacking. Sorry. Love you both.
At nineteen, Nina has endured two lifetime's worth of humiliation. Tired of waiting for it to get better, she decides to get going – across the globe to New Zealand. There she soon faces what she most fears: a super sexy guy ready to be Nina's next mistake.
Once Sam's life was all about having fun. That was before the accident. Now his friends have bailed and his world is broken. But when a gorgeous girl on his flight looks at him with passion instead of pity, Sam feels his old self coming back to life.
Now traveling together, Nina and Sam know this isn't just a fling. They're falling fast, hard, and deep. More than anything, Sam wants Nina to forget her fears. But to help her do that he must reveal his own painful secret-and risk Nina never seeing him the same way again.
CHASING CRAZY is available now!
Ready to go hiking? We’re joning Nina and Sam on Mount Tongariro on the fifth stop in Kelly Siskind’s CHASING CRAZY excerpt hop!
Join Nina and Sam on their adventures through New Zealand by following along with the excerpt hop! The first day highlights Auckland. Check out the excerpt below and enter to win a signed copy and an advanced copy of Kelly Siskind’s upcoming book!
Follow along with the excerpt hop to follow Nina and Sam through New Zealand:
- Day One, February 29th: Grown Up Fangirl – Auckland
- Day Two, March 1st: Smexy Books – Pahia
- Day Three, March 2nd: Alexa Loves Books – Waipu
- Day Four, March 3rd: Lost in Literature – Rotorua
- Day Five, March 4th: New Adult Addiction – Mount Tongariro
- Day Six, March 5th: Harlequin Junkie – Nelson
- Day Seven, March 6th: The Book Bellas – Copland Track
- Day Eight, March 7th: Fangirlish – Christchurch
Stop #5 – Mount Tongariro:
“Sam. Oh God, Sam. I…I can’t. Oh my God, I just can’t.”
Panting. Burning. Aching limbs. Lungs sure to collapse.“Don’t crap out on me now, Canada. Five more steps and you’ve made it.”
I don’t look up. That would mean moving my head. That requires energy. I suck a breath, oxygen raking through my lungs, and I take another step. Then another. After the promised five, I can tell I’m not at the top.
“Five?” I manage to shout. Endless would be a good word to describe this climb.
Or infinite. Or illimitable. Or plain horrible.
“Okay. I lied. Just don’t stop moving. You’re so close. And we’re not setting up camp on a ninety-degree cliff. Keep your eye on the prize. You’re almost there.”
Frickin’ Hot Guy and his stupid hike. He thought his limp would slow us down, but I’m the one huffing and puffing, trying to figure out how I ended up on Mount Everest while in New Zealand. I chance a glance up, using the moment to inhale a mouthful of air. Sam leans over the edge, hands on his knees, grinning down at me. If there was ever a reason to summit a mountain, that face is it.
Sam, who I’m falling for. Sam, with that jaw.
Sam, who I’ll be sleeping with. In a tent. Alone.
Another five agonizing steps later, he’s got me by the shoulders, helping me up. In the blink of an eye, he has my straps undone and is easing the bazillion-pound weight from my back. The air still feels sharp in my lungs, like it could slice through me.
“Keep moving around,” he says. “Come on, let’s walk it off.” He grabs my hand and leads me over the rocky ground, the two of us walking in wide circles.
After a few laps, the air is less daggerlike and my breathing slows. I blink at my surroundings. So focused on my aches and pains, I didn’t stop to soak in the landscape, if that’s what you’d call it. This is probably what the moon looks like. A few hikers passed us on the climb, but we’re alone in this crater, surrounded by jagged outcrops of brownish-black rocks and yellow tufts of grass, low mountains on all sides. It’s majestic and eerie and otherworldly, and I’m here because of Sam.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks. He’s still holding my hand as the silence engulfs us, my heart pounding in my ears.
The air is cold and damp. It alleviates the heat from that insane climb but doesn’t do much to quell the warmth between Sam’s hand and mine. Still, I don’t let go. And he doesn’t let go. I could stand here forever.
“Yeah, beautiful,” I finally say, no longer referring to the scenery.
He drops my hand and folds his arms as he studies the darkening sky. “We still have a ways to go. We’ll break for lunch after the Emerald Lakes. The Blue Lake is after that. Then I’m guessing it’s another hour or so before we reach the hut. How are your legs doing?”
I plant my hands on my hips. “My legs? My legs are fine. I could run a marathon. Make that two.”
“Okay. Wanna race? I’ll give you a thirty-minute head start and make sure I limp extra bad.” He wiggles his eyebrows. Frickin’ Hot Guy.
Giveaway
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About Kelly Siskind
A small-town girl at heart, Kelly moved from the city to open a cheese shop with her husband in Northern Ontario. When she’s not neck deep in cheese or out hiking, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head.
She laughs at her own jokes and has been known to eat her feelings—Gummy Bears heal all. She’s also an incurable romantic, devouring romance novels into the wee hours of the morning.
She is represented by Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy Literary Group.
Kelly Siskind
That hike up Mount Tongariro was INSANE. But the views were spectacular. I loved writing this chapter. Also, if you haven’t read CHASING CRAZY yet…there’s a tent scene soon afterward that is a *little* steamy. Thanks for the post!