Untamed is one epic journey. S.C. Stephens takes us on
a frustrating, painful, complete trainwreck-you-can’t-look-away-from-don’t-want-to-miss-a-beat
ride, but for Griffin Hancock it was a necessary voyage. Only then could he
pull his head out of his ass and really see the world around him.
Being bassist for an
amazingly successful band wasn’t enough for Griffin. He felt entitled to more.
He wanted the spotlight. The recognition. He was tired of waiting for his
moment to shine. He was going to make it happen. Now.
Sadly, what he failed to
see was that he had everything he could ever want or dream of. He was at the
top of his career, had an extremely supportive wife, two beautiful and healthy
daughters, and friends that accepted him–arrogance and all.
One bad decision
after another quickly lead to his downfall. He dug himself so deep, I didn’t
know where he’d find the light. But in order to grow and learn, he needed that
fall. However, it wasn’t the spiral downward that opened his mind, but the look
back up, picking himself up from literally nothing, that was his moment. That’s
when he shined.
When I started this
book, I thought Griffin was full of himself. I had a full list of profanities
to describe him. He had a skewed view of his personal world. He was delusional.
His progression made me want to shake him, be done with him…cry for him. In the
end, one word now sticks out above the others when I think about Griffin. Humble. He paid a steep price to earn
that title and it is well deserved. Not to worry though, he’s still the playful, outlandish Griff people have come to love.
He’s just not quite so untamed.
Buy the book!
The spotlight doesn’t
only shine. Sometimes, it burns.
Being the bad-boy bassist for the world’s hottest band
has earned Griffin Hancock some perks: a big house, a fast car, and most
importantly his incredible wife, Anna. The one thing it hasn’t brought him
is the spotlight. Anna tells him to be patient, that his talent will win out. But
Griffin is through waiting for permission to shine.
Without warning, Griffin makes a shocking decision and
takes the gamble of a lifetime. Suddenly he’s caught up in a new level of
lights, cameras, and chaos—one that pushes his relationship with Anna to its
limits. Anna has always found his unpredictable behavior sexy, but lately he’s
seen an ache in her eyes, and it has his soul in knots. Just as the recognition
Griffin seeks is finally within reach, the thing he loves most in life could be
slipping through his fingers…
S.C. Stephens Q&A
1. What was hardest about
writing the story from Griffin’s perspective?
The hardest part of
writing Griffin’s book was deciding what part of his life to focus on, and what
journey to take him on. The possibilities were endless, and sometimes that was
really overwhelming. What was
the most fun? Griffin’s
inner monologue was the best part for me! The things he says are hilarious, but
what he doesn’t say is even better.
2. In the book, Griffin
takes a chance and tries out a new career. If you could do anything else
besides writing, what would it be?
Writing was the dream
career for me, so I don’t know of anything I would give this up for. As long as
I’m able to keep dreaming up stories, this is what I want to do.
3. Who has influenced you
as a writer?
I have learned so much
from the writers I admire. Colleen Hoover’s storytelling gift. Tammara Webber’s
compelling characters. A.L. Jackson’s descriptive poetry. Christina Lauren’s
sexy scenes. Alice Clayton’s and Tara Sivec’s humor. K.A. Linde’s ability to
bleed your heart dry. Every book I pick up motivates me to do better.
4. Griffin is always
confident with a capital C. What do you think readers can learn from him in
UNTAMED?
Sometimes confidence
isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to be humble and fallible. Sometimes you have
to fail to win.
“What was
all that about? And what did you mean at the end there? You are a part of this
band, Griffin. You always have been, and you always will be.”
Pushing him
back a step, I snapped, “It’s a little late for the pep talk, bro. If you think
I’m so valuable, you could have stood
up for me in there.” I lifted my arms for emphasis. “It gave me the warm and
fuzzies how you let him walk all over me.”
Kellan
sighed. “It’s complicated, Griff. Matt’s a genius on guitar…he’s…it’s his
instrument, the one he’s born to play. But us saying that isn’t an insult to
you. You’re amazing on bass, gifted even. It’s just…we each have our part, you
know? And we have to do them the best we can.” He put a hand on my shoulder.
“For the sake of the band, I’m asking you to let this go and just…forget about
lead. Please?”
I could only
stare at him. I felt numb inside. Was this what giving up your dream felt like?
For as long as I could remember, I’d wanted all eyes on me—I’d wanted to be the
center of attention. Matt had never wanted that. But he was given the
instrument that shone while I was given the one that everyone forgot about. My
part was designed to blend, designed to go unnoticed. It was everything I
wasn’t, and I was sick of being stuck with it. I wanted more, but they wouldn’t
give me more.
Without
answering him, I turned and walked away, toward the house. What could I say to
that anyway? Matt had just permanently rejected my chances at ever being lead
guitar. Forgetting was the only thing left that I could do. Forget, or stew,
and right now, I wanted to stew.
When I got
back to the living room, Jenny and Rachel were there working. “Need something,
Griffin?” Jenny asked, her pale eyes practically sparkling with happiness.
Ignoring
both her good mood and her question, I called out for Anna. “She’s upstairs
with Kiera,” Rachel quietly replied.
Harrumphing
some sort of thank-you, I began plodding my way to the stairs. Fucking stairs.
I stomped up them, cursing my bandmates with each step. I imagined that the
carpet treads under my feet were their squishy faces. I felt a little better by
the time I reached the top. “Yo, Anna! Where are you?”
Both Anna
and Kiera instantly appeared in a bedroom door frame. Simultaneously, they both
put fingers to their lips. “Shhhhhhh,” they both scolded.
I was tired
of being reprimanded today, so I didn’t lower my voice any. “Wake up Gibson.
We’re leaving.”
Anna
instantly edged around Kiera to step into the hallway. “What’s wrong?” she
asked me, while Kiera stepped out of the room behind her. The two sisters were
pretty similar, but Anna definitely had a lot more curves than her slimmer and
straighter sister. Generally I appreciated those curves, but at the moment, I
just wanted to shove them into the car and get out of here.
“There’s no
point being here right now, so we’re leaving. Actually, there’s no point in
ever coming back here, so we’re leaving.” I opened the door closest to me,
hoping I’d find my sleeping daughter behind it. Nope. Empty.
I moved to
try another door, but Anna stepped in front of me. “Let’s go outside, get some
fresh air.”
Dramatically
tossing my hands in the air, I gave up. “Fine.” What did it matter, since
nothing was working for me today anyway?
I headed
back to those goddamn stairs while Anna told Kiera she’d be right back. Not
waiting for my very pregnant wife, I sped down the steps and out the door. The
fresh air on my face helped calm me down a little, but I was still riled up. I
paced the front porch while I waited for Anna. Those sanctimonious assholes.
“Griff?” A soft
touch on my shoulder spooked me, and I jumped. Turning, I saw Anna behind me,
her green eyes worried. “What’s going on?” She indicated the front step, and I
grudgingly sat down.
Once I was
seated, my mood dropped. I’d started the day so positively, knowing without a
shadow of a doubt that this tour was going to be the one. But not anymore. It was going to be the same old crap.
Dropping my head, I slumped over. Anna sat beside me, and her fingers lightly
caressed my back in a soothing pattern. It helped my residual anger, but not my
rising disappointment.
“One song. I
asked for one fucking song…and they wouldn’t even give that to me…” I studied
my fingers in my lap while my dreams dissolved in my hands. “Matt just told me
that he’s not ever going to give me a chance to play lead, and the rest of the
guys agreed with him. I’m done…forever stuck on bass…forever in the shadows. I
just wanted one song, one moment in the spotlight.” With a sigh, I looked up at
her. “Four minutes? Is that so much?”
Anna’s eyes
were heavy with sympathy. Reaching up, she threaded her fingers through my
hair. “No…that’s not much at all.”
I nodded and
dropped my vision to my lap again. “Yeah, I didn’t think so either. But they
can’t even give that to me.” The anger resurfaced, wrapping disappointment
around it like a blanket. “Between me and you, babe, sometimes…I really don’t
like those guys.”
Anna kissed
the back of my neck and wrapped an arm around my shoulder in sympathy. “I’m
sorry, Griffin.”
Closing my
eyes, I let her comfort wash over me. At least there was one person on earth
who gave a shit about me.
About the author:
S.C. Stephens is a #1 bestselling
author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are packed with
emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending lazy
afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies, and
spending time with her friends and family. She and her two children reside in
the Pacific Northwest.
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