Samantha Branson is having severe anxiety attacks. Her heart beats unusually fast, her breath quickens and her hands sweat. Every detail screams in her head that she is the center of unwanted attention. Everyone can hear her thoughts, her heart and her breathing. The silence of the classroom is so loud that focus is impossible.
After an attack lands her in the wrong bathroom, Sam meets Eli who offers to provide help. Faced with the return of her possessive ex-boyfriend and the blossoming of a new romance, Sam must find the strength inside herself to face her anxieties head on.
Bio:
Lindsay Paige is a young adult romance author from North Carolina. Most of what Lindsay writes are her daydreams in lavish details. (Please excuse that fact when you read one of her future works about a girl who sleeps around.;)) When not writing, she is working to finish her first year of college.
Lindsay loves to read, listen to music, watch and play tennis, along with watching her favorite hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lindsay is a big fan of Sidney Crosby (87) and buys Penguins merchandise whenever she can.
Lindsay loves to be around her family and best friends. One summer after viewing a video of Nicholas Sparks' house, Lindsay's mother made the comment that she should write a bestselling novel since she "reads so much", that way they could have a beautiful house as
well. Lindsay took her comment to heart. She began working on Sweetness. A year later, the novel was complete.
Many of the aspects of the characters in Sweetness were inspired by Lindsay's own struggles, such as a recovering alcoholic father and the anxiety Emily suffers because of her past.
Excerpt:
Why is this happening to me? My throat constricts as my body heats up. Sweat forms and drips from my chin. No. No. NO! I have to get out of here. I can’t be in this classroom for another second. It’s too much. My hands are trembling, and my legs won’t stop bouncing up and down.
Up and down.
Over and over they bounce as fast as they can. I can’t stop sweating. I can’t keep my palms from being clammy. I can’t make my body stop shaking and I can not prevent my legs from bouncing up and down. Why does it feel like everyone is watching me when their backs are to me? Why does it feel like everyone can hear my thoughts? I dig my fingernails into my palm as a distraction. It works for a half second.
We are supposed to give a presentation today and I'm nervous to say the least. I despise standing up in front of a group and telling them something, but lately every emotion has been enhanced. What if it comes out rushed? That's points off and I can't make less than an A. What if I forget something or forget what I was going to say all together? That'll earn me a zero. I work too hard in school to afford a zero. This AP class is major for me, but it has been so stressful to keep up with all the work and make A's.
“Samantha, you’re next.”
No. Oh goodness. No. This can’t be happening. I can’t handle this. Everyone looks at me now. They are patiently waiting for me to stand and present to the class. The fight or flight response is flashing in huge neon red lights in my head. I have been trying to fight, but I just can’t do this. I make my decision.
Flight.
