Character Interview: Adalynn Maxwell of Courtney Kristel's BEAUTIFULLY SHATTERED

We’re thrilled to be talking to Adalynn Maxwell from Courtney Kristel, Beautifully Shattered.  It is a pleasure to have her with us today at Pimp That Character!

Thank you for your interview, Adalynn. How old are you and what do you do for a living?

I’m almost twenty-five and unemployed until things fall into place. I was working at Malcara Enterprises, but I realized that I wanted to follow my dreams, and marketing wasn’t it.

Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?

Anyone would say my violet eyes that I got from my mom, Quinn. My eyes are always the first thing someone comments on. My favorite thing about them is that Jax can describe them perfectly to me when I refuse to open them in the mornings.

What would I love the most about you?

Hmm... that’s a tough one. Hopefully, my ability to love fully. If you’re in my inner circle, which is tiny, I’ll do anything for you. Once you make it into my heart, I’ll love you forever, fight your battles with you, and be by your side whenever you need me. I love my friends for who they are, I never judge them for their past, and encourage them to be the best that they can be. Unless it’s Connor, then there’s no hope with him.

What would I hate the most about you?

My serious self-blame. I’m alive, still breathing, but some days it’s hard to remember why I’m here and why I survived the car accident. When I’m having one of those days, you’ll hate me because I’ll make it easy for you to do so by pushing you away. Or how Connor jokingly put it last night at dinner, I’m a flight risk. Luckily for me, Jax didn’t take his joke seriously, me on the other hand... lets just say I’m still thinking about Connor’s joke.

Where do you go when you are angry?

The pool, the ocean, any large amount of water would do as long as I’m under the surface, would have been my answer because the silence soothes me. I used to think that the water was the only place that I could let go of everything that didn’t matter and hold onto the one person who will always matter. But now things have changed. I finally have Jax. Whenever I’m angry I turn to him, my light, my best friend, my soulmate, and everything else floats away.

What makes you laugh out loud?

The cries of my enemies. Just kidding. Connor, there’s never a dull moment with him. He can turn anyone’s day around. It’s part of his unique charm. I also love when he gets Harper riled up because she tends to toss any near drink into his face and each time he’s surprised she did that.

What is your most treasured possession?

My memories. It took me a long time to find those memories I forced myself to forget, and I’ll never let that happen again. Nothing, can ever be that bad where I won’t want to remember. It’s hard, remembering everything I’ve blocked out for the past six years, but it’s nothing compared to what Jax has been going through. He didn’t forget, he did the opposite. He had to remember because I wouldn’t allow myself, he lived through the pain by himself because I couldn’t handle it at the time. He’s my strength.

What is your greatest fear?

Not being enough. No matter how hard I try to push it down, to ignore it, it’s always there. I watched my parents and little sister die right before my eyes, that’s something I’ll never be able to get over. And it’s because of the accident, that I doubt myself, constantly. Why did I survive? There’s moments where the world stands still, and I’m pulled under the weight of the guilt, for surviving, for giving up, and then the world spins again. I’m able to breathe, but I’m left haunted. Wondering if I’ll ever be enough for the people in my life now. If I wasn’t enough to keep the promise to my mom and take care of Hadley, then how can I possibly be enough for the people in my life now?

Are you a loner or do you prefer to surround yourself with friends?

Today, friends, but if you ask me again tomorrow, that could change to being a loner. I’ve always enjoyed my own company, and always sink back into myself when I’m feeling depressed. But now, Jax doesn’t let me. If I thought he was there for me in the past, that’s nothing compared to how he is now. Just a smile from him makes my day better and keeps the darkness at bay. I have the best friends in the world too. I couldn’t imagine reverting back to my loner days like how I was the past few years. I come out of my shell little by little every time I hang out with my bestie, Harper. And I’m finally seeing the happy person I used to be before the accident. Those dark days are behind me, and I look forward to each new memory I make with the people in my life now, and not focusing on what was stolen from us.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Ironically I wanted to be a doctor. If you know Jax’s childhood, then you’re probably wondering, what the heck Addie right? But it’s because of Jax’s childhood that made that idea pop into my head. I wanted to protect children that we’re abused just like him. Then I realized I could do that in a different way, because I realized that not every case ends with the child surviving. And that would have taken a toll on me. So then I decided I wanted to open up a pool and help underprivileged children learn how to swim, maybe open a camp or something. Somewhere in those dreams were opening a bakery, or being a teacher. But like everything else, those dreams disappeared.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?

I would spend the day with my family; Logan, Connor, Harper, and Jax. It wouldn’t matter what we were doing, as long as we were together and Jax was holding my hand and stealing kisses at least every four minutes. Lies, every other second with the kisses. At night it would be just Jax and I. Together, as one, until we both fell asleep in each other’s arms. If I was going to die, I wouldn’t want to be alone, I would want Jax to hold me, whispering in my ear that it was going to be all okay, reminding me that we would be together again. I would want his voice to be the last thing I ever heard.

About the Author

Courtney Kristel graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, but she couldn't shake her true passion for writing. She's currently working on the second novel of the Beautifully Series, Beautifully Mended. When she isn't creating stories to share with the world, Courtney usually has a book in her hands or is searching for new music to add to her writing playlist.  

Her latest book is the romantic suspense, Beautifully Shattered.

For More Information

• Visit Courtney Kristel’s website.
• Connect with Courtney on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Courtney at Goodreads.
• Visit Courtney’s blog.

About the Book:

Title: Beautifully Shattered

Author: Courtney Kristel

Publisher: Amazon

Pages: 412

Genre: Romantic Suspense

What would you do if your world fell apart right before your eyes? If everything you held dear was stolen before you had a chance to say goodbye, would you give up or keep fighting? Adalynn Maxwell didn't decide to give up. She was robbed of her choice.

After years of therapy, Adalynn finally wants to move on and her brother's sexy best friend Jax lures her further out of her shell. But she doesn’t understand his game and he changes the rules at every turn, making her fall into the waiting arms of the mysterious Doctor Kohen Daniels, whom she can’t seem to avoid. She’s terrified of trusting him, but something about him makes her want to bare her soul.

Adalynn is desperate for that all-consuming love she reads about, but doesn't believe she deserves it. Her desperation to prove to Jax that she isn’t a little girl anymore may ruin her forever. One wrong decision can change her entire future. She has one last choice to make, but will it be ripped away from her like everything else? Will she pay the ultimate price?

For More Information

• Beautifully Shattered is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

I want to pretend to be the confident person I used to be, but I’m not her, I can’t pretend. Not even wearing a mask can transform me into a different person. When the song ends, I thank the stranger for the dance when I feel him behind me. My whole body breaks into chills. I know if I turn around, I will come face-to-face with Jax. I’m not ready, but my body doesn’t want to listen to me anymore. I slowly turn around toward the one person that I want more than anything.

I’m taken aback when it’s not Jax. This is a new stranger. The man staring intensely down at me wears a blood red mask that covers his entire face, except for his lustful lips. He looks like the devil; the mask even has horns at the top. I blink a few times, expecting this devil mask to disappear and a simple black Casanova mask to take its place. 

Automatically, I take his offered hand. 

Mr. Secretive pulls me close so there isn’t any space between our bodies. I can feel his hard muscles underneath his tux. My breathing has become embarrassingly noticeable, and I’m pretty positive that my skin is on fire when his hands start to roam my bare arms. I look up at his face, trying to see his eyes, but with the lack of light on the dance floor, it’s impossible to tell the color. 

I’m so confused, everything in me tells me this is Jax. He’s the only one who can ignite my skin, that makes my whole body burn. But my mind can’t process why he’s in a different mask. 

Because this isn’t him. This is Mr. Secretive. 

He still hasn’t said anything and I don’t want to break the spell he has me under. He continues to grind his groin into my pelvis with the beat of the music, making it painfully obvious how aroused he is. By the pool of moisture gathering in my panties, it’s safe to say I’m in the same boat as him. The song is almost over when I get a quick whiff of his cologne. 

And I know without a doubt who’s behind the mask. 

I shouldn’t have doubted myself. I knew it was Jax before I turned around. I know him. My body knows him. I can feel him even from across the room. It’s as if my body, my soul, wants to haunt me forever. To torture me some more by reminding me what I can never have. 

Jax.

Reaching up, I thread my hands through his velvety soft hair. I pull his head down to me and press my lips to his. Jax releases his hold on my hips to cup my face as he deepens the kiss. I meet his tongue eagerly, loving the taste of him. I nibble on his lip and he growls into my mouth, turning me on even more. He’s the one to pull back first. I smile when I see he’s as breathless as I am. We’ve both just run an imaginary marathon. 

The smoldering look he gives me makes me shiver. I’ve never wanted anyone as desperately as I want him right here, right now. Without thinking long enough to talk myself out of it, I grip his hand and lead him off the dance floor. If there wasn’t people everywhere I would be sprinting with him to the nearest closed door. I weave us through the crowd and out to the hallway. I pull him along while I find somewhere for us to be alone. 

The first door we come to is locked. Same thing for the second one. We both sigh in relief when the third door opens. As I tug him in after me, my heel catches on the rug and I start to fall, but his grip on my hand saves me. He holds me to him as if he’s afraid to let me go. Spinning me around, he roughly slams his body into mine, banging my back into the wall. His hands are everywhere.