{"id":19374,"date":"2022-07-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/?p=19374"},"modified":"2022-07-31T20:09:16","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T00:09:16","slug":"blog-tour-once-in-a-lifetime-by-suzanne-mattaboni-excerpt-giveaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/blog-tour-once-in-a-lifetime-by-suzanne-mattaboni-excerpt-giveaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour: Once in a Lifetime by Suzanne Mattaboni (Excerpt + Giveaway!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ubb-blog-tour-banner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitplusbooks.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Once-in-a-Lifetime-Tour-Banner.png\" alt=\"Blog Tour: Once in a Lifetime by Suzanne Mattaboni (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ONCE IN A LIFETIME by Suzanne Mattaboni! I&#8217;m so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I&#8217;m so excited to for you to find out more about it, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-300x18.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-768x45.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/once-in-a-lifetime-cover.png\" alt=\"Blog Tour: Once in a Lifetime by Suzanne Mattaboni (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\" title=\"Blog Tour: Once in a Lifetime by Suzanne Mattaboni (Excerpt + Giveaway!)\" class=\"ubb-cover-image alignleft\"><strong>Once in a Lifetime<\/strong> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/authors\/suzanne-grieco-mattaboni\/\">Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni<\/a> <br><strong>Published on<\/strong>  March 25, 2022 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/publishers\/touchpoint-press\/\">Touchpoint Press<\/a> <br><strong>Genres:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/historical-fiction\/\">Historical Fiction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/reviews\/genres\/new-adult\/\">New Adult<\/a> <br><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 340 <br><strong>Add to <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/60042774-once-in-a-lifetime\" target=\"_blank\">Goodreads<\/a> <br><strong>Author Links:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.suzannemattaboni.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Website<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onceinalifetimenovel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Blog<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/suzmattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/suzanne.mattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/13979868.Suzanne_Grieco_Mattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Goodreads<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/suzannemattaboni80s\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Instagram<\/a> <br><blockquote class=\"ubb-synopsis\"><p>Sweetbitter meets Bridget Jones in a John Hughes movie, Once in a Lifetime plays against a vibrant 1980s background of everything from slam dancers and rubber jelly shoes to social anarchy and AIDS.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019ve waited long enough for my life to happen. I want to be neck-deep in something that keeps me up all night. Something so cool I\u2019ll be petrified and sick to my stomach at the mere thought of it. I want to absolutely fry in inspiration, then capture it in oils and charcoals and bits of broken glass, in a piece of art that oozes magic and fear and possibility. I want to find a city. An adventure. A song. Something. To hell with the American Dream. I want a reason to kick and scream.\u201d \u2015 Jessica Addentro, 1980s waitress, artist, and aspiring multimedia sensation<br \/>\nIn 1984, punk is rampant. Andy Warhol rules. And 20-year-old art student Jessica is sick of all the excitement going on without her. Hungry for the life she\u2019s convinced is just beyond her fingertips, she sets her sights on an avant-garde study abroad program in London she can\u2019t afford. Meanwhile, hometown boyfriend Drew wants to see other people if he\u2019s not exciting enough to keep her stateside.<br \/>\nJess and her buddies rent a beat-up apartment, trolling new wave clubs and waitressing double shifts in New Hope, PA, a cool and artsy restaurant town on the river, to scrounge-up tuition money. Then Jess meets Whit, a steamy daredevil guitarist who crawls through her window and makes her head spin like a record. The girls deal with cheating waiters, mystics, a military drag queen buddy, a Svengali bouncer, and the specter of AIDs. Before long, Jess has to decide if the men in her life will leave her as damaged as her cracked-glass mosaic art projects\u2015and whether they\u2019ll stand in the way of her dream semester in post-punk London.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n\t\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t\"@type\":\"Review\",\n\t\"datePublished\": \"2022-07-15T10:00:00+00:00\",\n\t\"description\": \"\\nHappy Friday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ONCE IN A LIFETIME by Suzanne Mattaboni! I'm so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly\",\n\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kait Plus Books\"\t},\n\t\"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/blog-tour-once-in-a-lifetime-by-suzanne-mattaboni-excerpt-giveaway\\\/\",\n\t\"itemReviewed\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Book\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Once in a Lifetime\",\n\t\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\"name\": \"Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni\",\n\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.suzannemattaboni.com\\\/\"\t\t},\n\t\t\"isbn\": \"1956851089\"\t},\n\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\"name\": \"Kaity\",\n\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\\\/books\\\/\"\t},\n\t\"reviewRating\": {\n\t\t\"@type\": \"Rating\",\n\t\t\"ratingValue\": false,\n\t\t\"bestRating\": \"5\"\n\t}\n}\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-300x18.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-768x45.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Read-an-Excerpt-Summer-2022-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18812\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Read-an-Excerpt-Summer-2022-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Read-an-Excerpt-Summer-2022-1-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Read-an-Excerpt-Summer-2022-1-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>AUGUST 1984\u2014Delaware River&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Psycho Killer&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Camaro spins into a U-turn, tires wailing against the water-flushed road. A scream comes out of me like a full-throated siren. The car revolves across the asphalt into the opposing lane in an eerily smooth path, like some unseen hand is turning us. A truck horn blares and headlamps beam into my eyes, shining against the windshield through a curtain of storming rain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We veer off the pavement, a fender slicing through the guard rail, metal screeching. The car shunts down a ravine. Its headlights bleach skinny trees as we lumber sideways, clunking, bending branches. I lift out of my seat to the sound of the windshield <em>snapping<\/em>. A crack zigzags from one side of the glass to the other like a streak of lightning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silver fizzles across my vision, even when I close my eyes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wonder how close the river is. I can hear it, rushing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong>MAY 1984\u2014Capresi\u2019s, New Hope, PA&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>London Calling&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m starting to taste desperation on my lipstick. I\u2019m not a good enough bullshit artist to snag a job on the river side of New Hope, where the real waitresses work. I suck at waitressing. I\u2019m Danger Girl, constantly tripping over myself. So, I\u2019ll take whatever job I can get.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A restaurateur in a lavender silk shirt interrogates me at Capresi\u2019s Continental Restaurant, sheltered between The Canal and a creek that meanders as if it\u2019s lost its way. My roommate Trina the Waitressing Goddess calls this town Pennsylvania\u2019s version of San Francisco, where the lifestyle choices are as assorted as the menus. This is the seventh place I\u2019ve applied to today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restaurateur taps a finger against his lips. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name, dear?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s Jessi\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A crash like a steel drum falling off the back of a truck comes from the &nbsp;kitchen behind us. My cheeks clench against the bar room chair I\u2019m sitting on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restaurateur\u2019s jaw tightens. He raises a finger, nodding for forgiveness. \u201c<em>One moment<\/em>,\u201d he mouths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hear a pot scrape against industrial shelving, ringing through a kitchen pass-through window behind us. A woman\u2019s voice rises over the squall. \u201c<em>Teddy, would you get a grip?<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restaurateur rises from our table and heads to the pass-through, motioning me to follow him. He smacks his palm against a bell on the sill. \u201cBehave back there,\u201d he calls. The bell drowns out my favorite Spandau Ballet song, drifting from a tinny transistor radio in the kitchen. \u201cWe\u2019ve got company, Bernadette.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A woman with hair the consistency of a wire sponge and a face scrubbed clean of make-up flashes past the cut-out window. Her oven mitt-of-a-hand whisks to the pass-through and stifles the ring.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hate that bell, George.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGior-<em>gio<\/em>.\u201d He turns to me, wrinkling his nose. \u201cNot George. I hate George.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bell whines like a piccolo twisted in a knot as Bernadette drags it off the sill. \u201c<em>We\u2019re even<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I nudge my application along the counter towards Giorgio the restaurateur. Let\u2019s not forget, I\u2019m here for a job. I\u2019ve got to come up with a security deposit in a week, not to mention study abroad tuition to save for, if I want to spend a semester in London junior year like I\u2019ve been dying to. I want my real life to start, already. I\u2019ve also got an hour left before I meet the girls for a ride back to Trina\u2019s parents\u2019 house. I can feel the sweat beading under my spiky bangs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giorgio lifts the sheet of paper. \u201cWhat did you say your name was?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJessica Addentro.\u201d I finger the bangs out of my eyes as the heat of the kitchen bends toward me. I subtly push the rest of my hair off my shoulders, not wanting to show a shocking lack of restaurant etiquette, which I\u2019m guessing includes keeping my abundant hair off the countertops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAd-<em>den<\/em>-tro.\u201d He repronounces my name with an Italian flourish and looks up from my application. \u201cDo you know what that means?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I recall my high school Italian lessons. \u201cInside?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMore like, versed in.\u201d He turns his free hand in a circle. \u201cOr, full of insights. Does that sound like you?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDepends on the subject.\u201d When it comes to waitressing, I\u2019m full of something, all right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo you live here in town?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just finished my sophomore year of college. My roommates and I are moving into a place on Main Street next week for the summer.\u201d Then life will begin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat did you study?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbstract painting. And I\u2019ve recently decided to get into glass mosaics. I\u2019m multi-media.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Ah<\/em>. How visionary. I can see the creativity in you.\u201d It\u2019s like he\u2019s reading my tea leaves instead of a job application. \u201cAs an artistic spirit, can you be happy as a waitress?\u201d His eyebrows crush down as if he\u2019s bracing for the fifteen terrible lies I\u2019m about to tell.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I give him a smile that fits like a surgical glove over a watering can. \u201cWaitressing is <em>fun<\/em>.\u201d Trina the Waitressing Goddess told me to say that. \u201cI like working with people and helping them enjoy their lives.\u201d My inability to bullshit bears down on me like a smoldering cigarette butt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giorgio the restaurateur flutters his eyelashes at me. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to say that, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m saving for a semester overseas,\u201d I admit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His eyebrows relax back to their rightful position. \u201cThat sounds more honest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God help me, waitressing is a means to an end. I\u2019d much rather sit in a&nbsp;corner and sketch people than serve them\u2014or talk to them. But it\u2019s a skill I\u2019ll need to ace if I want to fund my Exciting Life Plan and emerge from a European study jaunt as a New Wave-inspired, multi-media art sensation. <em>I hope\u2014I hope\u2014I hope<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve always been told my generation is lucky. The women of the fifties and sixties were stuck with lackluster contraceptive options, painful bullet bras, and spinsterhood by age 22. They gave birth to us liberated girls of the eighties. The world is ours if we work hard enough, we\u2019re told. We can have it all\u2014careers, sex, adventure, friendships, love. Meaning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Time to see if that\u2019s true\u2014and to kiss up to a clairvoyant restaurateur with a penchant for lilac silk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo where are you planning to study?\u201d Giorgio perks up. \u201cRome? Florence?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLondon. I want my art to reflect New Wave culture. I can take some awesome mosaic courses over there, plus photography and lit.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He leans an elbow against the pass-through sill as if waiting for me to finish. As if there\u2019s more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>London<\/em><em>.<\/em> It\u2019s where all the coolest alternative music and ultra-creative post- punk sensibility is coming from. It\u2019s where guys with bulked-up shoulders, tight- waisted jackets, and mega hair sing with guitars slung across their bodies. Where slam dancers in shredded clothing and chains jostle for position in front of dark stages, buzzing with deafening feedback. I want to recreate that shoulder-padded, safety-pinned, gelled-together world, through abstract shapes, swipes of color, and vivid bits of broken glass, and make it twice as beautiful on canvas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s not too much to ask, is it? This life is out there. And it\u2019s all going on without me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLondon\u2019s where everything\u2019s happening. How am I supposed to create anything worthwhile if I don\u2019t . . . experience the world? The study abroad program is way above my budget, though,\u201d I add. \u201cSo here I am.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If I don\u2019t find a way to cut it in this town, God knows where I\u2019ll end up. Probably back in the sardine can of a bedroom I grew up in at my grandparents\u2019 house, which is really just a paneled-over TV room I inherited after my mother died and my dad surreptitiously disappeared. As well as they handled the situation of me landing in their laps, being raised by grandparents is something like being taken captive by the year 1954.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It beat the hell out of floating through the foster system as a hapless orphan. But not exactly an upbringing worthy of <em>Interview<\/em> magazine.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There in the restaurant, a series of lanterns and suncatchers revolve above us like some tacky rip-off of a Calder mobile. Happy laughter drifts in from the <em>al fresco<\/em> dining patio. I squint to see a couple lunching beyond a brick archway that marks the end of the bar room. Cool and verdant foliage waves beyond the patio railing as forks clink against stoneware.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A glass suncatcher in the shape of an owl glints light into my eye.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giorgio smiles and runs his finger down the front of my application. \u201cHow old are you?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTwenty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs of when?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Oooh!<\/em> Happy birthday!\u201d My resume flits to the counter like a shed leaf. &nbsp;\u201cBernadette!\u201d Giorgio stretches for the phantom bell, smoothing his hand against the contact-papered sill instead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bernadette\u2019s bushy head reappears in the kitchen pass through. \u201cWhat now, Georgie?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giorgio clears his throat. \u201cIt\u2019s this young lady\u2019s birthday. Can we manage a piece of cake for her?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A waft of garlic and mellow butter tickles in my nose. I stretch on my tiptoes for a look into the pass-through. Bernadette blots her hands with a crushed dishtowel and juts a palm at me to shake. Her grip is aggressive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHappy birthday. <em>Sheesh<\/em>,\u201d she says. \u201cAre you even old enough to work here? You look like a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Babe?<\/em>\u201d A well-bellied, hairy guy in a white uniform shoulders his way into the window frame. \u201cWhat babe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBa-<em>by<\/em>,\u201d Bernadette corrects, shirking her head my way. \u201cA waitressing applicant.\u201d She retreats to the range tops, sliding heavy pans along the grates two at a time like a magic cup trick. Sparks kick-up from underneath.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The burly guy swings a wooden scepter of a spoon at me. \u201cNever seen you in town before.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe\u2019s from <em>Pittsburgh<\/em>,\u201d Giorgio mock-whispers to the guy as if it\u2019s a sickness I have.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNew York, originally,\u201d I say. \u201cI go to college in Pittsburgh.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNew York?\u201d Giorgio looks me over. \u201cThat explains a lot.\u201d He\u2019s known me twenty minutes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The burly guy sticks his wooden utensil through the window at me. \u201cI\u2019m Teddy.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJessica.\u201d I nod at him, acknowledging the spoon that\u2019s pointing at me. Teddy swipes his implement at Giorgio. \u201cHire her. She\u2019s cute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I try not to roll my eyes. If <em>cute<\/em> will keep me out of my grandparents\u2019 house and gets me to the study abroad program I\u2019ve got my heart set on, then I\u2019ll be fucking Minnie Mouse for these people. But in truth, I hate <em>cute<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cute is not punk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bernadette emerges from a walk-in fridge the size of a woodland cottage, a bakery box in her arms. \u201cTake it easy, Romeo.\u201d She drops the box on a butcher block counter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teddy gestures with the spoon as if to whack her one. She paws the end of it with her mitt-like hand, wrestling the spoon away. They\u2019re a bizarre, unkempt Punch and Judy, going at each other through the proscenium of the pass- through. Teddy elbows the cake box, which almost topples off the butcher block.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bernadette straightens the box, pulls it open, and carves off a slice of cake. She tosses a plateful of triple-layer cheesecake onto the pass-through sill. The dish spins like a quarter dropped on the sidewalk. Giorgio shoots Bernadette a look that could wilt tulips. \u201c<em>Careful<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWait!\u201d She stabs the cake with a stubby birthday candle. \u201c<em>Youth<\/em>,\u201d she says to me. \u201cEnjoy it while it lasts.\u201d Then she vanishes behind the stainless- steel armaments of the kitchen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Giorgio extends an arm toward a bar room table, inviting me to sit back down. He delicately places the plate in front of me, then a dessert fork.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have the best Neapolitan cheesecake in New Hope.\u201d The dessert has a pink, a brown, and a yellowish layer, thick and textured. \u201cI dare you to find better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sweet cheese melts against my tongue like heaven on a fork.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<em>Oh my God<\/em>,\u201d I mumble through teeth gummy with cheese. I push the gelled section of my hair back behind my ear, nodding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNow you know I don\u2019t lie.\u201d Giorgio smiles and steps toward the stacks of dishes and repeating rows of salt and pepper shakers. \u201cAs you may have guessed, this is the waitress station. Silverware, condiments, stoneware . . .\u201d I rise and follow him again, abandoning the hunk of cheesecake. He pulls open a metal bin. \u201cHere\u2019s the bread warmer, although we just got a microwave.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I rest a hand on the toasty metal ridge of the warmer. Giorgio whirls away from me and the hinged door of the bread warmer snaps shut.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pain zings through my fingertip as it\u2019s nearly sacrificed to the Bread Warmer Gods. I stifle the urge to yowl like a police car. My cuticle starts to well-up with crimson.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bleeding is likely against restaurant decorum, especially in this age of deathly infection. <em>AIDS. Herpes<\/em><em>.<\/em> I shudder. Our generation hasn\u2019t had a good time when it comes to fucking health crises. But we\u2019re dealing. I pop my finger into my mouth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRickie can show you where we keep the linens, out here in the chifforobe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can only imagine what a <em>chifforobe<\/em> is. Giorgio strides toward the patio, which is beaming with sunlight beyond the archway that divides the two areas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAre you available Wednesday?\u201d he asks over his shoulder. \u201cWe need you right away. We lost someone recently.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hope it wasn\u2019t due to a bread warmer incident. I hide my hand behind my back and eek-out a smile. \u201cDoes that mean I have the job?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCome in at 11:00 a.m. sharp and we\u2019ll see how it goes.\u201d Giorgio\u2019s eyebrows raise. \u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d <em>I am<\/em> not <em>committing a health code violation as we speak<\/em>, I think&nbsp;to myself, squeezing the wound. Psychically willing it not to drip on the carpet. \u201cI\u2019ll be here.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSee you soon, Miss Art Student.\u201d Giorgio excuses himself through the proscenium to the patio, receding like a mirage I can\u2019t completely focus on. Suncatchers sway in his wake.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My muscles unclench as I mentally exhale. <em>I get to pay my rent!<\/em> And maybe afford London.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mosaic studio art classes with my morning tea and a view of the Tower Bridge. Celebrity sightings of Boy George as I drink in the club scene. Me touring museums full of European Neo-Expressionist art. Me filling my suitcase with post-punk clothing from Malcolm McLaren\u2019s SEX boutique on King\u2019s Road.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Snagging a boyfriend with Sting<\/em><em>&#8211;<\/em><em>like cheekbones<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is, if I can figure out how to waitress without bleeding out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I startle as Teddy shoves open the kitchen door, gripping its wooden edge with sausage-like fingers. \u201cCongratulations.\u201d He shoves a stash of cocktail napkins toward my bloodied hand. \u201c<em>Wear something short<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The galley door swings closed again, joints moaning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I better find a freaking Band-Aid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-300x18.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-768x45.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/About-the-Author-Summer-2022-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/About-the-Author-Summer-2022-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/About-the-Author-Summer-2022-1-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/About-the-Author-Summer-2022-1-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"ubb-about-author\"><h3>About Suzanne Grieco Mattaboni<\/h3><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/suzanne-mattaboni-350x350.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignleft ubb-about-author-photo\"><p>Suzanne Mattaboni is a Pushcart-nominated fiction writer, blogger, essayist, corporate PR consultant, and a member of the Newsweek Expert Forum. A former community service reporter for Newsday, her work has been published in Seventeen, The Huffington Post, Mysterious Ways, Guideposts.com, 50 Word Stories, Dark Dossier, Motherwell, Turtle, The Best of LA Parent, &amp; SixWordMemoirs.com. Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in anthologies including \u201cChicken Soup for the Soul \u2013 Miraculous Messages from Heaven,\u201d \u201cPizza Parties and Poltergeist,\u201d \u201cLittle Demon Digest,\u201d \u201cRunning Wild Anthology of Stories,\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Relationship Like This?\u201d and \u201c2017 Stories Through the Ages.\u201d She was the editor of the Writes of Passage GLVWG 2021 anthology. One of her short stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She was recently named a \"Woman of Influence\" by Lehigh Valley Business magazine. Suzanne has two talented children, one hysterically fun husband, and two ever-ravenous cats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ubb-author-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suzannemattaboni.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onceinalifetimenovel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Blog<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/suzmattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Twitter<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/suzanne.mattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/13979868.Suzanne_Grieco_Mattaboni\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Goodreads<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/suzannemattaboni80s\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Instagram<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-300x18.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-768x45.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Summer-2022.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Summer-2022.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Summer-2022-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Enter-the-Giveaway-Summer-2022-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rafflecopter.com\/rafl\/display\/641ce75c18\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Enter here for a chance to win a print copy of <em>Once in a Lifetime<\/em> by Suzanne Mattaboni!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(US Only)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider.png 850w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-300x18.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Stars-Summer-2022-Divider-768x45.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Questions-for-You-Summer-2022.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Questions-for-You-Summer-2022.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Questions-for-You-Summer-2022-300x59.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Questions-for-You-Summer-2022-768x150.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do you think about <em>Once in a Lifetime<\/em>? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Summer-2022-Kait-Plus-Books-Signature-1024x512.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Summer-2022-Kait-Plus-Books-Signature-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Summer-2022-Kait-Plus-Books-Signature-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Summer-2022-Kait-Plus-Books-Signature-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Summer-2022-Kait-Plus-Books-Signature.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ONCE IN A LIFETIME by Suzanne Mattaboni! I&#8217;m so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I&#8217;m so excited to for you to find out more about it, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"#giveaway read an excerpt + enter to win a print copy of ONCE IN A LIFETIME by @suzmattaboni!\n\n@TouchPointPress @SmithPublicity\n\n#excerpt #bookgiveaway #onceinalifetime #kaitplusbooks #tbr #reading #newadult #smithpublicity #suzannemattaboni #bookstoread","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[484,1001,27],"tags":[537,651,540,4215,462,4266,4267],"reading-challenges":[],"class_list":["post-19374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-tours","category-excerpt","category-giveaways","tag-blog-tour","tag-excerpt","tag-giveaway","tag-july-2022","tag-kait-plus-books","tag-once-in-a-lifetime","tag-suzanne-mattaboni","book-author-suzanne-grieco-mattaboni","book-publisher-touchpoint-press","book-genre-historical-fiction","book-genre-new-adult"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Once-in-a-Lifetime-Featured-Image.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19374"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19461,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19374\/revisions\/19461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19374"},{"taxonomy":"reading-challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaitgoodwin.com\/books\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-challenges?post=19374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}