Mevember Giveaways, Day 21

 Welp, we made it everybody! It's officially my birthday and the last day of my Mevember Giveaways. I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane and picked up a few more books as we went along.

For The Big Giveaway, I've selected my 2020 rocking fairy tale, told only as I could do it.

In PEACHES & THE DUKE, I have gone further than any tale I've told before. I didn't just create characters, I created a whole new country. Well, countries. With it came history rich with Celtic-inspired Kings and Queens and castles and crowns.

In 2020, it has been one of the key anchors keeping me sane. 

While the world was locked down, I was able to travel freely to a country where impossible things... like an heir to a throne picking out a fluffy size-16 princess... were completely possible. It is a world where an imperfect gal often rejected by the world can even become queen, which, quite frankly, is just the kind of world I want to live in.

My heroine, Peaches McPhee, was inspired by one of my colleagues at work, a bright shining light of a human who rocked her fluffiness in every way possible. She showed up daily with a smile on her face, with all the cute style of clothes and new hair and makeup, with so much confidence to stand out that I was immediately in awe of her and wanted to be her when I grew up, even though I'm likely almost 30 years her senior. She never let the perceptions of others get her down. She was unapologetic in being her own unique self, flouting convention and making her mark without asking any permission whatsoever to do so.

That was what I wanted for Peaches, even though Peaches had a few other ideas. Unlike my coworker, she had a little bit more of an edge. She is my baby after all, that Scorpio tail finds its way out ... particularly when backed into a corner by more nefarious foes.

And boy, does Peaches have a doozy of a foe in Dude Bro Christopher Tyler, who encapsulates all the shithead toxic masculinity that would make someone like Peaches seem so imperfect in the first place.

Naturally I had to make the hero of the story more exceptional as a result. Is Auggie too good to be true? Of course, he is. He's a fricking prince.

But, he's a prince that I'm writing, so... gird your loins accordingly.

So, let's talk about The Secret.

I think I lost a good deal of people once they realized that Peaches begins our tale pregnant with another man's baby. Some people were put off by the idea of her being romanced, even by a prince, while carrying another guy's kid. Never mind that guy was Christopher Tyler, and the reason she's pregnant at all is heinous once revealed in Chapter 29.

That she got drunk one night and made a mistake somehow shaded her as an unappealing romantic heroine.

To that I say... horseshit.

This story actually did not come to life until that particular piece of the puzzle slid into place. I struggled how and even why I wanted to tell this story. My bestie was rooting for another M/M romance when I first pitched the idea. Since he was the one responsible for making Auggie Quinn an actual PRINCE, he wanted to see that reporter hired to tell his life story be a forbidden gay love.

And while that was fertile ground, nothing "clicked" for me until Peaches - who named herself by the way - whispered her dark secret into my ear. 

This is why this is where our story begins.

This dirty little secret makes her an inappropriate pick in every single way possible for our most eligible royal bachelor... IF he was looking for an appropriate pick for the throne. (He IS the Duke of Mayhem, after all.) 

Instead he's charmed by this awkward girl who nearly throws up in his face the very first time they meet.

“Hello,” I heard this deep voice say behind me.

I turned right into the gaze of Augustine Seamus Whitley Quinn Agassi, the Prince of Alasdair and Duke of Iver, last heir to the throne of Aldayne. He was also a mega rock star, but like Monica had warned, his regal air was undeniable.

If I thought those green eyes were piercing in photos, they were damn near lethal in person. I felt immediately exposed, like I was standing naked in front of him. His long hair curled around his sharp features, and that beard was trimmed high and tight around his sensual full lips.

I was so taken off guard I took a step back, losing my footing and stumbling right into the bookshelf that held so many golden and silver frames. Like dominoes falling in slow motion, they all went down in a clatter, one even toppling right to the floor.

“I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed, mortified. I tried to retrieve the fallen soldier, but I was so discombobulated that my hands shook like crazy and I dropped it twice more. Just as he reached around me to take it from my hands, I backed up again, this time into what was likely a Ming vase. I managed to capture it, but barely.

I was flushed and embarrassed as I faced him. I realized I had that tiny silver frame with the candid photo clutched to my chest. With shaking hands, I tried to replace it without destroying anything else. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, unable to look him right in the eye.

“No damage done,” he said in that warm, hypnotic voice that poured over my senses like honey. Then, like out of a dream, I saw him reach out a hand to me. “I’m Auggie,” he said, quite unnecessarily.

I stared at his hand for a long, uncomprehending moment, fixated on the opal-like ring he wore on his finger, with the familiar crest I’d seen throughout the castle. That ring meant the rules were different, right? Shit, should I bow? I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to touch him, but he was reaching out to me. What were the rules in this scenario? Where the fuck was Audra?

Just as I reached out my hand, my stomach rebelled from all the stress. I barely even got a hint of warning before hot vomit filled my mouth. I clapped that same hand to my face, my eyes wide as I stared at him. “Bathroom?” I tried to mumble without vomit dribbling out of my mouth.

“What?” he asked, confused.

Oh God, I thought to myself. My two choices here are vomit or swallow, then vomit again. I glanced around wildly, considering that Ming vase for just a millisecond before I decided I just had to make a run for it and hope I find a bathroom.

I couldn’t even say excuse me.

 Of course, Peaches doesn't know about her little secret in that moment. When she figures it out, she figures there's no way she can agree to this 6-month assignment. She goes to Auggie to tell him the truth about her condition... to let him decide if he wants to hire her.

They were BOTH in for a surprise:

“Let me see your hand,” he said.

I hoped he couldn’t see how I shook as I held up my hand. He covered my fingers with his as he placed them on the keyboard. Sound emitted from my fingertips, echoing around the room.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Wow,” he agreed as he consumed me with the intensity of his gaze. He guided me to play as he studied my face. “You hear that?” he murmured softly. “It’s a heartbeat.” He changed the note, using my fingers to play. “It’s a living thing, already there. You just have to uncover it.”

 I gulped. His fingers were causing my nerve endings to catch fire. We sat so closely I could feel the heat rising from his body, his bare chest close enough to touch. And yet, he was as far away as the moon. He played for a moment, reaching around with his other arm, until he guided both hands to play. He was so close I could feel his breath against my neck. It was all I could do not to bolt from the room.

Is this what he thought? That I had shown up at near midnight for a booty call?

Where was he in February? I bet he knew how to operate a condom.

I was a mess by the time he ended the song. “And you said you couldn’t play,” he smirked, which was my undoing.

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea,” I said, scooting back a little.

“Oh? And what idea is that?”

“I didn’t come here for this,” I said, gesturing to the piano.

“Good,” he said. “Because I only did that, so that I could do this.” Before I knew what was happening, his hand was cupping my face, pulling me in even closer. Suddenly his mouth was on mine, warm and commanding, nudging my lips apart so that he could take complete possession.

For a second, I couldn’t think straight. What the hell was happening? I had come here to tell the Duke I was pregnant, and now this … this prince was kissing me? At what point had I fallen into a fairy tale?

And maybe it was because it was a fairy tale that I kissed him back, if only for a moment. But then I pushed away and escaped from the piano bench. I kept my back to him because if I turned around, I might have flown right into his arms. I heard him rise from the bench, so I hugged myself tightly to keep control.

“I’m sorry,” I said, then cursed myself. “I mean…,” I started again, but then I felt him turn me around to face him.

“No, Peaches. I am sorry.”

My eyes widened as I stared up at him. He was apologizing to me? What was happening??

“That was not how I wanted our first kiss to go,” he said, pulling me closer.

I held my hands up against his chest. His amazing, hard, satiny, muscle-y, yummy chest. I had to jam on the brakes but quick. “I’m pregnant,” I found myself saying.

He stepped back, clearly grappling with this strange new development. “I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage,” he finally said. “I never imagined hearing those words from a woman before I’ve slept with her.”

I mean, really. What would you do if a prince landed into your life just a month too late?

 The rest of the book, indeed, the rest of the series, will test both Auggie, who has never had a real family, and Peaches, who came from the healthiest family I've ever written. (Although, to be fair, Dash is my favorite.)

They took me all over the world until we finally end up in beautiful Aldayne, where I've had the privilege of staying these past few months.

I've truly, truly, truly enjoyed exploring this new world. It's my kind of fairy tale... completely broken and complicated, with good people in bad situations who just want to find someone to love and a home of their own.

It kinda bums me out so many people have rejected it for the very reason I found it so fascinating.

I hope you give it a chance. There's a lot of story yet to be told, with some of the BIGGEST twists I've ever written to date. It's all the things people love best about my books in one series, which widens the Groupieverse to a global scale. You'll even see Vanni and Caz and Graham and Jorge, and, and, and.

This is the precursor to our next Groupie trilogy and I sure hope you come along for the ride.

And, for my birthday, you get to read the first book, PEACHES AND THE DUKE, completely free. Book II, THE DUKE TAKES A BRIDE is out now and includes the most EPIC wedding I've ever written. Book III, THE DUKE BECOMES KING, releases in February and is currently up for pre-order for $0.99. 

It's a trilogy that has everything you already love about my work in a whole new wonderful setting far away from the mean nasty 'Rona. 

If you need an escape for 2020, I humbly offer my newest babies.

Get PEACHES AND THE DUKE today.

 

Mevember Giveaways, Day 17

Hello! Welcome to Day 17. Since we're almost at the end of our journey, let's take a moment to talk about the elephant in the room. 

Some of you may have noticed that I generally tell tales with a specific perspective. Mostly women. Mostly fluffy. Many who have walked the miles I've walked or learned the lessons I have learned.

Sometimes, if I get lucky, I get to learn lessons when I get to know the characters who entrust me with their story.

I feel these stories are important because for the most part, fluffy women have to fight for the spotlight. The idea that these women can be the leading ladies of their own stories, particularly romance, still feels like fantasy fulfillment to some.

To those detractors I say don't discount the value of fantasy fulfillment.  I wrote about a fluffy chick being in a music video with a sexy rock star three years before you actually saw one on Youtube.

It's a lane I find as comfortable as it is wide, with plenty of stories left to tell. I'm currently on my 23rd one, with five more still in the chamber.

They're not ALL fluffy chicks, and I've been able to tell the stories of countless other people in subplots. But for the person in the driver's seat, it's usually a skin I know very well.  The relationship between me and my main protagonist is just that intimate.

This might suggest that I don't feel as comfortable writing more diverse characters in leading roles, but the simple truth is these aren't usually my stories to tell. Why take up space when an author who actually has lived that perspective can lead the charge? And just like I side-eye any skinny woman who decides to write a fat story (looking at you Danielle,) I don't want to tread on any toes getting it wrong. That's why my diverse cast of characters are usually costars and subplots. These are the rich and colorful stories fill in the world as a bigger picture, because a white-washed world full of heteros who only have one single-minded perspective is boring and lackluster, whether in reality or within the pages of a book.

However, when it comes to writing the books where those characters star, I want a writer who has lived in that skin to tell the tale.

It just feels richer and more authentic to me.

This is why I was really reluctant to write MASKED IN THE MUSIC, which happens to star a hot gay man.

In case it's not clear, I'm none of those things.

 

I know straight women write M/M romance and consume M/M romance, but to me... it just didn't feel like my story to tell. "You write it," I told the bestie over and over again when he'd encourage me to flex my muscle and live within another skin.

(Personally I think he was tired of reading all the straight sex in my books.)

So, I came about it quite reluctantly, despite having gay characters in every single one of my novels. 

I don't do this for the sake of a trope, by the way. I was criticized once for writing a story with a straight woman/gay man best friend, told it was "cliche" thanks to stories like Will and Grace and My Best Friend's Wedding, etc. 

But to me, the LGBTQ+ community isn't a cliche that's one and done just because a handful of stories happened to include these characters. Their inclusion isn't a some plot point or a gimmick or a gimme. It's a beautiful reality. They color in our world. At least they always have for me since my best friend came out as a gay man when we were 18 years old.

I've been lucky enough to know many LGBTQ+ folk, many of whom gave me the love and acceptance I didn't always have growing up. I was a weird overweight outcast who never fit into any norms. Gay folks accepted me whereas the straights always wanted to change me to fit into a more acceptable mold.

This was truest of those who were supposed to show unconditional love. Needless to say, there were conditions all over the place.

Sometimes going to gay bars felt more like going to church than going to actual church did. There was no judgment. I wasn't expected to "conform" in order to be accepted. If a lesbian asked me to dance, and they did, I never felt pressured to acclimate. I could still say no and be accepted and embraced anyway. (NOT always my experience with straight men.)

The only rule? Be chill to each other. Be good to each other.

The world is cruel enough.

It adds a little color and love to every story I know to tell. They are friends and family who were often there for me when nobody else was. I want them in my world, both in RL and on the page.

I just wasn't sure I could actually write their story.

In fact, I was terrified. That's a big ask.

Enter: Rudy Renfo.

I've talked before about the wonderful phenomenon where characters wedge their way into my stories, taking the wheel and going wherever they damn well want to go. And I give them that leeway because I truly enjoy watching them take shape. 

I have an idea of who they are when I sit down to write. I know how it'll start and end. I have a good idea of what I'm going to put them through. But it's a flat, one-dimensional doodle of what they eventually become. As we walk together through the narrative, they flesh out and become more real to me. Eventually, I fall deeply in love with each and every one, and for a variety of different reasons.

Rudy was my inner gay man, and he had a specific story to tell. He was so brave that it inspired me to be a little braver, too. He, like the bestie, trusted me to tell this story as he comes to terms with who he is and what kind of man he wants to be. And so I did. I pulled no punches. I jumped into every situation that terrified me, letting Rudy (mostly) lead the way.

And I like to think I got more right than I got wrong. 

Either way, it's a deeply personal story... an homage, if you will... a love letter to all the wonderful friends I've been so blessed to know for the past few decades.

I hope I did you proud. If not, I hope you'll forgive me while I learn from any mistakes.

Today enjoy MASKED IN THE MUSIC. It may not be a book for everyone, but it definitely earned its place on this Mevember giveaway.

When a young musician takes his first gig with a hard-partying band in Los Angeles, forbidden sparks fly with the sexy lead singer. It is an attraction they must both fight, especially since their band also includes a violent homophobe just itching for a reason to snap.