I did it again. My book releases April 5th and I agreed to serve on a panel at my alma mater the night of April 7th. Manageable, right? I thought so. Until yesterday, when I realized it’s scheduled for the same time as my Facebook release party with Megan Ryder. The name of the panel? Work Life Balance.
Whoops.
To be fair, the deeper I’ve immersed myself in the world of romance authors the more impressed I am by how many authors do all the things. Day jobs, writing, book promotion, kids, spouses, pets. I’d bet you that most of us even shower on a daily basis.
That’s what makes this writing thing so damn magical. Even when it’s been a long day and my dogs opened the cupboard and ate a can of beans and I forgot to buy shampoo and I left the milk on the counter, I’m magically compelled to sit down and write. Last weekend I found myself stopped at a red light, plot mapping in a sharpie on the back of a used envelope. I just can’t help it.
And it’s not just authors. The ability to get shit done is a magical woman power. I know I’m not the only one who has chased an escaped cat back into my house at 2:30 am or “made” cereal for dinner. (Please note: I said I get shit done, not that I do it well.)
I write real women and real women get shit done, whatever it takes. That’s how my female leads manage to find themselves in a variety of odd situations. As one Goodreads reviewer noted about The Wedding Date, “I totally loved all the crazy fun characters in this book.” It what makes me love them and I hope, makes you love them too.
In honor of crazy, lovable characters, I’d like to share with you the very opening scene of The Wedding Date:
Music blasted through the elevator. It’s low, thumping bass line and bouncing beat made Kate Massie itch to dance.
“Yeah, girl, shake that booty.” She could barely make out the muffled lyrics.
Kate couldn’t help but grin as she glanced around the elevator. Three men stared back at her, their suits and ties as somber as their expressions. Whose ring tone is it? It wasn’t the type of thing she expected to hear blaring from the briefcase of a fifty-something partner .
“She’s a slut and she knows it. Just like that, uh, uh.” The song transitioned to sexual grunting. Kate would have giggled, but all three men continued to stare at her.
That’s when she realized.
Holy shit. It must be her phone.
Ryan, one of her best friends, must have changed her ring tone again. That was it, she officially needed to kill him.
Kate glanced at her cavernous bag, which was stuffed to the brim with her laptop, sunglasses, makeup, granola bars, business cards, and God knew what else, and began to dig through, frantically searching for her kelly green phone case. All of a sudden she felt like Mary freaking Poppins. The X-rated version.
Her cheeks flamed. The song had played for so long it had to be over. Please let it be over. By the time Kate found the phone it the call had rolled to voice mail.
Stay calm. Kate straightened her shoulders and met each man’s gaze, one at a time. All three continued to stare back coldly. She choked back the laughter that bubbled frantically inside of her.
“So uh, do you gentlemen have any big plans this weekend?”
One of them grunted something unintelligible and a bead of sweat formed on the back of her neck.
As the elevator came to a halt on the ground floor, the song began to play again. Her stomach dropped.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
She’d just started this job. She’d see these men every day for the next year, and she refused to let them think she was…well, she wasn’t sure what. She had to prove she was poised and in control. That’s what the Notorious RBG would do, right?
Kate gave a little shimmy and danced her way out of the elevator and into the hall, keeping time with the beat.
A little fake relationship never hurt anyone...
Kate Massie has big dreams-they just haven't worked out. Yet. In the meantime, she spends her days clerking for a judge and her nights fantasizing about her tall, dark, and sexy gym crush. So when she runs into him one night, she's shocked to realize he was her shy, nerdy junior-prom date. But that isn't where the surprises end...
James Abell needs a date to his sister's wedding. So when Kate agrees, he's relieved... until one little lie turns their wedding date into a full-blown fake relationship. Only it doesn't feel fake-not the toe-curling kisses and definitely not the electricity. Neither of them is looking for something real... but they just might fall for their own little white lie.
Release Date: April 5, 2016
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