Calling all holiday-themed readers! We’re celebrating Christmas and the holidays all month long at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s Christmas and Holiday Book Festival. Thirty-five holiday-themed books featured, plus a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card.
Mr. Kraft and I are thrilled to be a part of this event. Our book, The Merry Widow, opens on New Year’s Eve 1999, and it will be featured on December 31.
Each author shares a family holiday tradition, including us. You won’t want to miss it.
You can enter the Rafflecopter here, if you like – but don’t forget to visit the daily posts for more ways to enter, plus some fabulous excerpts from books you won’t want to miss!
AN ALL-NEW STANDALONE FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JULIA KENT COMPLETES THE DO-OVER SERIES!
I never thought my perp walk would lead to true love.
Then again, I never thought I’d be arrested on RICO charges and hauled away in zip ties on camera for the world to see, minutes after closing the most amazing deal of my career.
And all of it in front of my biggest rival, billionaire wunderkind Ian McRory.
I am broke.
I am disgraced.
I am alone.
I am a sucker.
But the worst part? I have to go back to my hometown and live in my bedroom filled with relics from my childhood.
Lisa Frank never made me so mad before.
Just when I needed a rescue, I got one — in the form of help from my biggest rival.
He can’t bring back my money.
He certainly can’t bring back my reputation or my pride.
But there’s one thing he can bring back to me.
A sense of hope.
Maybe even love.
Ian sees something in me no one else does, and he’s relentless about making me see it, too. As we grow closer, I’m starting to see that while my entire life used to be a lie, the truth is staring me in the present — and it’s a truth I like very, very much, hot eyes and gorgeous smile and all.
But I have to be careful.
I can’t be too —
That’s right.
Hasty.
The final book in the USA Today bestselling Do-Over Series (Fluffy, Perky, Feisty), as Mallory’s sister, Hastings “Hasty” Monahan gets her turn at a happily ever after that starts off with an arrest.
I know people say that, and they mean it, but they don’t mean this. My best day is better than anyone else’s. Trust me.
I know.
I’m sitting at a table at Essentialz, a five-star restaurant in San Francisco. Everyone at the table watches me as I tuck the signed paperwork away in my black Bottega Veneta woven leather brief bag.
I, Hastings Monahan, just signed a nine-figure investment deal on behalf of the venture capital firm I work for.
Full partner, here I come.
Of course, lawyers will handle the majority of this. The signatures are symbolic as much as they are legal. But the fellow diners at my carefully crafted table will go back to China with an exciting opportunity for their company, Zhangwa Telecommunications, to enter the North American market with climate-change technology projecting yields that are the best aphrodisiac ever.
As I sip from my glass of Montrachet Grand Cru, I catch the eye of Ming Bannerton, a consultant with Zhangwa whose father is a high-ranking U.S State Department official in China, a woman who has a hunger for financial success that I can spot in anyone in three seconds flat. There’s something special about a fellow hustler–and when I use the word hustler, I don’t mean it pejoratively.
People who hustle get things done.
We connect. We network. We pattern match. We ruthlessly apply what we intuitively feel to what we operationally know in order to produce optimal outcomes.
In short–we hustle.
And we win.
But in competition, there can only be one winner.
One.
Tonight, I’m it.
Her smile mirrors mine, red lips stretched over perfectly white teeth that are as straight as a new picket fence. The smile doesn’t reach her eyes, but an intensity infuses her. She’s about five years younger than me, with a knowing eye that tells me we need to stay in touch. Someday soon, she may shoot past me, and that’s where all the legwork pays off.
In this business, you network down as well as you network up, if you want to get anywhere.
And the manila folder resting in my brief bag, the one that feels like a warm gold ingot pressed against my lips? That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get somewhere.
“Where is Burke?” Mr. Zhao Bai asks, his head at a slight tilt, a gesture of genuine curiosity as his eyes survey me, looking for information that doesn’t come directly from my mouth. He’s the youngest of the four men at the table, a fast talker who looks around the room like he’s a mob boss. Negotiating with him took a steady hand I didn’t know I possessed, but now I understand.
Burke is part of the deal, and I didn’t realize it.
The contracts are signed, though. That makes my husband an off-the-books addendum. No matter what, this is my accomplishment.
My husband, Burke Oonaj, is one of the hottest market makers in finance right now. Even he will have no choice but to be impressed by the deal I’ve just put together.
But the inquiry about my husband makes my uterus fall.
And it’s not like he’s around to catch it.
“Good question,” I say before taking another sip of wine, needing to buy myself a smidgen of space and time. I only need a split second.
Normally.
For some reason that I can’t explain, my emotions are tangling in my mind, and that’s an unpredictable variable I have to weed out.
Fast.
My heart feels strangely heavy in my chest, a sense of dread filling me that has no right to be here. This is MY night, I tell that sense of dread. This is MY deal. This is my culmination of six years of careful work, all coming together, right now.
Go away, dread.
But Mr. Zhao’s question is a good one, because Burke isn’t answering any of my texts or emails or phone calls, and hasn’t for the last three days.
My husband has disappeared.
Not literally, of course, because husbands don’t just do that. Business travel can be intense. Plenty of stretches of time have gone by without hearing from him. They involved twenty-four hours or less, though.
Not eighty-one hours and thirteen minutes.
Not that I’m counting.
I can’t admit any of this to anyone at this table, of course, so instead, I give what my pattern-matching brain tells me is the optimal answer, designed to make me look good.
“Burke’s fine,” I say with a grin, the glass of wine still full enough to make more sips look like an appropriate response. “He sends his best regards. He would have been here tonight, but… you know.”
Two of the men share a look I don’t like. It’s a fleeting glance, the type that is practiced and meant to look like nothing. You think I’m paranoid, that I’m inventing it all?
Wrong.
I’m in a state of hyperarousal.
No, not the sexual kind. Haven’t felt that in a long time, at least not with Burke. My hyperarousal is based around the stress hormones pumping through me from the excitement of what I just accomplished.
Me. Myself. Alone.
Independent of Burke.
As workday smiles stretch to become the more casual, intimate grins of people enjoying bottle after bottle of excellent wine, I loosen up. The answer I gave them sufficed. We can move on.
My body feels numb and excited at the same time. I’m on top of the world. The pinnacle.
I am Peak Hastings.
Which is why, when the maître d’ approaches my side, I don’t pick up on the gravity of his whisper. No one would. Because learning that my credit card has been declined for this business dinner is definitely not part of the plan, and the areas of my brain assigned to processing language literally can’t comprehend it.
“It’s what?” I whisper, standing carefully, legs still steady, my alcohol consumption measured, even if my tablemates have made their way through more wine than an entire wedding party back home.
The maître d’, José, gives me a wide-eyed but polite look. “I’m sorry, Ms. Monahan. This has never happened before when you’ve dined with us. But the credit card company was very firm. You cannot use this one.”
Mr. Zhao gives me an inquiring look. My stomach sinks. Did he overhear?
“Will you all excuse me?” I tell them, hating the disruption, my legs turning into two steel beams covered in chilled skin.
“Something must be wrong with the credit card processor,” I snap at the maître d’ as I hurry away from my group. I want to get the taint of this failure out of the way and get back to my stellar success.
Once we’re out of sight of my table, I rifle through my purse and find another business credit card. “Use this one. And let me be very clear, to you and to your boss, that this is absolutely, abjectly unacceptable.”
He inserts the card, chip side in. “I realize this, Ms. Monahan, but we cannot…”
Beep.
He stares at the credit card terminal.
I read the display upside down. “Declined!” I hiss. “This is impossible! That card has no limit!”
“Perhaps you’ve had your identity stolen, or there are fraud alerts on your account? Perhaps you’re the victim of a financial crime?” José suggests.
“I can’t be the victim of a financial crime!” I snap at him. “I’m a financial expert! This doesn’t happen to people like me. Here!” I shove a third company card at him. This one better work.
I only have one more.
My mind races ahead, conjuring contingency plans, even as my cheeks burn with shame.
Shame.
Why would I feel shame for someone else’s mistake? And yet, there it is, and I have to override it fast. Because if I don’t, it gets a toehold.
And that is the fastest way to lose your edge.
José closes his eyes and lets out a sigh through his nose, a split second before the display terminal beeps.
Again.
“Your computer system is down,” I declare, pulling out the fourth card and my phone, texting my office manager. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe José is right. Maybe we were hacked. But this is surreal enough to let the dread come inside me and have a seat, as it decides whether to become an overnight guest.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m staring at a mid-four-figure bill that I owe, right now, and have no way to settle.
This cannot be happening.
As he runs the fourth card, the main door opens. My spine straightens, calves stretching tall, and not just from the five-inch heels I’m wearing.
I know that man.
I hate that man.
And he’s the last person on Earth I want to see in the middle of this debacle.
Ian McCrory cannot see me like this.
Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 19 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French and German, with more titles releasing in 2020 and beyond.
From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).
She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.
Tropes: Threesome/Ménage (in a committed relationship), Rock Star/Musician, Small Town, Opposites Attract, Second Chance, Reunion Romance, Mysterious Exotic Island, Enemies to Lovers, Marriage Proposal, Road Trip, Holiday
Description:
It all started with a naked hitchhiker wearing a guitar — and only a guitar.
And turned into a New York Times bestseller.
A random meeting between a rural Ohio chick and a rich Boston musician kickstarted all sorts of random acts of love and lust — and got even more complicated when his bandmate entered the picture.
And never left.
From unconventional love to second-chance romance to your wildest desires, The Random Series will have you giggling, swooning, and fanning yourself to the heart-pounding beat of the sexiest, most daring and irresistible musicians to come out of Boston.
Five band members form the up-and-coming group Random Acts of Crazy–each with a story of his own in this long-running series.
Let these rock stars take you on a CRAZY wild ride, and with a little TRUST, they can fulfill your every FANTASY.
The Random Series includes:
Random Acts of Crazy (Book 1)
Random Acts of Trust (Book 2)
Random Acts of Fantasy (Book 3)
Random Acts of Hope (Book 4)
Random Acts of Yes (Book 5)
Random Acts of Love (Book 6)
Random Acts of L.A. (Book 7)
Random Acts of Christmas (Book 8)
Random Acts of Vegas (Book 9)
Random Acts of New Year (Book 10)
I had two goals:
1. Find a way back into her good graces so she’d let me make love to her.
2. Get some pants, shoes and a shirt.
In that order. — Trevor
Excerpt
DARLA
The last everloving fucking thing I expected to see as I drove down I-76 toward my little hometown of Peters, Ohio was a buck-naked man wearing a spiked collar and a guitar.
I mean, only wearing a collar and a guitar. The man was barefoot, for goodness sake. On the highway. In May, in Oh-fucking-hi-o, where winter isn’t a season but a state of mind.
How could I not stop and offer him a ride? Seriously? Where was he hiding a weapon? Okay, Okay, maybe up there, but think about it for a minute. He’d have to twist quite a bit to access anything he hid up his puckered—well, there!
And he wasn’t a bit hard on the eyes, either. Kind of a Brad Pitt circa 1991 look, before he married Miss Toothpick and then left her for that wan Elvira and her weak Michelle Duggar imitation.
Anyhow…back to the naked hitchhiker. My 1986 Toyota Tercel wasn’t anything special but it, um, had a floor. And a windshield. And a place for Mr. Naked to rest his weary nuts. The vinyl might be cracked and faded and it wasn’t no Giving Tree from that Shel Silverstein book, but at least the man could give his balls a rest. Those muscles looked like they could sure use some eyes hungrily ogling them, too, for they screamed for loving attention. If I couldn’t touch, I could at least be the one to stare, right? I’m a giver like that.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three children in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down
The Diary is actually two books in one – The Diary, and its sequel, Writing Skin. Today’s excerpt follows last week’s, after Kate sneaked a peek into her sister’s diary when she stopped by to water her plants…
EXCERPT
Kate slumped
down at her sister’s desk. Should she
read more? She’d simply dipped into the
diary like so many folks casually stabbed at a verse in the Bible. Kate scowled and rested her chin on her
knuckles. An alarm bell began ringing in
the corner of her brain.
Professor? What professor? Luci was a college junior, an English
major. Would she ever graduate? She worked nearly full-time at a trendy
Near-North boutique and took college classes around her work schedule.
But a professor
screwing a student—wasn’t that against some rule? Weren’t there ethics governing faculty-student
relations? At least such behavior must
be frowned upon. How had Luci gotten
herself mixed up with a professor? Who
was he? And what was he trying to get
from her sister—other than her body?
A rakish professor, a flaming redhead, her petite younger sister, and the redhead’s bi Italian girlfriend in a blistering transcontinental tale of revenge gone awry.
Can Kate learn enough under the delightful hands of her
bisexual best friend, Gina, to ensnare the sensual and elusive Professor
Grayson Cosgrove into a marriage proposal of her making? Can she find Luci
before it’s too late? If only she could read between the lines.
The Diary ~ never have the secrets of another been so
electrifying!
The Diary is actually two books in one – The Diary, and its sequel, Writing Skin. Today’s excerpt follows last week’s, after Kate sneaked a peek into her sister’s diary when she stopped by to water her plants…
EXCERPT
Glancing at a
recent photo on Luci’s desk of the two of them standing side by side, Kate
winced. Could different fathers account
for that much variation? Luci’s petite,
tight, twenty-four-year-old body was hard not to envy.
In contrast,
Kate was above average height, fairly well proportioned, but full-bodied. Tight bodies were for the youthful. She tried to work out and occasionally
followed a routine for five or six weeks, but it was so easy to forget to jog,
or go to the gym, or do isometrics, or do whatever her most recent exercise
cure-all happened to be.
Luci’s appetite
rivaled a bird’s while hers rivaled a—well, she didn’t want to think about
that. Still, she was proud that she’d
been able to control her weight without feeling too flabby.
Kate brushed a finger across the words: The Diary. Apparently her sister was much more versed in
matters of sex than she was.
A rakish professor, a flaming redhead, her petite younger sister, and the redhead’s bi Italian girlfriend in a blistering transcontinental tale of revenge gone awry.
Can Kate learn enough under the delightful hands of her
bisexual best friend, Gina, to ensnare the sensual and elusive Professor
Grayson Cosgrove into a marriage proposal of her making? Can she find Luci
before it’s too late? If only she could read between the lines.
The Diary ~ never have the secrets of another been so
electrifying!
Audiobook Rights
Holder: Amber Daulton with Daulton Publishing
Audiobook Release
Date: January 23, 2020
Ebook Publisher:
The Wild Rose Press
Ebook Release Date: February 11, 2019
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 40k
Heat Rating: 3
Flames
Blurb
Out-of-work violinist Erica Timberly decides enough is
enough. She leaves her abusive boyfriend and flees the big city, but then her
car breaks down in the middle of the night. Though wary of men, she accepts
help from Dylan Haynes, a stranger driving by on the road, and soon recognizes
him as the sexy former drummer of her favorite indie rock band. Maybe, just
maybe, her run of bad luck is finally turning around.
Music teacher Dylan Haynes knows Erica is in trouble, and
her black eye is only the first clue. The stubborn yet vulnerable woman needs a
friend, but he’s determined to give her everything she deserves.
Will Erica listen to the music in her heart and trust Dylan,
or will her past always threaten her future?
Excerpt
Dylan deepened the kiss
and lightly tugged on her bottom lip. Tears streaked his flushed cheeks as he
smiled at her. “I’m so grateful I found you, baby. I heard you screaming. When
I saw that bastard press a gun to your head, my heart nearly exploded. I
thought I might lose you. I promise you, Erica, I will never control you as
Phil did. You will always have the ability to choose. I just want to make you
happy.”
She gripped his hand and
brushed her lips across his calloused knuckles. “I know. You do make me happy.
You took a bullet for me.” A sob constricted her throat, but she pushed it
down.
A blast of noise rent the
air. Fireworks filled the sky, visible in the alley from the narrow stretch of
space between the buildings.
Erica loved the bright
colors and designs, but hardly cared about watching the spectacle. She dropped
her gaze back to Dylan.
A grin spread across his
face. “It’s been one wild Fourth of July. Why don’t we do something more
low-key next year? How about no guns and crazy exes? Just us, the creek, and a
bottle of wine. Clothing optional.”
She laughed softly, amazed
he could make light of the situation. “That sounds perfect. Absolutely
perfect.”
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas.
Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
Jesse’s a self-made
billionaire who yearns to get away from his empty life and the money-hungry
parasites who inhabit it. The plan? Go to Australia, tell no one about his
money and find himself. Instead of finding just himself, he finds Evie, who is
everything anyone should aspire to be. Now, what he aspires to be, is hers. But
to be hers, he needs to tell her everything.
Evie has left her past
behind. She has rebuilt herself, and her life, into one of happiness. After she
meets Jesse, while volunteering at a cat shelter, memories of her past filter
back in. She is stronger now and wants to trust him. But after all she has been
through, is trust even possible?
The quest to find a cat a forever home leads them to travel across the country together. Can the close quarters drive them to open up to each other? Or will it drive them apart?
If I moved backwards ever so slightly, I would be able to feel his body heat. I wanted to. I didn’t.
Excerpt
Jesse
The wave petered out, and I paddled
back to the line-up. Sitting, watching, waiting. The constant breeze in my ears
and the sound of waves breaking relaxed me. Lulled by the gentle rise and fall
of the swells, I thought about Evie.
She was one of the most complicated
people I’d ever met. Whatever she had been through had made her strong and
independent. But underneath, she was all doubt. I could see her trying to be
brave, but that could change in an instant as her insecurities took over. I
felt like it was a fight between Nick and me, and I didn’t even know the guy. I
didn’t know how to beat a ghost. But I would. I would figure it out, and I
would gain Evie’s trust, bit by bit.
Cynthia Terelst is a project officer by day and a writer by night. She is a contemporary romance writer who likes to share a little bit of history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love. Cynthia does not shy away from difficult topics, as she feels that they should not be ignored. She lives in Queensland, Australia, where the sun shines at least 283 days a year.
This month we’re giving away one autographed print copy of Detour Ahead. The giveaway lasts all month – of course, you can always read it free at Kindle Unlimited! Contest details after our Sunday Snippet.
Book Four in our Riders Up series is the story of Cassie’s best friend, Tracy Steele. Mourning the recent death of her father and unable to concentrate in her job as a top county prosecutor in Chicago, Tracy gives in to Cassie’s pressure to take a break—for two months, in a time share north of San Diego.
Today’s except follows last week’s, in the resort barns…
EXCERPT
Becoming slightly
steadier on her feet, Traci
continued her search for McCord. She heard
a male voice and slowed her
approach. The voice was coming
from the end stall.
“You’re gonna
be okay,
girl.”
Traci warmed
at the man’s soothing
tone.
“You just took a bad step, that’s all. Don’t know
who was more startled, you or the bobcat. This
wrap will help keep the
swelling down. I’ll check on
you later.”
Traci knew
immediately when Scott McCord saw
her standing there staring wide-eyed
like some kid on her
first visit to a zoo. His
eyes narrowed and then grew cold.
Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly
keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell
she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month
R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help
their rancher friend as a private investigator.
Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the racehorses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.
The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around
the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as
tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love
a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she
flees in panic?
Night Owl Reviews Top PickThis is a story about letting go of
your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of
recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got
a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi
This month we’re giving away one autographed print copy of Detour Ahead. The giveaway lasts all month – of course, you can always read it free at Kindle Unlimited! Contest details after our Sunday Snippet.
Book Four in our Riders Up series is the story of Cassie’s best friend, Tracy Steele. Mourning the recent death of her father and unable to concentrate in her job as a top county prosecutor in Chicago, Tracy gives in to Cassie’s pressure to take a break—for two months, in a time share north of San Diego.
Having decided she’s put off long enough meeting the man Cassie wants her to help, Traci heads for the resort horse barns…
EXCERPT
Carefully placing
one foot directly in front
of the
other like a fox, Traci entered
the
stable.
The pungent
odors of horse manure and
leather greeting her weren’t totally unpleasant, but she preferred those of the Arboretum,
or Lake
Michigan. Traci stepped down
the middle of the stable
avoiding the outstretched heads of
horses seeking attention and treats.
How could
she appear casual when every
animal in here wanted a piece
of her? Where
the hell was McCord? He
popped up when she didn’t
want to see him and vanished
when she did.
Traci glanced
down at her white tennis
shoes. They were the best
she could do; she
didn’t own a pair of boots,
and tennis shoes had to
be better
than sandals or heels.
She frowned—her shoes were
not going to come out
of this
adventure untarnished. At least
she’d had sense enough to
put on a pair of jeans,
and the light sweater
helped with the chill.
Coming to
the end of one barn,
Traci saw an imposing sign
at the
entrance to another declaring
that resort guests were not
allowed beyond that point. She paused
and lifted her chin. Although
she was a resort guest, she
was here on business—and
she might be a city girl,
but she knew better than
to shout
in front
of
a barn full of
horses to get McCord’s attention.
Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly
keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell
she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month
R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help
their rancher friend as a private investigator.
Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the racehorses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.
The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around
the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as
tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love
a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she
flees in panic?
Night Owl Reviews Top PickThis is a story about letting go of
your past so you can move on to your future…Add into this touching story of
recovery a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end, and you’ve got
a story you won’t be able to put down. Angi
We’re thrilled to welcome
fellow Extasy author Seelie Kay to our pages this Valentine weekend, here to share
her newest release. Seelie’s characters are always dynamic, full of grit and
ready to take on the world. We can’t wait to see what she’s cooked up in this
Valentine romp!
I adore smart,
dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a bad boy,
a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me!
However, I also love strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for
what they want, even love.
Q. Why did you
write “The White House Wedding?”
It was a bit of a romp, really. I wanted to play off all the craziness
that is politics and Washington, D.C. The creatures in the great swamp have
become so predictable, a story about the political implications and hijinks of
a White House wedding just flowed from my pen. Plus, I always found it
interesting that a country that intentionally broke away from the monarchy,
goes crazy over royal weddings. Admittedly, I am one of them. I won’t get up at
4 a.m. to watch, like so many of my friends, but I will tape a royal wedding
and watch it later. And yes, I did seek teacups from Diana’s nuptials.
Unfortunately, none were to be found. At least stateside. I imagine once she
dumped Prince Charles, their value went up dramatically! Unfortunately, White
House weddings are rare and although we go crazy over royal weddings, I doubt
things would proceed so smoothly here. Every aspect of the wedding would be
dissected and criticized by the media and political opponents, making the
wedding itself a pretty negative experience, which is probably so few occur
here.
Q. The
characters in this book also appeared in “The President’s Daughter?”
Yes. “The President’s Daughter” is where the bride’s—Sarah Lee
Pearson—story first began. She had been kidnapped at age five and raised by her
nanny into her teen years. It was only after the people who raised her were
killed in a paper mill explosion that she began to search for other relatives.
A chance meeting with a presidential candidate, Jamisen Powell, leads her
search in a new direction and she discovers that he is, in fact, her birth
father. This is the continuation of that new relationship.
Q. I imagine in
this day and age, being the president’s daughter would not be an altogether
positive experience.
(Laughs.) As I observe the impact of the Trump presidency on his
children, I am exceptionally happy I was never put in that position. It must be
a horrible experience. We live in such negative times, a time when people seem
to place high value on their ability to shred reputations and destroy people.
All of the current chaos puts us one step away from anarchy. In fact, if you
think about it, it would be a perfect time for the Monarchy to attempt to
reclaim the colonies. We are so busy fighting each other, I question whether we
would band together to fight an outside threat. That’s just sad.
Q. How does
your former profession as a lawyer impact your writing?
In two ways.
First, my knowledge of the legal system permits me to predict the outcome of
certain events. Those events have played a key role in some of my stories.
Second, my friends say I am obsessed with justice and I guess that’s true. After
30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I
can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world
and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but
it also leads me to great stories!
Blurb:
When
politics interferes with love, can love survive?
Getting
married isn’t easy when your father’s the President of the United States! After
reluctantly agreeing to a White House wedding, Sarah Lee Pearson, the
president’s daughter, finds herself swept into a political maelstrom of
unimagined proportions.
The
White House staff and the first lady see the wedding as a political event, a
way to sweep the president into his next term. Congress is complaining about
the collateral costs. The media is delightfully rehashing every aspect of
Sarah’s life, even those events that have nothing to do with the impending
marriage. And the American public? Visions of an American royal wedding have
swept them into a frenzy and vendors take advantage, making a quick buck off of
everything from limited edition t-shirts to commemorative teacups.
Sarah
and her fiancé, Sam, fight hard to ignore the craziness, but after learning a
bounty has been put on their heads by an anti-government militia group, they
have to decide whether a White House wedding is indeed worth it. And given all
the hurtful controversy, perhaps a better solution is to not get married at
all.
Excerpt:
“How does my
father feel about this?” Sarah asked.
“Your father wants you to do what makes you
happy.”
Jamisen Powell
entered his Chief of Staff’s office and nodded coldly at Jeremiah. He added,
“He would never ask you to do otherwise.”
Sarah smiled and
rose to kiss her father on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I knew you wouldn’t ask me
to be a political stool pigeon.”
Jamie Powell
chuckled. “No. That job apparently falls to staff.” He smiled at Sarah. “Look,
hopefully, you only get married once. Make a memory that will mean the most to
you and Sam. Nothing else matters.” He shook his head, “Maybe Jeremiah will get
lucky and your sister, Melissa, will hook some poor sucker before the next
election. She and her mother would be overjoyed planning a White House
wedding.”
Jeremiah scowled.
“I am only thinking about your re-election, Mr. President. Your first term has
been a bit rocky. You need a solidifying factor, something that will grab the
hearts and minds of the American public and provide a clear path into the next
term. Your story, a daughter lost and found after twenty-five years, especially
a daughter who just happens to be a stellar human being and a successful
international law attorney, won their hearts in the first election.
“Walking that same
daughter down the aisle, something you had never dreamed was possible? The
ratings alone will rival a royal wedding. No offense, but Melissa’s marriage—if
it ever happens—could never have the same impact. People don’t view her in the
same light as Sarah. Melissa is a flighty socialite. Her deep-seated sense of
entitlement offends. The ratings for her wedding would be nonexistent. But
Sarah? She’s the golden child. The American public loves her.”
The president’s
sapphire blue eyes, which mirrored Sarah’s, flashed with annoyance. “Be that as
it may, I am not about to force either of my daughters into something they
don’t want. Sarah has declined your request, and as far as I am concerned,
that’s the end of it. You will have to find another solidifying factor,
Jer. Surely I have done something that’s re-election worthy!”
When not spinning her kinky tales, Ms. Kay ghostwrites
nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. She resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, where she shares a home with her son and enjoys opera,
gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.
Ms. Kay is an MS
warrior and ruthlessly battles the
disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not
define you!
Mr. Kraft and I are thrilled to be a part of this event. Our book, The Merry Widow, opens on New Year’s Eve 1999, and it will be featured on December 31.
