Ginger Voight's Blog

On January 6, 1995, my third son Brandon was born. For the next nine days, I got to know a beautiful, pure soul who observed life around him through thoughtful, watchful eyes. He smiled. He wasn’t fussy. He was perfect. Too perfect for this world, it would turn out. On January 15th, I walked into my mother’s bedroom where he had been sleeping. When I turned him over, I knew he was gone.

I had barely met him, hadn’t really gotten the chance to love him, and suddenly there was a huge hole in my life I knew would never totally fill again.

My life shattered in an instant. Though I have been through many, many things in my life, sexual assault, domestic abuse and many lost loved ones among them, I can say without question the worst pain in this world I have ever experienced was the loss of my newborn son. Even that night, when I started to pack everything up – mostly to have something to do, but also because looking at an empty crib was too painful to bear – I felt like God had broken a promise to me. Parents are supposed to go first. It wasn’t right to pack away blankets and clothes that hadn’t even been used yet.

But I was too sad to be angry. I could barely put thoughts together at all. When I prepared his outfit for his burial, I included a diaper. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that these were things he would no longer need.

Though I fought collapse at the thought of what this would mean to my future, I had to hold strong for my other children, including my eldest, whose birthday was the very next day. He was five and had no understanding of the spiritual hell I was going through, nor did he need to know. We had a cake and presents and that was what my other child, the one who remained, needed.

So, I packed up my torment and my sadness and put it away with that crib and those clothes and toys and blankets that would never be used by Brandon. I kept alive by putting one foot in front of the other and surviving for my kids, who needed me more than ever before.

For the next 26 years, January 6 through January 15 belonged to Brandon, the only church I’ve ever attended with any real regularity. Those nine days were and are sacred. I was denied a lifetime with my child. I was going to hold tight to those precious days that celebrated his brief life.

In the dark months that followed his death, I threw myself into writing like never before. I needed the distraction. More than that, I needed the escape. I needed worlds I could control what bad things happened and when. I couldn’t sleep, literally haunted by my loss, feeling death crouching in every corner, ravenous and unsatisfied. Those books were my lifeline. They also became the embryos of what would come later, my sweet romance Picture Postcards and my more salacious saga, introducing us to the Fullertons in Enticed.

They were romances, because romances had always served me well when I was in the midst of grief and loss. When my dad died when I was eleven, I inherited stacks of Harlequin paperbacks that I inhaled by the dozens, in desperate need of a cute meets, first kisses, falling in love and Happily Ever Afters.

The HEA is often a derided aspect of the romance genre, which I attribute mostly to the general dismissive nature of feminine gratification. A mystery should be solved, a horror should be scary, but falling in love in a romance?

The audacity.

But love is audacity. To find happiness in a world where the worst can and does happen is defiant. Victorious. Necessary. Especially these days.

There is a lot of loss and rage and sorrow permeating our collective existence right now. HEAs seem almost precious, but they’re still every bit as necessary. In these last two years, when so many of us struggled to put one foot in front of the other, where surviving was a miraculous gift in and of itself, those things conceived out of loss needed to be born in hope of equal measure.

Enter Ruby and Simon.

When their Brandon died, they were brought together to do all the things their lost loved one no longer could. They needed purpose to heal from their grief, just like I did all those years ago. Grief will bring you to your knees. Often the only thing that will keep it from crushing you is having a reason to stand again.

I had my oldest son’s birthday. Ruby and Simon have an unfulfilled bucket list.

It took me 26 years, but I knew that 2021 was the year I gave my Brandon his due. There was still a happily ever yet to write, and I finally found the story he could help me tell.

Because of Brandon is about love persevering.

That is the hope of love, the necessity of it. The reason for it. It makes the bad stuff worth it. It is the reason that “The Dance” by Garth Brook is and has been Brandon’s song ever since those dark, pain-filled days.

It isn’t the book I promised, or even the other four books that remain in their uncompleted state, half-written and half-realized. I wasn’t emotionally ready to tackle those books yet, not after everything we’ve been through. I’m just getting back on my feet. I wanted something simpler, more focused. More like those stacks of books that healed me so long ago.

But the Groupieverse has expanded with this book, adding a tattoo parlor for all our past, present and future inhabitants. Like so many of my books, some familiar faces are ever present, including fan favorites like Vanni and Caz. My muse lives in their world and likes it there, so there are always new stories to take us there.

I hope you join me along this little sojourn into another corner of our expanding book universe. And, if you get to the end of this book feeling a little happier and a little more hopeful, you’ll know.

It’s because of Brandon.

Happy birthday, my dear sweet angel. This one is for you.

 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.

 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 heknew 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.

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.

 We're into the home stretch now. Welcome to another Texas offering, my steamy Rich Bitch title THE UNDISCIPLINED BRIDE.

As you can probably tell, I enjoy turning traditional tropes on their ears. I honestly get bored with the same ol' same ol'. What interests me is the road less traveled or the dark side of the moon. So, I got excited about a story where the millionaire was the bratty, entitled heroine and the hero was a working class alpha who was about the only one who could put her in her place. 

I do this because power interests me, particularly when it comes to sex and romance. There's a certain amount of power that we yield and bring into the relationships we build, just by what kinds of boxes we can check off. Socially speaking, men still wield more power in relationships than women. To give them all the money too just doesn't feel as balanced to me.

I like my millionaire tropes, don't get me wrong. I've made the bulk of my money writing them. It's a fun fantasy and I get off on it regularly. But every now and then I get the itch to play around with tradition and turn it upside down just to try something new. I wanted to turn up the heat under my characters just to see what they would do.

In one corner of the ring is a pampered princess who thinks the world owes her something. She's entitled. She calls all the shots. And she's utterly miserable, hence why she tries to make others around her as miserable as she is. She sports an engagement ring on her finger, but it's not because of some undying love. It's more a business arrangement. She'll marry the man she's supposed to, live in the suburb she's supposed to, drive the car, wear the clothes, raise the kids she's supposed to. It's a never-ending cycle of upper classism protecting itself, even when there's no happiness to be had.

In the other corner is a working-class chef who has to fight uphill his whole life to make all his dreams come true. He understands there's more to life than money, but he has no choice but to play the game if he wants to take care of the family he loves. For some, their very survival depends on how well they can flip the script. And he had quite a few hurdles to overcome in order to do that. Minority, check. Lack of resources, check. But despite his circumstances, he's a bonafide alpha who has a strong will, every bit as strong as the princess.

Sparks fly from the moment they meet. Like me, Peyton Prescott is instantly intrigued by this unusual development. She's not used to being told no, particularly by the people she pays to do what she wants to have done. Since she's been conditioned she can have anything she ever wants, she sets her sights on seducing sexy Mateo Bravo, one last fling before she leaves her single life behind.

But Mateo is not so easily persuaded. Instead, he decides to make her jump through hoops for the first time in her life, hoops that people like her have always expected him to jump through himself. For him, making her beg is the challenge.

I volley the power back and forth between the two. When they meet in the middle, it's sexy as hell. Two words: elevator scene.

But I will say that this book has one of my favorite B-plots, mostly because it did go down a road I had never traveled... and I totally didn't see it coming. These characters told me who they were and what story I needed to tell and I just went along for the ride. It was sweet and romantic and one of my favorite moments where my characters rose from the pages like Venus, with very little help from me.

Seriously, it's like magic when that happens.

Now you see why I don't mind traveling that road less traveled. You just never know what you're gonna find.

Come along for the ride and explore the dark side of the moon with me. Get your copy of THE UNDISCIPLINED BRIDE today.

 Do I really have to say anything about today's giveaway? It's my most beloved, and most hated, series all in one. One of the best reviews I've ever had someone wanted to hug me, yell at me, hug me again and cry.

Which, I think is all that needs to be said for the Fullerton Family Saga.

And today, you can get Book 1 absolutely free.

Time to get Enticed.

Today's giveaway is a super special project that changed the way I wrote because it gave me a purpose to tell the stories I wanted to tell.

And it all started with reality TV.

Back in the early 2000s, I was a bit of a Reality Show junkie. The hopeless romantic and inner Drama Queen in me gravitated to things like the Bachelor/Bachelorette and even Rock of Love, VH-1's "reality" show starring Poison's front man Brett Michaels.

Sure, he was already suitably matched and it was all for show, but a rock star seeking a romance in front of the cameras? Sign me up. And bring popcorn.

Naturally, when I revived my romance writing career in 2007, I this was where I wanted to play because it was also right around the time I was pretty damn bitter that there were no girls on ANY of these shows that resembled someone who looked like me.

Such a thing was (and still kinda is) unthinkable.

So, I decided to think about it.

This birthed LOVE PLUS ONE, my "reality" show romance starring a thicker chick named Shannon.

Shannon McKenna was an insecure mess when I found her, and how could she not be? She worked in the entertainment business which, in 2007, wasn't as body positive as it attempts to be today. Which is honestly only about 10-15% better than it was 13 years ago.

Sure, we have Lizzo, but have there been any fluffy girls on the Bachelor yet? 

I have no idea. I gave up on all that after I wrote LOVE PLUS ONE. This scratched that itch so well I no longer had to watch standard casting beauties compete over guys we couldn't guarantee wouldn't dump them after the cameras stopped rolling, despite how beautiful and desirable they happened to be.

 LOVE PLUS ONE is a book where I attempted to change the conversation, starring a gal who never wanted to be a part of the conversation. She was a shy, insecure writer who thought she wasn't quite yet good enough to put herself out there before the masses (cuz, write what you know.) When her creative idea gets hijacked from a duplicitous coworker, her solid Cinnamon Roll best friend (and hottie) Jake Dalton convinces her to fight for the due credit she deserved. Through a series of events, this lands the both of them in front of the cameras, starring in a dating reality show where Jake merely *pretends* to date his bestie and she works undercover as a mole to root out the best possible match.

It's love, plus one. Get it?

This friends-to-lovers tale is both sweet and romantic as Jake realizes this bounty of beautiful women around him only makes him long for the one he wants most.. and she didn't come from central casting. But it's gonna take a helluva lot of courage to cross that line, especially when you truly love the person you count on as a friend, and you don't want to ruin anything with the weirdness of rejection and unrequited love.

Still, the heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes... it even gets it right, by wanting someone who can reciprocate those feelings.

Will they? Won't they? That's the fun of finding out. And why I love romance so gosh darn much.

This is also where we get to meet Jorge Navarro for the first time, the fairy glammother that finds the true beauty of Shannon hidden behind all her mousy layers. Given Shannon's sister was a true, classically accepted beauty, she never felt the need to compete. She wouldn't have dared. But Jorge changes all that within his silk-draped, incensed infused kingdom. He'll go on to do this many, many, many more times in the Groupieverse, cuz he's a master at it. These days, he's even doing this for royalty.

Shannon has a lot to learn in LOVE PLUS ONE, and learn it she does... before popping up again in FIERCE and THE FULLERTON FAMILY SAGA.

In fact, one could argue that this first book was the foundation upon which the Groupieverse was built. Not bad for a self-contained romance written as a sly social protest against rigid beauty standards, that just so happens to fit neatly within a traditional rom-com structure so you never realize I'm trying to tinker with the way you think.

It's an ambitious little baby, and I love it so.

If you haven't read it, here's your chance. Today for free, enjoy LOVE PLUS ONE.

 Happy Friday the 13th. If you're feeling a little naughty, ready to live a little on the edge, then I have the book for you. In this case, you CAN tell a lot by the cover.

I wrote MASTERS FOR HIRE off of a random question from the bestie. You know the kind, one of those rhetorical queries you ponder to test your character without really risking your reputation in the process. They did this once in the holy circle of THE BREAKFAST CLUB, where Andrew was asked if he'd go to school naked if he was properly compensated.

Sex and money. It always comes down to those two things.

When my bestie asked if I would ever consider hiring a male escort, I gave it legitimate thought. So much so I had to write an entire book about it.

If I were single and I had money and opportunity, would I contemplate ordering a lover for hire? 

Honestly, the idea had a certain appeal. Imagine getting exactly what you wanted with no strings attached. You don't have to worry about rejections or complications. Just a hot guy and a few hours of anything goes, no judgment.

I found websites where men were offered up like the newest fashion top. Hunky men who would offer their companionship in exchange for a few Benjamins. 

You weren't paying for the sex, not technically. You simply paid them for their time. What happened in that time frame was up to the two consenting adults involved in the transaction.

I found an old Showtime series that went into lascivious detail what those transactions often looked like. Sex was very much on the table, no matter the legal loopholes. I don't recall one interaction that didn't end naked. Many of these shows undermined the idea I was forming in MY head, which was a lover you could pay to be what you wanted and who you wanted, and you would get everything you wanted out of the deal.

Instead their version of the story was a little seedier and more pornographic. The "reality" of it left me feeling like I needed to take a shower.

And it's not like I have anything against sex work. But it was clear that the men who were fulfilling the needs of these women still considered it work to fulfill their desires. I found that quite the turnoff. In fact, it defeated the whole purpose.

I wanted to hire one of these men just to pick their brains about the job they did, but my husband nixed it. 

So, instead, I created the world I wanted with the kind of man I thought might be worth hundreds of dollars an hour. He's Irish, of course. An alpha, certainly. Mysterious. Handsome. Romantic. Passionate. Talented. Intense.

All the boxes I'd certainly want checked if I were the gal footing the bill.

Best of all, he knows how to make his customer feel like her money was well spent. Her complete satisfaction is his number one desire. 

Truthfully, my MASTERS trilogy goes so much further than any of my other books. I was recently asked what my "naughtiest" books were and MASTERS wins, hands down. Book three even has a MFM threesome starring two of my naughtiest boys. I go there because I can. Because this kind of story gave me room to explore the darker recesses of human desire.

Set securely in my GROUPIEVERSE, these characters keep popping up to play around in other novels, most recently in THE DUKE TAKES A BRIDE, where Devlin even contributes to a royal wedding. And Caz Bixby, my sexiest scoundrel, is making waves with duchesses as he eyeballs princesses in need of his unique set of skills.

If you're up for the challenge, come play in the MASTERS sandbox. You may get a little dirty, but you won't have have to break the bank for it. For today only, book 1 - MASTERS FOR HIRE - is completely free.

 You can't have a southern rocker boy without a SOUTHERN ROCKER CHICK, now can you?

I don't normally write his/hers perspectives, but for my SOUTHERN ROCKERS series I really wanted to highlight how two people can be in the same relationship but see it in totally different ways. When Jonah meets Lacy, she's prickly AF. She wants nothing to do with him, which immediately sparks this southern charmer's interest. 

But for Lacy, Jonah's charm is terrifying... or, at least the way she responds to it is. She's scared to death how easily he integrates into her life, especially when she has so much on the line.

SOUTHERN ROCKER CHICK was my opportunity to tell her story, going back to her childhood. I'm not telling their story twice. I'm letting her tell her story from the beginning. Because it deserves to be told. 

SOUTHERN ROCKER SHOWDOWN will give you the God view of all the lives that will intersect to tell this tale. But the first two books are deeply personal connections with these leading characters.

You could say that SRC is my homage of all the Danielle Steel books I grew up on back in the day, books I love even still. My favorite DS books tell the stories of women that happen to fall in love, like FULL CIRCLE and FAMILY ALBUM. These sweeping sagas follow heroines through many stages of their long, winding journeys to love. Every time I read Lacy's story, I feel so fully gratified over the ground we got to cover. By the time you finish this book, you'll know how hard she's had to struggle for her happy ending.

To me, that makes any HEA a little sweeter.

Find out what makes Lacy Abernathy tick when you get your free copy today.

 If you've read my books, you've already picked up that I prefer two basic locals for my stories, either Los Angeles based or Texas based. I'll play around with New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco, since those are my favorite cities, but my heart has been evenly split my entire adult life between California and Texas.

I'm a Texas girl, born and bred. Like any Texas girl, I'm proud to be from the Lone Star State. My own personal history, whether as a child growing up in the 1970s and 1980s or raising my kids in the same towns I grew up in (with them attending the same schools I attended,) everything is entrenched in Texas history. I love the cities. I love the country. I cross the state line and I still feel like I've come home.

Even my accent comes back instantaneously. It's hilarious.

I grew up with thunderstorms and cowboys, bluebonnets and remember the Alamo, with people that greet you with yes sir or yes ma'am, or wave at you when you pass them on a remote country highway. I grew up on Mrs. Bairds, Tex-Mex and Big Red soda, and ended many nights closing down a bar just to get a Whataburger (with jalapenos) at 2am. I've enjoyed the slower pace of rural Texas and the more hectic crowded cities like Houston and Dallas. 

Every single book I can center in Texas is a virtual love letter to my home state, which is especially true for my Mevember Giveway today.

I wrote SOUTHERN ROCKER BOY as an homage to Texas men, Texas gentlemen specifically. These are the ones who tip their hat to you when they greet you, or stand when you enter the room. They open the door for you, they call you 'darlin'' with a slow, easy drawl. They believe in God and family, hard work and keeping their word. They have nothing to prove; instead they live their lives by a code of ethics that center on doing what's right.

They're not perfect, mind you. But the right Texas gent makes it easy to forgive. 

When I first started reading romances when I was eleven, I was drawn to the southern men that Janet Dailey wrote about. Manly men who knew when to be tender, and loved you more when you were standing toe to toe with them (rather than shrinking under their feet.) They had my heart from the start. I couldn't wait to meet one. To love one. Or really, to love several.

Fortunately for me, I even got to raise a couple. I've written many more. 

Jonah Riley is that special kind of man. He sits somewhere between sweet Cinnamon Roll and self-assured alpha... which makes him perfect for our heroine Lacy. She's a feisty spitfire of a Texas girl. She needs someone who understands the delicate balance a good man has to strike knowing when to lead the dance and when to let his woman shine all on her own. Jonah's both hero and cheerleader, depending on her needs at the time. Best of all, when he says he'll be there... he means it. 

Travel to my beloved Texas as you get to know Jonah and Lacy in SOUTHERN ROCKER BOY, today's free giveaway. 

It's a double shot of pure southern comfort with a rock and roll kicker.

Enjoy, y'all. 

 For today's Mevember Giveaway, an oldie but a goodie... the first book of the second series in the Groupieverse, FIERCE.

FIERCE features my first size-20+ heroine, Jordi Hemphill, an aspiring singer who dumps her small Iowa town to chase her dreams of becoming a big star. Needlessly to say, circa 2013, this is not a smooth road for someone who flouts the conventional pop star mold.

To show you how ahead of the curve this book was, it was BEFORE anyone even thought about putting Ashley Graham in a music video. 

Thankfully for Jordi, she arrives in Tinsel Town around the same time as our Groupie gang develops a talent show just for people like Jordi - those who may be talented AF but are traditionally overlooked because they don't fit a certain aesthetic. 

Jordi's journey is further complicated by some abusive relationships in her life, including her mother and her opportunistic boyfriend, who decides to take his relationship with her public around the time she lands a TV show.

It's not an easy read, especially since it's not an easy journey for anyone... much less anyone who identifies as an outlier. But because of its rocky road, we needed the sweetest of all my Cinnamon Roll heroes... the one and only Jace Riga.

I'm still in love with Jace, my perfectly imperfect hero. The most romantic, the most loyal... the most kind. A hero in every sense of the word.

We're going to see him again in THE DUKE BECOMES KING. I, personally, can't wait.

It takes a lot to hang with everything we have to face in this tale, but I've always felt the triumph was worth it.

And it's free for you today... if you dare. 

Dream big. 

Live large.

BE FIERCE.