Howdy y'all!

Today is a huge day for me. Like, epically huge. Two for Interference, book 1 in my BRAND NEW SERIES is live and ready-to-read. If you've been waiting to snag it in Kindle Unlimited, have at it!

I was (more than) a lil nervous about birthing this book-baby into the world, but early reviews are everything I could have hoped for, and more. People are loving Cleo and Lincoln almost as much as I did writing them.

Go forth and read.

If you haven't yet read my Tale of Six Meet Cutes story - where you see how each of the six couples in this series first meet, you'll want to go here and grab that.

I'm also going to drop chapter 1 from Two from Interference right here in this newsletter just to whet your appetite...

If anyone needs me, I'm going to be over here, eating chocolate cupcakes and drinking moscato wine. Why? Because I am proclaiming today and every August 26th henceforth CLINC day. Both of those delicious elements are in this book, and because I can, that's why! Haha!

If you have cupcakes and wine today, don't forget to send me pictures - maybe I'll even feature some in my next newsletter, and send a little Clinc swag to my favorite!

Thank you all for your continued and amazing support.

Until next time,

Chapter 1

Cleo

Unknown number: You left your bra here.

Cleo’s best friend, Molly, snorted over her shoulder. Cleo clutched the phone against her chest, cheeks on fire.

“Too late, I saw it. But I know for sure that message wasn’t meant for you.” Molly snapped the bra strap on her shoulder. “You’re wearing your regular Tuesday bra. And even if by some miracle you were possessed by a demon long enough to let your hair down for a hook-up, there’s no way you’d be careless enough to leave your bra behind. You’d break out in hives at the idea of being seen with your girls hanging free. Not to mention, you were here watching Pitch Perfect with Ben and Jerry last night.”

“I don’t have a regular Tuesday bra.” Cleo reached for the spaghetti strap of her tank, as though it would somehow cover the bra strap in question. Why she was embarrassed by it was anyone’s guess.

“Wanna go open your underwear drawer and do a headcount? Ten bucks says I’d know whether whoever that is on your phone actually has one of yours or not. In under five seconds.”

Cleo groaned and hung her head. She and Molly had been besties since the first day of Cleo’s freshman year over a year ago. They’d met in the library, throwing dirty looks and shushing the same obnoxious group of jocks. Despite Molly being a year older, a beautiful friendship had been born over a mutual respect for the rules, a shared love of the smell of musty old books, and grilled cheese.

Cleo placed her phone screen-down on the desk. “It’s a wrong number. I’m just going to ignore it. I have to finish this assignment for tomorrow anyway.”

“Uh huh. It’s not even the third week of term and you’re already charging ahead. You can have a little fun sometimes, you know? That’s kinda the whole point of college.”

“The whole point of college is to graduate with honors and get a good job. Now, shush. I got shit to do.” Cleo shifted her glasses up her nose and slid the end of her pen between her teeth. Her phone chimed again and her fingers twitched, itching to flip it over. Was there another installment to be had of the mysterious #BraGate she’d found herself in the middle of? Maybe if she stared at it long enough, it would turn over by itself.

“Maybe he’s got her panties, too.”

“What makes you think it’s a he?”

“Oh sweet, summer child. Let’s go with ‘intuition’. Go on. I can tell you’re bursting to see if that’s him again. I’m giving you permission to take a look.”

Cleo picked up the phone.

Unknown number: I’d drop it off but I dunno where you live. Are you in the dorms? I know these things are expensive as shit or I wouldn’t have messaged, I know last night was a one-time deal.

Unknown number: Why do women pay so much money for such a flimsy piece of fabric?

Cleo wrinkled her nose. She’d never been a one-night-stand kinda girl. In truth, she’d never really been a dating-of-any-kind sort of girl. Her parents had kept a tight rein on her social life throughout high school. Her two previous boyfriends had never understood her academic drive.

Molly elbowed her. “One-time deal? Huh. You’re a changed woman, Cleo Martinez. I had no idea you’d gotten into the do ‘em and dump ‘em game. Next you’ll be telling me you bat for my bi-team. You should reply at least, tell the poor guy he’s written the love of his life’s number down wrong. You think he’s talking about this campus?”

Shrugging, Cleo placed the phone back on the table and turned the page of her book. Try as she might to deny it, or squash it down, a small part of her yearned to have a ‘normal’ college experience. But her mom would kill her if she got anything less than exemplary scores in all her classes.

Unknown number: Uh… Melissa? You know it says ‘read’ next to your messages, right? Wait. Is this your calling card? Like you leave your bra behind so I come running? A sneaky way to make it more than a one-time thing? 

“Woman! Answer the man, jeez. Hold up – you don’t think he means Melissa Ross, do you?”

Cleo must have had a blank face because Molly continued. “Cheer squad? Still not ringing any bells?”

Cleo shook her head.

“You might actually get to know people if you stepped outside of the library sometimes, you know. You should answer The Boy. He seems to want to get rid of that bra as a matter of some urgency.”

Cleo pinched her lip between her teeth. She needed to concentrate on her assignment, and the persistence of Mr. One Night Stand was not conducive to a quiet work environment.

Cleo: Sorry, this isn’t Melissa. I hope you find your Cinderella soon, though. I can confirm the bra is not mine.

See? She could be fun. Bantering with a stranger over text was fun, right?

Unknown number: My apologies. This was the number she gave me. The search for the owner of the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder continues. Have a good one.

Her stomach sank at the closed nature of his reply. It surprised her. Did she want an excuse to talk to a complete stranger? A stranger who’d had a one night stand the night before, no less. No, she had no time for distractions. She would never become Summa Cum Laude if she let some asshole player take up space in her brain. Focus. That’s what she needed.

“I’m heading out to the party at Beta Kappa Pi. Sure you don’t wanna come?” Molly gave her shoulder a playful shove.

“I’m good, thanks.”

Molly giggled. “You’ve reached your fill of excitement for one day. You know where I am if you change your mind.”

“Be safe!”

“Always.” Molly waved her rape whistle attached to her keychain and a foil-wrapped condom at Cleo before slipping them into the shallow pockets of her jeans. She left, mumbling to herself about how the patriarchy screwed women over at every turn, even when it came to their clothes.

Cleo rolled her neck and a heaviness settled on her chest. Molly was a straight-A student who loved partying. She hadn’t failed a single class in her first year. She had plenty of friends, a fun dating life, and still managed to maintain high grades. She had it all.

How was it possible for Molly to keep all of the plates spinning, while Cleo had to focus all her energies on succeeding in school? Studying English Literature in the University of Minnesota had been Cleo’s goal for as long as she could remember. She pursued it with fervor, but the occasional ache in the pit of her stomach made her wonder. Read the rest of the book here.

Have you joined my reader group yet? If not, then head over to: Margaritas, Men and Mischief with Lasairiona. As the name suggests, it's a place for my readers to chat about all things romance - with a healthy dose of sarcasm, sharp wit, conversations comprised entirely of GIFs, sneak peeks, giveaways and a plethora of memes. It's one of my absolute favorite places on the internet and I'm really enjoying getting to know readers that bit better over there. Don't be shy - we don't bite... much! Come on over!

Intimate Strangers

Is there such a thing as too perfect?

Lisa Millar wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a guy on the Internet. But she did. Other than living over five thousand miles away in America, AJ Williams is seemingly her perfect match. Strikingly handsome, musically talented, plays hockey and has a typical college-guy life. In a moment of carpe diem, Lisa flies from Ireland to Alabama to surprise her internet-beau and finds herself face to face with an inconceivable reality that she couldn’t possibly have prepared for. How well can you truly know someone you meet online?

Will true love win out, or will AJ’s secret life be too much for Lisa to bear?

Game Changer

AJ Williams wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a girl on the internet. But he did.

Other than living over five thousand miles away in Northern Ireland, Lisa Millar is seemingly his perfect match. AJ can’t quite believe his luck, not only is she beautiful, but she has an appreciation for both music and hockey - two of his favorite things.

Surprised by Lisa turning up unannounced in Alabama, AJ is under pressure to deal with the issue at hand.

Should he risk losing her, come clean and tell her the truth?

Or should he try to keep his secret under wraps?

Will true love win out? Or will AJ’s secret be too much for Lisa to bear?

Four Letter Feelings

Jeremy Lewis has just returned from a year in Europe, ready to start college in Alabama and pursue his dream career in the National Hockey League. Other than boring school work, he’s eager to play hockey, hang out with his new teammates and maybe even rekindle an old flame when Chelsea Davis unexpectedly reappears in his life.

Life is looking pretty darn peachy.

But when his world is turned upside down by a tragic loss, merely surviving each day feels like an achievement. How can he get through college and keep his budding career on track when all he wants to do is drink and squander his parent’s fortune? Can he convince Chelsea he’s a changed man when he seems so intent on his own destruction?