Hello my romance-loving besties!

Happy Easter, Passover, Ramadan & Plain Old Sunday

For me, Easter is a time for getting together with family I don't see every day and having a very delicious dinner. Then it's back to writing the story.

This week I'm in the process of writing The Groupie. The story is going well, but it's taking some new and exciting turns I hadn't planned on.

And now, to be honest, if I could, I would change the title to something like The Last Hook-Up, but alas, I can't.

All I can say is that the story is actually The Groupie-ish. (Please work with me! Lol!)

I'm surprised I haven't encountered this problem sooner in my career because putting up pre-orders requires an author to come up with a title often times well before they've finished the book, and sometimes before they've started it! (as in my case--don't judge--I like to plan ahead! Lol)

So it's no wonder six months to a year later, after I've cogitated, stewed and mulled over the story idea, that it changes and morphs into something perhaps slightly off center from the original idea and title.

I always update my blurbs and often change my subtitles to reflect changes in tropes--I even went from enemies-to-lovers to friends-to-lovers once! (He Has It All).

But this time, well, I don't know what I was thinking, but the title is not the tight fit it once was for the story, The Groupie. big sigh.

So, with that in mind, maybe you're extra curious to read the FIRST EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT from The Groupie(-ish) today!

Check it out below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

In the meantime, while I'm working things out with The (not so) Groupie, we have THE DO-OVER GIRL hero and heroine

NAME THAT CHARACTER CONTEST WINNERS!

Check out the details below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

ALSO, another serving of Today's Sizzling Snippet, an

🔥🔥🔥 'adult audience only' 🔥🔥🔥excerpt from HE HAS MVP.

Check out the snippet below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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At SQ's House

This week I tried out the sauna and the steam bath at my new gym! The steam bath wins no-sweat in providing the most sweat----with an actual bucket load of sweat!

I'm taking the latest sweating-is-good-for-you health news to heart. I'll let you know in a month if it's helped my skin to glow or sucked all the juice out of it. (kidding--of course my skin will glow! (even if I have to use special effects))

In other news, I'm spending Easter Sunday at my mother's house. She's not cooking (she's 91 now and ever since she hit about 89 her cooking has gotten sketchy--let's just say we've had to throw out a few scorched pans since then). My sister from CA is cooking since she's the family's version of a gourmet chef and I'll assist with the mashed potatoes. (Everyone has their specialties, don't they? So what if mine involves not much more than boiling water and throwing in some potatoes?)

But, to fully redeem myself from lack of culinary skills, I'm bringing gourmet chocolate candies and some gourmet cannolis for dessert! ➜➜➜➜

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

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I know I say this all the time, but it's true!

I'd truly love a chance to get to know you better and would love you to join my Facebook group so we can do that. I share draft covers with the group for your opinion. We talk about thoughts on romance books and whatever fun or funny things we want to share. I also have occasional contests and giveaways and make ARCs available. Please consider joining me and the team.💜

➜➜Join the SQ Team on Facebook Here

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WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT!

🔥🔥Today's Sizzling Snippet 🔥🔥

from He Has MVP

Aiden

Pulling down my shorts—because no way I’m sleeping in my clothes—I watch her eyes widen in shock. My dick is at half-mast, but even so, it makes an impressive tent in my boxers.

“What are you doing?” She rakes her eyes over me and I don’t miss the extra pause at my hard-on.

“Undressing for bed. How about it, Pink? You going to lose the skirt and blouse or do you sleep buttoned up too?” I give her my best overly confident wise-ass grin.

She narrows her eyes at me, puts aside Curly, who cuddles into the covers. The other pups jump back up onto the bed and I don’t bother shoving them off again. They’d turn it into an all-night game.

“You sleep in boxers?” she asks. Wind rattles the windows and she shivers, but I know it’s not the cold that shakes her.

“Relax. I came prepared to sleep with puppies. Ryan warned me.” I go to my duffel and pull out my flannel sleep pants. I don’t tell her I normally sleep naked. 

Taking a small bag with her, she shuts herself in the bathroom and I settle on the bed under the covers, managing to keep the puppies at the foot of the king-size bed—on her side. Waiting for her to emerge gives me time to regroup, cool off, and it’s a shame. But the night is long—hell, the weekend is long—and I have patience.

I never had patience before with a woman. Never had to. Putting off the reward has never been a thing I’ve had to deal with. Now I savor it like a scintillating challenge unlike any other I’ve been up against. 

When Pink emerges, I’m treated to the sweetest polka-dot baby doll PJs, long shapely legs and lush untethered breasts showing clearly under the silky fabric. My dick swells back up to full manhood while I suck in one long intake of breath.

“This is all I had with me. I didn’t know I . . .” She sweeps her hand over the bed, encompassing the pups and me, her eyes settling on the new and larger tent in my flannels. In the low light of the room I can still see the blush coloring her cheeks, or maybe it’s my imagination, which is currently running wild, I have to admit. I pat the bed next to me.

“Come on in. I won’t bite. I can’t speak for Moe, Larry, and Curly though.”

She rolls her eyes and my dick gets harder, bigger. This will be a long night. I give the pups a dirty look.

“If I end up with blue balls tonight, it’ll be all your fault,” I say to the three innocent furry faces. They appear to be grinning back.

Pink laughs and slides onto the bed next to me.

“Just because we . . . flirted before, doesn’t mean anything is going to happen here tonight,” she says.

“Of course not,” I agree because I like to be agreeable. “Puppies make excellent chaperones,” saying aloud what I was thinking earlier. She pulls the comforter up over us and turns to me. I can barely breathe with her closeness and it’s all I can do not to take my cock into my own hands—so to speak—and relieve myself of the tension. 

But I’m a glutton for punishment because I’m enjoying the tension, even as my jaw muscle tics at the warm expression on her soft, sleepy face.

“You’re a good guy, Aiden.” 

My chest tightens. I don’t get that kind of compliment much, except maybe from my mother or Aunt Tilly. But from Pink, it feels like a whole other category of compliment, the kind that revs my heart, makes me soft on the inside and hard as diamonds where it counts. Fuck.

What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? How the fuck am I supposed to sleep now?

Read the rest...

READ FOR FREE ON KU

OR BUY ON AMAZON

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SQ Books Featured Review

"Quinn and Sara are adorable together. Sara might be inexperienced but she knows what she wants!

A funny romantic story. Looking forward to more books in this series."

--Nora Houston, Vine Voice Amazon Reviewer

READ NOW!

FREE ON KU

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WINNERS!

NAME THAT CHARACTER CONTEST

for

THE DO-OVER GIRL

Heroine's Name: Kali Austin

WINNER: Colleen

Hero's Name: Nash Hall

WINNER: Tabitha

CONGRATULATIONS! 🥳

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Coming Next: Release Date May 20th

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT #1

The Groupie - a hockey rom-com

Zack

Sheila has the balls to slide a copy of the offending magazine in front of me.

“How about an autograph from the famous Boston Magazine Bachelor of the Year?” She bats her eyelashes to mock me because that’s how it is between us.

“Really? Et tu, Shiela?” I toss the magazine aside. “This is crap. They should have picked that other guy, the runner-up, what’s his name.”

“No one is the pretty boy you are, Mr. B.O.Y. of Boston,” Jonas says.

I flip him the finger. I hate the moniker Candice Montgomery, Boston Magazine’s editor christened me with in front of the entire team at her party. I don’t ever remember being so fucking irritated by a woman ever before in my life until that moment. That’s what a woman drooling with fangs bared while she sharpens her knife getting ready to eat you for dinner will do to a guy who normally worships at the altar of all females.

“Maybe it’s your notoriously well-traveled dick that got you into the running,” Finn says.

“You are a notorious flirt,” Sheila says.

“It’s the flirting with one particular woman that got me into trouble. I never should have … never mind.”

My phone pings and I slip it from my jeans pocket to check it. A text from Candice. Shit.

“Let me guess,” Finn says. “It’s the magazine lady.”

I nod and read it over. 

Candice: I’m still waiting to give your hockey stick a test run. Would you be interested in a late night visit? My place or yours? 

How do I respond to that without getting into trouble? No way do I want to get involved with that woman, but I have to figure out how to turn her down without causing any drama. No way am I responding tonight. 

But I can’t afford to ignore her forever since she has juice in the media business and the Brawlers PR vice president, Delaney warned me to play nice. I went to Delaney to ask for help in getting out of the whole Bachelor of the year thing—especially the award night—but she was no help at all. To Delaney, I’m an opportunity for the Brawlers to gain positive publicity and raised awareness. 

“You never should have taken Candice what’s-her-name home for the night,” Finn says.

“Candice Montgomery. Tell me something I don’t know.” I don’t tell him that nothing ended up happening between us, thank fuck, due to the fact that ended up borderline fall-down drunk and I don’t do drunk women.

O’Rourke shakes his head. “I could see that train wreck coming. What were you thinking?”

“In my defense, I was half drunk and she was hot and it never occurred to me to do anything differently than I would normally do in that situation.” That situation being an opportunity for taking a hot lady home at the end of the night for a shot with my hockey stick.

“Bingo.” Finn points at me. 

“As it turns out, she’s not a believer in one-night-only. Now I need to lay low and get off her radar—and everyone else’s radar for that matter.”

“Sure you do. I give you ten seconds.”

“Seriously, I don’t need the complication of ladies thinking I’m a bachelor ripe for the plucking hovering around me to get a chance at me like I’m some kind of hockey playing brass ring—the wedding kind.”

“So what does that mean?” Sheila says. “If a girl doesn’t want to marry you, or if she doesn’t know who you are, she’s okay for flirting?”

I shrug. I don’t want to become a monk, but I need a clean slate of some kind or I’ll need to hire security, the ultimate ridiculous complication in my previously simple yet blissful life. 

In truth, my mother warned me this might happen. But I’ve been having too much fun for the past five years to notice any problems. The ladies I’ve met have all been as fun-loving and free-wheeling as I am. I’ve never spent more than a handful of nights with any of them and most of the time, it’s one-and-done. Now that Candice put a target on my back as the most eligible bachelor, the ultimate marriage material to quote her article, I’ve been getting more attention—from a different kind of lady. The marriage and family kind. Shit. That’s way too complicated to deal with.

“Good luck finding the lady who doesn’t know who you are. Not in the places you travel. You’d have to change your entire strategy for hooking up.” Finn’s grin is wide enough to make me want to slap him, but I nod because he’s right. Shit.

I think about it and it sounds good to me. “Exactly. I need to keep things uncomplicated. Even if that means I become a monk for a while.”

“There must be a women or two left in this town who still don’t know you from a tree trunk,” Finn says. “Maybe someone’s grandma.” He laughs.

“Fuck you.”

Sheila pats my back. “We’ll find someone for you.”

“No worries, kiddo. I can stand a rearrangement of my focus for a while. I’ll ride this out with my dick in my pants and stay out of trouble.” Last thing I need is Candice following through with her threat to do a follow-up article, or heaven forbid, to go through with her plan to team up with a charity and auction me off. Shit. I had to bribe her not to mention the auction to Delaney. The PR lady for the Brawlers could care less whether I wanted to be auctioned off or not.

I don’t mention to the group that it’s been a few weeks already since I’ve kissed a woman and made her blush. The lack of female company makes me itchy, like there’s something missing. I eye Sheila. She’s an old friend now though we started our relationship in bed a few years ago. She’s a fan—a self-described Boston Brawlers groupie and queen of the Tea Party where her group of friends hang out to watch games and stay to party with the players.

While I’m trying not to cry in my beer, I look up and see a woman walk into the bar. My mouth goes instantly dry.A woman?

I meant a fucking vision, like if someone spied on my wet dreams and created the ultimate hot sexy lady for the sole purpose of tempting me into doing anything and everything she wants, this would be that woman. 

She flicks long lush dark hair over her shoulder and checks out the place with brilliant dark fringed eyes. An her body? It’s the kind that would make barbie dolls jealous. Last, but not least by anyone’s count, she has a fucking sexy world-conquering attitude, the kind of confidence not a lot of women have when walking into a bar alone. Make that no woman I ever met.

That’s who just walked in the fucking door. Shit.

Keep your fucking butt in this seat and do not flirt with her. Do not even look at her. 

No more complications.

No fucking flirting.

PRE-ORDER NOW

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Release Date: August 7, 2023

The BIG Puck - a single dad hockey romance

Portsmouth Whalers: a hockey romance series

Sometimes you gotta just suck it up and put up with a girl--or two--who drive you crazy...

The good news is I was recently named head coach of the Portsmouth Whalers.

The youngest coach in the NHL for the newest expansion team.

The bad news is I found out my half-brother recently committed suicide and left me with a mountain of debt—and his baby daughter.

My Aunt Hildie promises to come live with me in to help me take care of the little bundle, but not until after her hip surgery heals.

So I show up on the first day of practice with a stroller full of trouble.

Lucky for me--and luckier for the kid--the sister of one of my players is there, and she offers to help me out.

It’s only for a month. What could go wrong?

She’s laid-back.and I'm an in-charge type.

(Read: I'm grumpy and she's sunshine.)

She loves kids and I don’t know what to do with the little girl.

She teaches me.

My girlfriend objects…

(Warning: Adult language and sexual content.)

PRE-ORDER NOW!

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The Do-Over Girl - a hockey rom-com

Can a girl go back to high school to find the hockey star who got away and expect a do-over of her big fat romance gone wrong?

Find out in this hilarious non-time-traveling take on 17 Again meets Welcome Back Kotter set at an exclusive prep school and featuring a former cheerleader turned teacher and ex-hockey player turned coach.

This story is for all of us who have regrets about that high school sweetheart we lost when he disappeared into his new life after graduation. We went our separate ways because we were too young and foolish to know back then what a good thing we had...

This story is the antidote to the cynical maxim that says you can never go back. She proves them all wrong when she goes back and erases all her regrets, turning them into star dust, spun gold, flying unicorns and a big fat happy ever after. Laugh, cry and get a zing of sizzling excitement when you read this story! 

The Do-Over Girl is a Boston Brawlers spin-off and part of the Some Girls Like It Cold Series.

(Warning: contains language and sex for a mature audience.)

Pre-Order The Do-Over Girl Here!

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Coming later in 2023...

A player goes out for a one-night stand with a woman and connects with her.

But she disappears before the morning.

She stays on his mind but he doesn't expect to ever see her again.

Until he goes home for Christmas to his grandma's in Boston.

And there she is. She's his grandma's caretaker.

With so many unanswered questions, he doesn't trust his attraction to the mystery girl--no matter how much his d*ck disagrees.

Pre-Order Now!

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Stephanie Queen’s Featured Authors

POWER PLAY - MELODY HECK GATTO

Professional hockey player Noah Rodgers was a ladies’ man. He didn’t do relationships. He liked to keep his options open, no-strings attached. And he made no secret of his rules.

Jordan Baker managed The Sin Bin restaurant. She was a people person who enjoyed being in charge and rocked a mean pencil skirt and blazer. Still recovering from her last disastrous break-up, she was concentrating on her career. She wasn’t interested in taking chances with her heart.

Keeping Noah and his flirtatious ways at bay proved difficult– virtually impossible. He was charming, devastatingly handsome, and focused on her. And she liked it.

Could no strings attached be enough for her?

READ FOR FREE ON KU

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HAVING IT ALL - EMILY BUNNEY

Returning from France after working away, Lana Landon takes a spare room in her big brother Matt's new house. 

Only problem is he's a super protective hockey player for the Seattle Whalers. She's come home with a business plan and a broken heart, but there's something more sinister lurking in the dark. 

Alex “Thor” Bergman is the Whalers' huge goalie and is the last of his four brothers to settle down. No matter how hard he tries, he only seems to attract gold-digging puck bunnies who are after his big ... stick. 

Can the Swedish giant find true love with a woman who makes the best grilled cheese sandwich he's ever tasted, but who's completely off limits? 

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW

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GOOD MORNING HOTTIE!

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ROMANCE FANS: CLICK HERE to Follow Me anywhere on social media and keep in touch!

Feel free to drop me a line any time to talk sports or romance books!--or both. Meanwhile, treat yourself well and indulge in all the new romance books coming this spring. Looking forward to sharing an excerpt from THE GROUPIE with you next week! 💜

Warmest Regards,