September 2020 marks an important date for me:
The five year anniversary of my first month as a “successful author.”
See, way back in 2015, I was underemployed, struggling to find a full time job, unsure of my career path. I knew I wanted to be a writer. I’d always wanted to be a writer. I’d already paused screenwriting–it never felt like I was making progress towards an actual income–in favor of novel writing, but my first series was a huge flop.
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have any other marketable skills–I’d worked a lot of part time jobs, but none of them were careers–and I didn’t want to give up on my goal of writing full time. But I couldn’t keep working part-time.
So I gave myself the year. If I could hit a certain income goal by December, something comparable to what I’d earn at an entry level job, I’d keep writing.
If not, I’d pause my novelist aspirations and retrain for an actual career.
In September, I hit that goal, with the publication of The Billionaire’s Deal: The Complete Story (now titled Dirty Deal). Then, with the publication of Sing Your Heart Out, Strum Your Heart Out, and The Billionaire’s Control (now Dirty Boss), I kept hitting my goal.
Five years later, I’m here, with nearly thirty books under my belt.
And I’m celebrating the occasion by answering your questions!
Dirty Rich
What compelled you to write this series?
Honestly? Money. I wrote Dirty Deal (then The Billionaire’s Deal) because I really, really wanted to make a living as an author (and not learn to program… I hate programming). At the time, I really had no concept of what else I could do. I’d had a lot of jobs, but none were careers. I didn’t see a way into any typical career path besides making writing full time work or learning to program. And I really, really hate programming).
I really wanted to make a living and billionaire serials were popular. So I wrote one, using a popular trope that I also liked: a fake relationship. I ADORE fake relationships. They are my favorite trope (well, tied with friends to lovers and brother’s best friend).
I wanted to write something that was popular, that I liked too. When I wrote about Kat learning how to fit into the world of the rich and powerful, I thought about my favorite series, The Hunger Games. Sure, Kat isn’t preparing to fight to the death, but she is getting made over to appeal to a bunch of image obsessed people.
While writing, I totally fell in love with Lizzy. Then, while writing her book, I started to get curious about Shepard. His book was nagging at me for awhile (even if it took me years to write it). When I picked the series back up to write Dirty Husband, I knew it was my chance to finally write a virginity sale book, so I wrote Dirty Desires.
For Dirty Husband: I knew the book wasn’t a duet going into it, but at the end, I almost wanted Shep to call off the wedding and have there be another book to explore more about him. What stopped you from doing that? What made you change your mind and have the wedding? (I read the Author’s note, but…I guess I just want to have a better understanding of why).
Honestly, I didn’t think readers would follow me. In my experience, romance readers don’t always want to see the real work that goes into healing from trauma or mental illness. (I have more of the painful, nitty gritty dealing with trauma in the Come Undone series, and in Broken. I love those books, but they are my worst sellers, and they’re also least popular with my fanbase). It’s painful, slow, and very unromantic. Sometimes, it doesn’t look like healing at all. And it’s not the kind of thing that ends. For most people, it’s a lifelong journey. There’s no point where they’re fixed.
Take it one day at a time is a cliche for a reason.
With Shep, I knew he was a mess, and I didn’t know that readers would be patient enough to watch his healing. And I didn’t want to dive into that much pain and trauma. That would be a really fucking hard book to write. And I didn’t want to write something that hard, especially if I wasn’t sure readers would follow.
I’d like to write something like this in the future. (I had the same thought with The First Taste. At the end, the healing & the struggles are just beginning). To write a longer series, where I have more time to explore the healing process. I’m starting to form ideas, so hopefully I’ll have something in 2021.
I’d love to know how many books do you possibly have planned for this EPIC series?
I have six books planned for the Dirty Rich series, with the characters (hopefully) appearing in future books set in the same world.
I’ve just finished Ty’s book (Ian’s brother), Dirty Wedding, a very risque fake wedding story, and I’m starting his cousin’s book, which will be a bit more like my Inked Hearts books, since the story is best friend’s little sister!! (Okay, technically, it’s cousin’s future sister in law, but same idea). Dirty Secret is the last book I have planned for the series.
Who is your favorite character and why?
Eve is my favorite Dirty Rich character, but Sienna (book six’s heroine; you’ll meet her in Ty’s book, Dirty Wedding) is pretty great too.
I love that Eve is the kind of girl who rarely appears in billionaire books. She’s brash and headstrong and completely uninterested in conventional ideas of happily ever after. Plus, she’s a tattooed, teal-haired feminist with a passion for The Handmaid’s Tale. She has the same relationship to (pop) culture I do. She’s very much not a fangirl. She’s passionate about certain books, music, films, but she’s still critical of them.
I love The Hunger Games and I’ll defend Katniss Everdeen to the ends of the Earth, but I’m not afraid to say Mockingjay has some very hamfisted cliffhangers (I even use “Suzzane Collins would be proud” as a note to myself in my revisions, when I write a particularly over the top cliffhanger). I love pop-punk music, but I love mocking it for its misogyny as much as I love listening to it. To me, criticism is a form of love/appreciation, but I find few people who share this belief. Especially in the world of genre fiction.
Sinful Serenade
I wanted to know if there was a band in particular that was your inspiration. The first one totally screamed a band to me. Song titles and lyrics you wrote were too eerily similar to a certain band I love so much.
Yes, but I’m afraid I’ve sworn myself to secrecy on this one. There are plenty of clues if you look, but I have a strict “never, ever tell” policy. I prefer to keep the mystery alive, so everyone can imagine their own favorite musician.
I will say I channeled my high school musician crush, hereafter referred to as my muse, in writing Miles’s lyrics. I really wanted to capture the tongue-in-cheek quality of his lyrics and his tendency to use said cheekiness as a front. As a way to hide his actual feelings. (If you tease yourself first, other people’s jokes won’t have the same sting. If you laugh off your pain, maybe people won’t notice it’s there). And I wanted to capture the push/pull I felt when I listened to his albums. Why did he pull me closer in one breath and push me away in the next?
I think you can really see that in Meg and Miles’s relationship. And I think that’s why the book is so popular with readers. We’ve all been the girl listening to a boy she liked on the radio, wondering why he wouldn’t let us in.
Why aren’t there more spinoffs or extending to having babies and family time when these are such popular books? Next Gen too.Thank you
There’s already Sinful Ever After. Don’t be greedy 😉
But, really, I think I more than covered these characters’ stories with Sinful Ever After. (Which sells much less than Play Your Heart Out. Sadly, these sequel books just don’t sell that well, so I’m not planning any in the future. They were a lot of fun, but they were a headache too. Eight POVs is just too many).
I’m not sure next gen stories are really that popular, but regardless, I don’t know if I want to see my guys get old! I like remembering them in their 20s.
I’m not saying no. And, if I do write a next gen story, it will probably be the kids of billionaires or rock stars, because they have more interesting stories… but it’s not on the agenda at the moment.
Which is a more fun character to write – the sinner or the saint?
Any character can be interesting. People default to “bad boys” and anti-heroes, but they’re not more inherently interesting than good guys or heroes.
Interesting characters are struggling. Sinners who happily sin aren’t struggling, so they aren’t interesting. Sinners who are trying to find their good side… that’s interesting.
Same thing with saints. A person who has an easy time doing the right thing isn’t interesting. A person struggling to do the right thing, because of their convictions or circumstances, is.
One of my favorite fictional characters is Diane Lockhart, one of the leads of The Good Wife. Diane is a very moral person who strives to do the right thing, but it’s her struggle against circumstance (and her own intellect, as she knows it’s easier to do the wrong thing) that makes her interesting.
Will you write any more rock romances ? Loved them all
Probably! I don’t have any on deck, right now, but I’m not sure what I’m writing after I finish Dirty Rich and Inked Love. I’d like to get to Wicked Beat one day, but I don’t know when that day will come.
Rock stars are a little bittersweet for me nowadays. I used to have very close friends who talked about rockers (and rocker books) with me, but I’m not close with them anymore. I’m not sure I want to dive into that world without them.
Inked Hearts / Inked Love
How are you able to write about struggles so well? With The First Taste, the way you wrote about an eating disorder was spot on. As someone who has struggled with one, it was emotionally hard to read. At the same time it was cathartic.
Thank you! I always try to write mental & emotional struggles in an honest, authentic way. I often see books that label themselves raw or emotional, but I almost always find them overwrought.
It’s hard to find books where people slow down and truly explore issues. Like I said earlier, readers don’t always want to see the ugly truth. “I struggled to get here and I’m going to keep struggling” isn’t a satisfying arc for everyone, even if it’s much more honest than “I struggled and now I’m fixed.”
I don’t write about something unless I understand it. That might mean I have first hand knowledge–a struggle I’ve faced, a struggle I’ve seen someone face–or it might mean research. In a lot of ways, compulsive behaviors (addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, etc.) are very similar. The thought processes and patterns are similar. Sometimes the same.
So I am able to take my experience, combine it with research and empathy, and write about struggles I haven’t faced.
I think empathy is the key. I need to put myself in someone’s shoes, to ask myself what they truly go through, and not what I assume they go through. There are so many misconceptions out there, very much in part due to writers spreading misinformation. I never want to do that.
I’m not perfect. I’m sure I get things wrong. (And we all have different experiences). But I always try to present my characters in an authentic, holistic way.
What made you want to write about tattoo artists?
Partly, it was strategic. I’d written rock stars. I asked myself “who else is a creative bad boy” and “tattoo artist” seemed like an obvious choice.
I went forward because it intrigued me. I like the mix of artist, business owner, and bad boy. I don’t like bad boys because they have dirty mouths and tattoos. I’m not sure that’s what really makes them bad boys. It’s their status as outsiders.
I like outsiders. I like people who think differently. I am a person who thinks differently.
That’s why most of my guys are outsiders who’ve decided to band together. This is probably most obvious with my more typical bad boys, the tattoo artists and the rockers, but I think it’s true of my other guys too. My billionaires may be rich, they may know the world of the wealthy, but they don’t feel like they belong there.
From Inked Hearts and Inked Love my favourite is still Walker. Which Inked Love/Hearts story was the most fun or interesting to write?
I don’t have a favorite book, but I really like the development of Dean & Ryan in Pretend You’re Mine and Hating You, Loving You (and Tempting and Hooking Up, too). One of my favorite things about writing a series is seeing different sides of characters. And seeing characters through different POVs.
I’m not sure if these were the most fun to write, but they were a lot of fun. Book #3-4 is always a good place in a series. I know the characters well enough I can really play with them, but I’m not straining to fit all of them into the world yet.
The Rest
Is Broken going to remain a standalone or will it eventually branch off into a series?
It’s not a plan right now, but I’d love to go back to the Stone family. Unfortunately, Broken didn’t hit as well with readers, so I’m not sure if it will make sense to pick up the series.
What’s your favorite book of all times?
The Hunger Games trilogy. I know, a trilogy is cheating, but I’m sticking with this answer.
Where do you pull all the stories from?? Do you continue to think about them, hear their thoughts or think about what they’d be up to now?
All the time! When I’m catching up with a previous couple in a current book, I often wonder what they’re up to later that day. What do they say about the current couple? Do they gossip on the way home? Or are they straight to flirting with each other? Do they approve? I envisioned quite a few walks/drives home in my head after double date scenes.
I’ve been thinking about starting a newsletter feature for this, actually. Taking one book or series each month and saying what the characters would do in light of current events. I’m sure Kaylee and Emma are spending quarantine rewatching Disney movies on Disney+, driving Brendon and Hunter crazy. (They’re all living together, but the guys don’t really talk. They like brooding in their rooms, alone).
I would love to write a longer series, so I can spend more time with my main couple. Hopefully next year.
Do you ever think of writing a story about older love? I’m 65 and I hope the romance isn’t gone from my life for forever. I still have dreams.
Maybe! I like writing about younger women. I think the struggles we have when we’re in our teens and early 20s are the ones that most shape who we become. I’m in my 30s now, and I still have struggles. Some of them are bigger, with higher stakes, but I’m also so much better equipped to handle them. Things don’t feel as life and death as they did in my early 20s or teens.
(If it weren’t for the lack of sex & cursing, I’d probably write YA. I like how dramatic everything feels to younger people).
I like writing characters who aren’t equipped to handle their problems… yet. Right now, that’s younger women. And I prefer being in the New Adult space vs. the contemporary space. Readers move faster. They’re more open to change and new ideas.
But… I really liked writing Ian (36) and Ty (30) and I’m really looking forward to writing Gabe (early 40s), so I never say never.
Do you think you will ever consider writing another genre of writing and if so, which one and why?
Maybe. I’ve always wanted to write YA, but it would probably be YA romance, so I’m not sure that’s really different.
I’d love to write a thriller about a woman taking control, something that really tears through sexism, but I don’t have a mind for plot, so I don’t know if that will happen. I love watching legal and police procedurals and thrillers, but it’s partly because I have no mind for plot. I’m actually surprised by twists sometimes!
I’m also interested in women’s fiction, but that also feels romance adjacent. What I like about both YA and women’s fiction is the story doesn’t have to be so… romantic.
I like the YA romance formula–girl likes bad boy and nice guy, finds out bad boy is actually a tool, nice guy is actually awesome, HEA. I like that the books have a good lesson. That makes them sound cheesy, but it’s not the cheesiness I like, it’s the responsibility. I don’t like that romance authors don’t take responsibility for their content. I don’t like that romance authors aren’t concerned with who and what they’re saying is sexy.
I don’t like books about women falling for assholes and staying with assholes. I don’t like assholes coming out on top. But a lot of romance books are about guys who are terrible (or borderline abusive) treating the heroine like crap for 300 pages, apologizing at page 301, then the two of them living HEA. That isn’t a romantic story to me. That’s a horror story.
I’d like to be in a genre where people care more about the messages their books send. What I read, watch, and write affects me, and I’m better equipped to handle it than most, because I understand narrative, plot, characters, etc. I know all the writer tricks! But I can still see how my perception of men has changed over six years of writing romance. It’s not always for the better.
What got you into writing and what gave you the courage to put out your first book?
I talk to a lot of women who feel this way. They feel like they need courage to publish. Like it’s something they have to earn. But, honestly, I’ve never felt this way.
I’ve always felt like I had something to say and that people needed to hear it.
Maybe I’m a little entitled, but I think sometimes that’s a good thing for women.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always prioritized achieving that. I don’t put other things first. I don’t put other people first. I put my career first.
That’s eased, somewhat, as I’ve become more successful and been able to take my foot off the gas. But I am blessed (or cursed, depending on who you ask) with a lack of agreeableness. I don’t need to make other people happy. I love saying no. I don’t like caring for other people’s emotions. I don’t like when people aren’t direct.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my husband and I want him to be happy. But I would not sacrifice my happiness for his. I would compromise (marriage is always going to involve compromise), but I wouldn’t, for example, sacrifice my career so he could pursue his.
I never really needed courage. I always believed my books were better than what was out there. That the world needed them. That may be a little narcissistic, but I think you need a little narcissism to succeed in this industry. There are too many people who will tell you no, I don’t care, I’m better than you, you’re nothing. You need thick skin to get past it.
How long does it usually take to write a novel from start to finish?
Usually, it’s 8-12 weeks, but it depends on the book. I take a week off between books to write a rough outline and air out my brain. Then I spend 4-6 weeks writing the first draft and 3-4 weeks rewriting. Rewriting is where the story really comes together for me. It’s my favorite part, because I take the book from good to great.
Love those hot guys on your covers. How do you narrow them down?
To be honest… I find male models boring! I never thought I’d get sick of looking at hot guys, but after so many years of scouring stock photography, I never need to see another set of abs.
I much prefer images of couples, because they’re typically more emotional. I try to find a photo that matches the emotion I want to convey (usually a sexy playfulness) and then I find models who look remotely like the characters. I’m not all that concerned with model accuracy in terms of looks. It doesn’t matter if the hero has blonde hair and the model has brown hair. I know readers really care about this, and I’ve been there too, as a reader. But to me the hair color is really not an important part of character. What do you remember about, say, Dean? Is it his hair and eye color? Or is it his personality?
I want an image that captures the feel of the book and characters.
How do you decide which covers to use?
I hate to say it, but covers, titles, and blurbs are all about marketing. I hate the fact of the matter, but the cover is a marketing tool. A cover doesn’t need to be something I like. It needs to convey the tone, subject, and heat level of my book in a second. And it needs to capture the readers’ eyes.
I pick my covers based on what I want to convey. That usually means looking at what’s popular in a genre or niche and what’s worked for me in the past. That’s why so many of my books have couples. They work for me. And they speak to me.
And that’s why my Dirty books have objects. I love them AND they suit the genre.
I like to take risks with my covers, especially if they’re changes to older covers. I like objects, women, typograpny, something that not everyone is doing yet.
After awhile, if a book or series stops selling, or if the cover becomes stale, I change it up. I love my original Sinful Serenade covers. I always will. But they don’t look like books that came out in 2020. Readers might not notice consciously, but they still see the cover and think “this book is old, show me something new.”
I also change up the covers (and sometimes the titles) to try to reach a new audience. If, say, I’ve already reached the people who like dudes in suits on covers, can I try a couple? I’ll attract a new reader that way. I know, as a reader, I tend to glaze over images of solo men on covers. I’m attracted to covers with couples, women, or objects.
I might pick up a book I previously ignored because the cover now appeals to me. And I might go back and read the author’s other books, even if they have covers I don’t particularly enjoy.
What was your childhood like? Where did you grow up? Where’s somewhere you’d love to go? What did you want to be when you were a child?
It was normal, in that it was full of unique trials and tribulations. Like many people in my generation, I’m a child of divorce. Though that put financial (and emotional) strain on our family, we were still pretty lucky to live in a safe, nice neighborhood, with great schools, and a lot of emphasis on education and activities. I loved summers on the swim team and girl scouts as a kid, though I quit pretty much everything when I was old enough to make the choice for myself.
I grew up in Southern California. Under non quarantine times, I visit about four times a year, but it’s been awhile now. I love so much about Southern California–the weather, the beach, the diversity, the food. Orange County is about as good as suburban life gets. There are a ton of places to go and things to do… for the suburbs. But it still feels very suburban. People’s values are suburban. They care too much about the trim on their houses and the state of their lawns (just ask my dad about his HOA, ha!)
Southern California is also very, very superficial. This is nice in that it means lots of beautiful people (there are few hot guys in the PNW and NO ONE is stylish), but it also means a lot of judgement, and a lot of pressure to look a certain way.
I like going anywhere with a nice beach and any large city. I’m both a beach girl and a city girl. I’m not sure they combine well–O‘ahu is a bit of a touristy mess–but I’m down for either.
I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger. I loved orcas. I still do, but I wasn’t crazy about biology in high school (I preferred chemistry). After my marine biology phase, I wanted to be an artist. So I think I got pretty close!
I’ve never even tried on riding boots, so what is your favorite brand please? (Cali girl here ~ could never handle PNW ~ don’t know how you do it!!)
It’s not as bad as it sounds! Although, five months of straight grey skies is one of those things you can’t truly comprehend until you experience it.
Riding boots are still great for California nights though. I wear them all the time when I visit family. I like Blondo, because they have a lot of waterproof boots, but of course I have to mention local brand Timberland. I have some really cute Timberland heeled combat boots. They’re fabulous. (Even if they’re not actually riding boots).
What is your favorite food?
Dark chocolate, preferably 80-85%
When will Gabe’s book come out from the ink series
It’s a maybe right now