Hello friends! Sagan here. Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.
If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life.
Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share a reading from my upcoming enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship romantic comedy, Her Bad Idea! This is Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series, but it can be read as a standalone.
Release day is Tuesday, August 25, but you can pre-order it today on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, or by visiting SaganMorrow.com/books.
Before we get to the excerpt of the book, I want to share the back-of-book blurb with you. Here it is:
Focus on the dance competition. The business opportunity. The prize money, for goodness sake. Anything except…
That smarmy attitude.
Those mocking eyes.
That chiseled jawline.
Staying focused on the task at hand might be harder than Scarlett Mitchell thought, when she’s stuck with sexy, arrogant Pete Fraser as her dance partner for the next six weeks. But she has no choice—he’s her only hope to win the big dance competition. Scarlett needs to win that prize money if she wants to save her burlesque business from bankruptcy.
...And it’s all the more complicated when she unexpectedly finds herself in a fake relationship with Pete, as an attempt to make her unrequited crush, Westley Prince, jealous…
Her Bad Idea is a forced proximity, slow burn enemies to lovers romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series. There's a thin line between love and hate in this dance competition romance!
There you have it! That’s the blurb for Her Bad Idea. You can pre-order your copy right now on your favourite book platform, including Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. I’ll share the links in the show notes, or you can grab a copy of the book when you visit SaganMorrow.com/books.
Now, let’s get into the excerpt for Her Bad Idea…
Scarlett watched Wes walk away from her, putting as much distance between them as possible, avoiding eye contact as he moved to the far end of the bar. I blew my chance. My one and only chance. I’m never going to get that opportunity again. He’s gone. And I’m stuck here, wanting him, obsessing over him.
I’m never going to get over him.
“It’s time you got over him,” Emma told Scarlett an hour later.
Helen’s pursed lips indicated she agreed heartily with Emma on the subject. “Wes isn’t the only one with a charm switch. Maybe you should flip yours on. It’s been off for too long.”
“Maybe she can’t keep a man,” Emma suggested, grinning wickedly at Scarlett.
Scarlett threw her hands up. “That’s not fair. You know how susceptible I am to reverse psychology. I can’t control my own counterwill! Anyway, I am over Wes. He’ll never want me. I know that. It’s fine. I’m totally fine. Everything’s fine.”
That was at least one too many “fines,” babe, Scarlett thought to herself.
Judging by the look that Emma and Helen exchanged, they agreed with her silent assessment.
“Prove it. Pick up a guy here tonight.
“The problem isn’t that I can’t pick up a guy,” Scarlett argued. “The problem is, I intimidate them. They think it’s cool I’m a burlesque dancer, until they start to date me. Then they get all possessive and weird. They prefer the idea of me to the reality of me. Screw that.”
Helen perked up, her gaze fixed across the room. “It sounds like you need someone who’s not threatened by you. Someone who can match you and go head to head with you.”
“Yes, exactly,” Scarlett agreed, pleased that Helen understood
“Someone who challenges you. Adds a little spice to your life.”
“I wouldn’t mind that.”
“A handsome stranger who understands your line of work, perhaps,” Helen continued.
“That could be nice,” Scarlett reflected.
“Mhm. Hey, isn’t that our good friend Pete?” Helen went on, far too blasé for Scarlett’s liking.
Scarlett’s head snapped up. Sure enough, there was Pete, and he was making a beeline straight for them.
“Well, if it isn’t the dancer darling,” he drawled.
“Well, if it isn’t our charming bouncer,” Scarlett countered.
“Don’t we know you?” Emma cut in, ignoring the look that Helen was giving her.
He eyed Scarlett’s friends for a moment, and then grinned. “Why, I think we do. I believe I owe you my gratitude.”
“Why’s that?” Helen asked, raising her eyebrows.
“If you hadn’t immediately bragged about who your friend here is, that first time we met, I might not have had the opportunity to join the dance competition.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Emma beamed. “You certainly seem like the type that can go head to head with our dear Scarlett. You’ll make a handsome match on the dance floor together,” she added, then caught the look Scarlett was giving her, and cleared her throat. “Helen, weren’t we talking about getting another drink?”
“But Helen’s drink is still full, and you don’t drink alcohol—” Scarlett began to point out, but Emma was already dragging Helen away.
And now Scarlett was stuck face to face with her nemesis.
“You haven’t called me. I’m wounded,” Pete commented as his gaze roamed the Dusky Panther lounge.
She rolled her eyes. “You seem very wounded indeed.”
“You’re not planning on backing out of our agreement, I hope.”
“I don’t back out of things,” Scarlett retorted.
He turned and dazzled her momentarily with a smouldering look. “Glad to hear it. I don’t back down, either.”
So, there you go! A little teaser for you from Her Bad Idea, Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series.
Tropes for this chick lit novel include:
- Forced proximity
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow burn
- Age gap romance
- Fake relationship
- Dance competition
If this intrigues you, then you should definitely grab a copy today! Again, it’s available on all major e-bookstores.
By the way, I have a big goal of getting on the Amazon Romantic Comedy bestseller list, and I would absolutely LOVE your support! You can pre-order Her Bad Idea by searching “Polyamorous Passions” on Amazon, or grab it directly on my website at SaganMorrow.com/books.
Now, I would love to hear your thoughts on this book. Connect with me on Twitter and Instagram, @Saganlives, to chat about it! And you can send me a message on either of those platforms if you have requests for future episode topics, too. The more you tell me what you’d like to see more of on this podcast, the better that I can accommodate that. You can also submit your questions or topic ideas anonymously at SaganMorrow.com/question.
If you enjoyed this episode, please take 2 minutes to share this podcast on social media and subscribe and rate it on Apple Podcasts—any time you share it or leave a rating or review, it helps more listeners find the Indie Author Weekly podcast, so every bit counts! I really appreciate your support.
By the way, you can access complete word-for-word transcripts of this episode and all past episodes, plus sample chapters of my romantic comedies and a few other bonuses and goodies, on the “secret” version of this podcast. Get access to all of that at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast
Thanks so much for tuning in to the Indie Author Weekly podcast, and I will see you in the next episode.