Dating by the Book
Mary Ann Marlowe
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: June 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Is love just something you find in books?
Six months ago, writer and bookstore owner Maddie Hanson was left at the altar. Since then, sheās had zero interest in romanceādespite the fact that she runs a book club full of sexy eligible bachelors. But when her latest novel is panned by an anonymous blogger who goes by the name Silver Foxāand who accuses her of knowing nothing about passionāshe decides to prove her nemesis wrong by seeking a romance hero in real life . . .
Thereās the smoldering rock musician, the bookish college professor, and her competitive childhood friend who may want to steal her bookstore more than her heart. Even Silver Fox is getting in on the action, sending Maddie alarminglyāand intoxicatinglyāflirtatious emails. And thatās not all. Her ex wants her back.
Now Maddie is about to discover that like any good story, life has twists and turns, and love can happen when you least expect itāwith the person you least expect . .
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EXCERPT:
The cry of Youāve got mail! broke the silence, and I made the mistake of checking my phone. The preview showed me an incoming email from Silver Fox. I steeled my nerves for the inevitable sting and clicked the link with one eye closed, bracing for a deadly attack. Here he was a total stranger, and the prospect alone of what he might say had my heart racing worse than a Stephen King novel.
I bounced my foot on the spindle of the stool and dove headfirst into what I was sure would be a flogging.
Ms. Kincaid,
I donāt know why Iām responding to you, but I confess that I keep arguing with you in my head, so Iāve finally decided to tell you a thing or two.
First, youāre wrong if you think reviewers donāt hear from authors. We hear plenty, and trust me when I tell you that responses can be pretty vicious. I sometimes ignore them, but believe it or not, I do realize that authors are people, too, which is why I find myself wanting to mentor you to a better mental place. My main argument is that you shouldnāt respond to reviewers because your opinion is no longer valid. Or let me rephrase itāyour opinion is no more valid than mine.
Second, I find myself once again in the position of defending my own personal situation. While I do enjoy video games as much as anyone of my generation, itās not my primary occupation. In fact, writing reviews is my hobby. I may do this in my underwear, but not simultaneously at my motherās house.
Third, I do have a healthy imagination, and I can read between the lines. You may have romantic experience, but I suspect youāve forgotten what it feels like to truly be in love. Unfortunately for me, love is a feeling Iām all too familiar with, and I recognize when someone is faking it. If I could offer you some free advice, Iād urge you to get out and get more experienceāromance, sex, heartache. Live a little. If you havenāt felt your stomach flip when your hand brushes someone elseās, if your spine doesnāt tingle when you think back on your first kiss, you canāt bring those feelings to your readers.
Or ignore me. Iām sure there will be plenty of readers who donāt care about the romance anyway. You can write for them.
SF
Heartache? He wanted me to intentionally fly into that turbulence again? It had taken me six months to nurse myself from the depths of the abyss before I could sink my fingernails into the ledge and heave myself up and out. Silver Fox expected me to just do it again? Sure.
But what if he was right? What if the cocoon Iād wrapped myself in was preventing me from writing a genuine relationship? Worse, what if it was preventing me from moving on with my life?
I poked at my bruised heart and didnāt recoil in agony. Had it dried up and died?
āLive a little.ā Like that was so easy.
I made a fresh latte and walked over to sit with fellow romance-phobe Charlie.
āWhat are you working on, Charlie?ā
āReading.ā He closed his laptop and stretched. āWhy do you think so much of literature is about waiting? Why canāt it all just be the good parts? Why do I have to wade through hundreds of pages lost in the mines of Moria before getting to some real action?ā
āAre we talking about Tolkien?ā
āItās just a metaphor. So much wandering around. My patience grows short.ā
āSounds like my life. I strayed from the path in Mirkwood forest and canāt find my way back.ā
āHave you considered flipping pages?ā
āOf my life?ā I laughed, trying to imagine how that would work.
āWhy not? Choose your own adventure.ā He pointed his index finger toward an invisible lightbulb. āStuck in the mines? Go over the mountain.ā
āMadness.ā
āMaybe, but itās still a choice. Or just go to the next chapter. It canāt be that hard.ā
I considered his premise. āBut what if you skipped over all the boring or hard parts of life? Youād go straight to your death bed!ā
āHmm. I think you can always choose to stray from the path.ā He stirred his coffee. āAnd with that in mind, Iām going to make a monumental decision to start a new book.ā His eyes sharpened with sincerity. āYou could, too.ā
Charlie the Chronicler had struck again.
āChoose your own adventure . . .ā
Peter wasnāt even in this chapter of my life. How long was I expected to wait for the return of the king? Did I have to return to the original path? Did I have to wait for Peter to come back around?
Or could I consider other avenues?
What if, instead of sitting in my own self-pity, I took a chance on a perilous quest fraught with messy complications, whose successful completion seemed impossible? It wasnāt like there was safety hiding in the mines anyway. Iād already spent six months in the dark, chased by a cave troll of emotional destruction. I might not die of heartbreak, but loneliness rose up like a flaming Balrog from the depths of hell, and only I could choose to fly to higher ground.
I wanted to emerge as the heroine of my own adventure. A badass heroine controlling her own destiny.
Author Bio:
Some Kind of Magic is Mary Ann Marlowe’s first novel. When not writing, she works by day as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms, plus she has a second-degree black belt. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. She now lives in central Virginia where she is hard at work on her second novel. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at http://www.maryannmarlowe.com, on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/marlowemaryann/, and at twitter.com/maryannmarlowe.
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