Love's Not Viral

I haven't talked much about this because between releasing my second book and being busy at work, I just haven't had the chance. Anyway, I hooked up with eight other authors to put together a romance anthology called Love Least Expected. It's a mix of romance stories, with a range of subgenres and styles, that center around finding love in unexpected ways. I'm really excited about this.

It was a bit of a challenge for me. There's no death, no supernatural, no fantasy stuff--it's pure contemporary. That said, my story is a little twisted and it's definitely not straight up normal romance. I guess I just can't do normal ;).

Here's the blurb for Love's Not Viral:

Twenty-four-year-old bartender Aster Sanderson’s life is turned upside 

down when drunken Hollywood actor Bradley Stone snaps a picture of 

her...and tweets to his 12.8 million followers that she's his fiancee. As 

the internet blows up with the news and gossip flies out of control, she’s 

left feeling helpless. This has to be a misunderstanding, right? But when 

the actor in question shows up on her doorstep, it's clear he's unhinged 

and she soon becomes a prisoner in her own home (literally). 

Her savior? Bradley’s handsome—and seemingly normal—older 

brother, James, who quickly stirs up feelings she never expected. Can 

they disarm the ticking time-bomb that Bradley Stone has become 

before any more damage is done? And is their mutual attraction the 

result of these unusual circumstances...or could it become something 

more? 

And here's an excerpt:


#BradleysBabe is among the top trending hashtags, so of course I click
on it and bring up all the tweets. And there are a shit ton.

I can’t believe he’s off the market! :( Sigh. #BradleysBabe.

I SO want to scratch her eyes out. #BradleysBabe can #kissmyass

@theREALBradleyMStone If u ever want a mistress Im available <3
#BradleysBabe

Did he post the picture? Or did someone else get in on the action? Either
way, it’s sad that anyone would take it seriously. I mixed three drinks for the
guy and we barely spoke more than a handful of words. Even if I had been
interested (so not my type), the dude drank cosmopolitans and dressed like he’d
stepped out of a fashion magazine, for crying out loud. I just assumed he was
gay. When he’d roped me in with his arm and snapped the picture with his
phone, I politely humored him just like I would any other drunken patron. I
didn’t think twice, because after he took the picture he just flashed his pearly
whites, thanked me and went on his way.

I should have known. Hindsight has this way of making you look dumb.
I’m twenty-four years old and about to add dumb ass to my resume. I click on
his profile—this has to be a joke. People are blowing something simple way out
of proportion. But the sick feeling that’s been gnawing at my insides increases
ten-fold when I see his tweets: at the top, a pinned tweet, containing our picture
from the bar last night, and the caption:

So proud to introduce Aster, the love of my life to the world. Wish us the best as
we begin our lives together <3 #BradleysBabe

 I blink a couple times. Maybe it’ll go away. But it isn’t just one tweet and
apparently it’s not the Twitter equivalent to a drunk dial. As I scroll through his
profile, I see that he’s been putting them out every fifteen minutes or so since
about five this morning. To his 12.8 million followers.

I can’t w8 2 see my pink-haired #beauty today #truelove #BradleyheartsAster
#soulmates #4ever

His text speak and abuse of hashtags is at a near-impressive level. My
first impulse is to reply, but what do I say? Do I flat out deny it? I can’t fit the
obscenity-laced rant I’d like to use into 140 characters. Instead of hitting reply, I
send out my own tweet.

WTF is someone playing a practical joke on me? I am NOT getting married O.o

Almost instantly, there’s a reply. From @theREALBradleyMStone

No need to hide it anymore, baby girl. We’re going viral <3

Um, what? For a brief moment, I contemplate the possibility that his
account has been hacked, but that seems no more plausible. I reply back.

Why are you doing this?

Again, his comeback is instantaneous.

We have much to discuss ;)

And I’m stunned. Unless he’s on a bender to beat all benders, this guy—
this extremely famous, untouchable guy—is devoting an excessive amount of
energy to telling the world about a relationship that doesn’t exist.
But why?

Love Least Expected will be released in February and is currently available for pre-order through all major retailers. Best of all, while the book is on pre-order, we are running a $50 Amazon gift card giveway.

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