Faking It for the Holidays releases in six weeks!
I’m excited, are you?
Scroll to see the cover and read the blurb. And don’t forget to pre-order. Pre-orders placed during October will be at 50% off the price!
Cover Reveal
Tag Archives: Romance books
Sam and Kaila have been best friends their whole lives. Thirteen years ago, they made a pact never to date to protect their friendship. But when their well-meaning mothers keep setting them up on terrible blind dates, they decide to fake date through the holidays. With a set of rules in place, they won’t break the pact, right?
Behind the Story: Freaking Love Part 1- Inspiration
Freaking Love is officially out in the world! You can read it here.
With Freaking Love finally out on Kindle Vella this week, I wanted to share a little behind the scenes about the inspiration for this story.
Please note: This contains spoilers for the first couple of episodes of Freaking Love. If you haven’t read it yet and want to remain spoiler-free, avert your eyes now. Otherwise, continue on.
When it started…
I’d have to look back at the date to be sure, but I’m almost positive it was early spring of 2017. There’s a possibility that it was 2016, but that seems too early in my memory.
What it started as…
This story started as a script. I’ve always loved screenwriting and it came very naturally to me because I love telling all the parts of a story. I love the idea of how you can overlay music with a scene to heighten its effects. I love all of that. What’s funny is I hate writing in the third person and it took a long time for me to find the right stylistic fit to make this into a book. When I heard about Kindle Vella, the serialized format really seemed to fit with that serialized way I thought of this story. That said, in its origins, it was actually set over two linear timelines. The past, the high school days that this story tells (though that’s now set in the present-ish time) and a present about twelve years later, exploring the family dynamics and personal relationships somewhat like Parenthood. Because of this, it was originally called Nontraditional, because it was about a group of families raising kids and many of those families and situations were nontraditional.
The inspiration…
Like with almost anything I write, the inspiration didn’t come from one specific place, but rather a compounding few things that came together and created this story in my mind. The first was that a boy I used to crush hard on and was once close friends with got engaged and I started thinking about the almost relationship we had and wondering how it would’ve gone if we’d ever actually dated. I realized it probably would’ve gone pretty badly. Then I laughed, thinking that I’d probably have ended up pregnant or something.
The next day, I was listening to Yellowcard in the car (they’re one of my favorites) and the song Ten came on, which is a (fairly sad but beautiful) song about a miscarriage. The singer reflects that that baby would’ve turned ten that year. And it got me thinking what would’ve happened if I’d gotten pregnant at seventeen. Which took me back to my previous thoughts.
Finally, for some reason or another, I decided to listen to Last Play at Shea by Billy Joel. I grew up listening to him but since my mom didn’t really like the song, I’d never heard Scenes from an Italian Restaurant before. It seemed to fit with the theme of this story that was rapidly building in my head. And so it became mostly what you see in Freaking Love today.
Final fun fact…
Because I originally wrote it in two timelines, I know plot points for these characters that happen YEARS ahead in the story, so there will probably be a time jump to early adulthood at some point.
Are you enjoying Freaking Love? Like and follow for more behind the scenes content and for lots more from me, follow me over on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith
WIP Wednesday 7/14
This week’s work in progress teaser is from a short but fun middle school chapter during which an important nickname that will be frequently heard throughout the entire series is born.
Hope you enjoyed this little snippet!
Do you have a fun or sweet nickname? Have you ever given a nickname to someone else? Let me know in the comments.
As always, like and subscribe for more teasers and behind the scenes. You can also follow me on Insta @bethanymonacosmith
Teaser Tuesday 7/13
This week you’re getting three teasers for the price of one!
These teasers are from the first three episodes of Freaking Love, which is hitting Kindle Vella this week. These three episodes will be free to read.
I’ve been working on parts of this story since 2017, so I’m crazy excited for everyone to finally be able to meet these characters and jump into their world!
I hope you enjoyed these teasers. Check back next week for more. And don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith for more teasers and behind the scenes fun.
Freaking Love is launching on Kindle Vella this week, so don’t forget to check it out!
Weekly Rec: The Love Interest
The Rec:
This week’s rec is The Love Interest by Kayley Loring. It’s a fun rom-com set in New York City featuring a mid-twenties wannabe author and a jaded mid-thirties bestselling author. Also, there’s a cock.
What it’s about:
Jaded NYC author Emmett is struggling to write the next book in his action-thriller series. Fiona is just starting grad school with hopes of becoming a regency romance author. Both seeking inspiration, they meet randomly at a diner in the middle of the night and spend the rest of the wee hours of the morning together before watching the sunrise and making out for a while.
But things are over before they start when Emmett unknowingly takes a job as her professor, meaning he can’t date her. In no uncertain terms, things. Are. Over. There’s just a tiny hitch: things can’t be over because they’re both totally into each other. They decide to write letters to each other in lieu of a traditional romance, but nothing is ever so simple when love is involved. Also, there’s a cock and plenty of very aroused nipples.
What I love about it:
This book is laugh-out-loud funny. The female lead is quirky and funny but strong and sure of herself. The male lead has a scar on his heart and has become a jaded, asshole New Yorker. But he’s just the right amount of asshole to make you love him, not hate him.
I loved a lot about this book. I loved the chemistry between the leads. I loved the way the love letters allowed you to get to know the characters without it feeling like too much exposition and the way they took the place of a typical date.
I loved that these characters were allowed to be mature and really fall for each other with natural challenges preventing them from being together rather than forced drama. It made their happiness feel earned and more enjoyable.
And, of course, I loved that ridiculous cock.
My favorite quote:
There are so many hilarious quotes in this book, but this one is my absolute favorite. I may not be from California but I relate to this so hard.
You’ll love it if you love:
- Rom-coms
- Relatable characters
- Swoony moments
- Awesome meet-cutes
- Romantic letters
- Love stories set in NYC
- Hard nipples
- Cock 😉
I hope you’ll check this book out and give it a read. If you already have, tell me in the comments if you liked it. It’s currently available to read for free in Kindle Unlimited or to buy for 2.99.
Check back next week for another book rec and follow me on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith for daily updates and shenanigans from me.
WIP Wednesday 7/7
This week’s work in progress teaser is from a chapter all about how much middle school sucks.
Buuuut it’s a whole lot better when you’ve got five best friends who have your back. Especially when one of them is your person, your best friend in the whole world, who happens to be a sweet, swoon-worthy boy who’d do anything for you.
Hope you enjoyed this little snippet!
As always, like and subscribe for more teasers and behind the scenes. You can also follow me on Insta @bethanymonacosmith
Teaser Tuesday 7/6
It’s another teaser Tuesday for Freaking Love
This week we’re meeting Maia’s dad, Leo.
Leo is one of my favorite parents that I’ve ever written. He’s not based on anyone in my life, but he’s a character I deeply love for many reasons.
Dad is bent over, his head between his legs. He hasn’t said anything, but he growls occasionally.
My dad is a strange combination of old school Italian and liberal hippie. He’s fifty percent businessman and fifty percent soccer hooligan. He has tattoos over at least half his body, but nowhere you’d ever see doing business with him. He’s got a hot temper but he’s extremely loving. He’d do anything for the people he cares about. He’s also extremely protective, especially of me, so I’m a little worried about how he’s going to handle this.
I hope you enjoyed this teaser. Check back next week for more. And don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram @bethanymonacosmith for more teasers and behind the scenes fun.
Freaking Love is launching on Kindle Vella in just a couple of weeks and the first three episodes are free!
Series Rec: The Keatyn Chronicles
Every week I’m going to be shouting out a book I love and telling you a little bit more about it. But the first Sunday of every month, I’m going to recommend an entire series. First up is one of my absolute favorite series ever: The Keatyn Chronicles by Jillian Dodd.
What it is:
Keatyn is a 12(!) book series about Keatyn Douglas. The first seven books are set over the course of a few months in the the time leading up to and after her 17th birthday. The last five books are set 10 years in the future and are a bit more mature, but feature all the characters you will come to love in the first seven books. The last five books are multiple POV where the first seven are primarily Keatyn’s POV. There’s also a short bonus book from the lead male, the swoon-worthy Aiden Arrington’s perspective.
What it’s about:
The first seven books follow Keatyn as a stalker takes over her life, leading her away from her perfect beach home and her gorgeous surfer best friend (turned boyfriend?). Away at boarding school and lying about who she really is, Keatyn meets the God of all Hotties, new pals Riley and Dallas, and Riley’s sexy older brother, Dawson. And then there’s the most popular girl who already hates her. Torn between wanting to get her old life back or follow her new one, Keatyn learns it’s time to stop scripting her life and start living it. All while she tries to keep her stalker from finding her or hurting anyone she loves. No problem, right?
The last five books pick up ten years later and explore the lives of Keatyn, Dallas, Riley, and Dawson and those closest to them as they run a production company together and face multiple challenges in their personal and professional lives.
You can read more about the series and each book individually here.
Why I fell in love with it:
Why didn’t I? I mean swoon-worthy boys? An emotionally fulfilling story? A flawed but relatable main character? It’s got all of those things, but I fell in love with it because of all the little moments.
Despite being 32 when I first read it, I connected with the teenage version of Keatyn who was trying to find her path and her way through her life. I was going through my own period of growth and part of the reason I fell so deeply in love with these books is because I connected with her emotional journey.
I also fell in love with the incredible love story (ies) that rolls throughout the series. It was a gorgeous fantasy to escape into.
In general, I always love worlds full of awesome characters, deep friendships, boys to fall for, loves to swoon over, and emotional journeys to go on. This series nails those things over and over again.
Favorite book in the series:
This is a tough one and it depends on my mood but either Love Me (book 4) or Hate Me (book 6). Those are the ones I’m most likely to return to on bad days when I need comfort.
Favorite character:
Gahhh! How do I choose? I love and relate to Keatyn but I always lean toward the boys for favorite characters. From the very beginning, Damian and Dallas were two of my absolute favorites.
Favorite quote:
I have so many quotes from this series saved in my screenshots. But this is the one I go back to. It makes my heart flutter every single time I read it. When I’ve had a bad day, I’ve been known to flip to the end of the third book to read it.
You’ll love these books if you love:
- Swoon-worthy boys
- Rich, emotional stories
- Flawed but relatable main characters
- YA stories with a bit of heat
- Prep/boarding school or Hollywood stories
- Epic love stories
- Lots of fun side characters
- Anything else Jillian has written
If you’ve never read this series, I highly encourage you to go check it out, because it is awesome and so much more than I could ever explain in one blog post. I’m even including a little note here for anyone who has started it and not been as interested in the first book: the first book sets up Keatyn’s story, but the magic happens the most in the following books, so keep going, it’s worth the ride and then some.
Have you read it? Did you love it? If you haven’t read it yet, go now! Because from July 3rd-9th 2021 they are all on sale for 99 cents in the Kindle store (except for Aiden’s story which is free until the 7th).
I hope you read these and love them as much as I do!
WIP Wednesday 6/30
Here’s another snippet of my work in progress, Friends Like This. It’s all about the fear and uncertainty of maybe falling in love with your best friend.
This story revolves around Rae and Aaron and their four other best friends, growing up in a small town– Ida, New York. Fun fact: this story is set in the same town as Freaking Love and there’s some fun character crossovers.
Hope you enjoyed this little snippet!
Thanks for reading!
As always, like and subscribe for more teasers and behind the scenes. You can also follow me on Insta @bethanymonacosmith
Work in Progress Wednesday
For the next few weeks I’ll be posting some fun quotes from my biggest work in progress, Friends Like This, the first book in a series about a group of best friends growing up in a small town.
Of course the central arc revolves around two of the best friends and their will-they-or-won’t-they friends to lovers romance.
This story is not inspired by my life but is heavily nostalgic and inspired by where I grew up and fun I had growing up in a small town.
Friends Like This is one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. It’s set in the same town as my new Kindle Vella project, Freaking Love, and there’s some character crossover.
I decided to share some quotes from this to let you know what I’m working on and hopefully get other people as excited about this project as I am. If all goes according to plan, I want to release the first two books in the series next summer!
Hope you all enjoy!
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Bethany Monaco Smith 