Whew 🥺. This chapter was hard to write. I think of it often, especially because of Naazir’s reason, which has been heard all around the world by infidels of all shapes and sizes. “It just happened” gets a new meaning in Chapter 5 of Ebb & Flow. It comes with a lot to unpack and the age-old realization that forgiveness is easier said than done.
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Readers have two reactions to the mention of Summer McKoy’s name. They either sigh in annoyance at what they remember her character being like or they laugh at one of the many audacious or pompous things that came out of her mouth without a care in the world who she offended.
Despite that, Summer McKoy is one of my favorite characters I’ve created. Her personality challenged me to find the good in her so I could tap in and tell her story in a realistic and relatable way. Even to this day, when she appears in a cameo in a story, I genuinely love catching up with her. Because Summer is Summer and you can always depend on her being herself… for better or for worse.
Let’s get to know the character who kicked off an entire seven-book series with seven little words – “Ugh, what am I even doing here?”
Background
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RYDER
“Sour patches,” I said as I dropped a box of Kelli’s favorite candies into her lap. “Your funky ass chips, and a bottle of water.”
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KELLI
The smell of bacon crackling on a hot skillet woke me. I didn’t realize it was what woke me until I inhaled the air and turned from my side in bed onto my back. I opened my eyes to my ceiling and sighed with relief. Stupid, but these days, whenever I opened my eyes in this condo and on a bed, I said a silent prayer that I wasn’t in Ryder’s bed or that he wasn’t lying next to me. The sex was great, but the morning after was way too sobering due to my hang-ups about us.
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Do you remember Lita Gabriel? If you’ve read my erotic suspense novel Indecent Arrangement, her story likely left an impression. She was the wife of Jordan Gabriel, a man who seemed like the perfect partner but turned out to be a living nightmare. Just as Joelle (Indecent Arrangement’s main character) found her way out of that toxic situation, Lita, too, made her escape. But what does her new beginning look like?
In this alternate ending, we delve into Lita’s journey from her own perspective, revealing the next chapter of her life as she leaves her past behind and embraces a new adventure. Join Lita as she navigates the thrills of starting over, discovering unexpected connections, and savoring a fresh start in an unfamiliar land. Enjoy this glimpse into her newfound freedom and the promise of what’s to come.
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My First, My Last is one of my favorite stories. For one, it’s friends-to-lovers, and to know me is to know that friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope to read and write. And two, it’s about childhood friends, which brings a sense of comfort on the page whenever childhood friends interact. My First, My Last differs from my other friends-to-lovers stories in that both characters, Ayla and Hassani, were drawn to each other romantically at first sight. It’s not like they kept things platonic because they never saw each other that way. They did initially, but the people around them, their opinions, paired with unforeseen events, kept Ayla and Hassani apart for longer than they should have been.
In this chapter, Ayla and Hassani have reunited at, of all places, his pre-wedding dinner. There are still some unresolved feelings that stem from the weeks leading up to their college graduation. There was actually a specific moment after their graduation that pivots the story to here (which I would love to discuss if you want to in another chapter-by-chapter commentary). So this scene serves as another pivot. One you may have seen coming, but when it actually hits, boy does it hit on time!
Setting
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My book world is growing, and with that growth, the connections are becoming more and more apparent. I believe in the idea of six degrees of separation – “the idea that all people are six connections or fewer away from each other.” Nothing makes this clearer than the Love is Cure, Vol. 1 – Vices & Virtues series.
With the seventh book soon to be released, it’s time to draw the connections you’ve seen if you’ve been reading the stories in the order they have been released.
Some of the connections will seem unfamiliar, especially if they involve Eryn or Simeon, characters from Sloth. Those connections will be made clear once Sloth is released on September 19th. To reveal them now would be giving spoilers, and I simply won’t!
Character Connection Map
Jayce Martin is by far one of my favorite book baes ever. He just takes the cake when it comes to his compassionate heart and his gentle approach as an alpha. His heart is so big and filled with so much love, he can find the good in just about anyone, including his love interest Summer McKoy.
While others may write off certain people, deciding they are incorrigible or incapable of changing, Jayce challenges that thinking with his selfless approach. He’s simply the best. Let’s get to know the MMC of Pride.
Background
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RYDER
Humming a melody I couldn’t get out of my head since that morning, I tightened my grip around the stems of the flowers I carried in my hand as I followed the scent of clay down my condo’s corridor. When I walked into the condo, I inhaled the air, smiling to myself at the vision of Kelli working at her pottery station in her bedroom. I don’t know how Kelli was taking the whole “let’s chill on this” life we’d found ourselves in, but I wasn’t taking it well. For the third night in a row, I didn’t fall asleep until I got tired of tossing and turning in bed. And when that didn’t work, I sat at my desk with my notebook, jotting down random lyrics and ideas for songs until my eyes got heavy.
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KELLI
I opened my eyes to the tiny disco ball hovering overhead and hanging from the ceiling. Closing my eyes, I exhaled and held my lids tightly closed while shaking my head. For another night, the third night in a row, I’d fallen asleep beside Ryder. Without even turning to check beside me, I knew I’d slept in the same bed as him because this was his bed. His disco ball. His room. And we’d had sex together again.
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