Sorry, I couldn't resist. Read on, and you'll see why I chose that "rocking" phrase.
M.J. Schiller, author of the Love and Chaos Series, is my guest today.
She stopped by to share her new release, Rock It To The Moon, the third book in her Love and Chaos Series.
Discover M.J. Schiller
Let me tell you a little about M.J. She's a lunch lady and a romance-romantic suspense writer.
She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others.
In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a 22 year-old and three 20 year-olds. That's right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.
You Can Find M.J. Here
Website | BookBub | Facebook | Pinterest
I've published a rock romance collection before—standalone books related by the fact that they are rock romances—but this is my first rock romance series, and I have enjoyed writing it immensely.
Don’t get me wrong, I also had fun with writing the books in my Rocking Romance Collection. I hid some other connections between the books, in addition to their theme.
For instance, Beth Donovan, the heroine in my first rock romance, Trapped Under Ice, is a romance writer. One of her fictional books was titled Abandon All Hope. That became the title for my second rock romance about rocker Chase Hatton and his long lost love Hope.
Chase then made a cameo appearance in my chick lit Devilish Divas Series. In Book One, To Hell in a Coach Bag, the heroine falls in love with a roadie at a Chase Hatton concert.
Chase even makes an appearance in the Love and Chaos Series. In Book One, Rocked By Grace, Chase is the mentor of Just Short of Chaos’ lead singer, Zane Sanders, and Chase opens for the group when they’re on tour.
This was inspired by a concert I attended where real life lead singer Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco insisted that his idols while growing up, the members of Wheezer, be the main act and Panic! be the opener.
It was a sweet gesture, but when Panic! finished playing and Wheezer came out, the majority of the audience left. It was sad. Their roles had reversed and Wheezer was considered past its prime by most.
Book One, Rocked By Grace, centers around the hotheaded, often rash, lead singer of the band and a woman he pulls on stage, Grace Prescott.
Book Two, Rocked By Love, focuses on bassist Raphael Santiago’s relationship with reporter Mia Love.
This release, Rock It To The Moon is about drummer Dex Rogan and Zane’s little sister, Tatum Salvetti. Tatum and Dex share a love for and interest in outer space.
Book Four, Rock of Salvation, will highlight guitarist Jericho Tyler and preacher’s daughter Salvation Jones.
Each of the band members has a public persona, but the person who they are deep inside contrasts with it.
Zane is the face of the band and appears to be outgoing. In reality he has a lot of social anxiety and has to work at being the band’s front man.
Rafe is the cool, intelligent, in control member of the band on the surface, but he is dealing with a lot of grief and guilt concerning the death of their former drummer.
Dex, on the surface, seems like a simple guy with simple needs and not a lot of thought going on. But Dex is actually intelligent, sensitive, and loyal.
Jericho may be the most confused of all. He has bought into his image of the never-serious wild man of the band and has lost touch with who he really is, a homebody who enjoys nature and family.
It’s been great that, although each book centers on one band member, the others still appear and we can see them grow even after their story is in the books, literally.
Plus, along with following previous characters, with each book we get to add new characters to the mix and get to know them with all their strengths and weaknesses. In fact, writing this series has been so much fun, I may have to do it again some time.
While love had come to some of the other members of Just Short Of Chaos, Dex Rogan had no interest in getting tangled up in that mess. That is, until he stumbled upon Tatum backstage.
Before Tatum, I would have told you love was for chumps. But I would have been wrong. The moment I saw her, it was like BAM! This driving urge to be with her was more jarring than someone smacking me in the face with my drumsticks would be. And every moment since has just solidified her place in my heart. By the time I found out she was off limits, it was too late. I was all in.
Tatum Salvetti doesn’t have time for love. If it can’t be color-coded or found on the periodic table, she doesn’t need it. But when an ugly incident drives her into Dex’s arms, she’s shaken enough to step out of character for once.
I wasn’t looking for love that night, I was looking to escape, and Dex was the perfect distraction from my train wreck of a life. …He was perfect, period.
But I’m in astrophysics. I’m not stupid. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. Even if he wasn’t just interested in a one night stand, we wouldn’t be able to hide a relationship from Zane. My brother seemed to still think of me as the ten-year-old he met when our parents wed. Well, it wasn’t any ten-year-old girl in Dex Rogan’s bed that night, and if Zane found out about it, he would go apeshit. I was trying to get away from chaos, not create it.
Tatum has sacrificed her whole life for others. But maybe this time she could think of her own desires. Could Dex’s brand of chaos be just what she needs?
He pushed his hair from his face. He wore it long on top and I knew sometimes, like tonight, he simply let if fall in straight, sleek lines. Sometimes he would use product to flip it back and tousle it, as I saw in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine. The picture covered an entire page and it was what first stirred the lust in my blood.
“This is your new drummer?”
Zane and I were seated at the kitchen table. He leaned forward to take a peek at the photo. “Yeah.”
“Holy cow.”
“What?” He was visiting with Whitney at the other end of the table but now turned his attention fully to me. “You think he’s hot or something?”
“Hot? Hot doesn’t even come close. Flaming, scorching, sizzling…”
“Smoking,” Whitney added.
“Smoking, blazing—”
Zane waved a hand. “All right already. I get the picture.”
“Whit, come over here. You’ve got to see this.”
She got up and meandered my way. “You forget, I’ve seen him in person.”
“Oh, yeah.” She’d been to Zane and Grace’s a number of times but I hadn’t had the opportunity yet. Working full time at Frick’s Market in Sullivan—a neighboring city to my hometown of Stanton—and studying astrophysics demanded all of my time. And then some. “Is he as good in—?”
“In bed.” Whitney finished. “I wouldn’t know, sis.”
I smacked her arm. “In person.”
She ogled the picture. “Better.”
“Ooh.”
“Let me see it.” She made a grab for the magazine but I was too quick.
“No way. He’s mine.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “Oh, my God. What happened to you guys playing with dolls and Barbies?”
“Ken,” I said straight-faced.
They laughed.
Zane leaned back. “Why, Tatum. You’ve developed a sense of humor since I’ve been gone.”
My stepdad entered the room and we all sat up, eyeing him warily. “I had to,” I muttered.
Whitney was right. He was even better in person.
Thanks for having me, Joan! I’m so glad we met through Romance Gems!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. I am also glad we met, M.J. Good luck with the new book. I'm sure it will be a winner.
Delete