Dexter Collins wears his cocky suit on the outside, but inside, he’s a different kind of storm. His story isn’t one he’s wanted to share until Abigail slips into his thoughts and won’t leave. He’s maybe cocky in the firm, but when it comes to Abigail, he’s tormented and unrefined in her wake.
Sloane Howell and Alex Wolf create the perfect paradox in Dexter Collins. His dynamic character a perfect juxtaposition between his outside cockiness and inside momma’s boy heart. Unlike Decon and Decker, Dexter rides the fine line of quirky humor and wit with a filthy sexual appetite, but his emotions rise up upon his sleeve to those with a keen eye and listening ear. He’s everything Abigail hadn’t planned on but deep down she knows he’s pudding in her hand! Unfortunately careers, family, geography and egos always play a big part in breaking down the rules and Dex and Abby certainly break their own rules.
2010 – 2019 The decade soon to fall into a distant past came with many highlights, sacrifices, and growth.
My highlights:
β’ Came back from the dead! Literally…2009 changed my perspective for the ensuing decade.
β’ I turned 40 in 2010. The ’40s is where I hit my stride.
β’ I returned to teaching in 2010. Something I missed and didn’t realize it until I entrenched myself back in the ranks. This set off the chain of events which changed my path and brought back something I’d cast aside for the previous decadesβme.
β’Mr. and I have almost lived through raising three teenagers. We shipped all three off to college. Eldest completed his masters and came off the payroll. (took us 23 years to achieve this task but every step of sacrificing me was worth it!). Middle is two quarters away from setting his own path after college. Little had a rough start for the first semester, but by the end, she figured it out and is on her way to making a difference in the world. I wouldn’t change dedicating Me or Us to them as the results thus far have proved worth every ounce of pouring myself/ourselves into them.
β’ Celebrated three decades with the Mr. who captured my heart back in 1989. I didn’t realize it at eighteen, but now at forty-nine he always captured my heart even when I pushed him away for the first six months I knew him. He’s always known what he wants and he always drives toward that goal. He supports our family in every way from the roof over our heads to the dreams we all seek for ourselves and the collective. I’m not always easy and his support from the moment he knew we were a “we” has never wavered. Like I wrote before, he is my rock!
β’ However, finding me was part of this journey too.
β’I completed my masters and it only fueled the nerd in me. I found the National Writing Project, became a fellow, and continue learning with like-minded folks who believe the reading writing path is interconnected. They know the system of education is broken but not the practice behind why we do what we do for students. I love researching with them and discovering new ways of conveying what everybody deservesβliteracy in a confusing world of ever-changing rules.
β’ I discovered a new reading genre in romance. A genre I discounted for the previous three decades of my life. I still read all over the place, but I’ve found amazing authors with stories filled with real life, real situations, real heart headache, real love, and so much more.
β’ This reading romance books turned into an amazing journey. I can’t express enough how this has become a piece of me that needed exploring and filled missing pieces of my own puzzle. In 2017, I finally expressed the stories in my head and turned them into works others have enjoyed reading. This journey comes full circle with the reading writing continuum on a personal level; one I cherish with each author, reader, blogger, photographer, model, and more involved with this industry. There are so many great people I’ve met along this path. Each providing me more hope in the crazy world we live in. Each unique and supportive in ways I never found in other industries. This indie world is a big familyβsome you love dearly as family members, others are the cantankerous relatives who challenge you at times when you’re not expecting it, and then the good friends who make you feel welcome no matter the issue at hand. All of these relationships have helped this decade turn into one of the greatest changes I’ve experienced in my lifetime.
β’ It is my hope that this next decade, the “twenties,” perhaps not roaring, but still soaring and continuing to force me into challenging myself to reach new heights. If I can make my mark in changing something in the educational paradigm, write more works which bring my stories into the hands of more readers, read more great works, and watch my children take flight on the path of life with Mr. by my side every step of the way, then I’ll consider this next decade a win.
To say this has been a cathartic journey from 2010 to 2019 only mildly expresses how much I’ve grown as a human being this last decade. So my wishes for everyone out there is Happy New Year, follow your dreams, follow your heart, and most importantly don’t forget the “Me” in you along your own path. Godspeed XXOOXX Maggie Jane
Liam recalls the life of his best friend while desperately trying to make sense of the hopelessness he finds himself in after his friend, Byron, takes his own life.
*This novella was originally released in the Letting Hope Enter Anthology. A foreword and afterword have been added for the re-release as a prequel to Along the Shore.*
The world dulled when you decided the fate of my future. Our son speaks of you as a superhero, and I grapple with the idea I wasnβt good enough to keep you here, safeβwith us. I spend my days working to support our son, and my nights turn into one endless string of reckless decisions because reality provides no comfort. The truth of the situation buried deep down, since youβre gone, and I stand drowning in my own grief.
Reece
Along the shore, thereβs a lady whose torment captured me the first time her aura caught my eye. Her beauty holds steady behind the mask she wears every morning. Something about her piques my interest as the days go by, and I know deep inside my mission beckons to uncover her secret and bring her back among the living. Written in her body language, speaks a familiar road I traveled. A road of sorrow nobody deserves stranded alone in its strangled web.
The world dulled when you decided the fate of my future. Our son speaks of you as a superhero, and I grapple with the idea I wasnβt good enough to keep you here, safeβwith us. I spend my days working to support our son, and my nights turn into one endless string of reckless decisions because reality provides no comfort. The truth of the situation buried deep down, since youβre gone, and I stand drowning in my own grief.
Reece
Along the shore, thereβs a lady whose torment captured me the first time her aura caught my eye. Her beauty holds steady behind the mask she wears every morning. Something about her piques my interest as the days go by, and I know deep inside my mission beckons to uncover her secret and bring her back among the living. Written in her body language, speaks a familiar road I traveled. A road of sorrow nobody deserves stranded alone in its strangled web.
When Jade Sterling returned home to Diablo for a fresh start, she never expected to run into her first crush.
Cody McAllister had a passion for women and chocolaty treats that were well known around town. She refused to be a part of Codyβs harem, despite his efforts. She was in town to teach, and temptation by his green-coated morsels was not an option.
However, when mysterious green candies appeared on her desk, she needed help to discover if her past arrived back home with her.
Transformation Written in the Stars: Novella One By Maggie Jane Schuler and Morgan Heyward Release Date: January 13, 2020
Blurb:
Barlett Legend abandoned her dream of finding a soulmate with the curse which befell her after college. She’s come to terms with the crushing blow and moved on to her career which appears on the up and up. That is, until she runs into her first crush. Handsome and unforgettable, Jordan Realta stepped directly into her path and stopped her cold. He’s everything sheβs wanted, but fear of the past holds her captive. Jordan must find the key and solve the mystery before she fades away into the curse of the Capricorn
Written in the Stars: A zodiac series of life & love
The tentative released schedule:
Transformation:January 13, 2020 https://books2read.com/Transformation
Calculation: February 2020
Creation: March 2020
Procuration: April 2020
Gratification: May 2020
Twintuition: June 2020
Adoration: July 2020
Domination: August 2020
Fixation: September 2020
Dedication: October 2020
Inclination: November 2020
Proposition: December 2020
Written in the Stars Series January 2021
Zane Michaelson takes the folklore of the season to a whole new level. He writes a tale of life, love, salvation, and preservation. In true Michaelson style, he infuses sweet twists of fate, which mark this work with his most notable talent as an author. He centers the Ice Queen around the central theme of people do not always know makes others tick, but they do know what it takes to survive and navigate best for themselves. This tale does not come free of struggle, with a glimpse of heartache, a sprinkle of what-ifs, and a handful of surviving change over time, but it does come packed full of a sweet rejuvenation, a shine of fate, and a delicious spoonful of love. Grab your hot cocoa and snuggle in for this timeless holiday read.
On Christmas Eve, a small rowing boat washes up on Liberty Island in New York City.
The small vessel houses the frozen body of a silver-haired woman adorned with a jewel-encrusted crown resting on her head.
Kylie Winter, a beautiful and ambitious reporter, is first on the scene, and like the rest of the world, she is immediately drawn into the mystery.
Dubbed the Ice Queen by media outlets worldwide, a race begins to identify who the angelic frozen castaway is and where she came from?
Kylie happens upon a man tormented with grief who claims a connection with the frozen beauty.
Driven by her instincts and curiosity for the fantastical story presented to her by this stranger, Kylie embarks on a magical adventure which opens her eyes to the beauty most lose as children; the ability to believe in magic.
…Sometimes, you just have to believe in the unbelievable.
Lies, deceit, undermining in the name of love, protection, self-sacrifice is the wild ride of the game between Aurora and Malachy. The star crossed lovers met in a twenty-four-hour whirlwind love affair. One destined to bind them and destined to destroy all they know. A contract written on a napkin ties their future together. But is the future one they can handle?
L.J. Shen creates an unorthodox paradox of the lover’s triangle in her latest work. However, this lover’s triangle digs deep into the id and super-ego with the ego tamping down the two as they quarrel over the plight of their situation. Shen develops a web of human interaction that interferes with fate all in the name of protecting the ones you love most. She successfully destroys the hero and heroine and unfolds the dirty details of a past better left hidden, a present built upon lies, and a future set in the stars. Shen takes a chance in this work with a stylistic choice of speaking from the grave, utilizing personification in a unique manner, and providing a specific context where changing POV from animate to inanimate which supplies a richness over the entire work. Never fear, Shen is still the risk-taker with all the taboo and anti-heroism mixed nicely with these new elements in the craft. My hats off to Shen for taking In the Unlikely Event to most likely to happen in a paradoxical work that highlights fate cannot be ignored, so it’s best to stop fighting it!
A one-night stand born from vengeance in a foreign land.
An explosive chemistry neither of us could deny.
We signed a contract on the back of a Boarβs Head Pub napkin that said if we ever met again, we would drop everything and be together.
Eight years and thousands of miles later, heβs here.
In New York.
And heβs Americaβs music obsession.
The intangible Irish poet who brings record executives to their knees.
The blizzard in my perfect, unshaken snow globe.
Last time we spoke, he was a beggar with no intention of becoming a king.
But a king he became, and now Iβm his servant.
Iβm not the same broken princess Malachy Doherty put back together with his callused hands.
I have a career I love.
A boyfriend I adore.
An apartment, a roommate, a life.
I changed. He changed, too.
But Mal kept the napkin.
Question is, will I keep my word
Deacon Collins isn’t quite sure how to handle himself when he begins an office sexcapde with Quinn Richards. Unfortunately for Deacon, Quinn treats this for what it isβoffice sex only and he wants more. Deacon seeks to raise the stakes and capture the full-time attention of Quinn, while she has lofty goals in place which do not include Deacon Collins.
Sloane Howell and Alex Wolf take the Collins dynasty to a new level with Deacon. The wealthy lawyer trope isn’t new, but what is refreshing and fun is Quinn’s attitude and mindset. She knows what she wants and refuses to waver from her end goals. Her drive and moral gauge help fuel the intrigue and change in Deacon. Unlike the first couple in Cocky Playboy, Decker and Tate who are mirror images of one another, Deacon and Quinn each hold separate strengths that complement one another. The dynamic combination of Deacon recognizing from the get-go he wants Quinn, as well as Quinn’s self-directed and confident demeanor, set the tone for this second work in the Cocky Suits Chicago collection. A fun-loving read, with all the banter Howell and Wolf are known for wrapped into a nice HEA!
Blurb:
Policy: Don’t sleep with your brother’s secretary.
Problem: Deacon Collins is a wealthy playboy and does what he pleases.
It started out innocent.
He yanked her into the supply closet and lost his briefs. Not the legal kind.
Now, he wants more.
More of her soft curves and sweet mouth.
More than just quickies against a cabinet.
Quinn can throw the flowers he sends in the trash and hide behind company policy all she wants.
At the end of the day…
HeΒ willΒ have her.
If you love wealthy, possessive alpha males and strong heroines, this series is for YOU!
Possessive Playboy is the second book in the Cocky Suits Chicago series, but they can be read in any order. It’s a full-length standalone romance novel with a Happily Ever After.
