The F Word is a finalist—twice over!—in the Best Banter Contest, sponsored by the Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America.

What does twice over mean? It means that two different scenes in the book became finalists in the contest! (The F Word was entered in the contemporary romance, published author category.)

Professional editors and agents are judging the final round. My fingers are crossed that I’ll be able to report a win in the next month. But for now, I’m so, so pleased that the MMRWA enjoyed reading my banter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

We authors aren’t supposed to have favorites among our books. Like parents, we’re supposed to say that we love all of our creations equally. We’re suppose to shy away from direct answers and say that our favorite is the book we’re currently writing.

But I’ve got a secret to share: The C Word is my favorite.

I love how the story came to me after a long dry spell, when I feared that I wasn’t going to come up with an original story ever again. I love how the words flowed during the second half of 2020, after months of coronavirus-induced non-writing, when I spent day after day after day fiddling with administrative details instead of putting down new words. I love the characters—how Katie McIntyre is sassy in a way that I never am, how Jason Price covers up his emotions with easy actions until he can’t avoid the weight of those feelings for one more second.

Most of all, though, I love how The C Word is a positive, feel-good book, even though—or, maybe, especially because—it’s set during the pandemic. Sure, the coronavirus makes my characters work a little harder for their Happy Ever After. But success means more when it’s hard-won.

The C Word is available for sale today, as an ebook at all your favorite online vendors and as a print book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you want to buy a print copy at your local bricks-and-mortar store, ask them to order it. (You’ll make it easier for them if you tell them that the ISBN—that’s the International Standard Book Number—is 978-1-95018-439-2.)

Here’s the back-of-the-book blurb:

When a one-night stand, a fake relationship, and a demonic cat aren’t enough of a challenge—just add a pandemic.

 

Sportswriter Katie McIntyre thinks star pitcher Jason Price will be the perfect fling to help her forget her cheating ex. Their hook-up is supposed to end with breakfast.

 

But the coronavirus has other plans.

 

Katie unexpectedly becomes her grandmother’s full-time caretaker. When the disoriented elderly woman thinks Jason is Katie’s devoted beau, Katie pitches a pretend relationship to the star athlete. Jason knocks the fake-boyfriend ball out of the park.

 

Soon, their increasingly real alliance is tested by disastrous cooking, adult-themed donuts, and a hairless, irascible cat. And COVID quarantine inevitably magnifies one small secret (Katie’s) and one tiny lie (Jason’s.) The harder this pair falls, the greater the risk of those hidden truths.

 

If your heartstrings have been tugged by the feel-good rom-coms Beach Read, Well Met, or The Friend Zone, then pull up a chair, because The C Word is the perfect romantic comedy escape for you.

 What are you waiting for? Read the first chapter and buy your copy today!