Hi everyone,
Believe it or not, it’s been almost a year since my sizzling
summer romance, A Deceptive Match was released.
A Deceptive Match is a full length novel set in the world of
professional wrestling. Wrestling has always been a part of my life, so it was
only natural that one day I’d write a book with wrestling as the backdrop. But
this book is different from all of my other books because the entire story came
to me in a rather unusual way—in a dream.
One morning I woke up and said “Uh-oh!” and grabbed the pen
and paper next to the bed. (I keep it there in case of inspiration.) I knew
that if I didn’t immediately start writing down everything in my head, it would
be lost forever. So I sat there, furiously scribbling the outline. At this
point, it was just the bare bones of the plot and the characters, but I knew I
was onto something.
Over the course of the day, more bits and pieces came through.
Now I had a subplot, secondary characters, and knew more about what was
happening in this wrestling romance that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I
was fortunate enough to actually “see” the book in my head like a movie—some
scenes were missing, but I had a clear picture to work from.
People who have read the book and know about my love of
wrestling always ask me the same questions: Which wrestlers are the characters
based on? How do you know all this stuff? How much of it is real?
It’s easier to answer the second question first. Many years
ago, I was fortunate enough to be on friendly terms with a bunch of wrestlers.
My husband and I would go to matches and hang out with the guys after the
shows. (No, I wasn’t a ring rat.) I picked up a lot of terms and got a real
feel for what they did and how they experienced life on the road.
At the time, the thought of being a writer never even
crossed my mind, so I had no idea that one day I’d use what I learned in a
book. When I got the idea for A Deceptive
Match, I was able to incorporate much of what I knew into the plot through
Danni’s point of view.
The male characters in the book (Vinnie, Ev, Thorn, and
Nick) aren’t based on any one wrestler or any real person. I specifically made
sure that Vinnie and the others aren’t
linked to real wrestlers, because it would take away from the story. Like
characters in any book, I invented whatever quirks, flaws, and backstory I needed
to help move the plot along.
And how much of it is real? Well, anyone who knows anything
about wrestling can tell you that it’s technically termed “sports
entertainment” for a reason. But that doesn’t discredit all the training, hard
work, and other sacrifices the wrestlers go through every day. A Deceptive Match touches on the subject
of what’s “real” and what goes on behind the scenes that most fans are unaware
of.
Here’s the book summary and a steamy excerpt:
A Deceptive Match
Falling for the wrestler she had been assigned to
interview wasn’t part of Danni’s plan, until Vinnie Valentine pinned her heart
in a flash.
Disgruntled with her job as the office assistant for a national sports
magazine, Danni Stone impersonates a reporter to prove herself to her boss. Her
assignment? Spend thirty days on the road with Vinnie Valentine, a sexy
professional wrestler.
Life isn’t going well for the Heavyweight Champ. Vinnie is struggling with a
manipulative boss, prepping for the most important match of his career, and
feuding with his arch-enemy, Thorn. The last thing he needs is a nosy reporter
following him around—even if she is hot.
Thrown together in close quarters, Danni can’t help falling for Vinnie, and she
unwittingly becomes a key player in his title match. Their mutual attraction
grows, and late one night, they give in to the lustful feelings they’ve been
fighting.
As their relationship deepens, Danni considers telling
Vinnie her secret. But before she can
confess the truth, Vinnie discovers she isn’t the reporter she claims to be.
Her lie threatens to ruin everything between them. Will their relationship be
destroyed by her deception or will their love win out?
An Excerpt:
Danni hurried down the hall
to the locker room. She hadn’t meant to be late picking up Vin tonight, but the
moron lot attendant wouldn’t let her back into the parking area. She pushed
open the locker room door and rushed inside. “Vin, I’m sorry I—”
Her tote bag slipped through
her fingers and dropped to the floor. Vin stood less than three feet away,
soaking wet. A white towel barely covered his waist.
“Oh, my God!” Her entire body
flushed as a tingling sensation built deep in her belly. Vin was practically
naked and dripping wet from the shower.
“I…um…you’re…I…oh God,” she
muttered and whirled around. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Vin’s warm hand settled on
her shoulder. He gently turned her to face him. Beads of water dripped down his
chest, and she longed to lick them away. “Um…you…you’re wet.” She glanced at
the towel and prayed it would fall off his waist.
“And you’re not?”
She squealed as Vin drew her
to his chest. His mouth covered hers, and she lost all sense of reason.
A wet heat built between her
legs as Vin’s tongue entered her mouth. She clutched him tight and dug her
fingers into the solid flesh of his back and ribs. He smelled like soap and
water and yet there was a hint of something manly, musky about him.
Vin moaned and cupped her
buttocks through her sundress, melding her body against his. A high-pitched
mewing sound escaped her throat as a long-denied lust flared within her. Was
this really happening? She’d had this fantasy for so many nights, would she
wake up and discover it was only another erotic dream?
She slid her hands down Vin’s
flat stomach to the edge of the towel. For a second, she hesitated, unsure. Did
she dare do what every instinct commanded? Vin’s tongue plunged deeper into her
mouth, wordlessly urging her on...
Order your copy of A Deceptive Match here:
***
I enjoyed creating the characters in this wrestling
universe, and as I was writing, I fell in love with Everett, Vinnie’s best
friend. I knew I had to tell Ev’s story and give him his own book, so I wrote A Secret Match. That book is all about
Everett, but Danni and Vinnie play supporting roles in the storyline. Although
the books are connected, they each stand alone as individual reads.
I hope romance fans and wrestling fans alike will check out A Deceptive Match and A Secret Match. They’re a good blend of
action, drama, romance, humor, and spicy love scenes.
Happy Reading!
Kelli
