I didn't set out to write a trilogy. Okay, that's a lie. I totally did. I think I love writing stories that need each other to hold up. I like the idea of having to challenge myself to create problems and solve them for my characters, but more than that, I love it when one problem in one storyline becomes a feature of another storyline. And that's what happened with The Selfish Love Series.
Even though I knew this was going to be a trilogy, I started writing the second book, Boys Like Me, first. Unlike a lot of authors, I name my books early on and so far, throughout the process of writing six fiction novels, I've stuck to them. I started with the second book, not knowing it was going to be the second book, of course. But when I wrote the story of Gale Harrington and Ava Walker, the supporting characters jumped off the page and became easy to navigate along the highs and lows of their own books later.
Gale and Ava's story was the one I wanted to write. I wanted to write a contemporary romance novel about the chaos of using dating apps to find love. Except, I had never used a dating app in my life and so I made most of it up. But! I originally wanted to write a book about the countless dates Ava was going to go on, dedicating a chapter to each of her encounters. But Gale ended up being the star of the show. Of course, Ava is the star in his mind, but in my mind, this is Gale's story.
It's funny how a story takes on a life of its own and as the author, while you have literally all of the control, you have to follow the path the character takes you. I love it. I love seeing what decisions my characters are going to make. Even if I did make the entire thing up myself, it is interesting to go through the process of deciding for them.
During the exploration of Gale and Ava, I named his best friends, Charlie Murphy, Ellis Griffin, and Gale's big brother, Grant Harrington. Charlie and Willow's story came next, spun from the events played out in Gale's book. Girls Like You, book one of the series, takes us on a journey 20 years in the making. I wanted to explore the idea of reconnecting with someone you knew long ago, in another life. I was curious about that kind of love. I mean, we all had that one crush in high school that we obsessed over, right? I wanted to answer the question, what if they were obsessed with you too and you didn't know it!?
It was in writing book one that I decided Grant and Ellis were going to be a thing in book three, Men Like Us. I grabbed the character of Ellis from a short story I wrote a few years ago and went about writing a back and forth story for Ellis and Grant that covered the 20 years since they first hooked up. I was nervous to write a gay romance, but I reminded myself that love is love and I thoroughly enjoyed the research, let me tell you.
I had my themes: second chances, flings turned to forever, and forbidden love. But there was one more thing holding these books together that I can't wait for you to read about. I needed a challenge for Gale and Grant: the brothers who never married. I needed a reason why they never settled down. And as soon as I realized what the problem was and how it could be resolved, I rewrote much of the storyline and now it's as you see it today. With one common, binding thread: in the form of another character. This character could easily have their own book, but I wanted to keep this series about four men who have spent their lives looking for something they never thought they'd find.
Here's the run down of each of the three stories:
Book 1: Girls Like You
Charlie Murphy should be more shaken up about his recent break-up with his long-time girlfriend, Laurel, but he just can’t quite bring himself to be that upset about it. Laurel’s great…sometimes…and he did think he might marry her someday, but a fateful night at her birthday party brought Charlie face-to-face with someone he never thought he’d see again. And that someone just happens to be Laurel’s best friend.
Willow Kelly isn’t afraid to put herself out there to get what she wants in life, but when it comes to getting the one thing she’s always wanted, she can’t quite seem to bring herself to go for it. Charlie Murphy has been on her mind for twenty years and when she finds herself face-to-face with him as an adult, shirtless, at her best friend’s birthday party, she questions everything she thought she knew.
Weary of the obstacles in front of them, Charlie and Willow wander down a path they couldn’t see coming, no matter how many times they have fantasized about being with one another.
They might be holding on to the ideals of romantic love with no chance in hell of ending up together. Or, they might just stumble their way through the chaos that ensues and find the happy ending they both never thought they’d get.
Book 2: Boys Like Me
Gale Harrington is a playboy, but not by choice. Things have happened in his life that keep him from finding the kind of love people dream about. But he doesn’t let that stop him from having a little—okay, a lot—of fun. Known for his Cassanova ways, Gale is upfront and honest with every woman he meets: he’s just looking for a good time. Women don’t mind; he’s good in bed. But when he meets Ava Walker during what was supposed to be another run-of-the-mill random hook-up, Gale finds himself thinking about her more often than he should.
Ava’s tired of chasing after men who don’t want to be chased, and decides to try her luck on the dating app circuit. It’s not going well for her until she meets the man she’s had a secret crush on for years; well, she’s had a crush on his voice anyway. Meeting up with the local radio DJ isn’t just about checking off a free-pass hook-up. She really just wants to meet someone different. And Gale Harrington, DJ extraordinaire, is exceptionally different.
What was supposed to be a casual, carefree afternoon of fun-filled sex turns into an intense, overwhelming situationship that can never become anything else. But not because Gale and Ava don’t want it to become more; because external forces have been hard at work for decades to keep them apart.
Will love find a way or will they end up right where they started: alone and wishing things could be different? Or will they tackle what life throws at them together and find their way to each other?
Book 3: Men Like Us
Grant Harrington has had his eye on Ellis Griffin since they met. Except, Ellis wasn’t of age yet and Grant felt like a creep every time he caught himself checking Ellis out on the soccer field while waiting for his younger brother, Gale to wrap up practice.
But when Ellis turns 18, Grant can’t help himself. And it turns out, Ellis can’t either.
That was over twenty years ago and what followed was decades of on-again-off-again affairs between two men that could never bring themselves to be anything more than a smoking-hot hook-up.
Bonded by circumstance, abusive childhoods, and the longing for something more in life, Grant and Ellis find their way back together again and again until it’s time to make a decision: are they doing this for real or is it really time to move on?
Can these two men overcome what life continues to throw at them and can they get what they want, even after losing so much time?
Ellis is all in, no questions asked. But Grant’s situation isn’t so black and white. He needs to be the one to decide and Ellis hates that he’s got no say in what happens with his love life. Or the love of his life, for that matter.
The Selfish Love Series opens for pre-sale orders on July 15, 2024. Meet Charlie and Willow, Gale and Ava, and Ellis and Grant for yourself and see if I successfully paired them together.