Hello Lovers! Today is July 11th, which means two things . . . 1. It's my 29th Birthday! That's right, only one more year left of my beloved 20s. 2. It's time for the Seven 11 Blog Hop. I'm currently working on book two of The Marin Test Series, The Commitment Test. In this novel, Marin is expecting a proposal from James, but the proposal never comes. Will Marin be forced to choose between marriage and James? So, every month on the 11th, I will be posting seven random lines from the new novel.
THERE'S A BONUS!
Below the seven lines you'll find links to 10 other AMAZING authors who have agreed to share seven lines from their upcoming books. Get a behind the scenes glimpse of 10 stories! Haven't read book one of The Marin Test Series, The Man Test? Enter my FREE BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY below for your very own eBook copy! Seven lines from The Commitment Test . . .
"He made reservations at Masa’s for tomorrow night, which is?” I dragged out the “is” for emphasis. “Your birthday,” Holly said.
“And?” “Valentines Day?” Telly added. “Exactly, it’s the perfect day for a proposal.”
In my book, The Man Test, Dr. Marin Johns tries to prove that all men are liars and cheaters. And nobody likes a cheater, right?
Fellow author, Patricia Mann covers the same topic in her debut novel, Is This All These Is? When I asked her about her thoughts on the topic, this is what she had to say . . .
I remember being at a pool party with a group of moms and kids one summer when my boys were young. Somehow the subject of cheating came up. One woman announced that she would immediately leave her husband if he so much as kissed another woman. I couldn’t believe she would tear her family apart over a kiss. Another woman laughed and confessed that she had kissed a coworker in her office just the week before. She didn’t feel bad about it at all, saying, “the guy’s a hottie and my husband doesn’t pay any attention to me anymore.”
I listened intently as the debate raged on. You see, I’m a little obsessed with infidelity. My debut novel is about a wife, mother and professor who’s tempted to have an affair with a former student. And I just finished the sequel. Unlike most unfaithful characters we find in literature, I wanted my protagonist to be a likeable and relatable person. The cheater is usually presented to us as a heartless monster, right? But what if that’s not always the case? What if the truth is that most perfectly decent, upstanding citizens actually engage in this behavior at some point in their lives?
The main reason this subject fascinates me is because it’s personal. I can’t say all I’d like to say on that, because there are people I want to protect. A lot of people. What I can say is that in almost every long-term marriage or committed relationship I’ve seen in my life, one or both partners have strayed. These are people I love dearly, people who I adore and look up to, who I think the world of, and who were also unfaithful to a partner at some point. To err is human, is it not?
Because I write novels and blog posts about infidelity, I’m constantly looking up statistics on the subject. I don’t trust some of them because I can’t imagine that many people are honest on the subject. I think the numbers are higher than the studies suggest. Just now, I found an interesting new question that anonymous study participants were asked and the responses surprised even me, jaded as I am! Roughly 75% of men and women admitted that they would cheat if they could get away with it, if they were assured their partner would never find out. Wow, 75%. How much worse is doing it than saying you would do it if you could?
I want to thank Amanda Aksel for two things.
1. I’m so grateful that you invited me to be a guest blogger on your website!
2. I really appreciate that you shared Dan Savage’s brief video, Why Monogamy is Ridiculous, with me.
I wish everyone would watch it and at least consider his way of looking at the subject.
The entire video is less than 3 minutes and is definitely worth checking out.
This paradigm busting statement was my favorite:
“If you’re with somebody 40, 50 years and they only cheated on you a few times, they were good at being monogamous, not bad at being monogamous.”
And the following point pretty much sums up how I feel on the subject and why I write about infidelity:
“I’m conservative. I think that we should do what we can to preserve marriage and long term relationships, and one way to do that is to encourage people to have more realistic attitudes about sexual exclusivity.”
Thanks again, Amanda!
Author Bio:
Patricia Mann is a university professor. She teaches communication studies courses. Patricia lives in California with her husband, their two kids, and a sweet, silly old dog.
I've missed you all! Book two, The Commitment Test, is taking up a lot of my time, and it looks like it will be out sooner than expected! In the meantime, I'd love to hear all about your lovely summer plans. Here's some things that I'll be getting into . . .
Summer Reading
Here's my official summer read from one of my favorites, Emily Giffin. If you're reading my book, chances are you've got this on your summer list too.
Summer RereadingI absolutely LOVE this novel. Talk about a hilarious love triangle you can't put down. Does anyone else remember Red Dress Ink books?
Summer Recipe
I've linked to this Elizabeth Rider recipe before, but it bears repeating. This delicious salad is healthy, and a hit at any BBQ you'll attend this summer.
I'm SUPER excited to see my girl, Sara Bareilles, in July. And just in time for my birthday!! Anyone who knows me, knows I'm just crazy about her music and this is the first time I'll be seeing her live since discovering her in 2008!
I'm a total beach girl, and you'll definitely catch me with my summer reads along the shore. And while I won't look like this Victoria's Secret model, I'll pretend, for the moment, that I am one.
The last few weeks have been such a joy with the release of my book, The Man Test. I'm so grateful for the outpouring of support and the incredible feedback I've received from readers and reviewers. I want to take this blog time to say a special thank you to those who have made this publishing experience a happy one. Thank you: Joe (and Lani) Chantell Jessica Danielle Sara Heather Lori, my mom Merene Michelle Lauran Carine Ellen Rachel S. Rachel A. Cory Dionne Michiko Michael Jennifer Peri Amoreena Antonio And thank you to the awesome bloggers on the tour: Julie Valerie's Book Blog Bookish Diversion
Yes! I'm so excited to announce that The Man Test is finally out! You can check out at: Kindle Kobo Nook Amazon Smashwords
Even though I am SUPER excited (and relieved) that the book is out, I'm even more excited about the Blog Tour and Giveaway. Stop by the following blogs between March 25th-April 10th. Don't for get to enter the giveaway for this cool prize: A Lolita Flirtini Martini Glass!- Enter Below!
I'm so excited to announce that The Man Test will be the first title published under the new collaborative publisher, Elephantine Publishing.
That's not all . . . I'm also a co-owner of this new publisher. It was magical the way it started. I LOVE publishing. I mean, I'm CRAZY about it. When I decided to take my destiny in my own hands and publish my first novel, I knew I wanted to create an actual publisher. However, I didn't think I could do anything with it until much later in my life.
Then, my friends and fellow authors, Sara Panek and Heather Hildenbrand, decided to partner with me and start the company. Since then it has been an incredible whirlwind. It's amazing the synergy the three of us have together. Everything seemed to be aligned. In fact, when we got our LLC agreement notarized, there was a card holder on the front desk with little elephant heads on each end. A clear sign it was meant to be.
Elephantine is open for business! Learn more below and don't forget to buy the first Elephantine novel, The Man Test, on March 25th.
The Elephantine Story
While sharing marketing tips and discussing cover art, independent authors Amanda Aksel, Heather Hildenbrand, and Sara Panek all came to the same conclusion; wouldn’t it be great if there was a publishing house that offered all the resources of traditional publishing, while still allowing the creative freedom of independent publishing? They set out to create their vision, and Elephantine Publishing was born.
Elephantine is a collaborative publisher. Our goal is to partner with you to turn your love of writing into a successful career for years to come. We work side by side with our authors through every step of the publishing process to create a unique and professional title to share with the world. Using strategic marketing, we provide our authors with industry tools and resources to build readership and grow sales.
Our aim is simple. We seek to provide access to all stories worth telling, whether or not the words fit into a neatly labeled box. Words that resonate in your bones. Stories you’ll never forget.
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