it's james & bex day!
First Down is officially out from Avon Books!
Hi friends,
I’m really bummed that I missed the opportunity to do a newsletter last week. A literal love bug decided to hit me on Valentine’s Day, which meant I was deliriously sweating in my bed (and not in the fun way) instead of thinking up cute Beyond the Play-themed love poems. But! Today is about James and Bex, because the Avon Books edition of First Down is officially out in the world!
You can still read the ebooks of the first three in the series wherever and whenever you’d like (including KU), but Avon is doing the paperback rollouts slowly, and today is First Down’s moment to shine. It was always a dream of mine for my books to be available in stores, and it’s truly the COOLEST to think about them not only being in Barnes & Noble and indie bookstores, but Target and Walmart and even places like airports! I visited my lil book baby in Barnes & Noble and Target today with my friend Sarah, and had a total blast!
Doesn’t it look so gorgeous next to those other amazing books? Like hello, Tessa Bailey in her sports era! And me! And there was a whole stack of books on that table in BN, but almost all the copies are gone now! (They put them out a little early.) Thank you to everyone who celebrated with me today, and especially to everyone who ran to the store to get it on release day! Your posts and tags made my day 100 times over <3 If you see First Down out and about in the world, please share it with me.
**And remember, this new Avon Books edition of First Down has the stunning updated cover AND long, spicy extended epilogue—for the first time in print!**
I don’t want to ramble too much, because it’ll just devolve into blubbering, but I truly do want to say thank you. The road to get to this moment was long, and it’s because of everyone who read, reviewed, recommended, and loved James and Bex’s story that we’re here! I first published First Down in September 2022 with low expectations, hoping to finally share my work with the world and maybe find some readers, and now, in February 2024, it’s absolutely surreal to think about the journey. You showed up. You loved these two and the whole Callahan family. I am endlessly grateful and my heart is so full with love and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you, thank you!
Get your special edition copy of First Down HERE!
And if you haven’t experienced James and Bex’s love story yet, now is the perfect time! This first standalone in the Beyond the Play series focuses on the eldest Callahan sibling, golden boy quarterback James… and the stubborn, yet vulnerable aspiring photographer, Bex, who makes a deal with him: she’ll tutor him in the writing class they’re both taking, but only if he pretends to date her to get her ex off her back.
🏈 college football romance
🤭 fake dating
📝 she tutors him
💜 he’s protective… and possessive 🥵
👑 A Cinderella Story vibes
🌶️ spicy!!
And it’s available EVERYWHERE NOW!
in other news…
Before I wrap this up, I have a few more exciting things to share!
There’s still time to order a First Down paperback from The Novel Neighbor that comes with an exclusive couple art print of James & Bex, as well as a hand-signed bookplate! Order HERE!
Wicked Serve (!!!) is now available for request on Netgalley! If you’re a Netgalley user and want to request a super early ARC, check it out HERE!
You can also sign up for an ARC through Valentine PR HERE, and those will be going out at the end of July. So exciting!
And last but not least, if you’ve read First Down and are looking for your next sports romance read, I have two fun recommendations for you: Icebound by Meredith Trapp, a spicy hockey romance out today, and Drive Me Crazy by Carly Robyn, a spicy F1 romance, also out now! Meredith and Carly are both SO lovely and talented, and I’m so lucky to share this space with them.
That’s all for now! I’m settling into work on my next book, a standalone, and I’m loving these characters SO much already. I can’t wait to share more! Otherwise, keep an eye out for my First Down playlist, which I’m cleaning up to share, and more Beyond the Play news.
LOVE U ALL <3 I hope you’re having wonderful Februarys!