by: Sara Jane Stone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 4, 2019
Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads
Rule #1: Maintain Control.
You think you know me. The cars, the penthouse, the reputation for delivering women to that “Oh, yes, Gavin” moment… Yeah, I’m the bad boy billionaire who drives your fantasies.
But I’ve traveled a long road to get here. And I played by the rules—the ones I wrote to guarantee I didn’t return to whom I was before.
Until now. The pictures, the story—it’s my past coming back to haunt me. I’ve lost control. And to get it back, I need to change the story.
So I asked my best friend and neighbor for help. Kayla agreed—if I support her growing pack of four-legged misfits.
My life is under control again.
Only I’m falling for my best friend. Now, my New York City apartment is full of rescued pups, my country retreat looks more like an animal sanctuary, and Kayla’s guarding her heart.
And I’m running out of time to prove the girl next door belongs with the billionaire.
Hi! It’s great to be back on your blog. Thank you for having me
You’re welcome. Congratulations on the release of Mr. Misunderstood. What can you tell me about the book?
When I sat down to write Mr. Misunderstood, I could vividly picture one scene in the story. I knew exactly how the first intimate scene unfolded.
That was two years ago. I’ve had this one sex scene bouncing around my imagination for two years!
But other projects kept getting in the way. Finally, I set all of my plans aside and returned to that sexy scene.
From that point, I explored the characters. I knew I wanted to write a billionaire romance in the first person. But I also wanted a twist on the Alpha-Male billionaire. So I started thinking, how could a child who’d had his self-esteem stripped away layer by layer for years grow up to be a billionaire? What would it take? And how could it all fall apart?
Other scenes began to pop into my imagination. Before long, I had the first draft of a story about a New York City billionaire who falls for his best friend while they are pretending to be engaged.
Tell me about Gavin Black and Kayla Green and what it is exactly that makes them perfect for each other.
There is one passage of dialogue that makes these best friends perfect for one another. This brief exchange is written from Kayla’s perspective.
“Kayla?” Gavin says. “Did I lose you?”
Never.
He will break my heart in the end, but he’ll never lose me.
“I’m here,” I say.
Kayla and Gavin have been friends for thirty years. They have been there for each other through traumatizing life events. And while the attraction simmers and grows throughout the book, there is still this sense that nothing will break their friendship.
Now, this made the black moment, that point where all seems lost, so much harder to write. It’s one thing to walk away from a boyfriend or lover, but the person you turn to when you’re lost and need a shoulder to cry on? That’s another level of loss I think.
I love friends to lovers stories. Tell me about one of your favorite scenes.
I love them too! I love the banter between these two characters. I think my favorite scene begins with:
“Do I have a plan? I’ve known you for thirty years. I would never steal you away from a party without a plan.” I force myself to keep a straight face, and say, “We need to make fake sex sounds.”
Gavin stares back at me. I keep my lips pressed tightly together. I refuse to crack first. And I win. He laughs and breaks eye contact. “Kayla, how the hell can you say that with a straight face?”
“You’re not taking this seriously,” I chide.
But I also love Gavin’s grand gesture at the end. I can’t say more than that without giving away the ending
I LOVE grand gestures. Tell me a fun fact or two about Mr. Misunderstood.
I based Ava, the Shepard mix, after my dog. The other dogs are based on profiles of pups in shelters. I hope at this point that all of the wonderful dogs I read about while researching these K-9 characters have found a forever home.
What was the biggest surprise Gavin and/or Kayla had for you?
I originally planned to write the entire story from Gavin’s perspective. I made it to Chapter 3 before Kayla demanded her turn. I’m so glad she spoke up. I think it made for a much stronger story.
I really like when characters don’t play by the rules. What was your favorite part of Mr. Misunderstood to write?
Oh, that’s hard to say. I had so much fun writing the opening scenes. I love the way Gavin jumps into help Kayla. But I think the ending was my favorite. I thought I knew exactly what to write. Then one day I dropped my daughter at a birthday party and went to a nearby café with my laptop. I started typing and boom! I had a new grand gesture. It was perfect for these two characters. I can’t imagine writing a different ending.
Sara Jane, thank you for answering some questions for me.
Thank you for having me! And happy reading!!
“You know, I could swing by for a lunch date. We could close your office door—”
“Make fake sex sounds to get my staff talking?” The humor in his tone sounds forced, but it’s a step in the right direction. At least he’s not focused on Alexandra’s interview anymore.
“That won’t work,” I say. “You’re horrible at faking an orgasm. You didn’t even try last time.”
“Everyone has an Achilles Heel,” he muses.
“We need to give them something real to listen to.”
“Kayla,” he growls. “How soon can you get here?”
“One hour.”
I stand and pull on Luna’s leash, ready to run back to Gavin’s building and prepare for our date. This is what I want—wild, passionate office sex with a billionaire. “And Gavin?”
“Yes?”
This doesn’t solve our problems.
But I’m guessing he knows that. And if he doesn’t, well now, after he’s watched his ex-girlfriend call our fake engagement a sham on national TV is not the time to tell him we’re in over our heads.
“Call Margaret while you wait. We need her best private investigators looking into Alexandra. It’s time, Gavin. We need to fight back.”
“Already in motion,” he says. “I spoke to her before I called you. Margaret anticipated the request. She’s had a PI looking into Alexandra for two days now. We should have a report soon.”
She’s amazing.”
“Stop thinking about Margaret and get your butt to my office.”
“One hour,” I say again. “And afterward you need to take me to lunch. Someplace public.”
“Sounds fair. If I get to strip off your panties and feast on you while you sit on my desk, I should probably give you something to eat in return.”
“Gavin.” The scene plays out in my imagination like a homemade sex tape. All of the questions about our future fade away. We’ll find our way out of this mess. We always do. But first, I have a lunch date.
“Yes, Kayla?”
“I’m not planning to wear panties.”
“Make fake sex sounds to get my staff talking?” The humor in his tone sounds forced, but it’s a step in the right direction. At least he’s not focused on Alexandra’s interview anymore.
“That won’t work,” I say. “You’re horrible at faking an orgasm. You didn’t even try last time.”
“Everyone has an Achilles Heel,” he muses.
“We need to give them something real to listen to.”
“Kayla,” he growls. “How soon can you get here?”
“One hour.”
I stand and pull on Luna’s leash, ready to run back to Gavin’s building and prepare for our date. This is what I want—wild, passionate office sex with a billionaire. “And Gavin?”
“Yes?”
This doesn’t solve our problems.
But I’m guessing he knows that. And if he doesn’t, well now, after he’s watched his ex-girlfriend call our fake engagement a sham on national TV is not the time to tell him we’re in over our heads.
“Call Margaret while you wait. We need her best private investigators looking into Alexandra. It’s time, Gavin. We need to fight back.”
“Already in motion,” he says. “I spoke to her before I called you. Margaret anticipated the request. She’s had a PI looking into Alexandra for two days now. We should have a report soon.”
She’s amazing.”
“Stop thinking about Margaret and get your butt to my office.”
“One hour,” I say again. “And afterward you need to take me to lunch. Someplace public.”
“Sounds fair. If I get to strip off your panties and feast on you while you sit on my desk, I should probably give you something to eat in return.”
“Gavin.” The scene plays out in my imagination like a homemade sex tape. All of the questions about our future fade away. We’ll find our way out of this mess. We always do. But first, I have a lunch date.
“Yes, Kayla?”
“I’m not planning to wear panties.”
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Places to find Sara Jane Stone:
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- To Tempt a SEAL
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Loving the covers and so looking forward to reading your work.
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