Spotlight & Giveaway: Behind the Scenes by Amy Kathryn Jones

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Amy Kathryn Jones to HJ!

Hi Amy Kathryn and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Behind the Scenes!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

First off, thank you for having me on your blog! My extended elevator pitch goes kind of like this: For a coveted promotion, ambitious reality TV producer Ginger Moon is forced to produce last season’s runner up on his journey to find his own happily ever after. What her boss doesn’t know? She had a one-night fling with the now famous bad boy Elliot Hale after last season wrapped. With Ginger and Elliot’s behind the scenes chemistry quickly overshadowing any of his potential matches on the show, Ginger must scramble to keep his head in the game and her hands off him. She’ll pull out all the stops to save the season, and get her promotion, even as Elliot becomes more and more impossible to resist.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

I have a ton of favorite lines and quotes from this book. Like some real gems. Here’s two. One for snark, and one for swoon.

1. “Look, I’m trying to keep this professional. I expect you to do the same. I’m your producer. Don’t treat me like some mid-western dental hygienist at one of your mixers. ‘Kay?”
He smirked. “Don’t treat me like I’m some slob from accounting. You and I both know where your hands have been.”

2. “Ginger, I need more time.”
Her fingers tightened in his hair as her eyes squeezed shut. She needed more time, too. Suddenly the idea of letting him go and losing her job were the exact same amount of bad, making the choice that much harder, but in the moment, as he held and kissed her face, he was winning.
Hands down.
Like no contest.

What inspired this book?

It’s probably pretty obvious from the premise that I was inspired whole-heartedly by my love for competitive reality TV. I’m a card-carrying member of Bachelor Nation, and I almost always find myself wondering about the real lives of the people both starring in the shows and producing them. I want to know what’s happening in the production room, or when the cameras aren’t on. What am I missing that they’re not showing on TV? And there have been rumors in the past about contestants getting closer to producers than they get to the actual Bachelor or Bachelorette. I guess you could say I played around with that premise until I was creating a whole new show with some familiar themes so I could play my little “What if?” game in my writing. That’s how I came up with Matched, which is the name of the fictional reality show in the book.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Ginger is ambitious. I wanted her to be a take-no-prisoners Girl Boss. Diving a little deeper into her backstory, I discovered that she always felt overshadowed by her twin sister growing up. She was the misfit. The outspoken one. The one who always got sent to the principal’s office. Her creative outlet came in theater, where she could manage a world. She’s got big dreams to set herself apart and prove she wasn’t the “bad twin”. Getting the promotion to showrunner would validate all her hard work and the sacrifices she’s made in her personal life. Ginger’s soft side surprised me most—this little soft spot she has for Elliot. It’s difficult for her to see him not get what he wants—even if what he truly wants would screw up both their lives. It was fun to watch how she’d respond to him in his more vulnerable moments, and through the editorial process I was able to dive even deeper into what makes her tick.

Elliot is my reformed bad boy, who got burned last season. The night he spent with Ginger when his heart was open and vulnerable changed him. He starts the book ready to settle for a compatible partner in life, which is part of the Matched guarantee. But seeing Ginger again, and working so closely with her, reminds him of the passionate night they shared, and he questions whether he’s willing to settle for less. Elliot surprised me constantly. His passion was hard to contain. I expected him to be more conflicted between what he came to the show wanting and his feelings for Ginger, but once I started really getting to know him, I realized he was all in on Ginger from day one.

What was your favorite scene to write?

My favorite scenes to write in this book were at the beginning where Elliot and Ginger are still negotiating their new roles with each other. She’s got her guard way up, and he’s irritated that he has to work so closely with her. This scene takes place after a full day of filming, and Ginger has come to Elliot’s living quarters to pump him for information about where his head is at with the women he’s met so far. It’s a great bantery scene full of unresolved sexual tension. Here’s a quick snippet:

“Did I answer your question? Are we done?” The sharpening of his tone betrayed his impatience.
She cut to the chase. “Who are your bottom four?”
“I have to tell you?”
Ginger rolled her eyes. “Elliot, I’m not the audience. I don’t need to be kept in the dark about your desires and motivations, all right? You can be completely transparent with me. I’m like a confessional. You can tell me anything.”
“Is that right?” He started to move, slowly, around the island until he was on her side of it. She deliberately faced forward, unwilling to look up at him. It didn’t keep her from smelling him though. Spicy and woodsy, and all man. The entire side of her body he was hovering near prickled with awareness.
She side-stepped to put some distance between them and finally turned to face him. Her ears roared with the pounding of her pulse. Her knees were even weak. If she were competing on the show, she’d be a jittering ball of nerves every time he so much as glanced her way. How were the women able to maintain their composure around him? Did they not see how disastrously hot he was? Did he not make them want to do things people only did on the Internet? She fanned her face and opened her mouth to complain about how unpleasantly warm it was outside, but he spoke first.
“All my desires?”
“Have you been drinking?”
He grinned. “I’ve only had six sangrias.”
His eyes showed it, too, with the heavy lids and the wandering gaze. Anyway, it was a stupid question. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been watching him all damn day.
“Did you want to have a drink with me?” he asked.
A ridiculous giggle escaped Ginger’s mouth. She had no idea where it came from. “No, thank you,” she managed. “Tell me your plan. I need some sleep, too.”
“Come on, Ginj. Let’s have a shot. One drink.”
Where had she heard that before? “I’m working.”
“You and your work ethic. Doesn’t it ever get old?”
“It’s keeping me employed, so I guess it’s still all the rage.”
Cocking his head to the side and giving her the most impossibly sexy look, he said in a low voice, “You had a drink with me once.”
Oh no he didn’t. He did not bring that night up. Again.
Well, if we’re playing dirty… “Right. In that brief period of—what was it?—five seconds that you weren’t on the show.”
His eyes narrowed. “Ouch.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

The most difficult scene to write in this book, by far, was the first scene where Ginger and Elliot are intimate on page. It went through several different versions, and I really had to play around with genre expectations surrounding consent. I needed to make sure it read like both of them were on the same page, there was no power differential to contend with, and also that the scene stayed sexy and believable for both their characters in the moment. Here’s a snippet, and maybe you’ll see what I mean. They’re sitting across from each other in a limousine after Elliot demanded they finally talk about the night they spent together after last season wrapped. They are both somewhat aroused by the memories of that night, therefore the scene contains explicit language.

“You see why we can’t work together?” There was a demand in his voice. An edge. With every soul-crushing thing he’d already put himself through and was about to put himself through again for the show, building up his confidence was a big part of what she was there for. But she never thought the line she’d be walking would end up being so razor thin.
“Look, you’re an extremely attractive man, Elliot.”
“Attractive to you?” he asked.
“I don’t matter.”
“Says who?”
“Your contract.”
“I felt like we needed to resolve something, but if you’re all resolved…” his words trailed off. He glanced out the window in frustration.
“Are you not resolved?”
He made a sharp gesture at his lap. “Apparently not.”
He was still rock hard beneath the fabric of his pants.
She had no idea how to get his head back in the game. Her mind reeled with thoughts
both acceptable and unacceptable. Appropriate and inappropriate. The solution eluded her, because what was going on inside her own pants was equally problematic.
Bottom line: he wanted a marriage, and she wanted a promotion. In the weeks and months after they’d spent their night together she’d spent so many moments torn between having him all to herself or giving him back to the show, but she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She wasn’t ready to settle down and make a family and pack her career into a box to keep in the back of her closet. She’d chosen her job over a man before, and she would do it all over again. And she had never been so close to something she’d worked so hard for.
“You want a wife, right?”
“Yes.”
“Every woman here wants the opportunity to be the one.”
“Not every woman.”
“I’m not interested in marriage, but even if I were, you eliminated me as an option the second you put ink on that contract.”
“Careful, you sound disappointed.”
Her face heated. She should have kept that thought to herself. But if this was where they were going to air their dirty laundry, she could be honest, too. “Maybe. But I always knew I wasn’t your type.”
One look into his darkening eyes told her she was out of her depth. “You have no idea what my type is,” he said.
“I knew Jenna pretty well.”
“So did I. She would have been a great wife, but I wouldn’t call her my type.” He winced, adjusting himself in his pants.
“Jesus. Still?”
“Yeah,” he said, some of his discomfort apparent in the rawness of his voice.
“Are you always like this? Did you get like this during your conversation with Amanda? Or Cassie?”
“Just you, Ginger.”
Something about those words turned her on more than the idea of watching him masturbate in a limo. A rush of endorphins hit her bloodstream.
He kept quiet, brooding.
“We need to find you a wife.”
“I can be a handful.”
Ginger almost laughed. As a grin stretched across her face, he smiled back. Not once since he’d been here had he smiled like that for anyone else. In that moment she wanted him as much, if not more than she had that night at the Hilton. She had to clear her throat to make her words come out right. Averting her eyes, she said, “We should be at the Hacienda soon. You can wrap things up there in private.”
“Why are we still talking about this?” he asked, like he sensed her resolve disintegrating.
“It’s like the elephant in the limo.” Without meaning to, she gestured at his lap.
“You can’t stop thinking about it can you?”
She couldn’t. She really couldn’t.
It was like it was her erection. And she couldn’t help feeling somewhat possessive of it. It burned more than a little that she wouldn’t get to enjoy it. Ever. Again.
Alarmed at the complete finality of the thought, she met his eyes. She’d said goodbye to him. She’d walked out the door. She’d known she’d see him again, the network would make him an offer he wouldn’t be able to refuse, she’d have to stand aside and let him find his future, and all they’d shared was one tiny sliver of the past, but right then there was a hunger in his gaze so specific, wanting one thing only, not just with his eyes, but with his entire body. He wanted her.
Maybe it was the limo, maybe it was exhaustion, maybe it was the tidal wave of regret crashing down on her, or maybe it was him, but something snapped. One thought propelled her forward, off her seat and directly onto his lap:
Mine.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

I wrote this book several years ago, and I would say it’s a very good example of my style back then. High steam, medium angst, and tons of tension. The entire Matched Series follows this pattern consistently. Since I’ve written these books, I’d say my writing style has evolved with a preference for a slower burn, but otherwise, in terms of heat, angst and tension, this is what I like to read, and so it’s what I tend to write. I will always strive to create the perfect book boyfriend and the strong woman he never saw coming.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

The theme in Behind The Scenes is love is worth the risk. When you find your person—the true love of your life—their happiness becomes integral to your own. So what I want readers to take away from this book is to fight for your dreams, and follow your heart.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently working on a romantic comedy that isn’t quite coming together the way I want it to, but thanks for asking! My upcoming releases include the next two books in The Matched Series: Flipping the Script, which releases May 16th and is available for pre-order now, and the third book in the series Cut To The Chase, which comes out August 2nd. I have two other contemporary romances with my agent at the moment so fingers crossed for their fates!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An ebook copy of Behind the Scenes & 3 Tule ebooks

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I met my husband on Match.com, and we can all thank him for helping me come up with a fake TV reality show about arranged marriage. I love love stories, so from those of you who were kind enough to give me a chance by reading this post, I’d love to hear how you met your person, or if you’re still waiting for the right one to come along. Bonus points if there was a risk you took to be together, whether it was a move to a new city, or a disapproving family member. Tell me all your meet-cutes (even if they didn’t end up being the one).

 
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Excerpt from Behind the Scenes:

As Ginger pushed open the swinging glass door of Matched’s Hollywood offices, she picked up the fourth call from her assistant since rolling out of bed at five a.m. “For heaven’s sake—what, Vanessa? I’ll be at the Hacienda in an hour. If I wanted to be in constant contact with you, I wouldn’t keep hanging up the—”
“Last thing. Sorry,” Vanessa interrupted in a rush. Her assistant sounded as dangerously over-caffeinated as Ginger was. “Holden confirmed he’s got Elliot. They’re heading into the offices—ETA of fifteen minutes.”
Ginger picked up the pace to get to her desk and grab what she left behind last night. She had no desire whatsoever to be there when the new star of the season arrived. Ignoring the waving hands of assistants trying to get her attention, she stepped quickly through the open workspace. “That it?”
“Lavonne finished her walkthrough.”
“And?” The reality show’s high-maintenance relationship expert was notorious for demanding big, last minute changes.
“Thumbs-up on everything but the guesthouse. She wants blackout curtains installed.”
Ginger slipped inside her office. “Lavonne is Matt’s problem. Listen, I have other calls to make, so please stop tying up my phone. After I grab my laptop and touch base with Frank, I’ll head your way. I’ll bring tacos,” she added. Ginger knew the best taco place. It would get everyone’s day started on the right foot, and it was the least she could do for all the extra hours everyone was putting in.
“You didn’t hear?” Vanessa’s voice rose an octave, panic-style.
“Hear what?” As Ginger opened her bag to shove her computer inside, the imposing figure of her boss darkened her doorway. Before her assistant replied, Ginger cut her off. “Text me, I’ll be there soon.”
The instant she lowered the phone, her boss Marlon spoke up. “I need you, Ginger. It’s an emergency.”
Everything was an emergency the day before filming started. Ginger pulled herself up to her full five-foot-two-and-a-half inch height. Hand on hip, she lifted her eyebrows hoping to convey bored disinterest and not the internal chaos she was experiencing. She had a lot to do, and Marlon knew it. If he was calling something an emergency only she could handle, there might be some leverage to work with. “What’s up?”
“Frank turned in his notice.”
Ginger’s hand slipped off her hip. “But he’s lead producer—how—what happened?”
“Some stupid Hulu documentary.” Marlon took a few long strides into her office, stopping only when his thighs hit the edge of her desk. “Meanwhile I’ve got Hale showing up any second, and no one to produce him.”
Oh, hell no.
Ginger held up both hands to fend off the “favor” she knew was coming. “Wait—no—you have me scheduled to direct four episodes, and Kat can’t manage all the women on her own—no—Marlon. No!”
No on so many levels!
“Ginger, I get this is a lot, and those episodes are still yours—but look, you and I both know he needs a dedicated producer. I can’t pawn him off on Matt or Kat. He’s too much work.”
Of course he was too much work. He was the star. But he was also Elliot Hale!
And Ginger had specifically scheduled out the next three months of her life to have as little interaction with him as humanly possible. For—reasons.
Dread, slow-moving and sickening, climbed her throat, wrapping around it like a boa constrictor. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, but it was a V-neck and clearly not the issue.
Reading her like a street sign, Marlon gently placed his hands on her desk, leaned in, and lowered his voice. “Listen, Ginj, you’re the best producer I have. You know it, everybody knows it. You’ve heard the rumors about Australia?”
Ginger gulped, nodding.
“They’re all true. I know you don’t want to work here, for me, forever. You’re too good to be checking up on hot tubs and wrangling stoned cameramen. But I need this. I need you.”
This was the moment she’d been waiting for, wasn’t it? From the moment her ninth-grade theater teacher entrusted Ginger with the keys to the auditorium and told her to make her proud, she’d known she wanted a career in show business. It was a long way from high school stage manager to executive producer, but Ginger had put in the time. She’d done the work. She’d earned this, and Marlon was no idiot. He was showrunner. He could manipulate any situation presented to him. And he’d found her sweet spot.
Rumors of an overseas franchise had been circulating for months, and Ginger had her heart set on the executive gig. It wasn’t Hollywood, but it was a huge career move. In a year or two she’d return to California with an EP credit on her resume—poised to create her own show. Something new, something fresh—something groundbreaking. She’d done her time at Matched, doing Marlon’s bidding, working around the clock, letting her social life wither on the vine, but it would all have been worth it if she finally had a chance to make it to the top of her career.
“You deliver me Elliot Hale’s happy ending—the executive job in Sydney’s yours.”
So this was what it felt like to make a deal with the devil.
She’d known this season would be a personal challenge, but not this personal. Not this important. It figured her one-night no-strings fling would come back to bite her.
Ginger took a deep breath, willing her pounding heart to calm the hell down so she could consider what was at stake. No more student loans, no more bosses to answer to, no more LA gridlock. Ratings, deadlines, and sleepless nights she could handle if it meant a ridiculously big paycheck and a chance to make her dreams come true. She nodded once, tightly, barely.
“Great. Meet us in the conference room in ten.”
Marlon left her office with a spring in his step. Ginger stared at the slowly closing door and reached for her half-empty four-shot latte. Her heartbeat stuttered irregularly, and she was perspiring all over, but she downed the rest of her drink, damning the consequences. If the latte didn’t kill her, then her fate was set.
She’d be producing Elliot Hale. Side by side. For twelve weeks, she’d be guiding him on his journey while he and his Panel decided between his fifteen gorgeous, intelligent, hand-picked options. An unwanted image of him locked in a romantic embrace with Daisy, the easygoing yoga instructor from Portland, clouded her brain momentarily before it morphed into the memory of their own embrace in the limousine six months ago—the heat of his breath against her neck, his swallowed groan of pleasure as she’d found his mouth with hers.
How the hell was she going to pull this off?
Tossing her cup into the trash can, her fingertips lingered near the drawer that held Elliot’s pocketknife. She mentally checked herself. Of course she could do this. She’d never once backed down from a challenge, and she’d never had an opportunity like this. One regrettable night months ago was not about to stand in the way of a future she’d worked so hard for. After all, it clearly hadn’t stopped Elliot.
Finding the Swiss Army knife, she dropped it into her bag. They’d both managed a clean break, and now it was time for a fresh start.
Ten minutes later, armed with her laptop, a pen, Elliot’s personal file, and a fresh cup of coffee, Ginger entered the conference room. It faced east. Since it was insanely early, the shades were drawn to prevent the morning sun from blinding everyone.
Marlon sat at the head of the large oval table next to Davis Riley, the host of the show. Beside him, Elliot Hale, fresh off the red-eye from Chicago, adjusted his tie. Ginger didn’t look directly at him. No need to. His presence was glaringly obvious. “Good morning!” she said brightly as she made her way around the table to sit on Marlon’s left, across from Elliot.
“Hey, Ginj,” Davis said.
“Good morning, Ginger,” Marlon replied.
Elliot pulled at the cuffs of his white dress shirt but didn’t make a sound.
Attention carefully trained on her things, Ginger set down her laptop and placed Elliot’s file on top. She put her coffee down gently lest it spill everywhere and therefore prove that her hands were shaking and she was in no way, shape, or form mentally prepared for this meeting.
Once she took her seat, Marlon kicked things off. “Welcome back, Elliot. We all know it wasn’t an easy decision for you to return, but we’re glad you did. The buzz is incredible. The team and I have put an enormous amount of planning into making this season everything you could possibly hope for.”
“Thanks, Marlon,” Elliot said, his voice low and quiet.
Why was he being so quiet?
With her tension mounting, Ginger, still not ready to look at him and come to terms with the reality of the situation, flipped open the file containing all of Elliot’s demographic information, his measurements, dietary preferences, psych evaluation, and medical records.
One form in particular stood out. Her eyebrows lifted with interest.
Marlon continued. “I’ll turn it over to Ginger. She can answer any questions and go over some of the specifics.”
Still mentally reeling, and near desperate to gain some control of herself and this impossible situation, Ginger made a choice. Removing the lab report from Elliot’s file, she arranged it to face this season’s star and slowly slid it across the conference table. With his attention on the paper, she dared a look at him.
Someone had cut half his hair off. Someone turned America’s favorite bad boy into every impatient executive she’d ever stood in line with at Starbucks. When had this happened? Had the network even been informed?
Caffeine could have been causing the sudden flutter in her chest, but it was bitter resentment making her fingers twitch. Truth? She couldn’t blame hair and makeup for this impending shitshow. She was entirely at fault. But she and Elliot were in it together now.
And there was no reason he should get to have all the fun this season… She found her voice. “As you can see from the lab report, all your STD results came back A-OK.”
Glaring down at the paper, Elliot Hale’s angular jaw betrayed his agitation with a clench.
Her confidence making a comeback, Ginger suppressed a grin as she tightened her ponytail. “Physical contact is, as always, optional, but as of today, everyone’s clean.”
Powered by a deep breath, Elliot pushed the page of test results away. “I appreciate your attention to detail.”
The sound of his voice set off memories like fireworks in her head. His presence burned exactly as much as she’d expected it to, but it was now more important than ever to forget the night they’d spent together at the end of last season and focus on what mattered: Sydney. If this was how she had to do it, then fine, but she’d set the rules.
Davis, the host of Matched, clapped a hand on Elliot’s shoulder, countering Ginger’s ice-cold approach with some warmth. Having hosted everything from national radio, televised talent competitions, and a few short-lived game shows, Davis found his niche in reality TV. With his ageless good looks, laser-sharp wit, and a gleaming smile that charmed a nation, he was able to get any situation back on track, provided he showed up on time. “I got a chance to meet with some of The Panel last night, Elliot. You nervous at all? Putting your fate in the hands of friends and family? Your mom’s kind of a trip.”
Elliot folded his hands on the conference table, the sleeves of his shirt exposing tanned wrists and the barest edge of the midnight-blue tattoo Ginger knew traveled all the way up his arm and around one of his broad shoulders. His eyes met hers with the suddenness of a lightning strike. “They can’t do any worse than I’ve done so far.”
Ginger’s pulse jumped as his insufferably magnetic slate-blue gaze narrowed in on her. She forced herself to bite back the words threatening to fly out of her mouth in front of her boss and everybody: What’s that supposed to mean?
Instead, she stuck to the meeting agenda. Doing her job was all that mattered, not his long, strong arms, his eyes, her doubts, or the sickening sense of unease creeping through her. This needed to stay business-y. With production scheduled to start the following night, she needed to establish the ground rules. “The schedule we forwarded you is subject to change at any time. Don’t make any appointments you can’t cancel if the show needs you somewhere at the last minute. If you have an emergency, you need to contact me immediately.”
His face brightened unexpectedly. “I’ll have a phone?”
Ginger smirked. He knew better than that. No one really got a phone once filming began. She reached into her open messenger bag and pulled out an old, clunky flip phone. She slid it toward him, bringing the test results back to her side of the table.
Mouth twisted into a grimace, Elliot stared at the phone with open derision. “Are you serious?”
She was dead serious and not even sorry about it. He wanted to do the show again? Well… Welcome back, Elliot Hale. “The only number in there is mine. You can text me, call me, or dial 911. You can keep your own phone for now while you take care of any loose ends, but when you show up on set tomorrow night, hand it over to me. I’ll keep it safe.”
His cold stare wavered at the edges. Enough for Ginger to get the sense he was questioning what he’d agreed to. If that was the case, he wasn’t the only one.
“Wait.” He blinked, a crease of anxiety forming between his brows. “You’re my only point of contact?”
“Yes.”
“You?”
She scowled but managed not to squirm. “Yes.”
“Why you?”
Fair question. But she didn’t look to Marlon to explain Frank’s abrupt resignation. Instead, she said as clearly as she could manage, “Because I’m the lead producer now, Elliot. You’re my job.” And she refused to screw this up because they had a little “history.”
However, as they sat there, looking directly into Elliot’s eyes had Ginger’s bones hovering in the state between melting and freezing. Producing him wouldn’t be easy. His intensity was alarming. He should have been excited. All his freaking dreams were about to come true.
“There a problem, Elliot?” Marlon’s question caused panic to shoot through Ginger’s veins at a dizzying speed. “Ginger’s a genius. She’ll keep everything moving smoothly. You’ll forget you’re on camera half the time.”
Ginger willed Elliot to be cool. Try not to ruin my life right this second. He had no idea how much she needed this to work, how much she needed to prove to herself and to everyone who’d ever counted her out that she could pull off something truly amazing.
His Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow. He blinked first and gave a nod to Marlon. “Ginger’s great. I trust her completely.”
It wasn’t the most convincing line, but if Marlon’s widening smile could be believed, her boss was satisfied with the answer.
Elliot turned abruptly to Davis. “We done here?” Sitting straight in his chair, he tugged at his tie, the muscles of his chest tensing and twisting beneath his unforgivingly well-fitted shirt. He ran a hand over his shorn locks, and Ginger died a little inside. How is anyone supposed to grab a fistful of it now?
She shook off the thought, not allowing herself the extended visual. The professional thought she’d meant to have was that the camera loved him last season with all his grown-out, scruffy good looks. She wasn’t sure how this network version of him would play on screen. Polished, clean, and so totally…
Not him.
America had fallen in love with him last year while he vied for Jenna Gibson’s heart. Women applied in droves when the show announced that the dark-haired, tattooed bad boy with the world’s most seductive smile would be returning as the new season’s star. Applicants from all over the country crashed the network’s website eager to right Jenna’s wrong when she and her Panel had picked Eric, the charismatic youth minister from Houston, leaving Elliot heartbroken. The response on social media had been swift and brutal.
Half the network feared that after ten successful seasons, the nation’s outrage at Jenna’s final pick would tank the entire show unless Elliot agreed to come back. And voila. He had. So Ginger had to play nice, even if the idea of quitting her job and moving into her sister’s basement in San Francisco to be a full-time nanny to her nieces suddenly seemed a far less humiliating fate than coaching Elliot on how to find his perfect life mate.
As he and Davis left the room together, Ginger, who refused to spare a single glance at Elliot’s well-formed backside, swiveled her chair to face Marlon.
“Remember we want to keep him happy, Ginger,” he said, but his appraising nod told her she’d nailed the meeting.
“Of course he’ll be happy. He’ll be meeting the women of his dreams tomorrow night.” She forced her grimace into a smile. “The shitty phone is your rule anyway.”
Marlon stroked his perfectly groomed goatee. “You’ve met all the contestants. Anyone look like she could carry her own season?”
If Ginger managed to pull this off, the star of next season wouldn’t be her problem. On second thought, she should have gotten Marlon’s offer in writing. “They’re all lash extensions and spray tans to me right now. I’ll let you know after night one if I see any rising stars.”
“Whoever it is, I want her to have some sex appeal. Think Jenna Gibson.”
“Right. I got the memo.” Jenna’s love affair with Elliot last season had drawn in a lot of new viewers. Their unexpectedly physical connection had raised the bar for what started as a practical show. Initially, Matched had been all about what it took to make a long-term relationship work—compatibility, communication, compromise. But what Elliot and Jenna tapped into was chemistry, and the audience ate it up. It was a delicate balance, always trying to walk the higher road of reality TV. Other shows had trash and scandal covered. The producers Ginger worked with all liked to think this show had more gravitas.
Elliot, by far, was the sexiest man they’d ever cast as the star. With his brooding good looks, slow, sensual smile and tall, protective stature, the production team had designed the challenges this season to involve more body contact and intimacy. Still—Matched wasn’t a cheap kissing show. And last season, Jenna had proven it by defying all expectations and making the safe choice with Eric. Technically, she’d done the creators of the show a big favor. Jenna got practical and decided not to risk her heart. In doing so, she proved once again that Matched transcended lust and first impressions.
And she’d left Elliot free for the taking.
No one could have blamed Ginger for getting a little carried away that final night. Anyone with a pulse and an even vague attraction to men would have done the same thing.
But that was months ago, and it had been a fantasy. Now she had to face the harsh reality of Hollywood. Billie Holliday said it best: There’s no damn business like show business. You have to smile to keep from throwing up.
Ginger checked the notifications on her phone. Her day was just beginning.
“I’d like to narrow our choices down as soon as possible,” Marlon continued.
Positioning someone as the next star was no easy feat, and once they picked her it would be one of Ginger’s jobs to keep her in the mix, but off Elliot and The Panel’s ultimate happy ending radar. “Anything else? I need to get to the Hacienda.”
Marlon uncrossed his long legs to stand. “How’s Kat holding up?”
Sweeping a side-eye his way to find him facing the window like the question was a throwaway, Ginger wound up addressing his back. “She’s busy. We’re all busy.”
“Good.” He gave his jacket a quick tug, snapping the fabric more tightly around his tense shoulders.
“Anything else before I go?”
Her boss shook his head absently, continuing to stare at the closed blinds.
Ginger gathered her things and beat a hasty retreat. While Kat and Marlon’s disastrous affair had been over for several months, this was the first time they’d have to be on set together since things ended. Ginger needed to do a gut check with her fellow field producer before filming started. In the meantime, she had about eighty other items on her to-do list.
Returning to her office, Ginger stuffed everything she needed for the rest of the day into her messenger bag while she mentally ran through her schedule. Priority number one: finalize the order of arrival for the women. It needed to be perfect. If she was in charge, she wanted Elliot excited. Open. He was dark and edgy on a good day, so casting him as the star had always been a risk. It was what the audience wanted, but his tendency to go rogue last season had all the producers anxious about whether he’d take direction this time around. They’d had like, four meetings about it already, but Frank had assured the team that their new star would shine now that he wasn’t competing with fifteen other men.
Which was exactly what an insecure man would think about another man, but Elliot had never struck Ginger as insecure. Of course, Elliot also never struck Ginger as someone who would come on this show in the first place, much less twice, so…showed what she knew. But Elliot’s reasons for coming back weren’t her problem. If this was what he wanted to do and how he’d chosen to do it, fine. She’d get him his happy ending, and he’d catapult her all the way to her own.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Welcome to Matched, where happily ever afters are guaranteed…

Ambitious producer Ginger Moon lives and breathes the hit reality show Matched. All her work is about to pay off with an executive gig overseas—if she can produce one more happy ending. Only problem? This season’s star was her last season’s crush, and when the show wrapped, Ginger took her fantasy with the now-famous bad boy too far.

America adored him, but Elliot Hale left last season heartbroken. Trusting his panel of family and friends to keep him from blindly falling in love again, Elliot returns for the Matched guarantee: marriage with a compatible partner. His insufferably hot producer promises that and more, but she has rules: trust the process, take her calls, and never ever mention their night together.

When shooting starts, on-screen romances fall flat as the chemistry behind the scenes reaches a boiling point. To save the season, Ginger is forced to create a twist that will make her career but break her own heart by matching the man she loves with someone else.

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Meet the Author:

Amy Kathryn Jones is the author of steamy contemporary romance featuring a wide variety of swoon-worthy heroes and the women who never saw them coming. A labor and delivery nurse by trade, she’s no stranger to happy endings and new beginnings. She moonlights as a married mother of two and part-time pet wrangler, but she loves nothing better than quiet time at her home in Dallas, Texas.

A huge fan of reality TV, romantic comedies, and Pride and Prejudice, she has a soft spot for hot messes, men in glasses, hidden tattoos, and dimples that pop. Other passions include colorful pens, craft books, clever banter, and comfy clothes.

After being showcased in Pitch Wars, she went on to become a 2018 Golden Heart Finalist in the contemporary romance category.
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