Spotlight & Giveaway: The Dirty Version by Turner Gable Kahn

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Turner Gable Kahn to HJ!

Hi Turner and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Dirty Version!

Hi! Thanks so much for having me here!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

When the T.V. adaptation of Tash Grover’s feminist dystopian novel lands in the hands of a Hollywood action director who decides her story needs to be “sexed up” for the screen, she’s forced to work with Caleb Rafferty—an intimacy coordinator with disarming good looks, unnerving patience, and a firm command of subtext.
She thinks he’s part of the problem. He thinks she’s impossible. And yet, their forced collaboration turns into something far more complicated—and far more charged—than either expected.
Set against a backdrop of South Florida and Hollywood behind-the-scenes, The Dirty Version is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance about power, consent, emotional intimacy, and the messy magic of rewriting the rules.
 

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

“But there are other ways to think about sex and power.” His gaze held something secret.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I interviewed Robbie Taylor Hunt, a working intimacy coordinator (whose credits include Red, White & Royal Blue), as part of my research. Robbie also vetted the manuscript for accuracy—so the behind-the-scenes process in The Dirty Version is grounded in real-world practice.
• I grew up in South Florida, and the novel’s setting—along with the fictional world inside Tash’s book-within-a-book—is a love story to my favorite beaches. The salt air, the heat, the wild beauty of the coast… it’s all in there.
• The idea for The Colony, Tash’s feminist dystopia, came from a group chat during #MeToo, when I texted my friends: “Someone needs to write a novel about a world without men.” That offhand comment became the foundation of the story.
• I think of the book as foreplay, not intercourse—all flirtation, emotional tension, subtext, and slow-burn goodness. No explicit scenes, but plenty of heat.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Caleb and Tash don’t like each other at first—even though they’ve both admitted to themselves (reluctantly) that they find the other physically attractive.
Then Caleb starts to notice her sharpness—her intelligence, her refusal to make herself smaller, the way she holds her ground even when she’s clearly (and loudly) annoyed with him. She’s not performing for anyone, and he finds that incredibly compelling. Plus, as an intimacy coordinator, he’s trained to pay attention to body language and subtext—so he picks up pretty quickly that all her prickliness is protecting something deeper.
And Tash does not want to be attracted to Caleb. She thinks he’s part of the Hollywood machine trying to water down her story. But he’s patient. He listens. He doesn’t flinch when she pushes back. And the more time she spends with him, the more she notices the small things—his calm, his respect for boundaries, the way he defers to her voice without ever disappearing. That combination of confidence, humility, and thoughtfulness? Completely disarming.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Yes—there’s a scene where Tash and Caleb are sitting together in a darkened theater, watching the teaser for a documentary about Caleb’s stepmother, who he was very close to and who has since passed away. As they sit side by side, Tash sees his eyes shine with tears. She reaches for his hand in solidarity—and in that quiet, flickering space, something shifts between them. What begins as comfort becomes something deeper.
Writing Caleb’s feelings about his stepmother—how much she shaped him, and how much he still misses the home she created—caught me off guard emotionally. Tash would have loved this woman. And I cried while writing the scene, in public, on my laptop. It felt like a breakthrough, both for the characters and for me as a writer. I wasn’t expecting it to hit me that hard, but the intimacy of that moment—grief, admiration, attraction—all converging at once made it unforgettable.

Here is that passage in the finished book:

“His breath held, his eyes glistening the reflection of his
stepmother’s laughter, her vibrance caught in the projector
flicker, unmistakably alive.
And Tash didn’t even think about it – on an instinct,
she reached out and grabbed Caleb’s hand, squeezing,
acknowledging the moment.
He squeezed back.
Then he intertwined their fingers instead of letting go.
He kept his chin up, gaze fixed on the film teaser – a little boy
in tortoiseshell glasses, a stepson with a tattoo, a grown man
in hunky chambray trying to hold it together in a darkened
theater, his grip hitching him to Tash.
She leaned her head against his shoulder – in solidarity, in
comfort. But as soon as she got there, she smelled him – husk
and cedar and California wild grass, rock canyon and morning
sex, easy laughter and unruffled patience. Solid and strong and
so potently Caleb, Tash’s vision blurred again.”

Readers should read this book….

…if they love slow burns, smart banter, and romance built on emotional intimacy as much as physical chemistry. The Dirty Version is for anyone who’s ever fallen for someone they weren’t supposed to—or who’s ever had to fight to protect something they created.

It’s a love story, yes. But it’s also a story about power, boundaries, creative control, and what it means to trust someone with your voice. There’s no explicit sex on the page—but there’s plenty of heat, subtext, and the kind of tension that makes you hold your breath.

If you like book club fiction with a romantic pulse, stories about complicated women, and heroes who know how to listen—this one’s for you.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Right now, I’m working on a new novel that draws from my background in live storytelling—I used to perform with a group like The Moth and coach people on how to tell true stories. The new book centers on a professional storyteller who gets roped into helping someone write a best man’s speech for a wedding…and, naturally, things get complicated.
It’s still in the romance space, with humor, emotional depth, and a slow burn at its heart—but the world and dynamic are totally different from The Dirty Version. I’m really excited to keep exploring intimacy from unexpected angles.
No official release news yet—but I’m hoping The Dirty Version is just the beginning.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: (3) A print copy of DIRTY VERSION by Turner Gable Kahn – US

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What’s your favorite kind of romantic tension—enemies-to-lovers, forbidden attraction, second chances… or something else entirely? And do you prefer a love story that simmers slowly or one that burns hot from the start?

 
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Excerpt from The Dirty Version:

But Caleb pressed on, not letting her escape. ‘Can I ask you
something?’ With elbows on his knees and blue eyes earnest.
‘You’re angry, right? That’s obvious – but lots of times, anger is
really about fear. What are you afraid of?’
She scoffed, disliking his impression, even if it was fairly on
point. ‘What, now you’re a therapist?’
‘Kind of.’ Amazingly, he embraced it. ‘Film is personal.
Acting and directing are personal. My job is to create consensus
between all our invested parties. If you’re angry and scared, I
want to understand so I can help you. Just get it on the table.’
‘Get it on the table?’ At the very least, Tash admired his
bravery. ‘You want to know what I’m afraid of?’
He point-blanked back at her. ‘Yes. That’s why I asked.’
‘OK.’ Tash approached the floodgates. At his own risk, she
slowly unlocked the latch. ‘Well. I’m afraid I wrote this one
great thing. It just happens to speak to a lot of women, some of
whom participate in online forums that track this adaptation’s
every move. In addition, actual feminist scholars read The
Colony. Netanya Cortez blurbed my book, Caleb – the high
priestess of feminism –’
‘I know who she is.’ His eyes narrowed.
Tash felt her words become emphatic. ‘Then you also know
the stakes. I don’t want to fail these people. I don’t want to fail
Janelle, who helped devise the premise – which is a love letter
to every woman in my life who’s sick of feeling powerless, and
a flaming Yelp review of every man who’s let me down. I don’t
want to have to compromise. This is my stamp on the world,
and I want it to stay strong.’
Her face had heated scarlet.
Maybe Caleb really was a therapist.
Because Tash clung to The Colony – maybe too much. She’d
put it ahead of Zach, and ahead of her parents. She equated its
virtue to her self-worth. She didn’t know if that was normal and
she’d never stopped to care. But now, across the glass-walled,
jungle-lit interior of her writing studio, she could also admit
it made her overly defensive. She could see herself instigating
conflict with Caleb, who maybe didn’t even want to fight.
He just listened, absorbing her rant.
He didn’t break eye contact. ‘Tash, this is teamwork. We’ll
move forward in a way that addresses your concerns.’ He
studied her. ‘What does Janelle say about the scenes Braverman
has asked for?’
Therapist and strategist – this guy was perceptive, roping in
Janelle. He knew she was the guru and the best friend. He knew
her opinion meant everything to Tash.
Tash allowed herself an exhale, feeling the defusing of her
bomb. ‘Janelle says feminism takes all forms. She says it’s
important to get The Colony to a wider audience, where its ideas
can enter a more public forum.’
Actually, Janelle had said ‘lube it up’ – but Tash was
paraphrasing.
Then she apologized for the second time that morning, noting
the pattern. Self-referentially: ‘She also says I shouldn’t fuck this
up by offending my intimacy translator.’ Tash would need to
keep reminding herself not every exchange had to be a duel.
Caleb cracked a small smile, letting her slightly off the hook.
‘Well, that would be a nice first step. The next step might be for
you to give me a real shot.’ He pinned her with a benchmark:
‘I’m willing to use everything you just said as our guidelines
for working together. We can even ask Janelle to test-read our
scenes before we submit.’
The mangrove outside suddenly seemed filled with olive
branches. Tash smelled a peace pipe. But before she could reach
for it, Caleb snatched it back.
‘It’d be even better if you could meet me in the middle. I meant
what I said about making this a safe space, but it has to go both
ways. We need to respect each other’s intentions. From now on,
for real – I don’t want to be the target of your personal attacks.’
Tash met his frank stare. She gathered up the many spears
she’d thrown at him, and the evidence of his disarming patience.
She glanced to the giant chip on her shoulder, considering
where she might, temporarily, stash it away.
She stuck her hand out, touching him for the first time. ‘OK,
Rafferty. You have a deal.’

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Heat rises and sparks fly when a surf-town author and an intimacy coordinator are thrown together to write new, steamy sex scenes for a TV series based on her hit novel in this deliciously fun debut romance.

Tash was thrilled when the dramatic rights to her surprise-hit feminist novel were snapped up by an indie film studio. But no one warned her that a Hollywood shuffle could land her smart, literary epic in the hands of a huge action-movie franchise director more famous for his machismo than his artistry.

And now this big shot director wants “the dirty version” of her book, demanding Tash transform the strong, complex female warriors she created into eye candy. Despite her best efforts to stall, the studio assigns Tash to its golden-boy intimacy coordinator to help her add spice to the script. Tash resents Caleb from the first word of the first sentence they write together, certain he’s the enemy and too handsome to be trusted. But the longer they collaborate on her characters, the more she’s attracted to his firm grasp of emotional (and fine, physical) nudity. Soon they’re burning up the bedsheets along with their new pages, blurring romantic storylines.

But just when Tash feels it’s all coming together, the whole plot falls apart. Can she find a narrative that saves her show and her own love story, or are both lost forever?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Turner Gable Kahn grew up in the extra-hold-hairspray ribbon of sunshine between the Everglades and the Atlantic’s best beach. Her higher education took place along the banks of the Schuylkill, and then the Hudson. She commuted endlessly across the East River in the blood, sweat and tears of a design career, before leaving her heart on Victoria Harbor’s dance floors and the South China Sea’s cliff hikes. She now writes in the bright heat near the Singapore Strait during the school year; in the summer she greets the sunset with her family, on a back deck overlooking the Puget Sound.
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