When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex-boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can’t stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He’s soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn’t recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious “Peach” he met at his concert.
During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can’t help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam’s rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She’d just end up hurt … again.
Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she’s fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.
And are you ready for Riot? It’s the next book in the series about the guitarist, Joel!
When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.
Describe Rowan in one sentence:
Rowan has two sides—a straight-laced college student on the outside, and a funny, sarcastic, off-the-wall spitfire on the inside.
Describe Adam in one sentence:
Adam is a ridiculously hot, up-and-coming rock star—laid-back to a fault, but totally irresistible.
Favorite and least favorite scene to write in Mayhem? (Without spoiling! 🙂 )
My favorite scene to write was the King’s card game scene toward the end—It’s a drinking game I’ve played before, and it’s hilarious, so writing it was just as fun! I especially liked deciding which characters picked the kissing cards. 😉
Least favorite scene… hm… Honestly, the entire book was fun to write, so I’d have to say the very last one. Don’t get me wrong—I loved writing it because it was such a happy ending for the characters I had grown to love so much—but it’s always bittersweet to end a book and say goodbye. (Authors get book hangovers just like readers do!) Fortunately, I got to sprinkle Rowan-and-Adam scenes into RIOT, and all of the characters will make appearances throughout the entire series, so it wasn’t goodbye for long! 🙂
What inspired you to write the Mayhem Series?
Honestly, when I wrote it, I hadn’t read any books or heard of many books about rock stars, so I wrote the book I wanted to read. Plus I have a weakness for emo boys, especially sexy lead singers. 😉 Mayhem actually started with me writing the very first scene just for fun, which was actually similar to something that happened to me in real life—a few friends dragged me to a concert, we were first in line, and when the lead singer knocked on the door of the venue, I had no idea who he was. And yes, my exact words to him were, “They’re not letting people in yet.” And yes, everyone freaked out as soon as he went inside, asking me if I knew who he was. It was SO embarrassing! Haha. The entire storyline stemmed from me writing out that scene, and Rowan and Adam were born.
What’s your rock star preference – singer, guitarist, drummer, bassist?
Oh, lead singers, definitely. Lead singers get me every single time. They’re all just so charismatic and artistic and energetic and sexy and… *sigh* Yeah, I love them. (Even though, in the Mayhem series, the guitarist, drummer, and bassist are all super hot too!)
Do you fangirl over any bands?
TONS. I’m a huuuge fan of Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, The Used, and so many other bands in that genre.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Smutty books and smutty TV. 😉 Though I refuse to feel guilty about it! (I’m DYING for Outlander to come back on!)
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Getting the Mayhem series published and seeing how far it’s going. The fact that I’m doing this interview right now gives me chills. It’s a dream come true. 🙂
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Hm, maybe a distant ancestor of mine. It’d be exciting to see where/who I come from.
Favorite Word and Least Favorite Word?
Favorite word: “cataclysmic.” Don’t know why, just love it. Least favorite: “historical” when people don’t pronounce the “h,” or “mature” when people enunciate the “t.” *cringe*
Biggest fear?
The big unknowns. Deep water, space, ghosts. *shivers* I have to stay away from the SyFy channel. I’m kind of a baby.
Deepest regret?
Man, this interview is getting DEEP. Hm. Maybe not making the most of my teenage years. I wish I would have gone to more concerts, especially when it comes to bands that have broken up since then.
Favorite memory?
Playing in the woods as a kid. Everything seemed so magical back then!
Worst flaw?
I’m Type A and a hardcore perfectionist. It leads to a lot of stressing out. In some ways, it’s a good thing, but in other ways, *eye twitch* Rowan and I have that in common!
Most annoying pet peeve?
Bad drivers. Don’t let your children ride in the car with me—they’ll learn all sorts of vocabulary words I can’t be held responsible for.
If you could change one thing about yourself…what would it be?
Easy, I’d be filthy stinkin’ rich so I could sit around and write all day! 😉
Either/Or Questions:
Chocolate or Vanilla? Mmm, vanillaaa.
Rowan or Adam? MAN. How are you going to ask me this? …okay, I love my heroines… but… I mean… it’s Adam freaking Everest. Adam. Freaking. Everest. I kind of love him, in case you couldn’t tell.
Warm or Cold? Warm! I hibernate when it’s cold. (Seriously, my neighbors haven’t seen me in weeks. But hey, I’ve gotten a ton of writing done on CHAOS, the 3rd book in the Mayhem series, so win/win!)
Early Bird or Night Owl? Night owl. I currently go to bed sometime around 4 or 5am and don’t wake up until noon or so. It works best for writing. 🙂
Pain or Pleasure? Pleasure. Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.
Outdoor or Indoor? Depends on the season. Right now, it’s freaking freezing, so let’s go with indoor.
Blondes or Brunettes? Both!
Ketchup or Mustard? I would like to counter that question with, hot dog or hamburger? In both cases… both!
Coffee or Cocktail? DON’T YOU DARE MAKE ME CHOOSE.
Texting or Calling? Oh, this one is easy. Texting!
When the door opens behind me, I sit up straight and hurriedly sniff in my tears as I wipe my shaking fingers across my slippery cheeks. I hear the flick of a lighter, and then someone sits down next to me on the stairs, puffing a cigarette. When I look over at him, I nearly choke.
He gazes back at me, starting at my hot-pink heels and then raking his way up, and then he chuckles. “Are they letting people in yet?”
Adam. He’s ditched the shades and cap, and now his dark brown hair is framing his gorgeous face, stretching almost to his chin. I look away quickly, hoping he can’t tell I’ve been crying.
“Sorry about that,” I say. And I hear the hoarse sadness in my voice, but I couldn’t keep it out.
When he reaches over and brushes my tangled hair away from my eyes, I tense.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, and I half laugh. No, everything is not okay.
“Everything’s fine.”
“Then why have you been crying?”
“No reason.”
“You get all dolled up to sit outside of rock shows crying by yourself?”
I lift my gaze to stare into his eyes, and something in them makes me believe he really cares. Or maybe that’s just what I want to see, but I suddenly need to tell someone. “My boyfriend’s in there.”
“And?”
“With another girl. I just caught him cheating.”
Adam takes a deep puff of his cigarette, nodding as he sighs it back out. “Want me to fuck him up?”
I laugh, and he smiles at me. “Would you?”
“If you want me to.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Because I offered.”
“Why’d you offer?”
“Who knows why I do anything I do?” He stares at me while I wait for an answer. “I just do.”
That’s a good enough explanation for me, so I look back to my knees again, letting out a shaky breath. I can’t believe I just laughed. At a time like this, Adam Everest made me laugh.
“Anyway, your boyfriend is a dumbass,” he says out of nowhere.
“How do you know?”
His gray-green eyes wash over me. “Look at you.”
I blush like hell, but I know he’s just trying to make me feel better. “You thought I was an idiot when you first saw me.”
Adam chuckles and shakes his head. “I thought you were cute as a peach.” His lips hold the cigarette in his mouth as he stands up, holding a hand down to me. My heart stops; Adam Everest is offering me his hand. In faded denim jeans, all torn up at the knees, and a fit olive-green button-down rolled up to his elbows, he makes my heart race to a nonexistent finish line. “Come on, Peach.”
I take his hand, and he lifts me to my feet, leading me away from the building. “Where are we going?”
“To get you a drink. I think you need one.”
“I’ve had a few,” I think out loud, slowing to a stop.
Adam gazes over his shoulder at me, his eyebrow cocked when he asks, “Are you saying you don’t want another?”
I take a moment to consider his question.
Just a moment, and then I keep walking.
Born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW earned her M.S. in Professional Writing from Towson University before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She’s a loyal drinker of white mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book-boyfriend lists.
My daughter would love this. Thanks for sharing!
I will need to read this!
Great post! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Interesting excerpt! Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks for the giveaway and review.
I love it. THanks for sharing!
This is something my wife would love to read.
This looks like an interesting novel to read. I enjoyed the synopsis.