Dear Passion Pursuers,

If you follow me on social media, I mentioned I’d share how The Bourbon Bet became a book.

My first interconnected series was traditionally published, so I decided to submit my new series to a few select agents and publishers, including Harlequin. When I didn’t hear back about Making Waves by their deadline, I figured they passed and started prepping to self-publish.

Then, two weeks before Making Waves was going live, a Harlequin editor reached out—they were just backlogged. I told her I was already committed to self-publishing, so she asked if I had anything else. Long story short, she loved my other work but wanted to see something completely new and unconnected.

Perfect timing because I was driving to Kentucky for a writers’ retreat. My friends and I brainstormed the whole way down, Googling popular romance tropes. Two of the top ones? “A bet” and “a billionaire.” I didn’t want the typical bet trope (guy bets he can sleep with the virgin—never my thing). I wanted it to be about class differences.

As we drove along those winding roads into bourbon country, past those signature black fences, I could picture him: Sebastian—king of his bourbon empire, broody, sexy, and a little lost. Then Rosalia appeared: a woman from a lower-middle-class family who grew up around wealth and learned not to trust it. The billionaire trope formed easily (though being from a middle-class family myself, I did struggle later getting the tone right—thank god for beta readers).

Then we tossed around ideas to make the bet original. My first plan was to flip the script and have Rosalia make the bet (because it’s usually the man), but later I decided to up the tension by pulling Sebastian into a bet of his own.

By the time we got to the gorgeous house in Lexington for the retreat, I had the bones of the story.

Harlequin ended up passing on it—turns out they only take billionaire romances set on tropical islands and in Europe. My Kentucky bourbon billionaire didn’t quite fit.

I’m glad it worked out this way. I was eager to release this story, and traditional publishing takes forever. Plus, self-publishing gave me complete creative control—look at the cover! I knew my designer would bring my vision to life perfectly. And I really needed my trusted beta readers and editors for this book because the story went through major changes that needed the extra eyes—the antagonist switched from Sebastian’s ex-wife to his brother, Thorne. And because I can never do things simply, there are actually two bets instead of the original one.

All those twists and turns ended up creating this perfectly angsty romance with characters I absolutely love. All those twists and turns ended up creating this perfectly angsty romance with characters I absolutely love, set in the Kentucky I called home in the early 2000s.

Now that you know the wild journey this book took to get into your hands, I’d love to celebrate it with you in person! I’m doing signings in Michigan and Ohio, and I’ll have The Bourbon Bet along with my other romance titles available. I can’t wait to meet readers, chat about all things bourbon and billionaires (or any of my other stories!), and maybe even share some behind-the-scenes stories that didn’t make it into this email. Plus, I’ll have some fun surprises at each event. Check out the dates and locations below, and visit dkmarie.com for more details about each event and any updates—I hope to see you soon!

Leon & Lulu
October 19th, 10-6 PM

An multi-author event at Leon & Lulu in Clawson (housed in a historic roller-skating rink!)

Romance Con
November 8th, 10-4:30 PM

The second annual Romance-Con on November 8th at Toledo’s Main Library (free author fair, panels, and fun—check their website for the full schedule).

Until next month, I hope everyone’s days are filled with love, lust, and laughter.

P.S. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, I’ve got news! My Lake House Love series is now available on KU. Binge the whole series here: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQM3K5V5

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