The Art of Scandal is available now! I’m so grateful for everyone who has rallied around this book and made this debut experience so special for me. My editor, my agent, my writer friends, my blogger friends, my early readers, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart. This is one of those not-in-my-wildest-dream moments that you all made come true.
Today, I plan on doing something that’s always been difficult for me. I’m going to celebrate this win. I’m going to look in the mirror and say, “You did this. You accomplished something. All that work you did is what brought you here. It’s okay to be proud of that.”
Y’all. I’m so proud. This is the best day, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
A few months ago, I wrote a letter to early readers that I thought would be nice to share now that the book is available for purchase.
Dear Reader,
You were never supposed to read this book. I wrote The Art of Scandal for myself as an indulgent, three-hundred-page love letter to my favorite genre. That’s how I’ve been writing since I was eleven years old, in bursts of joyful inspiration that I was content to tuck into the pocket of my heart. Eventually, I started sharing my writing with friends eager to see themselves reflected in romances they’d always loved. That’s how this book made it into the world–traveling through an expanding circle of trusted hands until it ended up in yours.
When people ask me what this book is about, I’m quick to share the fun premise (“A million-dollar deal to fake a happy marriage!”), but I also say that this book is about love—not just falling in love but the work of staying in love, being broken by love, and ultimately healed by it. But it’s also a self-addressed love letter to everything that fascinates me about romantic stories: I love conflict-heavy dual-point-of-view plots with a hint of something forbidden that makes your heart pound when the main characters are in the same room. I love stories that subvert tropes I thought I’d seen in every possible form. I love romances that remind me of the daytime soap operas that raised me during summer breaks from school, with their warring family dynasties and angsty super couples. I love stories about being seen for the first time by someone who falls for the darkest parts of you that aren’t really that dark at all. They’re actually beautiful.
Now I’m going to spoil the end of this book. It’s happy. You may even swoon. But romances are really mysteries at heart only instead of asking who we want to know how. How can a betrayed, thirty-seven-year-old trophy wife and an aimless twenty-six-year-old artist overcome a mountain of obstacles to find some version of happily ever after? That’s something I refuse to spoil. But I sincerely hope you enjoy the ride.
Regina
The Art of Scandal Events
I’m so excited about the events I have planned to celebrate my book release! There’s a mix of live and virtual events listed below. Join me so we can talk about all things The Art of Scandal!
August 1st at 6:30 p.m., Launch event at WordsWorth Books, Little Rock, AR
August 2nd at 12 p.m. CT/1:00 p.m. ET, Virtual Event: In Conversation with Talia Hibbert, Tubby and Coos, New Orleans, LA
August 6th at 6:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. ET, IG Live with jsbookishnook
August 7th at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET, Virtual Event: In Conversation with Brown Girl Collective
August 8th at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET, IG Live with literaryintersections
August 10th at 6:00 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET, Hybrid Author Event: In Conversation with Tracey Livesay at East City Books, Washington, DC
August 15th at 7 p.m. PT, In Conversation with Alicia Thompson, Anita Kelly, and Jessica Joyce, The Ripped Bodice, Culver City, CA
August 18th-19th, Steamy Lit Con, Anaheim, CA
August 23rd at 7p.m., Virtual Event: In Conversation with Shirlene Oboubi, Women and Children's First Event, Chicago, IL
Steamy Lit Special Edition Cover
I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to have two dream covers. If you love romance, then you probably own one of Leni Kauffman’s covers. When I found out she was designing the special edition cover of The Art of Scandal for the Steamy Lit Steambox, I knew the end result would be something special. I was right. This is the illustrated cover of my dreams.
It’s not too late to purchase the summer Steam Box. You’ll receive this special edition, along with two other amazing titles from Nisha Sharma and MA Wardall.
I’ll be sharing photos and videos from the events on Instagram, so follow me there if you’re not already to stay updated. I also plan to do something special for my newsletter subscribers soon, so stay tuned.
Congratulations on your debut 👏🏽😊