A Christmas Auction
(A Marriage Auction Novella)
by Audrey Carlan
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Audrey Carlan comes a new story in her Marriage Auction series…
“’Tis the Season,” some people say, as if the month of December could somehow magically make the world a better place. Fat chance of that happening in Sin City.
In my world, nothing is merry and bright. More like dark and dank. In fact, deck the halls should be deck the slobbering drunk who waited for me to get off work and followed me to my car with only one thing in mind.
He didn’t expect a smart girl with a handy-dandy taser, ready to light the star on his tree.
Unfortunately, I didn’t expect there to be two of them.
While my attacker was on the ground, twitching and convulsing, his face as red and puffed up as ole St. Nick, I was grabbed from behind by Santa’s helper.
As luck would have it, a limo rolled through the parking lot just in time. A pair of men exited the vehicle and dispatched my attackers as if by magic.
A sleek, elegant, and expensively dressed woman alighted from her shiny sleigh, took one look at me, and offered me a Christmas miracle…
Three million dollars for three years of my life.
And that’s how I met my savior, Madam Alana, the owner of The Marriage Auction.
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An Exclusive Interview with Audrey Carlan
Can you tell us why or how you chose to write about this couple for your novella?
Bruno has been a secondary character that I introduced in Season 1 of The Marriage Auction and the readers kept asking about him. Then I put him into Season 2 for a bit, and the fans once again wanted to know more about him so I decided to give them what they wanted!
Holly came second. She’s a never-before-seen character that was so much fun to write. She’s super down to earth and hyper focused on building her future. I think a lot of readers will relate to her journey.
If someone were to narrate your life, who would you want the narrator to be and why?
Taylor Swift. Because she’s a magnificent storyteller with a great sense of humor and a big heaping romantic heart.
What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?
I have five tips:
# 1 – Do not publish anything without having it professionally edited. You can never take back your first impression on a reader. If they read your novel and it’s poorly written with bad grammar, plot holes, and content issues, they’ll likely never read you again.
#2 – Never pay a publisher to publish your books. That’s their job. You shouldn’t be out money when you sign with a company. If they ask for start up fees, it’s a scam.
#3 – Hire a lawyer to review ANY contract before you sign. Seriously, pay the fee. You are your best advocate. Besides, it will save you so much money in the future. I promise. <wink>
#4 – Write as often as you can. Read the books and authors that write your genre of books. Critique your favorites storylines, craft, writing style, word choices. All of this goes into you finding your own voice. When you can point these things out in others, you will find your own style and vibe.
#5 – Remember that writing and storytelling are a form of art. Not everyone is going to like your art and that’s okay.
Can you give us a few lines from your work in progress?
I’m not sure what I’m doing can be called stalking as it’s defined in the dictionary.
The act or an instance of stalking, or harassing another in an aggressive, often threatening and illegal manner.
At least that’s not how it started…
~Angel Salazar
The Marriage Auction: After Dark
If you could dream cast (actors, models, singers… anyone really!) the hero and heroine, who would you choose?
Blake Lively would absolutely be Holly Knight. And Yon Gonzalez would be Bruno Castellanos.
What’s your cure for hiccups?
Get a full glass of water. Put the bottom of your mouth/chin inside the glass as if your tongue was going to lick the inside of the glass. Bend in half, head upside down, and drink as much of the water in one go as you can. It’s hella weird and awkward but it works every time.
What mythical creature do you wish actually existed?
One thousand percent…mermaids. I’m not exactly unconvinced they aren’t down there somewhere hiding out. According to National Geographic claims, ‘there is more than 80 percent of the ocean that has not been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans’. Don’t believe me, look it up!
What scene in this book was the toughest to write and why?
The end, because I wanted to play in their sandbox forever.
If you could watch one scene from this book be played out like a movie, which one would it be and why?
The very beginning. There’s a really intense scene along with an attack, and I would love to see Bruno throw down against the bad guys like he does in the book. Not to mention when Holly sees him for the first time…swoon.
What’s the worst thing you’ve eaten out of politeness?
I was at a super fancy dinner with author Geneva Lee and her husband Josh in Paris after a signing we did. They took my husband and I to a Michelin starred restaurant. They ordered a bunch of appetizers and Foie Gras was one of them. For those of you that don’t know this dish, it’s duck liver pate. It literally looks exactly like what comes out of your cat’s wet food can, and it doesn’t taste much better. I choked it down and shoved the remains of my cracker with it on it, to my husband’s plate. He ate it no problem because he’s a good man and likes having sex. Eating gross things on your wife’s behalf while keeping it a secret…well, that deserves a reward. LOLOLOLOL
What’s the most awkward thing that happens to you on a regular basis?
I lose my phone a lot. Like, A LOT. I had to buy a watch that would ping my phone in order to help me find it. This is especially irritating if you want to take a picture right then or want to show someone something and you have to go hunting through your house only to end up begging one of your kids to hunt it down for cash because you still can’t find it.
How did you come up with the title for this book?
Uh…it’s pretty obvious. I write The Marriage Auction. This auction is happening at Christmas in this one so…A Christmas Auction. I’m really not that clever.
Biography:
Audrey Carlan is a No. 1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She writes stories that help the reader find themselves while falling in love. Some of her works include the worldwide phenomenon Calendar Girl serial, Trinity series and the International Guy series. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages across the globe.
She lives in the California Valley, where she enjoys her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters,” or with her nose stuck in a sexy romance novel.
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