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Hello, my lovelies! As you know, I try to post my yearly faves at the bottom of the calendar year. 2020 was a challenge like no other, as you are no doubt aware. I found myself revisiting older faves, just looking for that sense of familiarity in a time when nothing seemed familiar.

That said, I did manage to get to a number of new goodies that instantly landed on my list.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything I fell in love with this year � which includes beloved books from Farrah Rochon, Kennedy Ryan, and Roan Parrish � but I hope you find some new faves among this incomplete selection.

Books:
by Aiden Thomas
by Robin Covington
by Lauren Blakely
by Sonali Dev
by Alexis Daria
by Susan Scott Shelley
by Christina Lauren
by Annabeth Albert
by Kwana Jackson
by Alexis Hall

Music:
by Musti
by grandson
by Moses Sumney
by the Psychedelic Furs
by Róisín Murphy (not pictured)

2021 brings with it the promise of new books to devour and new music to love. Here’s hoping we discover a new normal where family and friends and safely come together and share the things we love in person.

Wishing you and yours all the best of the holiday season! See you on the other side.

Stay safe and healthy�

~X

Visit to read an extended excerpt from THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES, and enter to win a new release every month in 2021!

Hello my lovelies!

It’s been an exciting week for my Lillys and . Publishers Weekly chose GWISHE as one of their ! Not only that, but they also gave Toni’s book a , calling it “delightful� and declaring it “a gift for music lovers.�

Needless to say, my heart sang reading those words. Because I wrote GWISHE for you, my romantic, music-loving readers.

The cherry on this delicious sundae is more love for Toni and Seb from Fresh Fiction, who also chose THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES as one of their , alongside titles from Mary Bly (a/k/a Eloisa James), Denny S. Bryce, Beverly Jenkins, and Talia Hibbert.

Speaking of Talia, she named GWISHE as one of the books ²õ³ó±ð’s most looking forward to for 2021 for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. And I can tell you, the feeling is mutual! , the final book in the Brown Sisters series, comes out March 9th and I cannot wait! If you haven’t met the Browns, get on it.

Hello lovelies!

I hope you and yours are safe and well. November has been a month of high-highs, low-lows, and everything in between. But good things are happening!

When Alyssa Cole, Courtney Milan, and Kit Rocha (aka Bree & Donna) created , a fundraiser and auction to support Fair Fight, the New Georgia Project, and Black Voters Matter in the Georgia Senate Runoffs, .

Inspired by fellow romance author (and future-President,) Stacey Abrams, Romancing the Runoff has already raised over $300,000! This, after their initial goal was to maybe get $25,000. Needless to say, Romancelandia has risen to the challenge, and then some � along with people like and who donated some truly amazing auction items!

I have two lots up for grabs, including and a !

As I type this, roughly thirty-one hours remain for bidding, and there are plenty of buy-it-now items still available. Visit and bid on everything from manuscript consults to rare, signed books, to a pajama party with an author. You can also  and every little bit helps.

In other news, Falling Stars is five years old this week!
In preparation for a super secret project, the Falling Stars duo will drop out of e-book and print circulation at the end of November. Right now, both FALLING STARS and STARLIGHT are in Kindle Unlimited. If you’ve been itching for a re-read, now’s the time to buy or borrow and experience Sam and Val’s epic saga.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating this week!

Stay safe,
Xio oxo

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Hello my lovelies!

I’m so excited to finally share the cover for The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes with you! You can see it AND read an exclusive excerpt today over at .

You can pre-order it at ,Ìý, and other fine retailers.

Don’t forget, you can follow the Lillys on social media:

�

Rock on!
Xio

Hello, my lovelies! I have some exciting news to share with you. The first book in my new Sourcebooks Casablanca series, The Lillys, has a title and a release date!

I’m so excited for you to meet Toni, Seb, and the rest of the Lillys. I hope they’ll rock your world! Here’s a bit more about the first book, The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes.

They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams.

Growing up, Antonia “Toni� Bennette’s guitar was her only companion…until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni’s way out, promising they’d escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia’s indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She’s in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be if Seb didn’t still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes will be available on 6 April, 2021 but, if you’re as anxious as I am, you can pre-order it at and . And don’t forget to add it on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.

I’ve joined more than one hundred romance authors who stand in solidarity with the demands for change happening worldwide and to promote causes that are dedicated to affecting that change. The  will benefit  501(c), an organization created by romance author and politician, Stacey Abrams, to fight voter suppression. The other 50% will go to the . All donations will be made in George Floyd’s name.

We hope you’ll be inspired not only to support the , but to consider individual donations to our organizations and/or use the following links as helpful resources. FAIR FIGHT: 
COLOR OF CHANGE: 

Hello, my lovelies�

We are living through some challenging times. The most vulnerable among us are in danger, and voices are struggling to be heard. People all over the world have come together to fight injustice, demand change, and express compassion, sympathy, and support.

And for all of the hate, vitriol, and tired rhetoric, there has been an overwhelming outpouring of love that warms my heart.

For the last two years, I’ve asked a few friends to come together for a cause and a celebration. June is Pride month in the US. The first edition of was conceived as a way to celebrate the LGBT+ community and to raise money for an organization that served it. As individuals and entities seek to strip people of their basic human rights � simply because of how they self-identify, who they love, or the colour of their skin � it has become even more important to raise awareness.

We can do better and we must.

To that end, all proceeds from the Love Is All: Volume 3 will be donated to the which organizes to protect and defend the human rights of Black transgender people.

contains seven brand new novellas and short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors, including To Build a Home, a short story set in the Frankie and Johnny universe.

Frankie Llewellyn was never a big fan of love songs. They always seemed so unrealistic, all those unchained melodies and sunshine-filled cloudy days written by fools in love. When he suddenly finds himself living in a nineties power ballad, Frankie wonders if maybe those fools were onto something all along. One night he was spinning dark wave during his DJ shift at WKMP, lamenting the end of the latest in a string of mediocre relationships, and the next he was tumbling head-over-heels into an Elton John anthem.

John Burton is every sappy lyric come to life. Frankie wants to hold his hand, call him “angel� in the morning, and give him every beat of his heart. It’s a little sickening how in love he is. Less than six months into the relationship, they’re moving in together. And despite how easy it is to be with Johnny, Frankie can’t help but to worry. His track record isn’t the best, and they’re really just getting to know each other. It’s too soon, right? Maybe?

Frankie has no idea what he’s doing. He’s never felt like this before, and he’s afraid. Can he really pull off a happily-ever-after? He’s going to try, even if it kills him. Because if Frankie knows anything, it’s that a life without John Burton would be nothing worth singing about.

The anthology also includes:
Pole Kisses by Wendy Gold
The Start of Something New by Megan Hart
Hands Off by Connor Peterson
Falling Faster by Susan Scott Shelley
and Custard and Kisses by Sophia Soames

Grab Love Is All: Volume 3 on , , , , and .

I’m also super excited to be participating in LOVE OVER HATE, an auction to benefit organizations that are fighting systemic racism.

More than one hundred romance authors have come together to stand in solidarity with the demands for change happening worldwide and to promote causes that are dedicated to affecting that change. This will benefit 501(c), an organization created by romance author and politician, Stacey Abrams, to fight voter suppression. The other 50% will go to the . All donations will be made in George Floyd’s name.

We hope you’ll be inspired not only to support the , but to consider individual donations to our organizations and/or use the following links as helpful resources. FAIR FIGHT:
COLOR OF CHANGE:

Thank you, and Happy Pride!
Xio

Black lives matter.
Black Trans lives matter.

Hello, my lovelies! I hope you and yours are healthy and happy. Temperatures are finally heating up here in Philly, which means Summer is right around the corner. It’ll be the perfect time to sit in your window, out on your patio or balcony, or in the backyard (maybe venture to a nearby park) with a good book.

There are so many fabulous new releases to enjoy, from authors like , , , and ! As for me, I’m about to dive into the latest from Kennedy Ryan, .

If you recall, I featured Kennedy early in my FoX Friday series and I still stan her so hard. She is an incredible prose artist. If you haven’t checked her out yet, get on it!

Hello my dearest darlings�

What can I say that hasn’t been said already, and by people far more eloquent than I? The world finds itself alone together. This is something I’ve never experienced in my lifetime. But reading stories about how we’ve dealt with things like this before has given me comfort.

That, and all of the incredible acts of kindness, generosity, and just plain silliness that I’ve witnessed over the last week or two.

Humans are, at our very nature, resilient. We will get through this.

I feel so helpless, though, as I’m sure many of us do. This week, I was scheduled to be in Nashville at , where I’d planned to hang out with many of you. It’s been postponed, of course, and hopefully it can be rescheduled soon.

Next week, D.C. and my first were on the schedule. I look forward to the day when we can be together and celebrate the books we all love.

Hello, my lovelies!

I just popped by to let you know When Frankie Meets Johnny is now available everywhere for just 99 measly cents. I am overwhelmed by all the love shown to my surly Scot and his big-hearted crush. If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s your chance!

Scottish ex-pat Frankie Llewellyn lives and breathes music. Working late nights at WKMP, a radio station in suburban Philadelphia, he can play what he wants, sleep in every morning, and no one gives him any grief. No one but his most recent ex-boyfriend. Frankie is a serial monogamist, but after this latest break-up, he’s worried he’ll end up alone with nothing but his records to keep him warm at night.

When the station hires someone to do some much-needed renovations, Frankie is horrified to find out the work will be done during his overnight shift. But it makes the most sense, so he’s resolved to take one for the team. After he meets the mysterious contractor, a gorgeous, lumberjack of a man named John Burton, Frankie decides it may not be such a hardship after all.

John is reserved, and a bit mysterious. Quite the contrast to Frankie’s drama-filled life. But, as their friendship grows, John’s quiet presence has Frankie singing a new song.

Grab When Frankie Meets Johnny at: , , , and for 99 cents, for a limited time, and remember to check out my interview with the Big Gay Fiction Podcast. I discuss Frankie, my love of music, and what I’m working on next. You can listen anytime on ,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý, and . And there’s even an .