Thursday, July 1, 2021

Casting Her Crush

I’m always delighted to share new releases with you and it’s especially fun if there’s insight into the book’s beginning or the author’s writing process.

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome author M.C. Vaughan to Thoughts in Progress to talk about her recent release, CASTING HER CRUSH, the fourth installment in her The Charm City Hearts series.

Casting Her Crush
By M.C. Vaughan
Charm City Hearts (Book 4) installments may be read independently
Release Date: 5/10/21
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Length: 91k / 347 pages
Genre:  Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Romance with a co-worker is a terrible idea…unless he was the star of your teenaged fantasies.

As a teenager, MELINDA COLE underwent life-saving heart surgery. Ever since, the hyper-efficient stage manager has no patience for wasting time. She devotes herself to what matters most—her friends, her parents, and her job. Once upon a time, her boyfriend had a spot on that list. Then he broke up with her out of nowhere. So now? She's diving deep into her work at Baltimore's cutting-edge theater company, with an eye on becoming a director by next season.

MAX CAMERON spent his teen years as the heartthrob star of the number one family sitcom in the U.S. But now, years after his wild child lifestyle ended, he'd be lucky to score a spot on bad reality television. To reinvigorate his career, Max and his cameraman buddy have cooked up an idea they hope will turn viral. At the height of his popularity, he’d visited his number one fan as part of the Grant-a-Wish program. Dropping in on her today would be ratings gold.

Melinda has zero idea why Max Cameron, star of her teenage fantasies, has crashed her theater’s auditions. Or why he’s bearing flowers, a cameraman, and his trademark platinum smile. Before she can ask, the theater's producer sees a stunt casting opportunity. Her boss cuts her a deal—if Melinda convinces Max to take the lead and coaches him to a Bard-worthy performance, then a directorship is hers. Challenge accepted, but she must keep her crush on lock. No one would take her seriously again if she fell for the leading man.

CASTING HER CRUSH can be found at the following links:

Now join me in giving a warm welcome to M.C. who joins us for a little insight into her book. Welcome, M.C.

How the book and series came to be, a little about me, and a little about the series:

Aside from my college years, I’ve lived in Baltimore since I was born. This quirky city has inspired tons of television and movies, but zero romance novels that I could find. It’s the perfect backdrop for romance—small town feel, bustling downtown, a vibrant arts community, a picturesque waterfront, money-soaked families that have been a part of Baltimore society since the founding of the city. Thus, the Charm City Hearts series was born.

My romances are always inspired by a meet-cute that pops into my head that makes me giggle. For Casting Her Crush, I asked myself… What if you found yourself working with the celebrity you had a giant crush on as a teenager? And what if acting on that crush could land you in hot water, professionally? Why would a nationally famous teen heartthrob find himself in Baltimore as an adult? Answering those questions was a ton of fun, and eventually spun itself into a novel.

Did the pandemic affect your writing/publishing?

The pandemic had a huge impact on my writing. Our worlds changed on a dime. One day we were going to offices, school, sports, activities, and then… We weren’t. All members of my family were home, hunkering down to combat a virus or questing for hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Adhering to a writing became increasingly difficult. Even if I wasn’t suddenly fielding dozens of school emails and providing tech support to my family, the grind of constant worry made it tough to get into the right headspace for romance.

For my sanity, though, I needed to find a way to control something. So, every morning before the rest of my crew stirred, I’d crawl out of bed to sit with my fantasy world. Soon, Casting Her Crush became my happy, pandemic-less escape. My characters went to their favorite restaurants, traveled, performed in a theater, held hands (and more! wink). This productivity didn’t happen overnight, and I ended up requesting a three-month extension from my publisher. Graciously, they agreed. I’m so happy they did, because it allowed me the chance to tell Melinda’s and Max’s story with the all the swoony heart it deserves.

M.C., thanks for sharing this understanding of how your book came about. I’m glad you were able to tell the story of Melinda and Max.

Meet the Author: M.C. Vaughan


M.C. Vaughan is a Baltimore-based author of contemporary romance riddled with humor and local flavor. So, if you want to giggle throughout your sexy stories, welcome! You’ll root for her characters as they fall for their perfect people...and simultaneously want to throttle them for being big dummies about love.

She grew up in a house crowded with family, friends, books, music, and the occasional ghost. After graduating from Georgetown University with a degree in English literature (and an unofficial major in student- run theatre), she worked in sports marketing, higher education, toy production, and software development.

Currently, she lives in Maryland with her husband and three delightful kids.

For more on the author and her writing, you can connect with her on the following links:

Twitter:  @MC_Vaughan

Thank so much for stopping by today. Be sure to keep a check back later this month when I share my thoughts on this fascinating story.

In my early 20s I was a huge fan of a very popular soap opera and had the good fortune to meet one of the handsome leading actors. We passed each other in a hallway, spoke for a few minutes, took a photo of him and the next week I was sneezing my head off like he had been. LOL Now, have you ever been able to meet the heart throb of your teenage (or older) fantasies?

2 comments:

  1. Thank you both. I really appreciate being invited into writer's heads and routines.

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  2. I do like learning how authors do what they do. And the story sounds like a fine romance, too. Thanks for sharing.

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