Every new book brings with it a new opportunity to procrastinate by making a new book playlist. I kid! Actually, I find playlists hugely helpful. Since I write, revise, and promote a book over a period of months or even years, nothing helps me get into the headspace of a book the way music does. In my latest book, BAD REPUTATION, a Hollywood himbo’s attempted comeback via a steamy adaptation of a historical novel hits a snag when he falls for the show’s new intimacy coordinator.
And its playlist is hopping.
Cinema – Benny Benassi and Gary Go
I dig the electro-beat of this song. It feels like audible bubble gum, and that’s definitely the vibe of parts of this book. But the lyrics also resonate with BAD REPUTATION. “You are my cinema, I could watch you forever”: the singer is using a metaphor, but that’s exactly what Maggie thinks about Cole.
Comeback Kid – Sleigh Bells
The working title of BAD REPUTATION was Comeback Kid, and I used to listen to this song every writing session to get started. Both Cole and Maggie have bad reputations that aren’t earned, and they both want a fresh start. “I know you tried so hard, but you can't even win”: except maybe they win by falling in love.
Feels Like – Gracie Abrams
A perfect encapsulation of that early, giddy relationship stage where you’re hoping that you’ve finally “met (someone) at the right time.” Cole and Maggie spend a lot of the book hopelessly in like with each other, convinced that their crush is one sided. But of course we know that the case at all.
Surrender My Heart – Carly Rae Jepsen
Cole and Maggie have been bruised, and they have so much at stake. That makes it hard for them both to take that last step and fall. When Jepsen sings, “I used to soldier through my hardest days,” that’s so true of both of them. It’s amazing to watch them help each other carry their burdens.
Why Am I Like This? – Orla Garland
The only thing that’s worse than being anxious is knowing that you’re anxious and wondering why you can’t change. “Maybe you don't really want me there” the singer worries, but Cole and Maggie, despite all their second guessing, will always want the other person to be there.
Bonus Track: Gotta Have You – The Weepies
BAD REPUTATION is definitely about how toxic the early 2000s were, but to balance that out, we have to include one the sweetest indie bands of that era. The chorus is pretty much Cole and Maggie in a nutshell: “No amount of coffee, no amount of crying, no amount of whiskey, no amount of wine, nothing else will do. I've gotta have you.”
In this whip-smart workplace romance from the author of Chick Magnet, a former teen star and an accidental intimacy coordinator have a plan to fix their images—and falling in love would ruin everything.
Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.
Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.
Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.
The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.
Romance Comedy [Montlake, On Sale: October 1, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662520839 / ]
Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.
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