Hi! I’m M.J. Schiller, retired lunch lady by day, romance novelist by night. I’d like to be a romance writer all the time, but, as Rob Thomas lamented, “the real world” keeps hassling me.
I am a mother of four. My oldest will be thirty this year, and her siblings will be twenty-eight. They grew up on me! And if you’re doing the math—that’s not a chore I’d wish on anyone—that means I have triplets. Two boys and a girl, so with our eldest daughter, we have a matched set.
I’ve been married for…wait let me do the math, 36 years, together for 38. Some people wonder how Miss Emotion ended up with Mr. Logic, but, what can I say? It works for us. We are soon retiring to Columbia, MO, the place where we started. Seems right. We met each other at the University of Missouri and still love to go watch our Tigers play. Our biggest dilemma would be if the Tigers played at the same time as the St. Louis Blues, the other team we’re passionate about. I also enjoy karaoking.
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Title ROCKED BY GRACE
Author M.J. Schiller
Genre romance, rock romance, romantic suspense
Publisher Kissmet Publishing
Book Blurb
When videos hit the Internet of rock star Zane Sanders and a random fan performing what he says is a spontaneous dance, no one believes it’s unrehearsed in this sizzling romance from bestselling author M.J. Schiller.
Zane Sanders, lead singer of Just Short of Chaos, surprised everyone, including himself, when he plucked a fan out of the audience at one of his concerts.
I don’t know what possessed me to do it. I’d never done anything like that before. But something about Grace drew me to her. And within minutes of pulling her on stage, I knew I’d made one of the best decisions of my life. Since our drummer Devin’s overdose, I’d felt dead inside. Perhaps for even longer than that. But Grace was fun, sexy—and as I would discover later—good and selfless. And an irresistible magic surrounded us that made me feel alive again.
That is, until I blew it. In classic Zane style. Funny thing is, when I first got Grace up on stage, I had no idea what to do with her. Now I have no idea what I’ll do without her.
Grace Prescott was living out every girl’s fantasy.
Only thing is, fantasies ended, and I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want this one to stop. Zane had a magnetism about him that was more than mere charisma. That was evident the moment I—the girl who normally had to be dragged out onto the dance floor—practically became a pole dancer in his arms. Then it happened. The moment everyone kept referring to as “The Kiss.” But it was all part of the show, right? It didn’t matter that Zane made more than my feet move. He stirred up feelings that scared the crap out of me. The depth of his sadness called out to me even more than his unbelievable sex appeal, and that was saying something.
But it could never work between us. He may have come from a small town like me, but he was all rock star now and totally out of my league. I was a flower shop owner, not his saving Grace.
Are some actions beyond forgiveness or will he be rocked by Grace?
Excerpt
We lined up for our entrance, listening to the countdown music Rafe put together. Ten, nine, eight…. It raised the buzz of excitement to a fever pitch. The curtain hiding us from view of most of the audience was in front of the monitors flashing each number from ten to one. Each was followed by either an album cover, or an action shot or close-up of a band member. The cheers were loudest for me and Jericho. As our quirky front man and the face of the band, I had a huge following, especially on social media. Jericho was Mr. Sex Appeal, and he knew it. Played it to his advantage. Wore it comfortably, like a favorite sweatshirt. I swung from enjoying the limelight to wanting to disappear for a while, depending on the day of the week. But I kept my reticence hidden. I couldn’t sell the band if I was invisible. And when I was on, I could work a room, or an interview, like nobody’s business, and even enjoy it, to a degree. Only it took a lot of energy and focus to pull it off.
The number four flashed across the screen.
Rafe drummed on my shoulders. “You ready, buddy?” He had to shout to be heard above the thunder bellowing on the other side of the curtain.
I nodded.
Three. A shot of Jericho playing behind his head.
Two. The cover from the album that launched us into the spotlight.
One.
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Author Biography
Bestselling author M.J. Schiller is a retired lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-nine-year-old and three twenty-seven-year-olds. That's right, triplets! She likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.
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Title BEATING IN TIME
Author M.J. Schiller
Genre romance, rock romance, romantic suspense
Publisher Kissmet Publishing
Book Blurb
Once upon a time, their hearts beat as one…
Drummer Levi Cannon knows that all the platinum records in the world won’t fill the Remi-sized hole in his heart.
I left Last Chance Beach and Remington Lawson behind when I took my shot at fame and fortune, but I had no idea what I was sacrificing. Now that a fundraiser has brought me home, I want more than anything to win her back. But it’s been eight years. There may be a bridge that connects the island to the mainland, but am I a fool to think that I can build something that will span the chasm of all those years?
Remi Boyd knows that her love for her brother’s best friend has never died.
But what kind of fool would I be to trust him again after he broke my heart? I was a child when he left. Now I’m a woman who’s been a wife and I’m also a mother to the most precious girl in the world. I can’t drag her through some torrid affair, and that is clearly all Levi can offer me.
Music took him away. Music brought him back. But is it too late to recapture what they once had? Or can Last Chance Beach work its magic for them?
Excerpt
“Who is that blonde with the body that won’t stop?” I said loudly.
“That’s Remi.”
It felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. “Remi?”
“How many Remis do you know?” Dak answered. “Remi Lawson.”
Wyatt’s little sister. So many emotions hit me at once I froze—like a cat walking across a keyboard, the flurry of input jammed up my brain. The level of shock was threefold. One, to see her in the first place. Two, to see her looking so hot. Three, to see her with a guy’s hands on her.
As he held her by the hips she bent backward with a hand on her head and whipped her hair around twice. Before she rose, she caught my eye and gave me this sexy smile that shot immediately to my gut. She straightened and spun. Though I couldn’t hear her, I could read her lips, and she called out my name, taking a step toward me. Marco yanked her back against him. My gaze zeroed in on his hand, splayed on her pelvis, and, well, I lost it.
I must have gotten rid of my cup, because I didn’t have it when I got to her. I heard her say, “Oh, shit,” but my focus was on Marco. I grabbed her arm and jerked her away from him.
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Title TO HELL IN A COACH BAG
Author M.J. Schiller
Genre romance, chick lit
Publisher Kissmet
Book Blurb
The first in the DEVILISH DIVAS SERIES ~
"Funny, sexy, emotionally deep, imaginative, well-written, addictive. Enjoyed it very much!" -Amazon reviewer
Four Midwest lunch ladies on a cross-country road trip...
DANIELLE ~
When a twist of fate reunites the widowed Dani with the hot roadie she met at a concert, will she have the guts to open up to Tucker and perhaps start a new relationship?
SAMANTHA ~
Wild divorcee Sam discovers Kyle, the Canadian referee she met at the same concert, is in town for a Colorado Avalanche game. Although Kyle's logged some serious ice time, Sam's cold shoulder may put his heart in perma-freeze.Two women who equate love with pain. Will they open themselves up to new possibilities?Four friends. Could their destination be Love? Or are they simply headed to Hell in a Coach bag?
Excerpt
Three heads popped up in unison, and Maxine stared at Sam who was pale as a ghost. "I am so sorry."
"That's okay," Sam answered quickly.
"Okay?" Alex screamed. "That's a four-hundred-dollar Coach purse."
That got my attention. I stuck out my head. "Excuse me, ladies, but I couldn't help but overhear. Did you say four-hundred-dollar purse?"
"Oh, Tucker," Maxine wailed, grabbing ahold of my shirt with both fists. "You have to get that purse."
"O-o-okay." I started to leave, but Max called me back.
"Oh, and Tucker, be careful."
"I will," I replied, bewildered. It wasn't like I was going to have to scale the edge of the building to get it. There were stairs.
It was not until I got below that I understood her statement. The billion-dollar purse was stuck on a tree branch hanging over a muddy ravine separating the tennis courts from the outer courtyard. Here and there, quaint little bridges crossed the ravine. There had been some recent mountain storms, and it was plenty full at that point. I looked up to the balcony where the three women watched me.
"How much did you say this purse cost?" I yelled.
"Four-hundred dollars," they yelled in unison.
As I leaned against the tree trunk and took off my loafers, I glared at them, wondering about the twisty path that brought me to this. I jumped and caught a low branch, then muscled my way to sit on it.
"Oh, my!" Maxine exclaimed.
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Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ToHellInACoachBag
Title AN UNCOMMON LOVE
Author M.J. Schiller
Genre romance
Publisher Kissmet Publishing
Book Blurb
Princess Adriana had her life all figured out.
Or, to be more precise, she had her life all figured out for her. Before she was even born she was betrothed to Garin, and that was perfectly acceptable as he became her childhood friend, and then, eventually, the person she would swap kisses with inside the palace gardens. She never questioned it, never had a reason to, until the day a commoner was brought before her father, the King, to be punished.
Seth Hobbes despises royalty.
But when he creeps into the castle at night to thank the princess for freeing him, they begin to build a relationship with one another that is often as explosive as it is endearing. But fate ends up separating the two and they must undertake a long and arduous journey to be reunited.
And even if they’re reunited, can Adriana make Seth see her for herself and not the princess he imagines?
And will she ever be able to convince her father that, despite his objections over Seth being a commoner, there is nothing “common” about him at all?
With everything against them, can an uncommon love like theirs survive?
Excerpt
Adriana’s cheeks grew warm. She gazed at the stranger, her mouth hanging open. He was easily the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. His shirt, which should have been tied at the neck, was torn and open, revealing his well-muscled chest, which glistened with sweat in the late afternoon sunlight. The veins on his powerful arms, captured on each side by a guard, bulged as he fought to free himself, despite being wildly out-numbered. Adriana felt an unfamiliar acceleration of her heart-beat when he, despite the flurry of activity around him, did not take his gaze from hers. His face at first seemed open, thoughtful. But then, as his focus trailed over her gown and the thin circle of gold and jewels laced through her hair, his jaw became set. His stare turned cold, almost hostile. Adriana pursed her lips, uncomfortable with the change.
Her father stepped out on the balcony, and she at last tore her attention from the prisoner and looked up.
Garin appeared, grabbing her around the waist and trying to steer her away from the scene. “You should not be here.”
Adriana slapped at his hands. “Leave me be, Garin,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and tense. At her words, his eyes flashed, and he pulled his hands away, holding them up in a sign of surrender.
The crowd quieted as one, and all faces turned upward as the king spoke. “Why is this man brought before me?”
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Amazon: mybook.to/AnUncommonLove
Title TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
Author M.J. Schiller
Genre romance, romantic suspense
Publisher Kissmet Publishing
Book Blurb
Leaving the Midwest to follow her boyfriend to Victory, New York was a mistake.
When he gambles away her college savings, and is caught with a prostitute, it is clear that Harper gave her heart—and ATM card—to the wrong man. Embarrassed, and having no means to get home, she tries to pick up the pieces of her life in Victory. But when she witnesses her friend’s murder, her luck turns even colder, and the stakes are raised.
He wants to rid his little part of the world of crime.
But a certain red-headed dealer at La Bonne Chance casino is a distraction he can’t turn away from…and he’s not sure he wants to. When Harper is hunted by mobsters, Cash will do anything to keep her safe, even if it means going all in and putting his heart on the table.
Will Cash find Harper before the mob can?
And even if he does, will he be able to convince her to take a chance on him when everything around her is a lie? Harper is on the biggest losing streak of her life. But with the bad guys hot on her trail, is Cash a winning bet? If she makes another mistake, it could be her final wager.
Will they be lucky in love, or are they running out of chips?
Excerpt
Five-Foot-Two-Eyes-Of-Blue. That’s what he’d been calling her for weeks. Cash Delmonaco slid into the end seat at a blackjack table, where he could keep an eye on the suspect, although that wasn’t where his gaze was focused at the moment. He watched her hands—beautiful, graceful—as the cards arced like a rainbow between them. They slapped onto the table, one at a time, intermixing like couples at a speed dating event, the noise satisfyingly sharp. Like his nerves. And not because he was investigating a “probable” prostitution ring with “possible” mob tie-ins that was “likely” laundering money. Yeah, Victory, New York might not be Vegas, but vice wasn’t picky about locations. Vice went where the action was. Where the money was. But he’d be damned if that happened on his watch. He wanted, needed to keep this town clean. In memory of his parents.
But all that aside, his pulse wasn’t racing because he was some action junkie cop. His adrenaline was fueled by what would affect any red-blooded male. Her. He lifted his head, his gaze traveling over delicate wrists, up her arms, and across the swell of her breasts. She had a perfect column of a neck. He paused, imagining his lips brushing along the hollow there. After a few seconds, his view continued to climb. An appealing full mouth, flawlessly shaped. China-doll skin, and—BAM!—those eyes. Bluer than the waters of the Greek isles, which he’d only seen in pictures.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/take-a-chance-on-me-real-romance-collection-6-by-m-j-schiller