Book Spotlight: Hotline by Quinn Anderson
by Quinn Anderson
Release Date: October 31, 2016
Riptide Publishing
About Hotline
Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he’s in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client.
Until a man named “John” starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck. It’s not just that John has money, or that his rumbling baritone drives Zack wild. He’s everything Zack isn’t: educated, poised, and in total control of his life.
A twist of fate brings them face-to-face, and now that they’ve seen each other—and spent an unforgettable night together—they can’t go back to the way things were. A sex worker and a trust fund brat . . . It’s like Romeo and Juliet, but with less stabbing and slightly fewer dick jokes. Hopefully they can pull off a more successful ending.
Riptide Publishing
About Hotline
Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he’s in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client.
Until a man named “John” starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck. It’s not just that John has money, or that his rumbling baritone drives Zack wild. He’s everything Zack isn’t: educated, poised, and in total control of his life.
A twist of fate brings them face-to-face, and now that they’ve seen each other—and spent an unforgettable night together—they can’t go back to the way things were. A sex worker and a trust fund brat . . . It’s like Romeo and Juliet, but with less stabbing and slightly fewer dick jokes. Hopefully they can pull off a more successful ending.
Read my five-starred review of Hotline.
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An Excerpt from Hotline
His trip to work was uneventful, but the moment he walked into the office, he was accosted by Alexa.
“Wow, I feel special,” Zack joked. “You almost never greet me at the door.”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Alexa said. Her brown eyes flashed with mischief. “I just had the funniest request. I wanted to tell you about it before you have to call your client.”
“Tell me everything,” Zack responded with glee, but then the rest of what Alexa had said caught up with him. “Wait, what client?”
“I took a call a few minutes ago that was meant for you, or rather ‘Wesley.’ I left a Murmur on your desk with the details. I offered to transfer him to someone who was free, but he insisted on talking to you.”
Zack’s heart didn’t skip so much as play hopscotch on his rib cage.
“Oh?” he asked, feigning nonchalance. “Was it one of my regulars?”
“Not as far as I know. I didn’t recognize his name. It was super generic.”
“A generic name?” Zack kept his tone conversational. “Like Chris or Mike or . . . John?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Zack forced his face to stay blank even as his stomach dropped out through his feet. “You don’t happen to remember his exact name, do you?”
Alexa tapped her chin with a neon-green fingernail. “Can’t say I do. Why? Are you expecting someone?”
“No, no,” Zack said too quickly, “I was just wondering. I mean, there was this one client I hoped would call back, but it’s probably not him.”
Alexa looked at him askance. “You all right there, Sparky?”
“Yeah,” Zack replied. “I’m just a little hungover.”
Alexa let his flimsy excuse slide. “Well, you look pale and, honestly, a bit deranged. You should sit down. I’ll tell you about my client later.”
“Right,” Zack said, forcing a smile. “Catch you in a bit.”
He walked stiffly toward his desk, berating himself. He wasn’t the world’s greatest liar, but he wasn’t usually that bad. There was no reason for him to freak out. John was one of the most common names out there. Generic, as Alexa had put it. Besides, if a client intended to call back, they typically did so right away. The chances of converting a new client into a regular after a whole week had passed were supermodel slim.
No matter how many times Zack repeated this, his nerves still felt like they were skittering across ice. The second he reached his desk, he snatched up the Murmur Alexa had left. Shit. It just had a connection number and a callback time. No help at all.
He fired up his computer and jiggled his leg as he waited for the processor to boot. The welcome screen loaded with agonizing slowness, followed by his desktop. He clicked on the program they used to log calls, all but crawling out of his skin with impatience.
Once it loaded, he clocked in and signaled to the program that he wanted to make a call. When it had connected to his phone line and marked him as Busy, he finally picked up the phone.
He held the receiver to his ear, listening to the mindless buzz of the dial tone. He punched in the connection number Alexa had left and forced himself to breathe evenly. The call picked up and switched him over to the correct line. Then the phone rang once, twice, three times.
On the fourth ring, Zack heard a click and a muffled greeting. Too muffled for him to recognize the voice.
He floundered for a second before pulling himself together enough to rasp, “Hello. My name’s Wesley. I’m here to make all your dreams come true.”
He winced. He sounded awful. As he waited for a response, he was nearly deafened by the sound of his own pulse throbbing in his ears.
Then a smooth, rumbling voice said, “Hello, Darkling.”
“Wow, I feel special,” Zack joked. “You almost never greet me at the door.”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Alexa said. Her brown eyes flashed with mischief. “I just had the funniest request. I wanted to tell you about it before you have to call your client.”
“Tell me everything,” Zack responded with glee, but then the rest of what Alexa had said caught up with him. “Wait, what client?”
“I took a call a few minutes ago that was meant for you, or rather ‘Wesley.’ I left a Murmur on your desk with the details. I offered to transfer him to someone who was free, but he insisted on talking to you.”
Zack’s heart didn’t skip so much as play hopscotch on his rib cage.
“Oh?” he asked, feigning nonchalance. “Was it one of my regulars?”
“Not as far as I know. I didn’t recognize his name. It was super generic.”
“A generic name?” Zack kept his tone conversational. “Like Chris or Mike or . . . John?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Zack forced his face to stay blank even as his stomach dropped out through his feet. “You don’t happen to remember his exact name, do you?”
Alexa tapped her chin with a neon-green fingernail. “Can’t say I do. Why? Are you expecting someone?”
“No, no,” Zack said too quickly, “I was just wondering. I mean, there was this one client I hoped would call back, but it’s probably not him.”
Alexa looked at him askance. “You all right there, Sparky?”
“Yeah,” Zack replied. “I’m just a little hungover.”
Alexa let his flimsy excuse slide. “Well, you look pale and, honestly, a bit deranged. You should sit down. I’ll tell you about my client later.”
“Right,” Zack said, forcing a smile. “Catch you in a bit.”
He walked stiffly toward his desk, berating himself. He wasn’t the world’s greatest liar, but he wasn’t usually that bad. There was no reason for him to freak out. John was one of the most common names out there. Generic, as Alexa had put it. Besides, if a client intended to call back, they typically did so right away. The chances of converting a new client into a regular after a whole week had passed were supermodel slim.
No matter how many times Zack repeated this, his nerves still felt like they were skittering across ice. The second he reached his desk, he snatched up the Murmur Alexa had left. Shit. It just had a connection number and a callback time. No help at all.
He fired up his computer and jiggled his leg as he waited for the processor to boot. The welcome screen loaded with agonizing slowness, followed by his desktop. He clicked on the program they used to log calls, all but crawling out of his skin with impatience.
Once it loaded, he clocked in and signaled to the program that he wanted to make a call. When it had connected to his phone line and marked him as Busy, he finally picked up the phone.
He held the receiver to his ear, listening to the mindless buzz of the dial tone. He punched in the connection number Alexa had left and forced himself to breathe evenly. The call picked up and switched him over to the correct line. Then the phone rang once, twice, three times.
On the fourth ring, Zack heard a click and a muffled greeting. Too muffled for him to recognize the voice.
He floundered for a second before pulling himself together enough to rasp, “Hello. My name’s Wesley. I’m here to make all your dreams come true.”
He winced. He sounded awful. As he waited for a response, he was nearly deafened by the sound of his own pulse throbbing in his ears.
Then a smooth, rumbling voice said, “Hello, Darkling.”
A Note from Quinn Anderson
Hello, everyone! This is Quinn Anderson, author of the Murmur Inc. series, and I'm here to share some inside information about, Hotline, coming out October 31st. Stay tuned to hear about where I get my ideas, writing comedy, and how I went "undercover" as a sex worker to research my novels. Leave comments on the tour posts for a chance to win a $10 Riptide Publishing gift card!
About Quinn Anderson
Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.
A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Sherlock, Harry Potter, Supernatural, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Buffy, Marvel, and more. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere.
Her favorite television show is Avatar: the Last Airbender, her favorite film is Tangled, and her favorite book is Ella Enchanted. She can often be spotted at conventions, comic shops, and midnight book releases. If you're at an event, and you see a 6'2'' redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that's probably her. Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray, and Tamora Pierce. When she's not writing, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending too much time on the internet, screwing the rules, finding the Master Sword, guided falling, consulting for the NYPD, guarding the galaxy, boldly going, and catching 'em all.
Connect with Quinn
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Hotline, one lucky winner will receive $10 in Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 5, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
I really like the excerpt!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Great excerpt. It looks good.
ReplyDeletehumhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
I had the chance to read the ARC and I quite liked it. I will definitely pay attention to Quinn Anderson’s future releases
ReplyDeleteamie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com
I have been looking forwards to this release ever since I read an except a few weeks ago!! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletepsshepherd(at)earthlink(dot)net
Congrats on the release & thanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeletelegacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com