by Susannah Nix
The door of the limo opened to a glare of blinding flashbulbs and a roar of crowd noise. Hand in hand, drawing courage from each other, they stepped out to face the public.
The End
Don’t miss the next Starstruck novel
FALLEN STAR
Coming in 2019!
Author’s Note
I started plotting this book not long after the Harvey Weinstein story broke, just as the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements were gaining momentum in the national conversation. Because sexual misconduct is as much a problem in academia as everywhere else, and because almost every woman I know has been harmed by it at some point in her life, I was inspired to write it into Alice’s story.
The more research I did, and the more people I talked to, the more I went back and forth on how to resolve the situation with Dr. Gilchrist.
There’s always an element of fantasy to the happy endings romances provide. But in order to make the fantasy more believable, I try to make the world my stories are set in as realistic as I can. There are no easy answers or simple solutions to life’s problems. True love is a balm for the soul, but it is not a Magic Eraser for all our troubles.
As we’ve seen over and over, not just this year, but every year I’ve lived on this earth, it’s never as simple as speaking up about the wrong that has been done to you and seeing the wrongdoer punished for his actions. For that reason, I was reluctant to wrap up this particular aspect of the story in too neat a bow.
Maybe one day, if we keep talking about these issues enough, we’ll create a world in which women will no longer fear to speak up. When they needn’t sacrifice their physical or professional safety in order to call out their abusers. When survivors are believed, and justice is done.
But that is not the world we live in now.
For more information on these issues, or to show your support for those who’ve been affected by sexual harassment and sexual violence, consider checking out the following resources:
Just Be Inc., started by #MeToo founder Tarana Burke
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TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, started by a group of over 300 women in Hollywood
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RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, which operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) in partnership with more than a thousand local sexual assault service providers across the country.
Thank you for reading,
Susannah Nix
Acknowledgments
This book would not exist without the assistance of my dear friend and sociology guru, Mikaela Dufur. Not only did she plant the idea that Alice should be a graduate student trapped in ABD limbo, she came up with Alice’s dissertation topic, helped me figure out why Alice was having so much trouble finishing, and provided the majority of Dr. Frazier’s wisdom. Thank you, friend, for writing detailed responses to my many questions and spending so much time talking through the plot with me when we could have been watching British mystery shows instead!
I am also indebted to my wonderful beta readers: Meredith Zylberberg, Danielle Dupré, Joanna Cotter, Dena Miccolis, and Bethany Gronberg. Thank you for your brilliant insights, and for helping me get the details right.
Speaking of getting the details right, I am eternally grateful for my editor, Julia Ganis, whose keen eye and expert suggestions made this book far better than it would have been without her intervention.
Additional thanks go out to Tara Gonzales of InkSlinger PR and my cover designer, Sarah Hansen, for putting my book in a pretty package and helping it find readers.
I have always had an amazing cheering squad of friends who have pushed, supported, and inspired me on my writing journey. I wish I had the space name every one of you, but know that you are each treasured.
Finally, and most important of all, I want to thank my husband, Dave, for encouraging me when I needed a boost of confidence, leaving me alone when I needed to concentrate, and loving me even when I was cranky and distracted while writing this book.
About the Author
SUSANNAH NIX lives in Texas with her husband, two ornery cats, and a flatulent pit bull. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, knitting, watching stupid amounts of television, and getting distracted by Tumblr. She is also a powerlifter who can deadlift as much as Captain America weighs.
If you’re on Facebook, come hang out with Susannah and other romance lovers in her VIP Reader Group to chat about books, movies, TV, crafts, science, life, the universe, and everything!
www.susannahnix.com
Books by Susannah Nix
Chemistry Lessons Series:
Remedial Rocket Science
Intermediate Thermodynamics
Advanced Physical Chemistry
Starstruck Series:
Rising Star
Fallen Star (coming in 2019)
REMEDIAL ROCKET SCIENCE
Read the book where it all began
Opposites attract when a computer geek meets billionaire bad boy…
The last thing Melody expects when she accepts a dream job offer is to run into her college one-night stand again. Not only does the hunky blast from her past work at the same aerospace company where she’s just started in the IT department, he’s the CEO’s son.
Jeremy’s got a girlfriend and a reputation as a bad boy, so Melody resolves to keep her distance and focus on building a new life for herself in Los Angeles. But despite her good intentions, she can’t seem to stay away from the heavenly-smelling paragon of hotness.
As the two begin to forge an unlikely friendship, Melody’s attraction to Jeremy grows deeper than she’s ready to admit. Can the woman who always plays it safe take a risk on the man who’s all wrong for her in all the right ways?
This slow-burn sweet romance is the first in a series of standalone rom-coms featuring heroines who work in STEM fields.
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“Nix lightheartedly mashes up various romance tropes—the fish out of water, opposites attracting, colleagues in love—for a whimsical story that fans of contemporary romance will enjoy.”
—Publishers Weekly
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“If you like books like Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, you’ll like this one.”
—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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“A geeky fish-out-of-water story with a charming billionaire prince who falls for the girl despite the two of them having little in common.”
—Heroes and Heartbreakers
Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook