The Marriage Auction
(Season Two, Book One)
by Audrey Carlan
Three women and one man put themselves up for auction in a high-stakes game of marriage, money, and mayhem. The spice is high, the characters intense, and the plot will keep you guessing until the bitter end. This is the filthy, gritty, angsty soap opera you never knew you needed. Welcome to The Marriage Auction.
Meet the candidates:
Maia Rhodes – A twenty-four-year-old pickpocket with a tragic past and one goal: Do whatever it takes to secure enough money to save her family from the devil and his spawn back home…even marry a stranger.
Memphis Taylor – A college footballer who had big dreams of playing for the NFL but dropped out of college due to an injury. He needs to make enough money to help support his five sisters, his parents, and his sassy granny. What’s three years of his life?
Summer Belanger – A Californian cannabis farmer with an unorthodox family, a witchy faith, and a desire to find her life’s purpose. As a horticulturist, she finds solace and peace in plants and nature but doesn’t know the first thing about running a successful business. Her kookie parents suggest the auction so she can find a businessman who will help her succeed and also handle her pesky lack of orgasms.
Julianne Myers – Was raised in the lap of luxury, until her parents and their best friends were killed, leaving her brother and her childhood crush their empires. Her brother and his new fiancée attempt to take it all. Lost and utterly alone, Jules enters into the auction in order to make a huge amount of money fast. Only she didn’t expect her godmother, aka Madam Alana, to meddle and create a match she never dreamed possible.
Continue to Book 2 to meet the Bidders…
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Disclaimer: This serial can be read as a standalone but is best read after TMA 1. Recommended for individuals 18+ as it contains graphic depiction of sexual acts and adult content that may trigger some readers. Please visit my website for a full list of sensitive content.
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An Exclusive Interview with Audrey Carlan
What is it like to be back in The Marriage Auction world?
I love this world and these characters so much it feels like coming home.
What is it like to keep track of/write this many characters and storylines happening at the same time?
I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy, because it is not. Being true to so many different personalities, conflicts, goals, and the overall arching storyline has been one of the hardest challenges in my career. However, it’s also the most satisfying. When readers tell me they connected so beautiful to one character or they hated another, I feel like I’m winning at life.
I freely admit Madam Alana is one of my fave characters ever. Who are some of your fave characters to write in this series?
I have several faves in the Marriage Auction Universe and usually it’s because they are easy to write when the time comes for their POV in the story. For example, Sutton in Season 1 was a blast. The dynamic between he and Dakota always kept me engaged. In TMA 2, I was always excited to write Giovanni and Memphis, two of my male heroes. Mostly because I love an alpha male that is all in for the heroine from the jump. And poor Gio had soooo much emotionally to go through. I fully enjoyed the nuances and growth of his character. And Memphis, is just a great guy. A genuinely good human. Everything about him is beautiful from how he treats Naomi and his family, to how he responds to difficult situations with such class. Summer was a lot of fun for me too because she’s different and quirky. She’s so free-spirited and thoughtful, I was really able to put a lot more of how I personally see the world, when writing her character which makes me more connected to her journey.
Speaking of characters, you write such dynamic, multi-layered people. How does that all come to you?
I treat my characters as if I am explaining the lives and personalities of my best friends to a stranger. We as authors have to find a way to not only write a unique hero/heroine physically, but they also have to be nuanced enough in their flaws and gifts that a reader can quickly connect to them. If a character is perfect with no drama, no flaws, and everything is rainbows and butterflies all the time, they’d be boring to read. Readers need to be able to put themselves in the shoes of each character or at the very least imagine it. If they can’t, the character will not be memorable, and you run the risk of losing a reader.
Were you surprised at any of the matches or did you think any of them wouldn’t work as a couple?
I will admit to being a little shaky on Jack and Summer. There’s opposites attract and then there’s Jack and Summer. Truth be told, four out of five of my beta readers were not “here” for their coupling, but I had a vision, and I went for it. Now they’re a fan favorite.
Some fun “most likely” questions for our Marriage Auction 2 crew:
Who is most likely to be late for brunch because they stopped to pet a dog?
One thousand percent Summer. She’s an earthy, hippie type of girl, and dogs and cats naturally go with her vibe.
Who is most likely to get a random tattoo on a night out?
I would have also said Summer because of her free spirit, but she’s also the girl that would only get tats to commemorate something.
I’d have to pick Maia. She’s young, hasn’t had a lot of time to really live life because she’s spent all of her energy on survival. I think she could be conned into getting something silly and regretting it the next day.
Who is most likely to become an internet meme?
Probably Rhodes because he’s a single father to a teenager. He’d likely do something “Dad like” and his daughter Emily would share it to the masses, and it would become the meme for Dad’s everywhere.
Who is most likely to write a memoir?
The obvious answer is Alana, but I already wrote her journey in Madam Alana for 1001 Dark Nights so I’m going to go with Julianne. She’s a badass boss bish and when you read their story ARC in TMA 2, you will understand exactly why. Girl would have oodles to write about after all they went through. Whoo boy!
Who is most likely to be the first one out on the dance floor?
Naomi of course! She’s a woman who works hard and plays hard. She also loves to have fun. I could see her shaking that bodacious booty on a dance floor for sure. Summer would be right up there with her too.
Who is most likely to appear on the kiss cam at a sporting event?
Since Memphis is an ex-footballer, he’d be primed for a kiss cam. And he’s the type that is super proud of his woman. He and Naomi would absolutely pucker up for the kiss cam! They’d probably get a picture of it and frame it and hang it up in their home too. They’re also cute like that.
Who is most likely to die first in a scary movie?
I hate to say Jack, but I’m saying Jack. Not because he lacks physical prowess, but I think he’d spend all his time searching for everyone he loved, trying to ensure everyone’s safety before his own. He’d be the man that went down with a sinking ship trying to save every last man, and a lot of the time, one of the good guys seem to always finish last in horror films.
Who is most likely to know the lyrics to every single Taylor Swift song?
Summer is definitely a Swiftie.
Who is most likely to give the best advice?
Madam Alana is known for giving good counsel, but I think Giovanni and Rhodes would both be excellent sources for advice. They are mostly calm under pressure, have years of business experience, and they are not the type to exaggerate anything. They will tell you like it is.
Who is most likely to buy matching pajamas?
Buy them and “want” to wear them, Naomi and Memphis. Hands down. He has a huge family and Naomi is starved for familial connection. I could see the entire Taylor clan dressed up in matching pj’s for a big movie day at home. Popcorn flying. Candy being fought over. Rum being snuck into Coke’s, and nothing but laughter and love.
Biography:
Audrey Carlan is a No. 1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She writes stories that help the reader find themselves while falling in love. Some of her works include the worldwide phenomenon Calendar Girl serial, Trinity series and the International Guy series. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages across the globe.
She lives in the California Valley, where she enjoys her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters,” or with her nose stuck in a sexy romance novel.
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