Val Saunders and Sam Newman are two Hollywood actors at opposite ends of their careers. Hers is skyrocketing while his, well, never really took off. Fate brings them together when they're cast as lovers on a steamy new television series. The on-screen chemistry between them is off the charts and when it spills over into a real life attraction, they find themselves in a situation. Sam is an honorable man. He has been faithful to a toxic, Hollywood marriage for nearly half his life. He's never strayed and isn't about to start now, despite the fact that he is falling head over heels for his co-star. Val's worked hard to get her career on the path to the A-list and the last thing she wants, or needs, is a scandal. If only her heart and her brain were working with the same script. Romance is an ideal. This is a love story. It explores the possibility of second chances and asks hard questions about duty, fidelity, life in the public eye, and the cost of being happy. Falling Stars is the beginning of a sexy, sensual, and emotional roller-coaster ride that reminds us that love, while not always easy, is always worth it. I hope you enjoy this excerpt from Falling Stars, book one in this contemporary romantic fiction series. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Nook, Kobo, and AllRomance.

Emily found solace in a small mountain town five years ago, though after running into an amnesiac on the side of the road, her old life makes a resurgence. ***** Emily has been hiding from her past for five years in a remote mountain lodge - until the night she nearly runs over an injured man on the side of the road. North has amnesia, and while he recuperates at the lodge, he and Emily can't seem to ignore the growing chemistry between them. There are just two problems: without his memories, North doesn't know who he really is or what he's left behind. And Emily can't risk leaving her safe haven to face the world she's hiding from once his memories return. Content/Triggering Warning: this story contains scenes of sexual and physical abuse, violence, sexual content, and mentions of suicide and mental health. [[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]] Cover designed by Lily Taylor

These are Wattpad members' experiences regarding "slut" shaming and sexual bullying. You can now submit your experience to be a chapter in this collection in the form of a VIDEO - or as a drawing, poster, collage, or any other type of visual art. Just message me a link (send it to @emilylindin). If you've already submitted a chapter and want to add a multimedia element, let me know and we can make that happen, too. I started The UnSlut Project in 2013 by sharing my own middle school diary entries, from when I was targeted as the school "slut", here on Wattpad. This collection expands the project to include the shared experiences of the Wattpad community, whether the writer has been the victim or witness of sexual bullying or "slut" shaming, or whether they just want to share their thoughts. As these essays demonstrate, these issues have affected and continue to affect many of our lives in deep, often dangerous ways. If you're currently being sexually bullied, you're not alone. It gets better. Please use these stories to expand your understanding of this widespread problem, and comment respectfully. To learn more about The UnSlut Project, including "UnSlut: A Documentary Film," go here: http://www.unslutproject.com IMPORTANT: some of these experiences are quite disturbing and might include triggering material. If you are in physical or mental danger, considering suicide, or feel otherwise unsafe, please use these resources: http://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/200774284-Counseling-and-Prevention-Resources

Fiona Menard has a plan. When a frustrated Chris Whittier approaches her at the Annual Carthage Peach Festival wanting his very own peach cobbler or, better yet, her recipe, it's seduction on Fiona's mind, not cooking. If Chris wants that recipe, he'll have to earn it the old-fashioned way--work for it.

A hitman, a hottie and a dog...what could go wrong? As a professional hit man, Will Collier has more secrets than most. But on a sweltering Texas night, the lives he's taken rank second place to the love he'd like to be making with a sensual Bohemian beauty. Sabrina Walker is intimately familiar with the havoc Cupid can wreak. She's determined that love will never seduce her again, until she meets Will Collier and discovers that some secrets are better when shared. Warning: This book contains a spunky, plus-sized heroine, a sassy Beagle named Scamp, and a sexually frustrated hitman who can't figure out what women want (then again, what man can?). -------- For the curious: NAILED is about Will's brother, Wynn. :D

At eighteen, Ty Boudreaux married his high school sweetheart and planned to live happily ever after on the family ranch. But after twelve years in a volatile, one-sided marriage, this gentle cowboy is struggling to put his life back together. At eighteen, Bettina Blanchard's goal in life had been to shake the dust of Bluebonnet, Texas off her heels, and with her baby sister now safely in college, that dream is within her grasp. But underneath Bad Betti's tough exterior beats the heart of a woman with hopes and dreams, and she's loved Ty almost as long as he loved his ex-wife. When fate drops Ty in her lap, one night of passion leaves them dealing with a pregnancy and a marriage both have reservations about. Can a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and Bluebonnet's favorite son find common ground outside the bedroom? Despite the interfering in-laws, a jealous baby sister and a holiday no one wants to remember, Betti and Ty discover that even though their happily ever after doesn't come easy, anything worth having is worth working for.

After a disastrous marital near-miss Jade Ballard retreats to San Antonio, cutting herself off from the world in general and more specifically her family's country club lifestyle, which she no longer wants any part of. She takes comfort in food and eventually, the safety of an internet love affair. Rowdy Yates is a semi-reformed womanizer who's leery of long-term entanglements. Until Jade, he never seriously considered anything beyond a "Wife-For-A-Night." After months of flirting on the internet the couple meets, only to discover they already know one another. Rowdy has always mistaken Jade's shy reserved nature for snobbishness, and Jade has always viewed the woman-loving Rowdy as a Redneck Casanova. But the seven months they spent getting to know one another formed an attraction neither can fight.

Tara Holt would have called her life perfect until Adam Parker waltzed into her jewelry store and stole from her. Her former partner-in-crime isn't there to reminiscence about the old days. They need to team up again to steal back a mark's statue. If she refuses, her new crime-free life will be left in ruins. She wished she had let him leave with her jewelry. Adam Parker isn't thrilled to see Tara. He's pissed. She disappeared ten years ago without even saying goodbye. And worse, she's rusty. They have to pull off a heist in less than three weeks and it just might take that long to re-train her.  Together they have to put their past behind them. Their lives depends on it. This time when they walk away, it'll be for good. If only they could keep their hands off each other.