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This Week's Author - @JenniferProbst and her new release THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN

Jennifer Probst is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of The Marriage Bargain.  She wrote her first book at twelve years old.  She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since.  She makes her home in upstate New York with the whole crew who keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad that her house will never be truly clean.

1. What’s the first romance book you ever read?

Matt Simpkins Photography

I picked up a Silhouette Desire by the very talented Erin St. Claire called Seduction by Design. Who was this wonderful author? The current superstar Sandra Brown, who wrote under this pen name! It was filled with everything I loved – the ugly duckling story, a hot hero who coaxed the heroine to believe she was beautiful, and descriptive, strong writing, I then ripped through every Harlequin I could get my hands on and then dove into bigger, single title contemporary romance.

2. Who is your favorite fictional heroine?

Scarlett O’Hara. She’s complex, a pain in the ass, beautiful, damaged, stubborn, and drives the hero crazy. She makes lots of mistakes and barrels through. How can you not fall in love with her?

3.  As a romance writer how do you do your research?

I use the Internet because I don’ t have to leave my office and everything is at my fingertips. I remember back in the day I used to interview people to gain a knowledge of their occupations. Now, the computer is pretty much my basis and if I need to round out anything, a call out to Twitter gets me what I need!

4.  What food / drink sets the mood for you?

I love my wine! A fine glass of wine or champagne goes a long way to set a mood. Pair it with a delicious seafood dish, some yummy carbs on the side, and chocolate for dessert and I’ve just surrendered to heaven!

5.  What book are you reading now?

I’m actually reading two books at the same time: The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March in paperback and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn in ebook.

Promising to be the next guilty pleasure for women, author Jennifer Probst’s The Marriage Bargain (Entangled Publishing) releases in print on September 4.  The e-version is already steaming up best-seller lists, moving more than a half-million copies in just six months as the #8 bestselling Kindle e-book for the first half of the year and #9 on the New York Times’ combined print and e-book fiction list.

The Marriage Bargain follows an impulsive bookstore owner, Alexa Maria McKenzie, who tries to save her family home by casting a love spell.  But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend’s older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart.  Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast.  When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition.  A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year, so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right?  Except fate has a way of upsetting even the best-laid plans.

The Marriage Bargain is part of Probst’s Marriage to a Billionaire series, a trilogy of romance novels which offers heartfelt, sexy and funny stories.  The second book in the series, The Marriage Trap, will release October 4 in print and e-book, and the third book will be released in November.  Variety recently wrote that The Marriage Bargain “heats up in wake of ‘50 Shades’ fever,” and the book is high on Hollywood’s acquisition radar.