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Curious about my books? Like drama, suspense, or romance?

The Downey Series consists of The Downey Trilogy (First, I Love You; Second of All; and Third Time’s The Charm) as well as the spin-off romances featuring Dom & Kate (The Bird Day Battalion , The V-Day Aversion, and The Good Life).

The Downey Trilogy novels are contemporary drama/suspense with a romance subplot set in Chicago and Omaha. The Dom & Kate stories are contemporary romance set in the Omaha-Lincoln area of Nebraska. It is not necessary to read The Downey Trilogy to understand the Dom & Kate stories OR vice-versa.

[Start reading First, I Love You for FREE here on my website: Chapter One]

(Free!) (Free!)

How are the books connected?

For starters, both Detective Tommy Gates and his criminal-mastermind father Mickey Downey from The Downey Trilogy are mentioned in The Bird Day Battalion.

Not only that, but Officer Kyle Anderson (who is in all three Dom & Kate books) is briefly mentioned at the end of First, I Love You and shows up again at the end of Second of All. Tommy Gates also makes an appearance in The Good Life.

The Bird Day Battalion occurs before First, I Love You chronologically, but The V-Day Aversion occurs the same month Tommy heads to Chicago for his human trafficking task force in The Downey Trilogy. The Good Life is set after the end of Third Time’s The Charm

It’s not just Kyle and Tommy that connect the books; Mary Gates’ best friend Claire Underwood from First, I Love You–Agent Jack Underwood’s wife–is an Anderson by birth. Her brother, Tom Anderson, is Kyle and Katelyn Anderson’s father. When Kyle Anderson refers to his Aunt Claire in the Tommy Flashback, she is literally his Aunt, versus the fictive use of the moniker by Tommy. Claire also makes a cameo in the Mickey & Mary Flashback.

You can read MORE about the characters from the Downey series here:

CHARACTER TIDBITS

MICKEY’S FAMILY TREE

You can read the free supplemental Flash-fictions here:

NEW BEGINNINGS (A Tommy Gates and Kyle Anderson Flashback)

This short scene features a young Tommy Gates and Kyle Anderson and is set shortly before the flashback scene in the first chapter of First, I Love You in which Mickey finds Mary & Tommy.

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SPIN THE BOTTLE (A Dominic Valentini and Katelyn Anderson Flashback)

This is a look at the spin the bottle game that Kate references in Bird Day Battalion. Little Tommy Gates makes a brief cameo at the party.

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ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT KNEES (A Dominic Valentini and Katelyn Anderson Flashback)

This is a short holiday scene between Dom and Kate set the Christmas before they get together in Bird Day Battalion. It is very fluffy and G-rated. Published in A World of Joy Anthology.

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HER PRINCE (A Mickey Downey & Mary Gates Flashback)

This scene features a nineteen year old Mary Gates, freshly arrived in New York, talking with her new best friend Claire (Anderson) Underwood about the mysterious new man she started seeing, Michael…something or another.

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CONVERSATIONS AT 30,000 FT (A Maeve Downey & Ginny Sommers Missing Scene)

This is a quick missing moment from Second of All set aboard the flight to Dublin that both Maeve and Ginny are on.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY (A Kiki Downey & James Hoffman Missing Scene)

A Kiki Downey & James Hoffman missing love scene from First, I Love You set shortly after they “hook up” for the first time as Kiki puts it. Published in A World of Romance Anthology — (Warning! 18+ For Sexual Material!)

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SECOND CHANCES (A Mickey Downey & Mary Gates Flashback)

A flashback to when Mary tells Mickey she is pregnant with Tommy, and Mickey persuades her to be his mistress. — (Warning: 18+ For Language and Brief Sexual Material)

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LETTERS FROM MICKEY DOWNEY (Letters Mickey Downey wrote to his loved ones)

These are the letters referenced in The Downey Trilogy that Mickey wrote to his loved ones over the years. In the books, the reader rarely gets to see the contents of these letters so I have begun sharing them as periodic blog posts. Check back as I add more.

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It’s September! Here’s a new Letter From Mickey for my Downey Trilogy fans:

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Dear Joey,

Your last letter gave me quite the laugh! The cheek of you! Alright then, if you want me to trust you with my jet you’re going to have to tell me what the message is hidden within this tale:

Back when Finn was still the adventuring sort and fond of women and drink — well, more so than he was at the time of this tale, in any case — he came across a young scamp. This boy said he’d take care of Finn’s horse in exchange for a few coins. Now, Finn had already spent the coin he had on the aforementioned activities, but he knew the horse was in need of care.

So, he says to the lad, “Tis true the horse needs attending but I’ve a more pressing matter that’ll earn you double the coin… if you’re interested.”

The boy’s eyes lit up at the opportunity, for he was hungrier than a louse on a bald man, and at least three times more clever than hungry. “Oh, tell me, please,” the boy pleaded.

“Take the horse down the lane, past old man McIntyre’s, then take a right turn by the old oak and another by the raspberry thicket. There you’ll see a farm of some size. Knock on the door and say you’re delivering a message from Finnegan.”

“And what’s the message, sir?” the boy asked.

“That is the message, lad.”

The boy furrowed his brows, but agreed to take the horse. When he arrived at the place, he was greeted by an old hag rather fearsome in visage.

“Oh, ho, so Finnegan’s finally been gotten the better of, eh?” the old woman asked.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but she waggled a wizened finger at him, “And don’t be thinkin’ I’ll be paying a thief who got the better of another thief, boyo!” Then she grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled him inside.

Realizing he had been had, the boy shouted, “Wait! I found the horse and I was just returning it. I don’t know this Finnegan. I was only hoping for a bit of bread and a place to stay. Perhaps if I clean the stall, I could rest with the horse for the night?”

The old woman paused and contemplated the offer. The boy did look rather peckish and he reminded her of her son at that age. “Alright, lad. I’ll have Moira bring you some bread and goat’s milk. Ye’ll be off at morning’s light.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he assured her.

And come the morning, her stalls shined as if they’d been built yesterday. And they were just as empty. When she returned to the kitchen, Moira asked her why she was smiling so.

“Why, because I’ve finally gotten rid of all my son’s stolen horses without having to answer any questions! What a good boy, my Finnegan is.”

I love you, Joey. Do try and be good in as much as that’s possible for any Downey.

Your loving father, Mickey.

Read the rest of the letters here: Letters From Mickey Downey

Fluffy, frisky, angsty!

No, they’re not Snow White’s naughty dwarfs, just missing scenes!

If you’re new here and you’d like a no-commitment taste of my books, or maybe you’re just bored, below are links to the free supplemental scenes from my novels. Some are fluffy, some frisky, well, you get the idea…

(And FYI: In between writing on my super angsty work-in-progress, and real life, I am working on another Downey/Anderson outtake set the Christmas AFTER all the books!)

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NEW BEGINNINGS (A Tommy Gates and Kyle Anderson Flashback)

This short scene features a young Tommy Gates and Kyle Anderson and is set shortly before the flashback scene in the first chapter of First, I Love You in which Mickey finds Mary & Tommy. Rated G.

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SPIN THE BOTTLE (A Dominic Valentini and Katelyn Anderson Flashback)

This is a look at the spin the bottle game that Kate references in Bird Day Battalion. Little Tommy Gates makes a brief cameo at the party. Rated PG.

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THE GOOD LIFE PROLOGUE (A Dominic Valentini and Kyle Anderson Flashback)

This is a wedding jitters scene between Dom and Kyle set before Dom’s wedding to Isabel Alesio, about three years before Dom and Kate get together in Bird Day Battalion. It’s not technically a missing scene, but I’m including it here anyway. Rated PG.

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ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT KNEES (A Dominic Valentini and Katelyn Anderson Flashback)

This is a short holiday scene between Dom and Kate set the Christmas before they get together in Bird Day Battalion. Published in A World of Joy Anthology. Rated G.

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HER PRINCE (A Mickey Downey & Mary Gates Flashback)

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CONVERSATIONS AT 30,000 FT (A Maeve Downey & Ginny Sommers Missing Scene)

This is a quick missing moment from Second of All set aboard the flight to Dublin that both Maeve and Ginny are on. Rated PG.

~~~~~

SPECIAL DELIVERY (A Kiki Downey & James Hoffman Missing Scene)

A Kiki Downey & James Hoffman missing love scene from First, I Love You set shortly after they “hook up” for the first time as Kiki puts it. Published in A World of Romance Anthology – Rated R, For Sexual Material.

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SECOND CHANCES (A Mickey Downey & Mary Gates Flashback)

A flashback to when Mary tells Mickey she is pregnant with Tommy, and Mickey persuades her to be his mistress. – Rated R, For Language and Sexual Material.

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LETTERS FROM MICKEY DOWNEY (Letters Mickey Downey wrote to his loved ones)

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Like Romantic Comedy? Try Bird Day Battalion, a #FREE short romance!

Yeah, so this is just a plain old, straight-forward self-promotion post. Just so’s y’know.

But hey, who doesn’t like a FREE romantic comedy short enough to read on a break from life’s madness? Fans of my Dom & Kate series often compare it to Janet Evanovich, so if you like the Stephanie Plum series, give this little eBook a try and see if you’ll like my writing as well.

You can grab a FREE copy at these official eBook retailers!

If you have read it, I hope you’ll share your love of Dom & Kate with a friend…

FYI: You can get more Dom & Kate in The V-Day Aversion, a Valentine’s romance OR you can follow their love story all the way into Demi and Kyle’s Happy Ever After in The Good Life! (Contains both shorts as well as the full length novel The Good Life, all in one book! That’s 490 pages of romantic comedy with a uniquely Nebraskan flair!)

Have you already read the whole Dom & Kate series?

I hope you’ll vote for The Good Life on Listopia!

Random Author Ramble: Taking liberties, shoutouts, and being too “clever”

What started this meander was thinking about research put into fictional books. It’s true there are some great fiction novels that practically exude “this author researched the heck outta this” and then there are others that exude “aw, come on, that would never happen, what is this, Sci Fi?”.

My own personal style? I’m somewhere in between. As some of you know I love, looooove, love things having to do with American gangsters–usually old school gangsters of the Luciano and Capone sort. I also love the rich history of the FBI and other crime-fighting branches of the US Government. Everyone and their dog knows by now that I love the history of Chicago and the history of Nebraska (the two of which have quite a long history of being connected). My family’s from Chicago, I’ve heard tons of interesting stories. I grew up in Nebraska (for the most part) so I’ve an inherent knowledge of that unique whatever that makes up a Nebraskan.

Does that mean I am 100% accurate all the time in my books? Of course not. And, I will confess, intentionally not. Why? Because I’m telling a story, a fictional story. I took some liberties. Quite a few liberties, as only the purists will know. *waves* Sometimes this is to protect the truth, but most of the time it’s because I think that’s our right as authors, in essence, to say, “Yeah, but what IF it were to happen this way?” So, some things are made up and some things are shout-outs. Some things would never happen (particularly with regard to some of my law enforcement characters), and others are as accurate as I can make it. As a reader, I have always enjoyed sorting out what is an actual place, person or thing, versus what the author just made up. So when I write, I write as that type of reader.

For instance, in The Good Life there’s Castle Corner. Which does not exist. Nor does Anderson Adventures. Yet I have shout-outs to all sorts of places that do exist like The Cornhusker, and Karma nightclub, Lo Sole Mio, Runza, Valentino’s, Mahoney State Park, Roncalli Catholic, and yeesh, many, many more Nebraska things. And while Ashland absolutely does exist (I love that town!), I didn’t even bother to try to be accurate in any shape or form. It’s alternate universe Ashland and Gretna, where the Anderson and Valentini families run amuck. Well, not amuck, but dispense shenanigans on the regular. So, when I write, I’m saying have fun on your scavenger hunt of hidden meanings and clues, but don’t take it so seriously!

Unfortunately, I have discovered there are some readers who find that confusing. For instance, just today I was asked about this passage at the end of The Good Life:

“Mmm, I dunno, I usually go for the scruffy nerf-herders instead of peace-keepers,” she pushed him up and tapped the St. Christopher medal around his neck.

“But I sense the force is strong with you… Get it? Because you’re on the force…” She dissolved into snorts on her way to the door.

I can totally understand, based on the dialogue, where the reader might ask, oh, is a St. Christopher medal for law enforcement? And no, I have had to answer a number of times already, that is St. Michael, the patron saint of law enforcement. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. I was trying to be clever that Kyle was Demi’s home port, so to speak, after her travels away from Nebraska. But, as my inbox would suggest, I was too “clever”, meaning not clever at all. Haha! Ah well, I’m sure there were plenty of you who didn’t pay it any mind. Just like I’m pretty sure by now my friends connected to the Omaha Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have learned to just “go with it” and have a chuckle at their fictional counterparts. I’m just telling a story here, people!

What was my point?

As usual, I have no real point except to admit that I enjoy when people discover/recognize my nods to history and real places and people that, yes, I did, on purpose, flirt with the “that would never happen” and I was trying to be clever with hidden meanings. I’ll just have to hope my readers forgive me when I fail miserably, haha!

What about you, as a reader or author, how accurate do you like your stories to be?

NEW RELEASE! A funny, sexy #summerread from Nebraska: The Good Life

Author’s Note: Contains both shorts The Bird Day Battalion and The V-Day Aversion as well as the full length novel The Good Life.

Genre: Contemporary Romance> Romantic Comedy.

Purchase a digital copy at:

Purchase a paperback copy at:

~~~

“The Good Life”

Detective Kyle Anderson is a man of simple tastes and reasonably low expectations. Give him a juicy steak and no homicides, and he’d call it good. When his sister Katelyn got engaged to his best friend Dominic, he’d figured the worst of the unnecessary drama in his life was over. But that was before Dom’s free-spirited, twig-eating, exasperating sister Demetria came back to Nebraska and completely hijacked the planning of the wedding, starting with inviting Dom’s ex-wife Isabel. Now Kate’s so determined to prove Isabel is up to no good that she insists Kyle date her to keep her away from Dom. Soon Kyle is so knee deep in Anderson-Valentini dramatics, he’s thinking of changing his name and moving to Tibet. If he could just get Demi the impossibly sexy granola-flake off his mind long enough to do it…

***

Enter to win a paperback copy (ENDS JULY 1!!):

The following are two excerpts from the novel,

one you can listen to, and one you can read:

Excerpt #2:

“I can’t stay with you!”

“Why not? It’s not like we didn’t start the evening in bed together. All joking aside, I’m not in the habit of molesting my girlfriends while they sleep.”

“Kyle! That’s not—Err…” Demi growled, flailing her hands as she paced. “How—I mean why—I just…” she stopped and drew in a large breath. “How did you go from thinking I’m an idiot to deciding to hound me for a relationship?”

“Correction, I have never thought you’re an idiot. I think you are the farthest thing from an idiot. You are an intelligent, successful woman with an incomprehensible hatred of bacon who occasionally pretends to be a flake. Hence the nickname granola-flake. Which is way worse than actually being an idiot.”

She huffed.

“That’s my point though. Underneath all this,” she waved her hands again. “…is still that undercurrent of disapproval from you.”

“So change my mind. You’ve already proved me wrong on one major thing. I’m more open minded than you give me credit for. You seem determined to still see me as a narrow-minded bigot. This is a two-way street, woman,” Kyle growled.

“What was that one thing?” she asked, blinking in consternation.

“Let’s put it this way… I can tell when a woman hasn’t had a lot of sexual experience. Either that or you have shitty ass taste in men who are selfish in bed. But you deliberately cultivate this flower child, free love, come-and-get-it, sex goddess persona.”

Her mouth worked for several seconds. “I have too had a lot of sex!” She cringed and looked side to side, then spoke in a lower tone, “I mean, not a lot…but plenty.” Of course, most of it had been in the same calendar year, but he didn’t need to know that.

“So shitty taste, then,” he shrugged. “Alright, fine. Mystery solved.”

“Uh,” she huffed. “What’s that say about you?”

“Nothing, since I picked you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did. I am currently the only person in this relationship who’s done any conscious picking.”

“We are not in a relationship!”

“Says who?”

“You are a maddening man…” she replied, utterly flabbergasted. “It takes two people to be in a relationship. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide you’re going to be with someone.”

“Sure you can. Technically speaking, it was you who made the first move.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“I guess that’s just how us Andersons roll. When we decide to do something, or change our minds about something and go in a different direction we just…” Kyle skipped his hands together, making a clapping sound, “…do it. Some, like Kate, take forever to get to that decision, but there’s no hesitancy on the course of action once the decision’s been made.”

Demi narrowed her eyes, mouth slightly parted. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d participated in any of the wedding planning with her.”

“That has never been about doubting her decision to marry Dominic and everything about Kate’s bad habit of trying to please everyone even knowing it is simply not possible to please everyone at the same time,” he said, then stood up and grabbed her again, scooping her off her feet.

She gasped and reflexively grabbed his shoulders. He sat back down on the chair and tucked her head with his again.

She sighed with a sudden realization, “You’re just trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

He smiled at her, “Maybe. A little bit.”

She reached up and gently traced his swollen lip again then laid her head back against his shoulder.

“That’s what boyfriends do,” he continued.

She laughed and smacked his chest, “Are not.”

“She says while sitting on my lap… hours after having exchanged bodily fluids—”

“Stop!” she laughed and smacked him again.

He chuckled and squeezed her.

“Thank you,” she whispered after a moment.

He answered with another kiss to her head. She was willing to admit the ‘solid, dependable type’ did have its benefits.

She sighed and squeezed him back. “You’re a good man, Kyle Anderson.”

“Eh, I’m alright,” Kyle kissed her again. “I just wanted to let you know… I mean, I try to ease my girlfriends into this, but… my family’s sort of insane. Just so you know.”

She laughed so hard she started crying, and that seemed so silly that it made her laugh some more. He rocked her a bit and it wasn’t long before she dozed off again, held tight in his arms.

Purchase a copy at:

Purchase a paperback copy at:

A little About the Author (Me!):

Genevieve lives in Nebraska with her husband and three children. She has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology and a passion for reading, writing, and research. Her favorite subjects are organized crime, anthropology, and Chicago where her family is from (she still hasn’t quite forgiven them for leaving). Her books include:

The Downey Trilogy

First, I Love You

Second of All

Third Time’s The Charm

Dom & Kate

The Bird Day Battalion

The V-Day Aversion

The Good Life

Feel free to connect with me online:

Twitter: @GenevieveDewey

Facebook * Goodreads * Pinterest * Google+ * YouTube

And PLEASE, join my Fan Newsletter to get exclusive deals and first glances!

Subscribe to Gen’s Fan Newsletter for sneak peeks & special promotions!

Ok, so, this will probably not be news to some of you, but Facebook filters out posts. The truth is, only about 10-20% of you are deemed worthy by them of seeing my updates. That’s probably being generous.

Anyhoo, my point, yes!

Here it is: Due to the filter-unless-you-pay-us shakedown of Facebook, and the incredibly fast moving nature of Twitter, and my bad habit of forgetting other social media outlets exist, the ABSOLUTE BEST WAY for you to not miss out on any special sales, free giveaways, or advance peeks is to sign up for my new fan newsletter! Brand spankin’ new, peeps!

We are talking free stuff from me to you, the BEST fans in the universe. I may not have a huge fan base, but if I have a thousand true fans, that’s better than a fickle fifteen minutes of fame. (Not that I would say no to both, haha!)

So, subscribe to my Newsletter to receive these special alerts, promotions, and deals! Those of you who know me know that you will actually NOT hear from me all that often. No spammy, no spammy, just fan love from me!

All it requires is an email, you don’t even have to fill out your name (though that helps when your email program filters junk mail).

Here’s a peek at the characters from The Good Life (coming soon!)…

So, sometimes as a writer you see models or actors who remind you of the characters you have in your head. Here are some who remind me of the characters from the Dom & Kate romances. I hope their agents don’t sue me, that would be sad for them as I’m very poor. ;p

Dominic Valentini, football coach and PE instructor, former professional football player, loves socializing, sports of all varieties, doing anything with an element of danger, and everything about Kate Anderson. Mama’s boy with a bit of a temper.

Katelyn Anderson, archaeologist, works part-time for the Midwest Archaeological Center, and part-time for the Nebraska State Museum. Homebody, loves reading, museums, science specials on TV, and running. The family pacifist and people pleaser, she avoids confrontation “the way everyone else avoids paying taxes”.

Demetria Valentini, outspoken vegetarian who makes occasional exceptions for cheese and eggs, pagan gift shop owner, created her own body-care line, prides herself on being a professional free-spirit. Loves Star Wars, hiking, and provoking reactions from people just for fun.

Kyle Anderson, police detective, moderately conservative Catholic, loves bacon, dark beer, hockey, and no drama. Especially no drama. One of five siblings from a family that’s “made an Olympic sport out of having children” as his partner Tommy says. More outgoing than his twin sister, Kate Anderson, but leagues less adventurous than his best friend Dom Valentini.

Read how Dom & Kate got together in these FREE short romances:

The Bird Day Battalion (Dom & Kate #1):

The V-Day Aversion (Dom & Kate #2):

Then check out this excerpt from The Good Life and enter to win a copy at Goodreads!

Enter to win a paperback copy:

Preorder a digital copy at:

Purchase a paperback copy early at:

Can’t wait for The Good Life to get here? Listen to the Playlist while you wait!

These are the songs I either referenced in the Dom & Kate shorts or The Good Life, or just songs that I listened to while writing the novel. It’s sort of the soundtrack, if you will, for the novel.

Enjoy!!!

The Good Life Playlist:

Have you entered to win a paperback copy yet?:

3 books for 3 bucks? Say what? YES! The Downey Trilogy is on sale Apr 6-12

DowneyTrilogybanner

ALL the drama, intrigue and romance you could need for ONLY $3!

For the week of April 6th- April 12th, all three books in The Downey Trilogy have been reduced to $.99 each!

This is a great time to share your love of the Downeys with your friends! Or maybe you’ve been meaning to pick up the last book and just haven’t gotten around to it! Maybe you just thought you’d like to sink your teeth into a new series, and happen to love mafia families, cops, Federal Agents, character based dramas, stories about love, betrayal, and redemption. Maybe it’s a Tuesday.

In any case, I hope you’ll spread the word.

First, I Love You (Downey #1)

“Love knows no time, or distance, and it certainly knows no reason.”