Falling Out of Hate with You

The Beginning

Just over six years ago, Brooke and Lyra ventured into something new and decided to co-write together.

The two met while in an MLM (and quickly regretted joining due to it being a pyramid scheme) but one great thing came out of it—they formed a friendship. While they both published their own works before deciding to co-write, they had never successfully written with someone else prior. Brooke had dreamed up Travis and Viola’s story and wrote a couple chapters but it stayed on the back burner. Regardless of the amount of time that had passed, Brooke always thought about those characters, and their hatred for each other was enticing. Deciding how to bring them together was something she looked forward to figuring out as the story consumed her. Brooke and Lyra decided they were done with the pyramid scheme and wanted to go back to writing because it’s what they were passionate about. One day on a whim, Brooke sent Lyra the first two chapters of Travis and Viola’s story to see what she thought of her writing style and story-telling. Just a few days later, Lyra returned it with an additional chapter written.

Both wanting a fresh start, they discussed the idea of creating a pen name and co-writing. If anything, it’d be a nice break and get them back into the habit of writing again with no expectations and no limits.

The next few months they worked hard to build a new pen name and formed a partnership while trying to juggle everything they were already committed to.

They’d decided not to tell anyone who was behind the pen name, Kennedy Fox. It gave them a fresh start to write whatever their hearts desired without any pressure. Unfortunately, their secret of who was behind the pseudonym was revealed before they were ready so they wrote a blog post to formally introduce themselves to their readers. The excitement and acceptance they received from their readership made it all worth it.

During the early promo process, they’d reached out to bloggers, reviewers, and bookstagrammers. This is War caught on rather quickly on i********: and by the time This is Love released two months later, they’d made top 100 on sss and Apple Books. It was then they knew they had something special, and that their work paid off. They saw success they’d hadn’t previously had while having fun.

This is WarThis is LoveThe following year in 2017, both books in the duet hit the USA Today Bestseller’s List. That year, they’d hit it four times. They also ranked on Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller List, had audio books produced, and sold foreign rights in German for Travis and Viola’s books. Readers responded to these books in a way they would’ve only dreamed of but never take it for granted.

USA Today The decision to expand the series after Travis and Viola wasn’t actually made until book two. Viola’s brother and best friend had already made appearances and it was a no-brainer to write their story next. Their readers loved Drew and Courtney’s story just as much as Travis and Viola’s. While they wrote the second duet, they decided one more wouldn’t hurt, right?

Although the first two books exceeded their expectations and the second duet did just as well, the third duet nearly flopped. They don’t regret writing it, though. Logan and Kayla’s story is still very special to them and many of their readers loved seeing them get their HEA.

A lot of lessons were learned during their first year of co-writing, lessons they often refer back to.

Travis and Viola started their Kennedy Fox career and six years later, they continue to pull new readers into their Checkmate world. This series and characters will always hold a special place in their hearts and they’re forever thankful to those who initially gave them a chance and stayed along for the wild ride.

This series was a saving grace when they felt lost in the publishing world and helped them find their voices again. It helped Brooke return to writing full-time and support her family. It helped Lyra quit her full-time corporate job just a few years later. It’s helped readers who haven’t picked up a book in ages fall in love with reading again.

Travis and Viola are so special and have changed so many lives.

In honor of Kennedy Fox’s debut series, they wanted to bring a special anniversary edition with a new cover, formatting, playlist, character art, and bonus scenes.

Fun fact: Brooke and Lyra had never read each other’s books before deciding to co-write with each other and still to this day haven’t. They took a risk writing together, hoping they’d be able to blend their writing styles, and went all in.

It’s by far one of the best decisions they’ve ever made.

Nearly 50 books written together later, Brooke and Lyra have no plans to slow down anytime soon.

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Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This edition is for you. We hope you enjoy.