Meet M.Q. Barber

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Get in touch

Looking for the place to ask a question about the Neighborly Affection or Gentleman books, share your happies or register a complaint? You’ve found it!

Here’s how to reach M.Q. Barber:

In the Ream community: Join the Affectionaughties and stay up to date on all the behind-the-scenes knowledge!

By email: mqb@mqbarber.com

On social media:

  • Facebook (for writing updates and general chatter)
  • Goodreads (Question about a specific story or character? Use the Ask a Question feature, and M.Q. will happily answer!)

Note: M.Q. handles all of her email and socials herself, so if she doesn’t reply right away, she’s either in the writing cave or at her day job, and she’ll check in as soon as she can. Thank you for your patience! 💖

Get answers to your top questions

FAQ

These are the most frequently asked questions about the Neighborly Affection universe and the Gentleman duet. If you have a question that you think should be included here, please send it to mqb@mqbarber.com!

Do reviews really matter?

A thousand times yes! Posting a book review is one of the two most important things you can do for an indie author whose books you love. The other is introducing a friend to the books. So many books are published every year that it’s hard for an author to stand out from the crowd. Reviews from readers and word of mouth are the best ways to help new readers fall in love too. If you’ve posted a helpful review of any of my books, you have my eternal gratitude.

I love to review books. How can I join your ARC team?

Wonderful! I communicate with the ARC team using a newsletter list. Subscribe to the newsletter, and you’ll get an invitation to apply for an ARC at least a month before any new book comes out. ARCs are sent to reviewers about two weeks before a book’s release date.

When will the next book come out?

I try to publish one book per year. The next book due to be released Season of Gifts: Neighborly Affection Book 8. That’s set to come out July 17, 2024. Get early access to full chapters right now in the Affectionaughties community on Ream!

Could you pleeeeease write faster?

I wish! I run a freelance editing business in addition to being an author, so I have to budget my time carefully. I try to write one book a year for now, but stick with me—I have plans for several series set in the Neighborly Affection universe and featuring various characters, including some you’ve already met.

What’s the right reading order for the Neighborly Affection series?

That’s a great question—and the answer depends on the kind of reading experience you want to have.

The prequel book, Becoming His Master, is the fourth book in the series for a reason. You can choose to read it first, and then you’ll have significant insights into Henry’s motivations and goals during books 1-3. You’ll have more information than Alice does as she goes through those experiences. Or you can wait, and read it fourth, and then you’ll have the same experience that Alice does through the first three books.

I know, I know: But why fourth? The reason Becoming His Master is fourth in the series is because the third book, Healing the Wounds, ends with closure for a trauma that the trio is working through in that book. The fifth book, Finding Their Balance, moves forward into confronting the source of that trauma. Becoming His Master fits neatly in between the two, telling the story of the origins of that trauma. Reading it before reading Finding Their Balance will give you a richer experience, beause you’ll have a fuller understanding of the setting and the important players.

Similar questions come up regarding Tuesdays with Jay and Other Stories: A Neighborly Affection Companion, which is officially Book 2.5 in the series. Most of the stories take place during the events of Playing the Game and Crossing the Lines. If you want to stay in the dark with Alice, wait to read Tuesdays with Jay until after you’ve finished books 1 and 2. If you want more insight into what’s happening with Henry and Jay during the same time period, follow along with the short stories while reading books 1 and 2. (Tuesdays with Jay has notes at the beginning of each story to tell you how the events line up with the chapters in books 1 and 2.)

The fun part about the Neighborly Affection universe is that you can choose your own reading experience. Read in the order that makes you happiest!

I heard a rumor there’s a story where Henry, Alice, and Jay have kids. Where can I read that?

The rumor is true! That story, narrated by Jay, is set several years after the main events of the Neighborly Affection series. It’s called “Family Man,” and you can read it in the story collection Tuesdays with Jay and Other Stories: A Neighborly Affection Companion.

Where can I find the short story “Three-Way Tie”?

The story was originally released as part of a multi-author anthology and then briefly as a Kindle-exclusive short story on its own. But it’s available to everyone now as one of the stories in Tuesdays with Jay and Other Stories: A Neighborly Affection Companion.

Will there be another book in the Gentleman series?

No, the Gentleman series is complete as a duet of standalone novels. Both couples get their HEAs.

I found an error. Do you want to hear about it?

Absolutely! If a mistake got past me and my editing team, I want to know about it so I can fix it for future editions. If you discover a typo, or if a hero’s eyes are blue in the first chapter and brown in the third chapter, please send an email to mqb@mqbarber.com describing the problem and where you found it, and include the word “error” in your subject line. Thanks for your help!

My husband snapped this photo when I wasn't looking. It's a safe bet I'm agonizing over how best to express my gratitude for having such supportive fans of Henry, Jay, and Alice.

M.Q. Barber signs copies of Playing the Game: Neighborly Affection Book 1 at her very first book signing event, in November 2014.

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Barber frames a sexy, loving relationship that happens to be among three people.

– Library Journal review

Where blazing heat bares souls and binds hearts

About M.Q. Barber

M.Q. Barber likes to get lost in thought. She writes things down so she can find herself again.

Often found staring off into space or frantically scratching words on sticky notes, M.Q. lives with one very tolerant, easily amused puppy.

She has a soft spot for romances that explore the inner workings of the heart and mind alongside all that steamy physical exertion. She loves memorable characters, witty banter, and heartfelt emotion in any genre.

Her advice? Get a solid grounding in how language works, and then just write. Write every idea that comes along, even if it’s just a single line. You never know which line is the start of a thread that leads to a novel.

The former Midwestern gal is the author of the Neighborly Affection contemporary romance series. Pick a safeword, grab a partner or two, and jump in.

When she isn’t writing, M.Q. relaxes by baking sweets. (Too many sweets.) Visit the Kensington Books cooking blog for her family’s favorite recipes for homemade applesauce and clam dip.

USA Today bestselling author M.Q. Barber
Author M.Q. Barber