Sitting on my couch in New Jersey, while my husband was at work and my two toddlers and infant napped, I entered in my credit card information and hit send to become a business owner for the very first time. And by business owner, I do in fact mean that I was the latest to sign up to be a gullible pawn in the latest and greatest multi-level marketing company.
The now defunct company offered designer jeans at a “huge saving.” Once you were a Fashion Consultant (that’s me!) you could host denim parties where your closest friends and fellow girl bosses would gather, mingle, and leave with a brand-new pair of—likely bedazzled—jeans. It was a dream! And not just because it was 2011 and designer denim was all the rage, but because as a stay-at-home mom with three small children who moved to a state where I knew nobody, the prospect of having a community again was too good to pass up. Of course, at the time, I thought I was signing up to bring in some extra income and “build a business from my kitchen table” or whatever it is that these companies say to all the vulnerable women they sink their claws into.
Now, I’m sure this will come as a massive surprise, but this venture didn’t bring riches or new friends. I threw exactly two parties, sold a handful of jeans, and tapped out almost immediately. Not only am I not a salesperson, the MLM philosophy of turning your friends into clients never sat well with me. I love my friends because of who they are, not because of what they can do for me. Friends over fashion, I guess. I was doomed from the very beginning.
That was also the case with the essential oils company I joined that believes there’s an oil for every problem and the wine selling MLM that snuck its way into my heart disguised as a wine club.
Looking back with the knowledge I have now, I’m grateful that I made it out of these companies unscathed. Unlike other companies, the denim MLM had a relatively low investment and instead of making its “consultants” purchase all of their stock beforehand, they loaned it out for free, and you simply returned what wasn’t sold. In the case of oil company, my month spent there was eye opening to say the least. Even though the initial investment was small, I quickly saw how the almost cult-like culture sucked it’s claws into desperate moms looking for healthy alternatives for their kids. The amount of unregulated propaganda in the private Facebook groups I joined was enough to have me sprinting away before I fell down the essential oils to homeschooling, anti-science pipeline I saw unfolding before my eyes.
Thanks to time and space, I’ve built up an armor to the influx of “hey hun” messages on social media and I can see clearly the predatory nature of these companies. I’m able to look back at my girl boss days with humor and let go of some of the shame I carried for getting wrapped up in companies like this not once… but three times. It’s easy to see now that even though the products these companies sold couldn’t be more different, the main selling point remained the same with each one of them: opportunity and more importantly, community.
The need for community is universal and this need can be found in almost, if not all, of your favorite novels. When I told people my idea to set my romance novel in the world of multi-level marketing, most people looked at me like I’d grown another head. It might come as a surprise, but not many people find the world of multi-level marketing sexy and romantic.
Shocking, I know.
It’s a good thing then, that more often than not, romance isn’t about the sexiest, most glamorous setting and instead about the connection that two people discover with one another… what they’re willing to risk to keep it. And if that’s the case, then maybe there’s no better place to find a romance heroine than in the throes of searching for her community. Because the best thing about romance is that everyone can find their happily ever after… no matter how unconventional it might seem.
HOW TO SELL A ROMANCE by Alexa Martin
Romance is the biggest scheme of them all in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from beloved author Alexa Martin.
Emerson Pierce loves everything about being a kindergarten teacher except the painfully low salary. It isn’t until she hears about Petunia Lemon—an opportunity to sell makeup products, make some extra money, and meet a group of skin-care aficionados—that she begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, it sounds a little too good to be true, but what’s the worst that could happen?
Investigative reporter Lucas Miller didn’t always have a chip on his shoulder…until his wife joined Petunia Lemon, drained their savings, and filed for divorce. Now he’s a little bitter, a lot single, and determined to expose the company. After infiltrating their largest convention yet, the last thing he expects is to lose sight of his mission for one night with the gorgeous woman at the bar.
When Emerson and Lucas learn that she’s his daughter’s teacher, they decide to ignore their scorching chemistry. Until things with Petunia Lemon turn downright diabolical and Emerson turns to Lucas for help. They work together to bring the company down but can the two come out on top in this pyramid scheme of love?
Romance Comedy | Romance Multicultural [Berkley, On Sale: July 15, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593816356 / ]
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About Alexa Martin
Alexa Martin is a writer and stay at home mom. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a former NFL player who now coaches at the high school where they met, their four children, and a German Shepherd. When she’s not telling her kids to put their shoes on. . . again, you can find her catching up with her latest book boyfriend or on Pinterest pinning meals she’ll probably never make. Her first book, Intercepted, was inspired by the eight years she spent as an NFL wife.
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