She wants her life back. He wants to live. When a writer and her imaginary muse go head-to-head, real life gets complicated.

Callie Austin, the unknown author of the wildly popular Tex Miller book series, decides twenty-plus years of living in anonymity is enough. Her plan? Kill the beloved Tex Miller. But with a fierce agent, a cut-throat editor, and a beyond-zealous fan base, Callie knows not everyone will be happy. And just wait until Tex hears about it.

At twenty-two, Callie, orphaned and grieving, conjured Tex Miller, a dashing adventurer, a now-adored literary character who makes most women swoon and men sit up a little straighter. Her novel skyrocketed, but Callie was lucky. It was the mid-1990s, pre-internet BOOM, and much to her publisher's chagrin, she insisted she remain anonymous by using a pen name. The enigmatic Calliope Jones was born and cloistered away in one fell swoop, leaving an idolizing public scratching its collective head. Visible only to her, Tex Miller became her constant screwball companion.

Two decades and a dozen books later, on a routine trip to NYC, Callie plans to end the Tex Miller saga, but an up-and-coming streaming service's offer to turn Callie's books into an original series may waylay Tex's demise. Things spiral further when her trusted longtime driver falls ill, and a young replacement chauffeur catches her eye?and maybe her heart. But madcap Tex isn't sure he's down with the new plot twists.

Throw in a dogged gossip blog's rabid pursuit of 'the truth' along with Calliope Jones's fervent fandom, and poor Callie Austin has her hands full.

Kelly Elizabeth Huston grew up in some idyllic small towns playing Let's Pretend... with anyone who would take her direction. Through dance studios and community theaters, she found her way to the stage, both on and behind it. So while she wasn't the kid who kept boxes of journals brimming with stories, the later-in-life leap to writing wasn't huge. There's more than one way to tell a story, after all. And what a wonderful way to continue enjoying the Let's Pretend game.