“Rogue is focused, deliberate, and seasoned in her latest release that is a mix of poetry and prose...a wordsmith. Her command of the poetic language is unparalleled and sets her apart from other contemporary poets.” —Alicia Cook, Bestselling author of Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately “It’s going to hit you below the belt. You’re going to reach for the closest stand-in lover you can find & you’re going to make a home in their body & you’re going to pretend your childhood memories are hung in his chest & you skinned your knee tripping over the curve of his arm & you have always been here.” In Exits, Desires, & Slow Fires Goodreads Choice Nominated poet J.R. Rogue shines bright. With heartbreaking language, the bestselling author revisits unreturned love like only she can. Unforgiving pain, wanting, longing, fierce betrayal, and sweet lies feel like a second skin in this collection about love and loss.

It's going to hit you below the belt. You're going to reach for the closest stand-in lover you can find & you're going to make a home in their body & you're going to pretend your childhood memories are hung in his chest & you skinned your knee tripping over the curve of his arm & you have always been here.

It's going to hit you below the belt. You're going to reach for the closest stand-in lover you can find & you're going to make a home in their body & you're going to pretend your childhood memories are hung in his chest & you skinned your knee tripping over the curve of his arm & you have always been here.

Rogue's latest collection speaks to the witch in each of us. To the magic we hold inside. This poetry reminds us to wield our words for good, and to burn for no one.

Jo I’m not bad; they just write me that way. That’s what I tell myself—the lie I peddle in interviews. If they want a bad girl, I can be their bad girl. Their villain. “Everyone loves a scandal. And you’re the queen of scandals..” Years ago, I broke the heart of the biggest pop star in the world. And then I became the Sexiest Man Alive’s biggest regret. I am not that venomous girl anymore. But I know a life-changing role when I see one. “At his name, my heart stills. The man I hate and want. The bane of my existence…” Being Tristan Kane’s on-screen love interest will be good for my career. And bad for my heart. For him? I aim to devastate both. Tristan The world thinks it’s easy being the son of Hollywood royalty. But they don’t know the burdens I wear. Or the regrets in my chest—that all say her name. “We will be nothing more than co-stars. Not friends. Not anything more...” Loving Josephine Ouellette goes against my late father’s wishes. Fits into my meddling manager’s plans. And pisses my sister off. “...forget the world, they can’t have this moment. This is our story, and no one gets a say in it.” But I’m tired of living in his shadow. Living for their games. I fell in love with a villain. And no one loves harder than the scorned.

She is so pure, this version of you. But I know the real you. International Popstar Charley Otto abides by two rules to protect his sanity while living in the spotlight. 1: Don’t believe anything you read online. 2: Leave the past behind. But those rules fly out the window every time flowers arrive at his doorstep with lines from The Regret—a viral fan fiction story penned by a mystery woman that sounds a little too familiar. I want to be some version of the person she wrote, even in all his imperfections. Desperate to find the identity of his secret admirer, Charley hires a private investigator who finally gives him the name of the woman he deserted over a decade ago. And upon arrival at Scarlette Shannon’s book signing, the two artists realize the spark they felt that night never burnt out. Rewrite it any way you want. Fiction and reality rarely meet in the middle. And we were reality. As Charley and Scarlette’s second chance fractures under the microscope of fame, threats from a shadow in their past escalate—threatening to expose the secrets Scarlette hoped would stay buried. And all love affairs have to face the truth eventually.

"this skin is my own— arms to circle my tired center, wrapping warm this heart that longs to be free of self-made chains" In her Letters for the Universe, Goodreads Choice Nominated poet J.R. Rogue shares intimate poems written lovingly for her readers. Take a journey through the eyes of author and reader as Rogue shares a glimpse into the private task of writing poetry dedicated to readers worldwide. Poems for the Dawn: Vol 1 is book 5 in the Letters to the Universe series. Each poem in this collection is a custom piece written for a J.R. Rogue reader.