Nancy recently answered a few questions for me about her Wager of Hearts series and her newest book, The All-Star Antes Up. For the record, I loved it!
Hi Nancy! Welcome back! I’m having so
much fun reading your Wager of Hearts books. Please tell our readers about the
premise of this series.
It’s so
great to be back here on the Romance Dish, one of my favorite blogs!
A CEO, a quarterback, and a writer walk
into a bar…I have one of my heroes comment that it sounds like the setup for a
bad joke, but these men aren’t laughing. When my three lonely billionaires find
themselves drinking alone one night at the exclusive Bellwether Club, they
realize they have a lot in common—humble backgrounds, impressive wealth, and a
lack of love in their lives. Tired of being pursued for their money, they make
a wager: to find women who love them for who they are.
Book One, The CEO Buys In was terrific but I enjoyed your new book, The All-Star Antes Up even more. What
can readers expect from this story?
I love
hearing that you liked The All-Star Antes
Up even more than The CEO Buys In because
I am always challenging myself to write a better book each time. Knowing that
I’ve accomplished that in your eyes is a great satisfaction to me. Thank you!
The All-Star Antes Up is about Luke Archer, the legendary
quarterback for the New York Empire. When his best friend retires from playing
football, Luke realizes his time is coming soon, and he faces that prospect
with despair. To reach the pinnacle of success required a single-minded focus
on the game that has left no room for anything else in Luke’s life. Add to that
problems with his brother and Luke is facing a bleak future.
When he is
temporarily sidelined due to injury, Luke decides he should begin to broaden
his horizons, so he hires his luxury building’s concierge to give him a
cultural tour of New York City. It’s
amazing how passionate great art can make two people feel. LOL!
Being a life-long football fan, and a
small town girl, you tapped into many of my youthful fantasies with this story.
Are you a fan? Were you inspired by any real-life players while creating Luke?
Have you ever been in a NFL VIP box?
I am a
football fan by association: my husband loves sports of all kinds, so I have
absorbed the game
by osmosis. What really turned me into an enthusiastic
spectator was Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ marvelous novel It Had to Be You, which lives on my keeper shelf and gets re-read
on a regular basis. When I watch a real football game, I keep looking for
Susan’s hero Dan Calebow pacing the sidelines. And am disappointed when he isn’t
there. Now, of course, I search for Luke’s #9 on the field.
Confession
time: Luke Archer was originally a hockey goalie. I’m a huge hockey fan and
particularly admire the career of Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils
(since I’m a Jersey girl now). I wrote a book starring a future Hall of Fame
hockey goalie facing the end of his career (sound familiar?), but no publisher
wanted it. So I recast my goalie as a quarterback and Luke Archer was born.
PJ, interrupting to say I've been an enthusiastic hockey fan since I was a sprout and my college boyfriend was a star on our university's hockey team. I so would have bought that book!
PJ, interrupting to say I've been an enthusiastic hockey fan since I was a sprout and my college boyfriend was a star on our university's hockey team. I so would have bought that book!
Once I
settled on Luke being a quarterback, I combined the careers of Tom Brady and
Peyton Manning, although I made sure that Luke has one more Super Bowl ring than
Brady. Of course, Luke would never cheat
either.
Many, many
years ago, before the new stadium was built here in the New Jersey Meadowlands,
I was lucky enough to spend a game in a VIP box. It wasn’t nearly as nice as
the new ones, but I remember the massive amount of food on offer.
Miranda is a terrific concierge and
tour guide. (I found myself taking notes while reading the book) What are the
top five experiences she would recommend for someone visiting New York City?
Being the
talented concierge she is, Miranda would tailor her tour of New York to her
visitor’s interests. However, we’re book people here, so let’s go with that.
The Morgan Library. THREE Gutenberg bibles, with one always on display! That alone is enough to get a book lover there. The building itself is spectacular, a library to die for. You never know what marvelous manuscripts will be on display in the various galleries, but I guarantee you, they will be fascinating. Miranda and Luke dine in the restaurant that was originally the Morgan family dining room, so she would recommend that.
The New York Public Library. Say
hello to the lions Patience and Fortitude who guard the entrance. Visit the
glorious Rose Main Reading Room. There are also rotating exhibitions there.
See Something Rotten! on Broadway. If you love Shakespeare and/or
Broadway musicals, you will laugh until your sides hurt. My favorite number: “It’s
Hard to Be the Bard.”
The Empire State Building’s
Observation Deck. Yes, it’s touristy, but there is nothing like seeing New York
City spread out below you in all directions. And it evokes two wonderful
movies: An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for so many reasons. Miranda and Luke begin at the Temple of Dendur and progress from there. Remember that in The Age of Innocence, Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer (note the last name!) meet at the museum, so it’s a place for literary lovers.
We’re all
human, no matter how rich or successful we are. Luke loves his family, which
makes him vulnerable to the same pain we all feel when those nearest us are
unkind. His brother makes him feel both guilty and angry, emotions we can
relate to.
Not to
mention that in order to reach the top of his field, Luke had to focus on one
thing: football. He missed out on many of the things we take for granted: going
out for a pizza (he’s always in training), learning something just for the fun
of it (he took classes around his practice schedule), traveling to sight-see
(his trips were to football stadiums), or making an occasional mistake without
the press pouncing on it (cell phone cameras are everywhere).
Miranda left the farm behind to
pursue a life surrounded by theaters, museums, and the vibrancy of the big city
– her happy place. Where is your happy place? What makes it special?
I have more
than one happy place, which makes me a lucky person. One is in my office,
sitting in front of my computer and writing my next book. I love my job!
The second
is exploring a new place. I love to travel. My husband and I often talk about
going back to one of the places we’ve visited and loved, but we never do
because there’s always someplace we haven’t been to, calling our names.
The third is
on the back of a horse (although nowadays my muscles complain about it.) I
often go horseback riding when I’m traveling, which makes me doubly happy.
The more I see of Gavin (billionaire
#3), the more intrigued I become. Are you able to share anything about his
story? When will it be released into the wild?
Ah, Gavin.
Everyone is interested in him…which puts a lot of pressure on me to make his
book great. LOL! Honestly, I’m almost finished with the first draft of his
story and it’s been pure pleasure to write it. I am particularly good at
torturing Gavin because he’s a writer and I know all of a writer’s worst fears.
In fact, I gave him the most awful problem a writer can have: writer’s block. I’m
so mean!
But I also
took pity on him and gave him Allie Nichols, a down-to-earth physical therapist
(who just happens to hail from Sanctuary, West Virginia).* Allie has enough sass to handle Gavin’s
snark, but she’s also a healer. And he needs a lot of healing.
Gavin’s book should be released next spring. My publisher hasn’t given me a date quite yet.
Gavin’s book should be released next spring. My publisher hasn’t given me a date quite yet.
*Sanctuary, West Virginia is the setting of Nancy's award-winning Whisper Horse series.
Where can readers connect with you
online?
I have a
Pinterest board for each of my more recent books here: http://www.pinterest.com/nancyherkness/
Sign up for
my New Book Alert so you never miss a release…and you might win a prize or get
a free novella: http://bit.ly/1SDu5jp
Will you be attending any events this
summer where readers will have the opportunity to meet you in person?
I will be at
the Romance Writers of America conference in San Diego in July. While I am not
participating in the big public signing, conference attendees can find me at
the Montlake Romance signing on Thursday, July 14th, from 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Thank you for visiting with us today,
Nancy. Would you like to ask our readers a question?
PJ, it is
always a great pleasure to be here on the Romance Dish with you and your
fabulous readers. I’m so grateful to be invited!
I’m already
thinking about the Christmas novella I’m planning to write. So here’s my
question for readers: What is the maximum age you would find acceptable for the
heroine of a romance novel?
