An Interview with Nancy Warren

A Little More About Nancy Warren:

Nancy Warren is a USA Today bestselling Harlequin and Kensington author who got her big break when she won Harlequin's 2000 Blaze Contest.  Her sensuous, humorous romances have won numerous awards and appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list.

 

Awards and lists are great, but nothing beats the thrill of hearing from readers.  Most have commented on how much they enjoy the mixture of humor and sexuality in Nancy's books—which is good, because she works darned hard to put them in there.

 

Nancy holds an honors degree in English literature and lives in the Pacific Northwest.  She spends her days sensibly employed inventing men who combine amazing sexual prowess with sensitivity to a woman's needs, and women who aren't afraid to fight for their dreams.

 

I’m really excited to have Nancy Warren’s ear and ask her questions today.  I don’t think it’s known that you’re my comfort read author.  I have to admit I haven’t read many of your books, but Speed Dating is my comfort read.  In the last 2 years, I think I’ve read the book 5 times.  Okay, anyway, I just had to share that.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me.

 

For those who don’t know you, could you please tell us who Nancy Warren is?

 

First off, thank you for letting me know about Speed Dating.  I really have a soft spot for that book, too.  Nancy Warren is an author who has been very lucky in her career.  I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great editors and to make a living writing romance.  I am an avid hiker and skier, and this past year I fulfilled a dream and hiked the Inca trail into Machu Picchu.

Looking at your bio, it appears you started your writing career in 2000 and then took some time off.  What made you decide to come back to the writing world?

Well, looks like I need to fix my bio then!  I started writing romance in 1996, sold my first book in 2000 and I’ve been writing ever since.  I have more than 50 novels published with Harlequin, Kensington and through my own publishing company, Ambleside Press.

Out of all the books you have written, which one is your favorite and why?  If you can’t name just one, please tell me your top three.

I will always love Live a Little because it was the book that won the Harlequin Blaze contest in 2000 and that launched my career.  I still think that book is one of my funniest.  I love that heroine so much.  Drive Me Crazy, a Kensington Brava, was a really fun book for me to write and I still have fond memories of that one.  And Speed Dating, which you mentioned, was amazing as I got to interview NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards and he has a cameo role in the book.  He and I launched the Harlequin NASCAR series in Daytona, so that was really fun too.

You currently have a novella series available through Amazon, staring a little klutzy Border Collie named Cupid, called A Romance in Four Seasons.  So far, you’ve given us Christmas, with Border Collie Christmas and Valentine’s Day, with A Dog Named Cupid.  What other seasons/holidays do you have planned?

There will be a summer wedding, which, naturally, will not go quite as planned.  I mean, can you imagine Cupid as the ring bearer?  No doubt, he will see a squirrel or his attention will stray and he’ll take off with the ring!  I haven’t even written it yet but I can see the scene.  Then I’ll wind up the series with a Thanksgiving story.

Outside of A Romance in Four Seasons, are you currently working on anything else?  And if so, are there any details you can give us?

I’m just finishing up a romance with some family drama called Promises Made.  It’s about a woman, a baby and two brothers.  One of them is the father.  I’m also working on a romantic comedy called Lucky Break set in Vegas.  Naturally, I’ll be heading there for a research trip!  And I’m also working on a three book series for Harlequin set, this time, in the world of hockey.

In your opinion, what elements are needed in order to make a good, if not great love story?

In my opinion, the number one most important thing is a hero you can fall in love with.  I fall in love with all my heroes.  If I don’t, I’ve done something wrong.  We also want a heroine we can relate to.  She has to be flawed but likeable.  Nobody wants to read about perfect women, it’s just depressing.  And, obviously, there should be an actual love story.  What’s keeping these two apart?  How can they challenge and enrich each other so that together they are stronger than either of them is alone?

Where’s your favorite place to write and what are some needed items you must have?

I can write anywhere, but I do love to be near the ocean.  I look at the waves and the endless expanse of ocean reminds me that creativity is boundless.  I need a computer.  Do not ask me to write with a pen and paper because I can’t read my own writing.  I’ve tried dictating and that doesn’t work for me either.  Other than that, it’s really nice if my muse drops by with some good ideas.  Chocolate’s not bad either.

 

Thank you so much, Nancy.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

I really appreciate people like you, Kim, who are discovering and celebrating authors.  Thanks for what you do!

Here’s a list of Nancy’s latest books.

1.  Border Collie Christmas (review)

2.  The Christmas Grandma Ran Away from Home (review)

3.  The 12 Dates of Christmas

4.  A Dog Named Cupid (review)

5.  Promises Made