"It's Only Natural": Behind The Scenes of My Debut Romance Novel

Rather than drone on about why you should give my debut romance novel a try—but you should, assuming you're a fan of the romance genre—I thought it would be fun to do something different. I've structured this inaugural blog post as more of a Q&A because, well, why not?

Warning: There are spoilers in this post.

Question 1

Why did you choose to write a contemporary sports romance when you don't really follow sports and probably couldn't name more than a few current athletes?

I actually love soccer and football (or football and American football for those outside the US), and I enjoy several other sports when given the chance to watch. I rarely watch because I'm one of those parents who limits screen time. That pretty much ruins all forms of televised or streamed entertainment for me. Such a boring answer, I know! But I watch bits here and there. As for the names, I'm terrible with names—terrible!

I like the idea that love interests can overcome the challenges posed by their opposing levels of fame and influence. When I listed the various types of celebrities that I wanted to write about and how their stories might intersect, Ari and Killian just happened to land in first place. They are a loveable duo whose story helps bring all the other characters into the series.

Question 2

What about Ari didn't make it into the book?

Oh, I really wanted to work in more information about her father, but adding it would have meant going deeper into her grief. But if you liked It's Only Natural enough to make it to this blog post, you deserve more details! Her father was from Louisiana. He was African American—not Hispanic. His family moved to NYC when he was a tween, and that's where Ari's parents met. So, Ari's ethnic and cultural backgrounds are more complex than the book explores.

Question 3

Why did you write them meeting in a convenience store?

I liked the idea of an unlikely encounter while running a mundane errand. Who would ever expect to meet their future Happily Ever After next to a cooler in a local convenience store? Ugh, just the idea makes me nervous! So, I made it into a meet-cute.

Question 4

Is Killian's father going to make an appearance?

It's highly unlikely, but I don't like to promise that something will never happen. Killian doesn't know who his father is. His father doesn't know his dalliance with Killian's mom resulted in a child. He's not a bad guy though. If he ever were to find out, he'd want to know his son.

I think I should add that Killian's mom didn't know how to contact her former lover. It was a casual dalliance. If she could have told her former lover about their love child, she would have. Not being able to share that information was one of her greatest regrets.

Question 5

How many more novels have you planned for the Celebrity Crush Romance series?

I have four more in mind at the moment. The more I write, the more possibilities I'm able to imagine. I'm really looking forward to writing Eli and Donovan's stories. They each have an amazing partner out there waiting to bring light to their lives.

This is a fun, lighthearted concept for a series, so I'm happy to keep adding to it even if other concepts become my primary focus.

That's all for now! Until next time—

Runa