Not a Chance
***Synopsis***
Not A Chance is a best friend’s brother, second chance, hockey romance.
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or
was that decided before the story began?
Hockey romance is one of my favorite tropes to read, so I knew before I even started writing book one of the series, that I wanted one of the three books to be set in the world of an NHL hockey team. I love all of the elements that come with sports romance—especially teammate banter and support—so setting Not A Chance in the world of a NHL hockey team was very much by design.
Are you more character or plot driven?
My books are absolutely character driven. Nothing is more important to me than sharing complex main characters who think and feel deeply. Each character has a journey to go through in a book. It necessary for engaging plot points to be there to move them along, but a main character’s reaction and choices based on the events in the plot are my central focus.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind? Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?
With both of my books, I wanted the main characters to be surrounded by a small, but tight-knit support system. By keeping their circle on the smaller side, it is possible for me to keep them organized in my mind.
I picture the FMC and MMC like planets and the secondary characters tend to revolve around them, coming in and out of orbit when it make senses for their character development.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own. Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?
When you read Not A Chance, you discover that Indigo Layne is not a young woman to mess with. It was fun to imagine the way she would react to various situations and just… letting those reactions spill onto the page (or computer screen). She is everything I wish I could be in the way she stands up for those she loves and, eventually, for herself. It’s a lot of fun for me to imagine “what would Indie do or say” when it comes to everyday situations.
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
I tend to keep my characters and real-life people separate from each other. Instead, I let the personality of the FMC shape her perfect partner. The most fun part of writing for me is imaging male characters who are secure enough in their own identity and masculinity to appreciate being equal partners with the woman they fall in love with.
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
In Not A Chance, Indie is based on the type of woman I wish I could be in any given situation. She has the urge to take care of those she love, except its on overdrive and she’s not afraid to say what needs to be said in order to achieve that.
Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?
I find any kind of meanness/cruelty difficult to write about. Even if my characters are fictional people, I still want them to feel cared for and happy.
What is your favorite book in the series?
I really can’t pick. Not As Advertised was my first book and Abbie’s ability to be open and honest was special to me on top of publishing for the first time.
I love Not A Chance because Indie was a lot of fun to write. She has so many feelings and vulnerabilities under the surface. And I loved Theo because he was “all in” from the very beginning.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
Oh I really can’t choose! Each character is so unique in their own way.
Indie is amazing because she rarely holds back what needs to be to said and isn’t afraid to deal with the fallout if it means protecting someone she loves. Theo is so unbelievably steady and supportive. There’s nothing Indie can do that’s going to change his love for her and having that kind of unconditional love is something everyone deserves.
From book one, I appreciate Abbie for her openness and willingness to be vulnerable in a world that tells us to hide our emotions a lot of the time. Her partner Aiden has that stern, take-care-of-everything vibe which I think anyone could appreciate having someone else take care of all the details once in a while.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?
I’d have to say that I love Indie and Theo just a bit more than my first couple (it feels traitorous to even say that!). There is a depth to their relationship even before it starts because they have a lifetime of childhood and teenage memories that overlap.
The fact that Theo is the brother of Indie’s best friend, Emery, connects them in another very significant way. Indie is guarded emotionally which means it takes a lot for her to trust someone. I knew by making Theo her best friend’s brother that it would create an immediate intimacy that Indie would need in order to be open to a relationship.
How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?
Like most of us, my characters want to be loved for exactly who they are. The “grand gesture” isn’t always a huge decision or grand declaration, it’s about showing their partner that they see and understand what’s most important to them and that they aren’t going anywhere.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?
There is a scene at the end of Not A Chance between Theo and his father (that Indie is present for) that makes me tear up just thinking about it.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than others?
Not As Advertised, my first book was by far the hardest to write. I was learning so much about what it takes to write and self-publish a book. While writing it, I was simultaneously having to remind myself that I actually could write a book and resist giving into the fear that it would turn out that I “wasn’t good enough.”
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
I started writing Not As Advertised in February 2023 and finished my first draft that November. I was more meticulous in planning Not A Chance (plus the confidence that I had already made book one happen), I was able to write book two in about five months.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
Book one is set in a boutique advertising firm. As an avid reader and former high school English teacher, I’ve always loved idioms. It just made sense to play off the idea that everything is not always as it seems.
For book two and three, I dove deeper into the list of idioms that start with “Not.” I am absolutely the reader (and writer) who appreciates the way that characters appear to “have it all together” at first glance when in reality, it is only a mask to hide their most vulnerable emotions.
If you met these characters in real life would you get along?
One of my goals is to write characters that readers fall in love with as the two main characters fall in love with each other. I would absolutely love to be friends with the four main characters (and most of the side characters! Except for Abbie’s mother and Indie’s parents—boo!) from my first two books.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand their own story?
When I started imagining writing a book, it became clear almost right away that each of the exceptional women in this friendship group deserved their own story.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?
As much as I don’t base character’s personalities on real people, I do daydream about famous people as the model for their appearance (lol).
For Not A Chance, I could imagine Indie being played by Keira Knightley or Elizabeth Olsen. Both these women strike me as independent and very self-aware about their own needs. For Theo, after watching Wheel of Time, Daniel Henney became fixed in my mind as an amazing physical representation of Theo.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next? Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series? Can you share a small tease?
Not Your Problem, the third book of my Heartstrings series, is in the first draft stage at the moment. Since I’m still in the middle of writing it, I can’t share more than the main characters will be Emery Yao-Miller, Indie’s best friend and Theo’s baby sister, and Rowan Ward, a new character to the Heartstrings universe.
This final book might just be the most emotional of all since it’s going to deal with some heavier topics. Emery and Rowan are going to go through the emotional wringer before they get their HEA.
Heartstrings series - Book 1
Aiden has worked too hard to risk his career on a workplace romance, especially with someone as off-limits as his sweet, lavender-haired assistant. But resisting Abbie is easier said than done. One forbidden moment turns into another, threatening to derail the life he's meticulously built.
As professional boundaries blur and feelings deepen, both Aiden and Abbie are forced to reckon with the price of their connection. Can they find a way to follow their hearts without losing everything they've worked for—or will love prove too high a risk?
Heartstrings series - Book 2
After thirteen years as a star NHL goalie for the Vancouver Frost, Theo's sudden trade to the Toronto Tempests is the shakeup he never saw coming. With chronic knee pain threatening his career, hockey is complicated enough without Indigo Layne moving in across the hall. She's no longer the quiet girl he once knew -- she's fierce, independent, and impossible to ignore. Keeping his distance? That was easier six years ago.
As sparks fly and secrets surface, both Theo and Indie must confront the past—and their undeniable connection. But when the stakes are their dreams and reputations, will love be worth the risk?
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