Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss

Danica Nava | A disgraced popstar mixes with grumpy Native cowboy

July 22, 2025

What is the title of your latest release?
LOVE IS A WAR SONG

What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A disgraced popstar must hide from the public eye at her estranged grandmother’s ranch in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and avoid the grumpy Native cowboy who hates her music.

How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Broken Arrow is such a beautiful town with an amazing name, and I always wanted to set a story there.

Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I would do a lunch with Avery Fox, but I fear she is too young and into the nightlife for me at this point in my sleep deprived life.

What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Spunky, hardworking, caring

What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned so much about ranch life and taking care of horses. Things I never knew before. At one point I was stressing out and thought, “why did I choose horses?!”

Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try not to but sometimes I get stuck and go back to the top to get back into the story and I see something that needs to be fixed, and I will do that. Otherwise, I just try to get to the end.

What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love chips and salsa.

Describe your writing space/office!
I have my first ever home office and I love it! We just moved in so right now it only houses my desk, a lamp and a file cabinet, but it’s all mine with a door that I can shut the world out and work. My husband restored an antique desk we found on the side of the road for free for me and it’s beautiful.

Who is an author you admire?
I admire Myah Ariel so much. The way she crafts stories is so magical, and I am lucky that I can call her a friend. Seriously, everyone should go read When I Think of You and No Ordinary Love immediately.

Is there a book that changed your life?
The novelization of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was one of my favorite books as a kid and there was so much to the story left out of the movie. I loved getting to know the characters on a deeper level and it inspired me to write Star Wars fanfiction for myself.

Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
When my agent called to tell me that my debut was going to auction, I cried. Berkley won my debut at auction in a two-book deal. I had the idea of Love is a War Song already and the pitch is the same pitch that you see on the back cover of the book. I always believed in this story and so did Berkley and my editor.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance and Fantasy!

What’s your favorite movie?
I have so many, but one I go back to all the time for comfort is Space Balls.

What is your favorite season?
I really love Christmas. I love all the smells, food, music, and get to break out my favorite sweaters.

What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I love Adriana Herrera and Nikki Payne’s Unbound podcast where they tackle pop culture and romance. They have an episode called Cowboys and Vaqueros, Unveiling the True Legends of the West that I recommend everyone listen to.

What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican food forever!

What do you do when you have free time?
Sheesh… what is free time? I work like three full-time jobs. I work a day job, and I write my books in what little time I can steal, and I am a mother to a very rambunctious toddler. I try to be present with my family, but working toward your dreams does take sacrifice. Sometimes I don’t get to go to the park and have fun, I have a deadline, and my husband will take my daughter so that I can get some writing in. I am very lucky and privileged that I have a supportive spouse. It’s still hard when she pulls my hand and says, “No work mommy.” I hope one day I can be a full-time author, and I have more balance in my life.

What can readers expect from you next?
Readers can expect more funny shenanigans set in Oklahoma. My next book is going to continue to subvert the genre, and I hope bring readers a lot of joy! I can’t say anymore since it hasn’t been announced.

LOVE IS A WAR SONG by Danica Nava

A Muscogee pop star and a cowboy who couldn’t be more different come together to strike a deal in this new romantic comedy by Danica Nava, USA Today bestselling author of The Truth According to Ember.

Pop singer Avery Fox has become a national joke after posing scantily clad on the cover of Rolling Stone in a feather warbonnet. What was meant to be a statement of her success as a Native American singer has turned her into a social pariah and dubbed her a fake. With threats coming from every direction and her career at a standstill, she escapes to her estranged grandmother Lottie’s ranch in Oklahoma. Living on the rez is new to Avery—not only does she have to work in the blazing summer heat to earn her keep, but the man who runs Lottie’s horse ranch despises her and wants her gone.

Red Fox Ranch has been home to Lucas Iron Eyes since he was sixteen years old. He has lived by three rules to keep himself out of trouble: 1) preserve the culture, 2) respect the horses, and 3) stick to himself. When he is tasked with picking up Lottie’s granddaughter at the bus station, the last person he expected to see is the Avery Fox. Lucas can’t stand what she represents, but when he’s forced to work with her on the ranch, he can’t get her out of his sight—or his head. He reminds himself to keep to his rules, especially after he finds out the ranch is under threat of being shut down.

It’s clear Avery doesn’t belong here, but they form a tentative truce and make a deal: Avery will help raise funds to save the ranch, and in exchange, Lucas will show her what it really means to be an Indian. It’s purely transactional, absolutely no horsing around…but where’s the fun in that?

Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: July 22, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593642627 / eISBN: 9780593815434]

Buy LOVE IS A WAR SONGAmazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR

About Danica Nava

Danica Nava

Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and works as an executive assistant in Silicon Valley. She graduated with an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. When she is not chasing her one-year-old daughter around the house, she is dreaming up more silly, sexy stories.

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