1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
After she rescues her sister’s ex from a loopy response to pain meds, Nyla has to keep Leo’s biggest secret while trying not to fall for him.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Nearly all of my 40+ published rom-coms take place in the Pacific Northwest. I’m a fourth-generation Oregonian, so this region and its quirks will always have my heart. While The Best Kept Secret takes place in a tiny town in northern Washington, fans of the series will recognize some of the Oregon-based smokejumpers who make an appearance (but don’t worry if you haven’t read others—all the books are standalones!)
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Definitely! She’s one of the kindest, most caring and earnest people I know. Even though she can’t keep a secret to save her life, she’s the sort of person who’ll have your back no matter what.
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Loving, hard-working, father. That last one is really at the core of who Leo is and how he sees himself.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I’ve always loved themes around big, messy families and how families can be shaped by love and not necessarily shared DNA. But this was the first book where I really had to research that DNA aspect and consult with doctors about how someone might accidentally discover he is not his son’s biological father. Spoiler alert: It happens waaaaaaay more than you’d think!
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I start each writing day by editing whatever I wrote on the previous writing day. That typically takes me to lunchtime, and after lunch is all about writing new copy. Lather, rinse, repeat…
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a huge foodie, and my foodie fixations always end up in my books. There’s one scene in The Best Kept Secret where Nyla brings a kale salad to family dinner, and that’s also my specialty. I know it sounds weird to have kale salad be one of my favorite indulgences, but I’m obsessed with the stuff (as is my 16yo stepdaughter who literally begs me to make it).
9–Describe your writing space/office!
It’s generally filled with pets. I have two dogs and five cats, so it kinda has to be! I work at a standup desk with an ergonomic mat I shove aside when it’s time to transform the space into my daily yoga studio. There’s also a small pullout couch for when we have houseguests, though more often than not, it’s covered in pet fur and at least a couple cats. I have tons of plants and bookshelves and the art on the walls is either from my globetrotting travels or painted by my artistic kiddos.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Oh, man! So many of them. Kennedy Ryan is a freakin’ goddess and I adore her characters and heart-gripping plots. Lucy Score is hilarious and so down-to-earth. Alexis Hall’s “Boyfriend Material” was one of the best romances I read last year. I could do this all day, so I’ll stop now.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Probably all of them do in some way. Even if it’s a book I don’t love, I appreciate anything that shoves me out of my comfort zone and teaches me something new (even if that something new is “I don’t really enjoy books about haughty Russian tsars.”)
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
Does it make me old if I admit it’s been so long I barely remember? I had a couple false starts early in my career where the Harlequin line I’d been contracted to write for shut down a month before my scheduled debut. I also had a long road of agent hunting and rejections and early book deals that didn’t go like I’d hoped. All that to say “the call” in retrospect was such a tiny part of my writing career that it seems like a weird hairy lump on the concrete in my rearview mirror.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Everything! Obviously, I’ve got a soft spot for romantic comedies like I write, but I also adore memoirs and mysteries and historical fiction and risqué erotic romance and everything else under the sun.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Guh. I’m not much of a movie or TV watcher. I guess I have to say Crazy, Stupid Love because it’s one of the cleverest rom-coms I’ve watched. It tweaks the heartstrings, the funny bone, and the tingly bits all in one two-hour flick.
15–What is your favorite season?
Summertime! I’m an August baby and also part lizard. While my friends are flocking indoors on 100-degree days, I’m out standup paddleboarding or basking in the sun with a good book.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I think I just inadvertently answered it with my comment about SUPing and basking in the sun with a good book. That’s pretty close! Add in a great dinner and a hike with my pups or a tandem bike ride with the husband and it’s pretty much my perfect day.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
While I’m aware that television sets exist in my home, I have no idea how to turn one on. When someone else in the house forces me to, I’ll occasionally watch TV or movies, but it’s not a medium that appeals to me. My mother exasperatedly said to me once, “Talking to you is like having a conversation with an Amish person.” She’s not too far off the mark. I’ll talk your ear off about books, though!
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
One of my favorite things about being an avid globetrotter is trying different cuisines. I love just about everything and am always hungry to try new dishes. When it comes to cooking at home, we do a lot of fish and veggies. I adore wine, especially finding the perfect Oregon Pinot or Marlborough Sav Blanc to go with a dish.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
What’s that? I’m only half joking because I’m not awesome at giving myself downtime. I do love camping, hiking, standup paddleboarding, and snowshoeing, so that’s usually what you’ll find me doing when I’m not writing.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
After THE BEST KEPT SECRET, I’ve got a new series launching in April about a trio of hitmen who set out to start new lives in small-town Oregon, but danger––and love––track them down where they least expect it. The three-book Assassins in Love series is rom-com like all my other books, but with a suspenseful edge. The first book, KILLER INSTINCTS, releases April 7, with the next two books coming in May and June. I’m so excited for readers to meet Matteo and Sebastian, and Dante was already introduced in the final book of my Ponderosa Resort series, DR. HOT STUFF (though it’s no prob if you haven’t read that—you can jump right in with book #1!)
THE BEST KEPT SECRET by Tawna Fenske
Nurse Nyla Franklin knows three things to be true. Taking care of others brings more joy than a basket full of kittens. A triple-fudge sundae can cure just about anything. And no good ever comes from keeping a secret… So when her best friend spills his biggest one ever, Nyla knows she’s not just holding a secret. She’s holding a ticking time bomb.
Mr. Always Does the Right Thing Leo Sayre knows three things to be true. Piloting smokejumpers over burning forests is the best job in the world. His best friend Nyla is the smartest, funniest, and okay, sexiest woman ever. And pain meds are apparently his truth serum. Now his post-surgery confession has everything flipped upside down and turned inside out… including his relationship with Nyla.
Secrets have a way of piling up, and it’s just a matter of time before someone lights a match. Because while the truth can set you free, it can also burn completely out of control…
Romance Romantic | Romance Comedy [Entangled: Amara, On Sale: March 1, 2022, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649370303 / eISBN: 9781649370433]
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About Tawna Fenske
Tawna Fenske is a USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risque romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Her offbeat brand of romance has received multiple starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, one of which noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.” Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, step-kids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year.
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