Nancy Naigle

I was born and raised in Virginia Beach. We lived just a block away from the library, so it’s no surprise that I was a voracious reader from the word go! Books and visits to the zoo were my favorite things to do as a kid.

Cheerleading! I was a cheerleader for every sport, and loved the friendships built there.

Unlike most writers, I didn’t set out to become one. I worded in Corporate America and didn’t decide to write a book until the age of 40. The first book I write was horrible, as most first books are. I did show it to a lot of people. That’s how I ended up with a drawer full of rejections. But undaunted by the rejects, I continued to hone my skills and eventually had Sweet Tea and Secrets published in 2011.

No. My initial goal was to write one book to help one gal through one bad day. That was it. I had no idea it would one day become my career.

I worked on that novel for years. I didn’t keep count of the number of rewrites, but I’d guess it had to be over twenty.

The longest was Sweet Tea and Secrets. With it being my debut novel there were a lot of lessons learned there. A nine-year journey to publication. I think Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies probably was the shortest write. It was the same length story, but I knew the hero and heroine so well since they were the stars of OUT OF FOCUS too…that it was a joy and pleasure to write. That story just flowed.

The Shell Collector is the book of my heart. It came to me following the difficult period after I lost my husband. It took a few years before I was strong enough to actually write the story, but those characters and that story was in my heart for years. I could relate to Amanda so well. It’s hard to lose a spouse—to unbraid yourself from the couple you grew to be, and to step forward without the love of your life. I loved the friendship between her and Maeve.

Working with Kelsey on the Seasoned Southern Sleuth Series (aka The Granny Series) was a hoot. I love that lady. She’s kind to the core and makes me laugh. I learned a lot about plotting in general working on those books. We had to do a lot of prework so that when the time came to get down to the art of writing we had a strong structure to work from. We loved working on those books. I think readers feel the joy that we had writing them while they read them.

I like a slow, realistic build to the romance which isn’t always easy in a book. I also like to make the town like another character. The people and place are always extra special to me.

Well, actually, I had the career in finance first, then my husband and I moved to the farm. It had been his lifelong dream to “own some dirt” and so we made that dream come true. I loved the simple life at home in comparison to the high-tech of my job. It helped my life balance.

I’ve done tons of book signings and I love doing them. Meeting readers is one of the best parts of being a writer. I’ve met so many wonderful people, and I’ve gained so many new friends and learned from others through the process. I guess the most interesting request at a book signing had to have been the first time I had a customer ask me to autograph the red truck Hallmark ornament to go along with the autographed novel Christmas in Evergreen. I’ve autographed lots of them sense, but the first time someone asked me it seemed strange since I didn’t create the ornament, and wasn’t in the movie. LOL.

It’s a nice accomplishment and reminder that I’ve had the great privilege to share with a large community. It’s humbling to think that I may have touched a heart, tickled a memory, or made someone smile just from words I typed on a page, and who I may never meet.

There has to be a happily-ever-after in a romance, or it’s not a romance.

Always. In 2022 readers will be treated to two women’s fiction – What Remains True (May 2022, Waterbrook Press) and The Wedding Ranch (Oct 2022, St. Martin’s Press). I also have a short story in a wedding anthology titled Something Blue that will release in first quarter.

I’m not even sure how long ago I joined. I love the lovely graphics y’all send. It’s like getting a present. Thank you for helping me increase our creativity together.