1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE NANNY
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The Nanny is a forced proximity, single dad/nanny story that puts a spin on second chance romance and offers a ton of spice and open-door scenes. Cassie is the grad student with a now-closed OnlyFans account. Aiden was one of her top subscribers. Neither of them realizes this when he hires her. Mutual pining and heaps of sexual tension ensue.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I was researching OT programs that offered hybrid programs. San Diego had one close by that had the sort of schedule I needed for Cassie so that she could also have a nannying job. Sometimes I get a little too hung up on minor details, and sometimes I just make something up and move on. There’s really no in between with me.
4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Honestly, I worry that I would be nervous to approach Cassie in real life! (I tend to shy away from noticeably confident and capable people) But if I could ever work up the courage, or if Cassie was ever kind enough to adopt me (as most of my friendships are formed), there’s no way I would ever let her kick me to the curb. Given that her sense of humor is, well, my sense of humor—it would be nice to have someone that thinks all my stupid jokes are actually funny.
5--What are three words that describe your hero?
Thoughtful. Selfless. Macrophallus. One of these is not like the other.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Your first draft does not have to be perfect. I know that’s probably something standard for seasoned writers, but when you’re just starting out, the dread of sending your editor your first draft and convincing yourself that they’re going to shred your contract after reading it is real, my friends. Now, I try to think of myself as one of those couples on Property Brothers where the guys show the couple their “dream house” and get them all excited and then viciously crush their dreams by telling them there is no way they can afford it. Then they show them an ugly, falling apart monstrosity and convince them they can make it perfect. It always comes out perfect in the end. I am the couple. My first draft is the old, busted house. It’ll be perfect, eventually, but I have to let the hot twins do the work first. (I’m not sure if the hot twins in this metaphor are also me or my editor or…? Whatever. It still works.)
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write from page one to page whatever the ending is and never look back until someone says “let’s talk about this part”. I’m sure my copy editors love that about me. I take the Edna Mode approach to writing: “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
This is going to sound very unexciting, but I love those horrible frosted sugar cookies you can buy from Walmart. You know the ones. They’re soft and kind of flaky on the bottom and the icing is hella thick with cheap sprinkles on top. My friend calls them “trash cookies”. She’s not wrong, but I will still eat six while you’re not looking.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My current office is a reimagined dining room that we gutted and threw up some IKEA shelves I bought with grand plans to fill with books and then instead filled with various toys, anime figures, and Funko Pops. I mean, there are books on there, but the ratio is definitely skewed. There are these big bay windows that let in a ton of light though, and my cats like to sunbathe on the carpet in front of them, so I can usually take a nice cuddle break and use their bodies as pillows while I decompress. (They love this. They’ve never told me, of course, but I have a sense for these things. The squirming is a sign of enjoyment.)
10--Who is an author you admire?
Ruby Dixon. She was my first author friend I met on this wild ride, and outside of being incredibly sweet and supportive—I will never get over how she manages to produce so. much. content. Consistently GOOD content. That woman is an absolute romance machine, and I can only be grateful I am allowed to reap the benefits by continuing to try and find ways to inject her content into my veins.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
The Hobbit. When I was in third grade, I checked out this old copy of the book that I know now is the Michael Hague illustrated edition. (I know this because I spent a massive amount of time a couple of years ago trying to track down a copy of this edition, something that didn’t pan out, unfortunately.) It was a massive book (or it felt that way to an eight-year-old) and the yellow cover was already old and faded but the Smaug illustration on the front was so cool. It was the first “big book” I ever read. (Yes, I realize now it’s not that big of a book, but again, to an eight-year-old…) After I finished it, I knew no “See Spot Run” books were going to satisfy me ever again. I needed real stories. I never looked back.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
You know those moments where you’re so happy you’re pretty sure you’re dreaming? That’s what having the conversation about publishing my book with my editor was like. (My editor is the cutest, funniest, smartest editor in the world. No, I will not be taking any arguments at this time.) I was caught somewhere between nausea and butterflies in my stomach. I’ve never been so nervous. Hearing her praise my words and express excitement about publishing something I WROTE made me want to twist myself into a pretzel and tuck myself under a rug, but after the dust settled, and I’d gotten the shouting and the babbled facetiming to all my friends out of the way—I think I just walked around with a really creepy grin on my face for a week or so. Actually, I might still be wearing it. It would explain why people avoid me on the sidewalk.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance. Is that cliche? Maybe. Do I care? Nope. I’m a “read the last page to make sure there’s a happy ending” sort of gal, and I love that in the romance genre there’s no fear of that. You pick up a romance knowing that no matter what the author might put you through during the ride—you’re going to feel good in the end. I have a particular soft spot for monster romances. Maybe it’s the lingering remnants of Belle and the Beast syndrome, but the whole “he thinks he’s too ugly to love, and she proves that he isn’t” trope just gets me every single time. (Ruby Dixon absolutely crushes this trope.) Plus, let’s be real, monsters are hot. (I’m looking at you, Guillermo Del Toro. You know what you were doing with Shape of Water.)
14--What’s your favorite movie?
What We Do in The Shadows. It’s incredibly ridiculous and nonsensical. I adore it. I say, “leave me to do my dark bidding on the internet” an embarrassing amount. Taika Waititi has had my heart ever since my first viewing.
15--What is your favorite season?
Winter. We rarely get snow, but I love when it happens. Everything is so pristine and glittery right after a fresh snow. I also love the cold. Like, not a slight breeze; I legitimately love a “my nose is red, and my cheeks burn” kind of cold. I have no idea why. Maybe because I love bundling up like a baby kangaroo in her mama’s pouch. Imagine a little Lana burrito in the dead of winter.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My family likes to say I don’t have a birthday day. I have a birthday MONTH—because I usually use it as an excuse to get them to make my favorite foods over an extended period of time. Usually, my birthdays are spent quietly with family eating cheesecake and playing card games until all of us get into a fight and accuse each other of cheating. You know, wholesome stuff.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Our Flag Means Death. I watched that show TWICE back-to-back. It became my entire personality for a while after which I mercilessly bullied my friends trying to get them to watch it. It’s everything I could ever want. Queer rep, wholesomeness, ridiculously dry humor that touches the deepest parts of my funny bone. We truly do not deserve Taika. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do. I probably won’t sleep well again until they release season two.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Japanese. I love love love trying new types of ramen (usually not spicy, as I have the taste buds of a four-year-old who has just tried Sprite for the first time), and a plate of good gyoza will make me come running (and I view running as something to be endured, not enjoyed).
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love playing rummy with my grandparents, lying in bed in the dark and reading something I’ve been putting off, binge-watching horror movies I’ve already seen, making plans to work out and taking a nap instead—I’m a simple person with simple needs.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I have a contemporary shifter fake dating (fake mating?) romance due sometime in the Fall! Expect lots of the same level of spice and more of my silly sense of humor, but I feel confident in saying that you can probably expect that from any of my future works. I like spice (unless it’s ramen). I like bad jokes. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
A woman discovers the father of the child she is nannying may be her biggest (Only)Fan in this steamy contemporary romance by Lana Ferguson.
Suddenly unemployed and on the brink of eviction, Cassie Evans is left with two choices: get a new job (and fast) or fire up her long-untouched OnlyFans account. But the job market is terrible, and as for OnlyFans. . . . Well, there are reasons she can’t go back. Just when all hope seems lost, an ad for a live-in nanny position seems like the solution to all her problems. It’s almost too perfect—until she meets her would-be employer.
Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie was imagining. He shocks her when he tells her she’s the most qualified applicant he’s met in weeks, practically begging her to take the job. With hands that make her hindbrain howl and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous, but with no other option, she decides to stay with him and his adorably tenacious daughter, Sophie.
Cassie soon discovers that Aiden is not a stranger at all, but instead someone who is very familiar with her—or at least, her body. Given that he doesn’t remember her, Cassie is faced with what feels like an impossible situation. As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling Aiden the truth, and the more terrifying possibility—losing the best chance at happiness she’s ever had.
Women's Fiction | Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: April 11, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593549353 / eISBN: 9780593549360]
Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio book cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. When she isn’t writing, you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings. Lana lives mostly in her own head but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors.
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