Nancy Naigle

Today, we’re giddy to be talking to USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle as we eagerly await her newest novel! So without further ado, let’s get started!

Nancy, we love being whisked away to romantic destinations. Tell us about the setting of your novel.

I’m probably most well-known for my small town stories, but as I began writing this story I found myself in a different setting. I felt the hum of a city. The hustle of people moving with purpose on a mission to adhere to a schedule, and two people that I was really excited to get to know better. The Law of Attraction is set in the city of Richmond, Virginia.

Two locals who have never crossed paths before, are swept together (literally!) and then brought together again. They share their very different experiences in the community as they navigate some crazy hurdles that ultimately bring them closer.

Choose one of your characters and have them give us one piece of relationship advice.

How fun! Okay, let’s have Whitney share relationship advice with us. And this is actually the perfect question, because one of the story threads in this book is how a social media post goes viral because someone thought they were being funny, and it’s having a negative impact on our heroine.

She takes relationships very seriously. You see, she’s a divorce attorney, and some might think that would sour a gal to forever love, but it only makes this heroine more determined to give it her all.

Advice from Whitney:

“You have to make a choice every day that your relationship comes first, and that means making time for it even when work is crazy or other things are falling into your schedule. Time is a precious commodity. Kindness, it’s key. And honesty. Don’t lie to your partner or yourself about anything, it will only come out later in a passive aggressive way, and that can cause lasting harm to even a healthy relationship, and last but not least, be mindful of social media. Healthy relationships require spending real time together in person. Social media can be a distraction, and broadcasting the details of your relationship on social media can be problematic, and that goes for talking about all your problems to your friends. Talk to your partner. That’s the only person who can change it.”

What other authors in your genre do you love to read?

Denise Hunter, Jenny Hale, Mary Alice Monroe, Sasha Summers, Rachel Hauck oh gosh so many! This is always such a hard question, but I love stumbling upon new authors. Those are some of my auto-buys, but I’ll admit a book cover will catch my attention if it’s really colorful and joyful, or if it’s spa-like and relaxing.

Behind-the-scenes glimpses are always exciting. Tell us one thing you did while writing your upcoming novel.

I wrote this book over the summer. I plotted throughout the Reader and Author Getaway in Cincinnati, Ohio the first week of June (hmm…I seem to be working on a book every year during that event!), and then on a couple fun weekend getaways, but I remember the week it was due. As usual, I was burning the midnight oil that last week trying to wrangle the story to the ground because I swear the closer I get to deadline the more ideas I get. It’s nuts! But it was an unplanned celebratory moment to have had an interview scheduled on the local Fox Affiliate for August 11th in Greensboro, NC to talk about upcoming releases. That was the day after I turned in this book. I was tired, but what a nice way to come out of that hunkered down, in my jammies, writing cave I’d been in for too long.

Choose one of the following that happened in your novel and tell us all about it: a sweet surprise, a loving gesture, a thoughtful gift, date-night idea, romantic dinner.

There’s nothing more special than a loving gesture that reaffirms someone has been listening to you. I love when Matthew surprises Whitney with a gift. Something she’d seen and commented on. Not really extravagant either, those kinds of gifts come from the heart, and that’s what makes them so special.

Give us a three-song playlist that would be the soundtrack to your new book.

Full disclosure, I’m not a playlist listener when I write. I love my space to be completely quiet when I work. So, I had to really think about this, and I was so delighted to stumble upon this duet by Miranda Lambert and Enrique Iglesias. (sigh) So romantic!

1.     Enrique Iglesias, Miranda Lambert - Space In My Heart

2.     Benson Boone - Work of Art 

3.     Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

Tell us your favorite part of the publishing process and why.

Edits are my favorite part of the process. Getting the story draft finished is satisfying, and boy is it a huge effort because at that point I’m still in discovery mode. I’m trying to figure out what this little seed of an idea is going to grow into. I have to get to know my characters and string everything together in a logical way that a reader can follow. It’s messy and hard work, and I’m always coming up with good ideas when it’s time to turn it in. Ugh.

By the time we get into editing the story, aka my favorite part, I know the characters. They are my friends, and part of every day and thought. Like old friends, I know them. This is when the novel begins to sparkle, and with each iteration it shines a little more.

What are you working on now?

Oh, this is exciting. I’ve been hard at work the last few years on holiday stories to small towns in the mountains to the beach and back. Well, I’m wading into the water again working on a sparkling beach read for 2025. I feel the coast calling, how about you? Come along…no sunscreen required.

Where did you come up with the idea for The Law of Attraction?

I’d met someone at one of my book signings who had asked me to brunch, and that led to a few dates. As we got to know each other, we realized that my divorce attorney was from the same practice his ex-wife had used. We joked that if it hadn’t been for that law firm, we may have never met. I jokingly said, we should send them a thank-you card. As it often happens, the next day I was thinking about just how problematic that fleeting thought could be for the divorce attorneys at the law firm if a social media post about that went viral, and this story began percolating.

Did the novel come together like you thought it would?

Sort of, but not completely. I’d really envisioned it being a romcom. Something over the top funny almost to the tune of the book I co-authored with Kelsey Browning, In For A Penny, which ended up being a super-fun five-book series to write. But this one stayed light and uplifting, but not silly fun like I’d first thought. It also has themes of family and community that I really love, and I love that although the book is set in the city of Richmond, Virginia, it does bring out some of the simple pleasures like the picnic in the park. A sort of small town moment in a beautiful park in the city.

Was The Law of Attraction the original title?

I started writing this book under Sister-in-Law Lawyers.

Sometimes, the title comes right to me, this was not one of those times.

I tossed a bunch around that were all over the place. A few super-duper ‘clunkers’, and some pretty good ‘maybes’ too.

Not Against the Law

Exes and Ohs!

Laying Down the Law

All's Fair in Love and Law

But, in the end The Law of Attraction felt like the perfect fit.

Tell us about the hero painting murals on buildings.

There are moments when we all have to figure out the competing priorities or dreams in our lives. For Matthew, he’s found great success in the art world. He’s able to command high prices for his work and he’s in a great place in his career. But as with all of us, he has a special love for something else. Painting those murals on the side buildings is something he does because he truly loves it.

In doing research about murals I reached out to a muralist in Virginia Beach, the town I grew up in. It was almost a year ago now since we connected. He was so gracious, answering my multitude of questions and sharing his experience. The funny thing is that out of those conversations with the muralist I was really impressed by his art, of course, but more so by his huge heart and focus on ability to impact by fundraising and giving back. That experience of getting to know how he works professionally and personally, impacted the character of Matthew too.

You never know where research will lead you, and that’s a really exciting part of the journey. If you want to check out the guys’ work who I chatted with you can even order merch that gives back. https://onietonie.com/

His tagline is: The ART that brightens the community. A BRAND of quality, joyful products. The IMPACT of giving back.

Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

Will there be another story connected to this one?

This was written as a stand-alone, but you as the reader have the power to persuade us otherwise. Sales and reader interest are the key ingredients to any author continuing a series. Let us know your thoughts through your reviews and purchase power, and spread the word.

We can’t wait to bring you Nancy’s newest novel!