We caught up with Mills & Boon Modern author Dani Collins, who writes sexy, witty and compelling contemporary romances. Find out more about her writing journey, recommendations and new book below!
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You write for the Mills and Boon Modern series, which whisks readers away to a world of glamour and luxury with lots of sexy, seductive and very alpha heroes. What’s your favourite thing about writing Modern romances?
The glamour and luxury and seduction by alpha heroes, of course! I actually marvel on the regular that my job is to look up superyachts and ‘handsome Italian actors.’
I also adore the team in London. Everyone I’ve ever worked with there has been amazing.
Can you tell us a bit about how you started writing for Mills & Boon?
In Canada, they’re marketed as Harlequin Presents. I found them while I was in high school and instantly knew I wanted my job to be writing these kinds of books.
At twenty-one, I wrote my first manuscript which was promptly rejected. I then wrote for twenty-five years to no avail. There were a lot of publishers and different lines over that time. I tried every single one, but I always came back to Presents/Modern. I knew these were the stories I wanted to write.
In 2008, I was a finalist in M&B’s Instant Seduction contest and, four short years and half a dozen manuscripts later, I got ‘The Call’. It was as thrilling as I’d always hoped and writing for M&B is absolutely a dream come true.
What was the inspiration behind your new book, Wedding Night with the Wrong Billionaire?
This is the second book in my Four Weddings and a Baby quartet. In the first one, the groom discovers he has a baby with someone else and jilts Eden at the altar. Thus, my inspiration for this one was: What if the bride runs away with the best man?
All my characters in this quartet have some Canadian heritage. Remy is from Montreal which has a rich Haitian community so I gave him a Haitian mother. His father is from Martinique which is where he takes Eden when they escape her cancelled wedding.
Eden and Remy are fated-mates, but a feud between their families has kept them apart. Thanks to the wedding drama (and a broken condom) they’re forced to stick together, work through everything, and find their HEA.
How did you turn your dream of being an author into reality?
It was kind of a leap of faith. I was working a day job when I began to publish, but I desperately wanted this to be my full-time career.
I was fortunate that our children were in high school. Writing when they were little was not my most productive time. My hat is off to those who actually meet deadlines with babies underfoot. Even with teenagers and a day job it was a juggle so, after my fifth book was accepted, I jumped into full-time writing. It’s a different juggle, but I love it.
Modern romances often take place in diverse, international settings. What is your favourite setting to write about?
Canada was my favourite setting for my Four Weddings and a Baby series. It was a delight to ‘visit’ (online) so many of our beautiful places.
The truth is, every time I research a setting, I want to see it in real life. My bucket list of travel destinations starts in Greece and circles the globe several times.
What does your writing routine typically look like?
I check email while I eat breakfast, then pour coffee and get to writing.
My daily goal is usually two thousand words. I start in my pajamas and get dressed when I’m stuck and looking for an excuse to walk away from the computer. After I get my first thousand words, I have lunch, do my stretches and shower.
Then it’s back to my desk until my second thousand are on the page. Sometimes I’m still squeaking them out after the dinner dishes are done. Other times, I use evenings for blog posts (hi!) or work on my newsletter. (Join me with the Join Me tab on my website!)
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
Way back in my pre-published days, Kay Gregory, who wrote for Presents at the time, was an RWA chapter mate. During a workshop, she said, ‘The middle of the book is for developing the romance.’
I think of that often when I’m at thirty-thousand words and I don’t know what happens next. I’m always tempted to bring in somebody’s sister-in-law for a long chat about gardening, but no. That’s the time when a terrible, hurtful secret needs to be revealed so the other character can help them work through it.
What are some of your favourite romantic films/tv shows? Any recommendations?
I recently saw The Lost City which was rollicking good fun. If you haven’t gone down the rabbit hole of Korean Dramas, can I please introduce you to Crash Landing on You, which is a very slow burn romance that is utter perfection. I visit Pemberly (Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice) at least once a year and I will immediately stop what I’m doing and sit down for The Thomas Crown Affair (Pierce Brosnan version). In fact, I’m surprised I’m not watching TCA right now.
What’s in your TBR pile at home?
I love that I get one of my fellow Modern authors wrapped with my own title when my Modern author copies show up. I usually read that one, but I have to be careful about when and what I read. One of two things often happens. Either I pick up other author’s voice or I lose faith in my own ability because they’re all so freaking good!
I have a lot of nonfiction on my phone like Stacey Abrams’s Lead From the Outside, which I haven’t read yet, and Dear Writer, You Need To Quit by Becca Syme, which I’ve read a couple of times. It helps you shut out the noise, recognise your own process and protect it.
Last question! Flowers or chocolate?
Given that my milestone bouquet from Harlequin is still blooming beautifully almost two weeks after it arrived, I’m pretty happy with flowers, but if I had to choose, I’d go for chocolate.
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Wedding Night with the Wrong Billionaire by Dani Collins
When her perfect-on-paper wedding ends in humiliation, Eden flees…with best man Remy! Their families’ rivalry makes him completely off-limits. But when their attraction is red-hot would claiming her wedding night with Remy be so very wrong?
Read now in eBook or in paperback which also features Carrying Her Boss’s Christmas Baby by Natalie Anderson.
