Elana Johnson - A Friends to Lovers, Fake Fiance Romance

USA Today bestseller and Kindle All-Star Author, Elana Johnson writes adult contemporary beach romance. She is the author of over 100 books across two names, and there's nothing better than sun, sand, and swoon-worthy kisses! As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her friends to lovers, fake fiance sweet romance, The Billionaire's Bride.

Please give us a short introduction to what The Billionaire's Bride is about.

The Billionaire's Bride is a friends to lovers, fake fiance sweet romance. Burke's dad owns a huge flower farm in Hawaii, and he's set to inherit it. But his dad wants him to settle down, and he says he's engaged to his best friend, Ash. Chaos ensues, and Burke and Ash have to figure out some things out, including how they really feel about each other.

What inspired you to write about two friends who agree to have a fake engagement?

I love fake relationship romance, and it seemed like two friends would do that for one another if they had to.

Why beach romance? What draws you to the genre?

I love love love the beach. I live in the Rocky Mountains, so I don't get to the beach very often - except in books. I also love escapism fiction, and that's what beach romances are to me.

Tell us more about Ashley Fox. What makes her tick?

Ash has always known what her life would be like. She's mostly content in it, but she's starting to think that she'll only get to sew wedding dresses for other people.

What makes Ashley and Burke such a great match?

Ash and Burke have been best friends for a long time. She knows things about him that no one else does, and she understands why he acts the way he does...most of the time. And though their romantic relationship starts out as a farce, she's been crushing on him hard for months. So they're a great match, because she shows him that he can move past his last broken relationship, and he shows her that she's worth loving.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Um, I'm really good at laying in bed with my pups. LOL. And ordering pizza. I'm good at that too.

Your characters feel real and relatable. How do you pull this off?

I spent 2-3 writing sessions doing character planning as part of my outlining. I have a spreadsheet with all kinds of information about them, stuff that doesn't even make it into the book. But I know it, because I think it helps me craft a more well-rounded person. A more three-dimensional person. I'm glad you think they're real and relatable! I do feel like I work hard on that.

Was there a particular character whose voice you found it easiest to write in?

The male for me is always the easiest to write in a romance. I think I tend to get the women a little too far inside their heads, and sometimes that's a muddy road to travel. LOL.

How do you force yourself to finish what you're doing before starting the next project when the new idea is nagging at you?

Now that I'm retired, I actually write two books at a time. One in the morning and a different one in the afternoon. So I don't have to do this as often as I used to! But when I do have this itch, I just scratch it. I do a character planning session or some research for an upcoming book.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I try to get 3-4 writing sessions per day. They're anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. I try to write 6 chapters every day, but that's a bit unreasonable. I average about 8000 words per writing day, and I take about 10 days off every month. I don't think I have any interesting writing habits. I just sit down, open all my stuff up, and get going.

What are you working on right now?

I'm currently writing a couple of ranch romances for my pen name of Liz Isaacson.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

The best place is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorelanajohnson

Or my newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/ElanaRomanceListq