Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts - Author Interview

Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts

Release date: September 14th 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pre-order: Amazon | B&N

The Good Girl Vs. The Player
Round one begins...
Trina Clemons needed the money. Why else would she - the most organized, prepared student in school - spend the summer as a nanny and partner with the biggest slacker ever? Now she's ready to tackle nannyhood with her big binder of research and schedules. Just don't ask her about the secret job of "fixing" the bad habits of a certain high school player...

Slade Edmunds prefers easy hook-ups, and Trina is definitely not his type. She's all structure and rules, while Slade wants to just have fun. Fortunately, Trina has no idea about the bet Slade made with his best friend that he can totally get her to unwind by the end of summer...

Then the weirdest thing happens. There's chemistry. A lot of it. 

But nothing gets between a boy and a girl like a big, fat secret...

1. Where did you get your inspiration for Playing the Player?

This is one of those book ideas that just came to me fully formed, like a gift from the creative universe. It originally came to me as a phrase: slacker nanny falls in love. I had a clear image of a guy babysitting two crazy little kids, and realized he was the nanny. But who would he fall in love with? His bossy partner nanny, of course, because he clearly needed help wrangling the kids. But as I wrote the first draft, the story shifted, calling into question who the “slacker nanny” really was.

2. Who was your favorite character to write about?

I had fun writing in Slade’s POV because writing as a guy was challenging, but I loved writing all of the characters in this book, including the two little kids, Gillian and Max. This book is about opposites attracting, in both love and friendship. My main characters Trina and Slade are definitely “opposites,” as are the kids they babysit.

3. Are any of the characters inspired by real people?

No, although in my mind, Slade is that guy- the one everyone has a crush on in high school- the sexy, funny party guy that you can’t resist even when you know you should.

In some ways, the kids were inspired by my son and his preschool BFF. They were opposites but joined at the hip at the preschool they attended. Since my son is now a teenager I’m sure he’s less than thrilled with me saying that, but it’s true J.

4. Do you usually have to do a lot of research in preparation for writing your books or do you just see where the story goes?

I’m somewhere in the middle with “pantsing” and plotting. I always know how my stories will end, and often write the ending very early in the drafting process. Usually I have certain scenes in mind as I start writing, but stories often surprise me, going unexpected places. I make notes of things to research as I go, because I don’t like to stop the flow of fast-drafting to look things up.

5. What is your current favorite book of 2015?

Ack! I’m so far behind on my TBR pile! Here are a few 2015 releases that I’ve really enjoyed: Denton Little’s Deathdate by Lance Rubin, The Truth About Jack by Jody Gehrman, and Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes.

6. Who would be your dream cast for Trina and Slade?

I shy away from the dream cast question. To me, half the fun as a reader is creating the characters in your own mind. That’s what I love to do as a reader, and when a book is made into a movie, I’m often the person saying, “No! He (or she) doesn’t look like that at all!” because the chosen actor doesn’t match the mental image I’ve created while reading. On the flip side, it’s fun to hear from readers about who they would dream cast for my books.

7. If you were given the chance who would you co-write a book with?

Talk about a long list! There are so, so many authors I’d love to collaborate with, and yet the thought of doing so is also slightly terrifying. I always hated group projects in school, so it’s entirely possible I’d be a horrible co-author. How’s that for cheating my way out of not answering? Okay, for real, I think it would be a blast to co-write a YA romance with a comedian, doing alternating POVs. Maybe Jim Gaffigan, because he’s so stinking funny.

8. Are you working on anything new that your fans can look forward to?

My next book coming from Entangled Teen (tentatively titled The Replacement Crush) is about Vivian, a romance book blogger who works in her mom’s bookstore in a California beach town. To recover from a recent heartbreak, Vivian decides to be logical about her next crush, and makes a list of guys who don’t trip her “zing meter.” But there’s a new guy in town, a hot nerd named Dallas who has plenty of zing. He challenges Viv’s approach to love and logic every chance he gets. And he won’t take no for an answer.

Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off her eyebrows and penciling them in for an entire school year. This and other painful memories inspire her to write books in which girls big on wit and heart earn happy endings with swoony guys...eventually.
Her almost forever home is Colorado, though she occasionally pines for the days when she lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean. Her house is full of books, boys, four-­legged prima donnas, and lots of laughter.
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